Hi, new and looking for advice.

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CitizenErazed

Torque Junkie
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1.4 Tigra MK1
Hey, I'm from Lincolnshire in England and am currently driving a 99 plate 1.4 Vauxhall Tigra. It had an induction kit installed when I bought it (third hand) and I love the sound it makes and the way it accelerates, I know it's not the fastest but it's the best I've yet driven. However I want to tune its performance to get the most out of it, not only for road enjoyment but in the future I want to start going on some track days. I love the idea of installing a twin turbo with intercooler etc.. but unfortunately I'm not made of money, so far I've just treated the rust it came with and put a new gear nob on but am now looking at getting my Exhaust heads ceramic coated and maybe a lighter flywheel (Lincolnshire’s very flat so no worries with hills Lol) however I'm very new to tuning, infact just the other week I hadn't the first clue about anything to do with how cars worked, so I'm not sure if what I'm thinking of is the best move for cheap but effective tuning? It also means I'm very eager to learn as much as I can.

Aspects I most enjoy about driving is cornering, but I also love accelerating fast and the sound of an engine roaring like a beast (I'm not too fussed about top speed)

Another area I'm not to sure about is weather to stick with my car, I've not long bought it and love it (despite people telling me it's a hairdressers car) but I've heard a lot of bad things about it in relation to other cars and if I'm going to be spending a lot of time and money on tuning it and taking it on track days maybe I'd be better off starting with a higher spec car? The thing with this is I want a sports car, but with a 1.4 engine (due to road tax and the way it's looking like over 1.5 cars will soon be taxed off the road, I don't wana tune a car up only to not be able to drive it Lol, also for insurance as I'm only 20) and something that's hopefully not too much on insurance, really wana stick with sports cars though, any suggestions? Or will I be fine sticking with the Tigra?

I'll give you my car history for an introduction as well, when I was 17 I had a 1.4 Rover 25 LS, at 18 I replaced with another 1.4 Rover 25, at 19 a 1.1 corsa merit (yeh, a serious down point) and now the Tigra which is also the first car I've looked at doing anything with.

Any suggestions, tips, advice, or general info/ lessons will be greatly appreciated :)
Please remember though I don't have a lot of money to spend on it.


P.S does anyone know where I can find the stats for a 1.4 MK1 tigra? (BHP, 0-60, top speed, MPG etc..)? And is it a 4-2-1 exhaust set up or what?
 
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Welcome to the forum. You have a blank canvas so to speak. The best way to learn is by getting stuck in and getting your hands dirty imo. Try to do as much work on your car as possible yourself.

As for keeping or getting rid of the car, only you can decide that and you should do that before you start any major modifications really, as you never make the money back when you sell. Let us know what you decide to do so we can advise you accordingly. However, N/A tuning is not very cost effective generally speaking.

If you do sell, have you thought about a Punto GT or Starlet GT Turbo/Glanza? I'm 20 and my insurance on a Punto GT with no no claims and an SP30 is £1700 TPFT, a Starlet will be about the same. Both small capacity turbocharged cars, cheap to run, easy to modify, quick as standard but can be turned into giant-slayers if you know what you're doing ;)
 
Hey, thanks for the replies :)

MasterAuron said:
If you do sell, have you thought about a Punto GT or Starlet GT Turbo/Glanza? I'm 20 and my insurance on a Punto GT with no no claims and an SP30 is £1700 TPFT, a Starlet will be about the same. Both small capacity turbocharged cars, cheap to run, easy to modify, quick as standard but can be turned into giant-slayers if you know what you're doing ;)
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Sounds great, only thing is I was hoping to stick with the sports car/ sports coupe look rather then a hot hatch if you know what I mean? I really like my car I have now, I was just wondering if there is a 1.4 sports coupe with significantly better stats that might be a better starting point?

so saying I stick with my Tigra, do ceramic coating the exhaust heads and getting a lighter flywheel sound like good tuning steps or are there things I can do first that will give me better improvements? (that cost no more then a few hundred)

MasterAuron said:
Is your username a Muse reference btw? If so, I salute you!
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Yeh, it was originally in reference to the Muse song, but I'm a musician myself and am thinking of using it as my own artist name in all.
 
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On the assumption that you intend to keep the Tigra, you may have to live with the fact that without a lot of money it will never be a fast car in a straight line. However, as you intend to take it on track days and enjoy cornering etc, concentrate on improving handling and that won't matter. You will have much more fun on a track in a car that handles well than one that's fast in a straight line but can't turn corners.

