Clogz' Brera 2.4 Skunk Works Thread

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Some of you will have read about the mods I've done to my car already but I thought I'd do a quick recap for the benefit of the thread so that all information is in one place...

A New car

In 2010 I decided to change my trusty Seat Leon BTCC for the car I wanted in the first place - An Alfa Romeo Brera. The type of engine was pretty much decided beforehand due to the long daily commute. I visited some Alfa dealers and ended up testdriving a nice Brera from Mangoletsi with their upgrades. It was a nice car but I had an opportunity to buy a 2nd hand Brera with 64miles on the clock. The car came from an Alfa dealer down south and I bought it just of the pictures I was sent. It was going to be used as a demo but I got there first and it was stored until I could take delivery.

In April/May 2010 after all the snow had cleared up and the sun had decided to show its face again my car was promptly delivered and it was looking in great(read mint!) condition.

The car was new and the engine felt very tight just like my previous car. After a few thousand miles the engine was better but I was still disappointed with the driveability. Especially considering it's a 5-cylinder diesel engine! The fuel economy was equally disappointing averaging 37~39mpg despite doing lots of motorway mileage.

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Let modding begin

I started reading up and eventually ended up buying a tuning box. It gave the engine more power and slightly better fuel economy whilst preserving the warranty. The box could be fitted/removed in about 20 seconds flat and for a couple of months I was reasonably happy with it. Now then, the smart thing to do would have been to stop reading the Alfa forum and in particular the F1-progress thread of James! I blame it all on him!

I kept reading about this F1-remap with DPF removal and EGR delete that has been developed by AlfaTune and AHM. In the end I decided to give AlfaTune a ring and spoke to Gus at length. He explained all the available options patiently and left it with me to mull things over. I decided to go for the full-monty. Remap, DPF removal and EGR delete. The car was booked in and AlfaTuner did his magic. Well, it transformed the car! I couldn't believe it was the same engine. Having had the benefit of driving a Brera 2.4 in various configurations - Standard, Mangoletsi Mod3, and my tuning box I can confirm that the AlfaTune remap is in a different league. :thumbs:

You can read a more about the remap here:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/tuni...ra-2-4jtdm-dpf-remap-results.html#post3662013

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

How to fix balloon suspension

Having a 'fixed' engine put a huuuge smile on my face and I attacked my daily 100mile commute with fresh energy.

Again, I should have stopped thinking/worrying about my car but I didn't...

The improvements to the engine only served to show up the poor suspension on a standard Brera 2.4jtdm. Why o why Alfa didn't upgrade this as well when they upgraded the suspension on the petrol Brera 'S' models I'll never understand. Anyway, it didn't take long before I reached for the phone and phoned Gus for some advice after reading lots of suspension threads.

You can read about the suspension upgrades here:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/tuni...spension-upgrade-suggestions.html#post3832293

and here are some pictures:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/tuni...ension-upgrade-suggestions-2.html#post3839735

Clogz.

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Roll on Xmas

Once the suspension was sorted my focus turned to the next thing that bugged me. The 18inch antracite 8C wheels. These wheels are very nice and looked good on the pictures when I bought my car but I was a bit disappointed with how they looked on my car when I saw them on the car 'in the flesh' so to speak. For my taste they were just a bit too dark for my Carbonio black Brera. I ended up coming across a great opportunity to buy a full set of bright silver 19inch OZ Ultraleggeras - the wheels I really liked!

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/tuni...ension-upgrade-suggestions-2.html#post3839921

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/tuni...ension-upgrade-suggestions-2.html#post3839928

These 19inch wheels are much(!) lighter than the 18inch 8C wheels. The 8c wheels weighed 24.5kg including tyre and the Ultras weighed 19.4kg! A saving of about 5kg per wheel of unsprung mass! That's huge! - and makes a big and noticeable difference on the handling of the car!

Compared to standard my Brera now really grips the road well and corners like it's stuck to the road as F1JBS and myself have proven using the G-meter. We both managed to break into 1G+ cornering forces by ripping up the tarmac on our favourite roundabout. :thumbs:

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Giving the girl some lip-stick!

OK - what's next? Well, I've always been a bit envious of the Brera S with those nice red callipers. I know, I know - it's all quite sad. :lol:

The nicest way to do brake calipers is powdercoating but it means going without your car for at least a few days. Anyway, after a bit of wondering what to do I decided to try and paint them. I ordered some hi-temp vinyls from e-bay and got some hi-temp paint & clear lacquer. With a bag of time and patience I painted the callipers one pair at a time. First I did the rears and, feeling more confident, I moved to the front the next day. I gave the callipers 3 coats each. Once I was happy I fitted the vinyls and finished it all off with 2-3 coats of clear lacquer to protect it all. I think it came out OK and it was fairly cheap to do - just takes time & patience.

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Exhausting stuff!

OK guys, the pictures above show more or less where the car is at the moment and we've caught up...

What to do next? Well, I've been planning my next move for a little while...

