Introduction:
Hello, I 'll start by introducing myself. My name is Stelios and I have a decent amount of experience in tuning which I will gladly share through this guide with you. I have been extensively reading and studying on cars and tuning since young age, managing to successfully tune 4 cars in the past 2 of which above stage 1, making it a hobby in the process. I am 31, I live in Athens, Greece and I am rather new to this Forum but I 'd like to contribute a little something to this nice Alfa Romeo corner, helping pple that are interested, in the task of tuning their favorite Giulietta. I own a Seat Leon 1,8 TFSI (you guessed right, its tuned - 220hp atm) but I am currently waiting (for the last 1,5 months to be exact) my new Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde which should be arriving within the next 3-4 weeks according to my dealer (I 'll post pictures when I get it, I only say in advance that its really looking special ). Back to our topic, I have been using this time productively, making an extensive research about the tuning options available for the QV during which I also came in contact with the options available for the rest of the G's as well.
Basics:
Before I really start, let me go through some basic stuff for those that aren't involved in tuning but also for those that are, so they can understand my point of view and my approach for THIS tuning guide. I 'll ONLY be writing for now about a 1st stage tuning which involves up to 3 different upgrades. Ecu Tuning, Exhaust Tuning, Induction Tuning. I will only be approaching 1st stage tuning for 3 reasons: a) Its not really expensive, b) its rather safe for your car which is important since we are talking about your new and rather expensive car and c) it will offer you a good performance/money ratio.
Ecu:
IMHO, no questions asked, go for the NOVITEC Powerjet 3 for 1,8 Turbo or the Powerjet 2 for 1,4 if you have any of the rest of the petrol Engines. Novitec also makes an ECU power-box for Diesel engines but I wont be talking at all about them since wanting a fast car and going for a Diesel one is like wanting to be polite and farting in a wedding reception (and pls skip the comments about how many fast cars with diesel engines exist cause for each one of them there is an equivalent displacement / characteristic petrol Engine that makes that car go 1,5 times faster). Back to our conversation about ECU, I have spoken to a shitload of pple over email and phone over the last month, that offer all kind of upgrades, so what made me suggest the Novitec Powerjet? a) They have experience in AR tuning. b) I have tried them in the past and was really pleased with their products c) You DON'T get to keep your warranty with ECU upgrades (if the dealer claims that a problem is related to it they wont cover the repair costs, but they can't remove all your warranty coverage) BUT since this is a removable product that connects before your ECU with a cable and changes the information the car sends to it making your original ECU act in a way that increases your cars HP / Torque, IF anything happens to your car at some point (I don't mean related to it) you remove it, you go to your dealer, they check the problem (whatever that might be) and they can't know that you had it on, so they can't give you sh.. about that losing your warranty and bla bla bla. After your visit there you can replug it and you have it working exactly as before . Let's get to where you want: You gain 26 hp and about 40 Nm of torque from that. That means your QV will get up to 261 Hp and 380Nm at Dynamic Mode (25 - 30 HP for the 1.4Lt engines too). Your Normal Mode gets up to the performance your Dynamic mode had BEFORE the ECU tuning. The powerbox does NOT change any of the other characteristics your DNA system affects. Something you wont find easily: there is a safety switch that after 90 seconds of continues full throttle the Powerbox reduces its effect by 50% and another 50% (down to as it was) after another 90 seconds (again assuming you haven't lifted the throttle pedal even once). Link to Novitec Giulietta products: Novitec | Giulietta | Engine | Novitec Automobile GmbH , Alfa Romeo , Fiat , Ferrari and Maserati Tuning
Exhaust:
2 and ONLY 2 options atm available for our lovely G's. Ragazzon - Supersprint (all Petrol Versions included since they have both developed systems for 1,4Lt - 1,75Lt Engines). My suggestion starts with Rag and ends with azzon. Why? OK, a) Price, b) Sound (subjective but I think my judgment is decently good), c) both are experienced brands in making Italian cars exhaust systems and acknowledged so no reason to choose Supersprint over Ragazzon since in a & b Ragazzon is better. They both promise from 8-9 to 15 HP for a complete system (including the catalytic converter). Let me take away the confusion I just created about the HP gains. NONE of them offers a DYNO test result. I have contacted both and I have heard different stories for what they expect their exhausts to give to your cars performance but the bottom line is, combined with my car and tuning judgment / knowledge, expect a result of about 10 HP on average at a price of about 1,8k Euros for Ragazzon and 2,6k Euros for Supersprint. Also you will gain some Torque which I don't want to speculate how much is going to be but not less than 20Nm for sure. Keep in mind you 'll have NO warranty issue with any dealer no matter how strict they are for changing your exhaust. If you don't want the complete system because you are mainly aiming for the sound change, the back exhaust part will give it to you, along with about 2-3 hp at a price of about 600 - 650 Euros. Link to Ragazzon: Ragazzon Srl and Supersprint: complete exhaust system ALFA ROMEO, exhaust components Alfa Romeo GIULIETTA, car tuning ALFA ROMEO
Induction:
Not much to report here unfortunately. 2 options again available but none of them really makes me tick. BMC and K&N (K&N only has for the 1,75Lt engine and to look it up you ll have to check for the 159 engine since it has the same induction as the GQV) have replacement filters for our G's but none has produced yet a complete induction system. So if you upgrade the other two (ECU & exhaust), I suggest that you change your filter too (about 80 - 85 Euros is the price), to make sure you give your car that little bit of extra air that might be needed. Again, I have contacted both these companies about potential gains and none had something solid to report but I am guessing (again from XP), you might get from a negligible result to a MAX of 1-3 HP and 10 Nm of torque. Speaking once more from personal experience and hear me out here pls, I KNOW you want better sound from the gay suppressed induction sound the G has, especially if you compare it to older Alfa's, BUT DON'T change your complete induction system to a universal one without having seen printed and tested results that prove it is going to offer a power upgrade. Otherwise you risk paying money for something that might make your car lose HP / Torque, something I have seen many times in the past happen. So IMHO, we should be waiting for someone to produce and test a complete induction system for this car before going fwd and replacing the stock. On the contrary the replacement filters I suggested are safely certain not to give you a negative result, in the worse case scenario they wont give you a positive. Keep in mind you 'll have NO warranty issue with any dealer, no matter how strict they are for changing your induction system. Link to BMC: ALFA ROMEO | Products Results | AIR FILTERS BMC | AIR FILTER | CAR | MOTORCYCLE | bike - racing - venturi admission system - carbon dynamic airbox | BMC Air Filter and to K&N: K&N Products by Vehicle Search - Year, Make, Model, Engine Search
Some Extra Info:
After speaking with a lot of Tuning Shops that offer the products mentioned above, the best by far in knowledge, friendliness and professionalism was Alfisti.Net (Link for G's: Alfa Romeo Shop - Tuning, Styling, Fanartikel und Modellautos - Alfa Romeo Giulietta Tuning & Styling ). They have both the Novitec powerboxes and all the Ragazzon exhausts. This is the shop I decided after a market search to buy from but as I said I am only stating and sharing my opinion / suggestions.
Conclusion:
Upgrading all the above will result in your car gaining from 35 -40 hp and up to 60Nm of torque but another question is, does your car already produce what it promises? If you have a 1,4Lt G yes I promise it does. If you have the QV I am afraid it doesn't. I cant with absolute certainty guarantee that, but having seen 2 dyno tests, the QV probably produces about 225hp instead of 235hp that the factory specifies. Still not too shabby. Final numbers: the 1.4Lt 170hp engine will get up to about 205hp, the QV to about 270hp (260Hp if it indeed has 225hp stock as I think it has) and the 1,4Lt 120hp version to about 160hp. You 'll also gain some nice sound from the exhaust (not annoying but muscular) and a nice smile in your face since your car is going to be performing way better than it did as stock.
P.S. 1: Excuse my mistakes in writing but English is not my main language
P.S. 2: I 'll be happy to see pple contribute by keeping this guide up to date, also pls feel free to contact me or PM me about anything.