If you remove and refit it yourself, skimming your existing flywheel can be done fairly cheaply (about £60) by an engineering company. I won't get into the pros and cons, but in short, expect to see a minimal acceleration increase and the car will feel more "free-revving".

Cermic coating is once again not too expensive and the idea behind that is to retain heat in the coated item, which will improve gas flow and in turn improve performance. You can't just coat a cast manifold though (or exhaust wrap, incedently) as it will usually just crack.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend either for you. Small potatoes really. Not sure what's avaliable for the Tigra, but to improve the chassis look out for coilovers, front and rear strut braces, uprated anti-roll bars, better pads and grooved discs and very importantly, a good set of tyres.
 
Strut braces looked like a good and fairly straight foreword step, I just wasn't sure about weather it'd have much effect on a car as low powered as mine and weather it might get in the way of any future engine mods. If you think it'd be worth it on my car though then I will defiantly give that another look. I'm going to have to go look up what a coilover is though Lol

after the strut braces then I'll get a set of 16 inch alloys (do the wheel size first so the brake pads match right?) then have a look at what some good brake discs are. I'm wary about high performance tires as I've heard they need replacing very frequently which is going to be a recurring expense, is that right?

The reason I thought the ceramic on the exhaust might be good is I figured if I lowered the under bonnet temperature then the air flow would stay cooler and so more cold air and thus more oxygen into the engine, did I get that wrong, or are the results actually just very minimal?
 
coilover is a complete unit for the supension ( spring and shock ) which are normally adjustable.

high performance tyres (note spelling unless your american) can war quicker due to the differences in compound. driving style does pay a large part in it.
what you could do i get 2 sets of wheels - 1 set with decent tyres for daily driving and another lightweight set with track day tyres for, yup youve guessed it, track days.
 
to adderss the handling first i would, as is my intention with my own motor shortly, to get a set of coil overs, change all the bushes to polys and have front and rear strut braces. having had this on my pug 205 before a significant difference in handling will be noticed (so you can carry more speed around the corners and give better overall control)
 
pgarner said:
coilover is a complete unit for the supension ( spring and shock ) which are normally adjustable.

high performance tyres (note spelling unless your american) can war quicker due to the differences in compound. driving style does pay a large part in it.
what you could do i get 2 sets of wheels - 1 set with decent tyres for daily driving and another lightweight set with track day tyres for, yup youve guessed it, track days.
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thanks for the info, I think getting 2 sets is something I'll leave for the future when I'm ready to start going on track days, I'll look into better tyres though if, as you say the wear isn't as bad as I've heard and it largely comes down to driveing style.

dpsubaru said:
to adderss the handling first i would, as is my intention with my own motor shortly, to get a set of coil overs, change all the bushes to polys and have front and rear strut braces. having had this on my pug 205 before a significant difference in handling will be noticed (so you can carry more speed around the corners and give better overall control)
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Thanks for the advice, it seems getting a set of coil overs is a popular recomendation so I will deffinatly be looking into getting a set, also like the idea of a front strut brace (will a back one eat up my boot space?) I'm afraid you'll have to forgive my ignorance again though as I ask; bushes- polys? are they tyres?

turbonutter69 said:
Welcome to Torque Cars buddy..
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Thanks! :bigsmile:
 
Whats the best way of describing the bush ?
think where two bits or metal join and you want to get rid of the vibrations and wear
manufactures normally use rubber for these areas as its softer and therefore gives less vibration into the cabin. polyurethane bushes are a harder plastic and allow less flexs than the rubber ones
 
ahh thanks or that, that sounds like a long home job of getting dirty with the car and changing them all yourself? (well myself) sounds fun actually. I'll look into the cost.

I've had a look at getting coilovers, and was amazed first of all at the price difference in UK, in America they're thousands of dollars over here I've seen them as low as in the 200's. I'm not too sure which set to get though, I don't want to just go by the assumption that more expensive is probably better as that way you can often get ripped off or just buy a brand name. So what are some well recommended makes?


The rest of my shopping list ATM consists of:
Strut braces (look very cheap in all!)
Quaife ATB Differential
M-Tech Chassis strengthening Kit

Then I'm also going to look at getting some 16" alloys (preferably black) and then with the new wheel size working on my brakes. which looks expensive... very expensive:-s


Sound good?
 