It's exhaust time!

Lots of people are asking if someone has fitted a sports exhaust to a 2.4jtdm and I couldn't find any info either. Well, I decided to bite the bullit and order one from AlfaTune. It's a full 2.5inch straight-through stainless steel system that should let the girl 'breathe' a bit better. :lol:

It arrived a couple of days ago and looks like this :thumbs::

MylesJohn · Oct 16, 2011

Those wheels look amazing always liked the oz wheels. Good read will be following your progress

MylesJohn · Oct 16, 2011

You will have to post a video up would love to hear what that sounds like

MylesJohn · Oct 16, 2011

Also what size tyres you running on the 19's

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Hi MJ,

You're the very first poster to my new thread!

Yes, I'll be doing a full writeup with lots of details on the new exhaust with pictures, video and..other details...

It's going to be interesting! :thumbs:

stevepen · Oct 16, 2011

Interesting thread for me. I've almost followed in the same path. Done the mod3, 19" alloys, changed suspension and painted calipers. Almost saved up for the Gus treatment, hopefully will be done before Xmas.

GhostyDog · Oct 16, 2011

That's lookin really tight clogz, it looks like the skin of the car is wrapped tight around those wheels, really does change the look ofte car forge better. :thumbs:

Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you? Fancy coming to northern Italian car night at the end of the month?

Sean

jbsmith1 · Oct 16, 2011

Awesome mate, great write up, its always great to follow the progress of someones car especialy if there trying and testing new stuff for other owners to benefit from.

I really like that Alfa Tune exhaust system, looks like it will flow far better than the stock system, those mandrel bends and straight through boxs will keep the exhaust gasses flowing nicely, and stainless steel too so will be lighter and won't rust either!:thumbs:

Damien_C · Oct 16, 2011

Looks great man

Love the Brera in black

stefanocirillo · Oct 16, 2011

I will be closely following this thread as i am dying to see the results of the exhaust change. I have been toying with the idea for a long time! I hear before and after videos (with sound) are on the way. Cant wait!

Good Luck,

Stefano

stefanocirillo · Oct 16, 2011

Also, what shape are the tailpipes? I really like the square tips that are currently on there, would be a shame to lose those....

Clogz · Oct 16, 2011

Exhaust update

Gather round my diesel clan

It’s been a busy day today but I’ve managed to fit the new exhaust system, take lots of pictures, take the car for a quick spin and make a few movies.

First things first – let me explain why I decided to go with this AlfaTune straight through exhaust system. Unlike petrol engines changing the exhaust system doesn’t give the same results for a diesel engine however there are definitely some advantages to be had! The first thing is that this exhaust system is a nice, sensible, stainless steel system - 2.5inch straight through system with a pair of mini backboxes. It’s nicely made as you can see on the pictures and carefully designed for maximum flow. The original exhaust system has lots of narrowing sections and the backbox entrance and exit pipes are offset giving plenty of exhaust flow resistance. Resistance that we don’t want on our diesel as it slows our turbo spooling up!

The new exhaust system doesn’t have narrowing sections nor does it have offset pipes. :thumbs:

So what does it sound like?

The sound level this straight through system is not louder than standard but it has a lovely deep, bassy, throaty sound to it under acceleration.

When cruising at a constant speed it is still nice and stealth-quiet. I have never heard a diesel car sounding this good before! :thumbs: You can still hear of course it’s a diesel but it sounds much, much nicer than the standard system.

What more do you want?
Apart from the stainless steel, faster turbo spool-up, much nicer sound the other advantage is size and weight! The original backbox weighs in at a massive 7.2kg each whereas the Alfatune backbox comes in at just 3.8kg. That’s a huge difference!!!!!

I have also managed to record some video footage of the exhaust note before and after. Baby duties took over so the editing will have to wait...

In the meantime here are some pictures I took so far for you to feast your eyes and start saving for Xmas! Santa is going to be generous this year! :lol:

stefanocirillo · Oct 16, 2011

Looks like a great system! Are the tailpipes slightly smaller than the originals? Looks like it doesn't fill the gap in the bumper as much? A pic of the whole back of the car would be nice to see. Cant wait to see the vids....

It is going to be a very expensive xmas indeed! lol

Pud237 · Oct 16, 2011

Did you have to take off the rear bumper to fit the backboxes? Looks good by the way

Clogz · Oct 17, 2011

stefanocirillo said:
Looks like a great system! Are the tailpipes slightly smaller than the originals? Looks like it doesn't fill the gap in the bumper as much? A pic of the whole back of the car would be nice to see. Cant wait to see the vids....

It is going to be a very expensive xmas indeed! lol

Hi Stefano,

The tailpipes are a little bit different but nothing major. I doubt most (normal) people would notice. The thing is that if you want it to look exactly the same just keep the original. If you want performance it may mean things may end up looking slightly different. It can still be elegant like this exhaust system though...:thumbs:

Clogz' Brera 2.4 Skunk Works Thread

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