P.S. 3: I decided to spice up in the very near future this guide by adding a stage 2 section
Hello, I 'll start by introducing myself. My name is Stelios and I have a decent amount of experience in tuning which I will gladly share through this guide with you. I have been extensively reading and studying on cars and tuning since young age, managing to successfully tune 4 cars in the past 2 of which above stage 1, making it a hobby in the process. I am 31, I live in Athens, Greece and I am rather new to this Forum but I 'd like to contribute a little something to this nice Alfa Romeo corner, helping pple that are interested, in the task of tuning their favorite Giulietta. I own a Seat Leon 1,8 TFSI (you guessed right, its tuned - 220hp atm) but I am currently waiting (for the last 1,5 months to be exact) my new Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde which should be arriving within the next 3-4 weeks according to my dealer (I 'll post pictures when I get it, I only say in advance that its really looking special ). Back to our topic, I have been using this time productively, making an extensive research about the tuning options available for the QV during which I also came in contact with the options available for the rest of the G's as well.
Basics:
Before I really start, let me go through some basic stuff for those that aren't involved in tuning but also for those that are, so they can understand my point of view and my approach for THIS tuning guide. I 'll ONLY be writing for now about a 1st stage tuning which involves up to 3 different upgrades. Ecu Tuning, Exhaust Tuning, Induction Tuning. I will only be approaching 1st stage tuning for 3 reasons: a) Its not really expensive, b) its rather safe for your car which is important since we are talking about your new and rather expensive car and c) it will offer you a good performance/money ratio.
Ecu:
IMHO, no questions asked, go for the NOVITEC Powerjet 3 for 1,8 Turbo or the Powerjet 2 for 1,4 if you have any of the rest of the petrol Engines. Novitec also makes an ECU power-box for Diesel engines but I wont be talking at all about them since wanting a fast car and going for a Diesel one is like wanting to be polite and farting in a wedding reception (and pls skip the comments about how many fast cars with diesel engines exist cause for each one of them there is an equivalent displacement / characteristic petrol Engine that makes that car go 1,5 times faster). Back to our conversation about ECU, I have spoken to a shitload of pple over email and phone over the last month, that offer all kind of upgrades, so what made me suggest the Novitec Powerjet? a) They have experience in AR tuning. b) I have tried them in the past and was really pleased with their products c) You DON'T get to keep your warranty with ECU upgrades (if the dealer claims that a problem is related to it they wont cover the repair costs, but they can't remove all your warranty coverage) BUT since this is a removable product that connects before your ECU with a cable and changes the information the car sends to it making your original ECU act in a way that increases your cars HP / Torque, IF anything happens to your car at some point (I don't mean related to it) you remove it, you go to your dealer, they check the problem (whatever that might be) and they can't know that you had it on, so they can't give you sh.. about that losing your warranty and bla bla bla. After your visit there you can replug it and you have it working exactly as before . Let's get to where you want: You gain 26 hp and about 40 Nm of torque from that. That means your QV will get up to 261 Hp and 380Nm at Dynamic Mode (25 - 30 HP for the 1.4Lt engines too). Your Normal Mode gets up to the performance your Dynamic mode had BEFORE the ECU tuning. The powerbox does NOT change any of the other characteristics your DNA system affects. Something you wont find easily: there is a safety switch that after 90 seconds of continues full throttle the Powerbox reduces its effect by 50% and another 50% (down to as it was) after another 90 seconds (again assuming you haven't lifted the throttle pedal even once). Link to Novitec Giulietta products: Novitec | Giulietta | Engine | Novitec Automobile GmbH , Alfa Romeo , Fiat , Ferrari and Maserati Tuning
Exhaust:
2 and ONLY 2 options atm available for our lovely G's. Ragazzon - Supersprint (all Petrol Versions included since they have both developed systems for 1,4Lt - 1,75Lt Engines). My suggestion starts with Rag and ends with azzon. Why? OK, a) Price, b) Sound (subjective but I think my judgment is decently good), c) both are experienced brands in making Italian cars exhaust systems and acknowledged so no reason to choose Supersprint over Ragazzon since in a & b Ragazzon is better. They both promise from 8-9 to 15 HP for a complete system (including the catalytic converter). Let me take away the confusion I just created about the HP gains. NONE of them offers a DYNO test result. I have contacted both and I have heard different stories for what they expect their exhausts to give to your cars performance but the bottom line is, combined with my car and tuning judgment / knowledge, expect a result of about 10 HP on average at a price of about 1,8k Euros for Ragazzon and 2,6k Euros for Supersprint. Also you will gain some Torque which I don't want to speculate how much is going to be but not less than 20Nm for sure. Keep in mind you 'll have NO warranty issue with any dealer no matter how strict they are for changing your exhaust. If you don't want the complete system because you are mainly aiming for the sound change, the back exhaust part will give it to you, along with about 2-3 hp at a price of about 600 - 650 Euros. Link to Ragazzon: Ragazzon Srl and Supersprint: complete exhaust system ALFA ROMEO, exhaust components Alfa Romeo GIULIETTA, car tuning ALFA ROMEO
Induction:
Not much to report here unfortunately. 2 options again available but none of them really makes me tick. BMC and K&N (K&N only has for the 1,75Lt engine and to look it up you ll have to check for the 159 engine since it has the same induction as the GQV) have replacement filters for our G's but none has produced yet a complete induction system. So if you upgrade the other two (ECU & exhaust), I suggest that you change your filter too (about 80 - 85 Euros is the price), to make sure you give your car that little bit of extra air that might be needed. Again, I have contacted both these companies about potential gains and none had something solid to report but I am guessing (again from XP), you might get from a negligible result to a MAX of 1-3 HP and 10 Nm of torque. Speaking once more from personal experience and hear me out here pls, I KNOW you want better sound from the gay suppressed induction sound the G has, especially if you compare it to older Alfa's, BUT DON'T change your complete induction system to a universal one without having seen printed and tested results that prove it is going to offer a power upgrade. Otherwise you risk paying money for something that might make your car lose HP / Torque, something I have seen many times in the past happen. So IMHO, we should be waiting for someone to produce and test a complete induction system for this car before going fwd and replacing the stock. On the contrary the replacement filters I suggested are safely certain not to give you a negative result, in the worse case scenario they wont give you a positive. Keep in mind you 'll have NO warranty issue with any dealer, no matter how strict they are for changing your induction system. Link to BMC: ALFA ROMEO | Products Results | AIR FILTERS BMC | AIR FILTER | CAR | MOTORCYCLE | bike - racing - venturi admission system - carbon dynamic airbox | BMC Air Filter and to K&N: K&N Products by Vehicle Search - Year, Make, Model, Engine Search
Some Extra Info:
After speaking with a lot of Tuning Shops that offer the products mentioned above, the best by far in knowledge, friendliness and professionalism was Alfisti.Net (Link for G's: Alfa Romeo Shop - Tuning, Styling, Fanartikel und Modellautos - Alfa Romeo Giulietta Tuning & Styling ). They have both the Novitec powerboxes and all the Ragazzon exhausts. This is the shop I decided after a market search to buy from but as I said I am only stating and sharing my opinion / suggestions.
Conclusion:
Upgrading all the above will result in your car gaining from 35 -40 hp and up to 60Nm of torque but another question is, does your car already produce what it promises? If you have a 1,4Lt G yes I promise it does. If you have the QV I am afraid it doesn't. I cant with absolute certainty guarantee that, but having seen 2 dyno tests, the QV probably produces about 225hp instead of 235hp that the factory specifies. Still not too shabby. Final numbers: the 1.4Lt 170hp engine will get up to about 205hp, the QV to about 270hp (260Hp if it indeed has 225hp stock as I think it has) and the 1,4Lt 120hp version to about 160hp. You 'll also gain some nice sound from the exhaust (not annoying but muscular) and a nice smile in your face since your car is going to be performing way better than it did as stock.
P.S. 1: Excuse my mistakes in writing but English is not my main language
P.S. 2: I 'll be happy to see pple contribute by keeping this guide up to date, also pls feel free to contact me or PM me about anything.
P.S. 3: I decided to spice up in the very near future this guide by adding a stage 2 section