200 for coilovers sounds really cheap? are they coil overs or just standard spring and strut kit? Which make for a Tigra not sure but am getting a set of tein's for the scooby.
strut braces - yes not really that expensive.
 
Lol you'll be doing very well if you can find collies for 200 smackers dude! Got a link? As for recommendations, I have Spax RSX on the GT. One of the best value coilover sets around. Not up there with the very best, but for a Punto they'll do and they are much much better than a normal spring and shock set up (on the front). I'm considering upgrading to KW Varient 2's, or XYZ, but mega-handling is far from a priority atm.

As for a Quiafe diff, I'm currently in the process of buying one for the GT. £538 inc. Vat but excluding delivery direct from Quiafe. I don't think you will get one for that price though, list price is £585 excl. Vat and delivery on their site IIRC. I feel an LSD would be overkill for you, however, as you don't have much power to lose traction easily out of corners. Unless you're driving a monster, adjust your driving technique instead of getting a diff.

What's involved in this chassis strengthening kit?

For the wheels, bigger will usually mean heavier and a larger rolling radius (depending on tyre profile) and can often slow you're car down. Just something to bear in mind. You want lightweight wheels ideally, but proepr ones can be expensive. Team Dynamics do some well priced light (ish) wheels.

As for the brakes, look to other Vauxhall cars with larger brakes and nick theirs. Or even cars of other makes. Most complex part of finding and fitting larger brakes from other cars is the caliper bracket and whether you're slave cylinder can cope with larger brakes. Kits are usually very expensive. I, for example, have the option of fitting 20VT or Alfa Romeo something Brembo 4-pots (~£150 second-hand inc. discs and pads) with brackets (£85) and Goodridge hoses (£60). Total £295 for all the breaking I will ever need in a car of my size. Direct fit.
 
welcome, cant help sorry its something ill have to look into later my self. only just joined my self and this has got to the best site ive come across , im just here to lose so weight ...lol
 
MasterAuron said:
Lol you'll be doing very well if you can find collies for 200 smackers dude! Got a link? As for recommendations, I have Spax RSX on the GT. One of the best value coilover sets around. Not up there with the very best, but for a Punto they'll do and they are much much better than a normal spring and shock set up (on the front). I'm considering upgrading to KW Varient 2's, or XYZ, but mega-handling is far from a priority atm.

As for a Quiafe diff, I'm currently in the process of buying one for the GT. £538 inc. Vat but excluding delivery direct from Quiafe. I don't think you will get one for that price though, list price is £585 excl. Vat and delivery on their site IIRC. I feel an LSD would be overkill for you, however, as you don't have much power to lose traction easily out of corners. Unless you're driving a monster, adjust your driving technique instead of getting a diff.

What's involved in this chassis strengthening kit?

For the wheels, bigger will usually mean heavier and a larger rolling radius (depending on tyre profile) and can often slow you're car down. Just something to bear in mind. You want lightweight wheels ideally, but proepr ones can be expensive. Team Dynamics do some well priced light (ish) wheels.

As for the brakes, look to other Vauxhall cars with larger brakes and nick theirs. Or even cars of other makes. Most complex part of finding and fitting larger brakes from other cars is the caliper bracket and whether you're slave cylinder can cope with larger brakes. Kits are usually very expensive. I, for example, have the option of fitting 20VT or Alfa Romeo something Brembo 4-pots (~£150 second-hand inc. discs and pads) with brackets (£85) and Goodridge hoses (£60). Total £295 for all the breaking I will ever need in a car of my size. Direct fit.
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sure: http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=2278 the V-Maxx ones at the bottom. I never said it was 200 I said it reached as low as the 200'S

The quiafe I was looking at was is on that site as well, £569.25 I was just thinking it an idea to maximise handeling, then when I eventually move on to preformance the car will allready be able to handel it, but then again if i'm not gonna get much bennafit from it now then that's 570 I can spend elsewhere :bigsmile:

here's the chasis kit: http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/product.php?productid=16156&cat=1738&page=1 I'm actually now a little more dubious about this, something tells me it will strengthen the purposefully designed crumple zones which are there for a reason :confused:

thanks for the wheel heads up! Yeh I think some good long visits to the scrap yards are in order, I'll have to really check the quality though *fingers crossed for porsche brakes*
 
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