[symon]

How hard would KW V1;s be compared to Bilstein B4's or B6's coupled with Eibach Pro springs. My original plan was B4's and Eibach Pro springs, as I heard it was a good comfortable combo. But they don't sell them online in Australia. I looked at purchasing them overseas from Alfisti. But by the time I added the shipping charge, the import tax, and the conversion rate from EURO to AUD. It added up to cost more than the KW V1 coilovers, which are atleast height adjustable. I'm just hoping they aint too firm.

I cannot answer that I am afraid as I have no experience of using the KW-V1.

From the factory the car is oversprung and underdamped in my opinion. The springs are relatively thin gauge wire but they have huge amounts of pre-load. The length uncompressed is almost twice the length than when fitted to the strut. The Eibach springs are thicker gauge but only need a small amount of compression to fit.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

Honestly - sell it and buy a 1.7.

In the meantime, just learn to drive it. I find simply flooring it and learning when to get back off the throttle as the boost kicks in gets around most of the drivebility issues with the lag. And also jsut driving it for what it is. Leave it in Normal for most daily use and just chilling.

And stick it in Dynamic for the back road work and give it a tickle. Trying to make it do something it’s not designed or marketed for will only cause frustration.

Life is short. Enjoy it for what it is, or flog it off and get something better suited to your wants.

Yeah so the 1.7 litre in the revised 2015 update doesnt come in manual. Yes, the option will be putting in either a supercharger, or a 1.7 litre engine. You can pick an engine up for 4.5K. A new Giulietta 1.75L is around 30K, I purchased my car for 20K. I'm still way up, even with an engine change, plus, I love that it is manual, and has panaromic sunroof and electric heated seats. The QV models only come with the manual seats.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

Honestly - sell it and buy a 1.7.

In the meantime, just learn to drive it. I find simply flooring it and learning when to get back off the throttle as the boost kicks in gets around most of the drivebility issues with the lag. And also jsut driving it for what it is. Leave it in Normal for most daily use and just chilling.

And stick it in Dynamic for the back road work and give it a tickle. Trying to make it do something it’s not designed or marketed for will only cause frustration.

Life is short. Enjoy it for what it is, or flog it off and get something better suited to your wants.

Also, for 30k, all you can get is a golf GTI which is hell boring. I'm sick of seeing them everywhere on the road, plus I love the steering weight of the Giulietta on the updated model, it feels much better than all the pre-LCI versions. So I'm happy to spend the money to improve the drive train and handling.

 

[haakon]

Megane IV Sport. In a manual.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2019-renault-megane-r-s-280-manual/SSE-AD-12264222

 

[JnL]

The Japanese have other ignition coils, ignition coil voltage increase units and throttle body spacer.
I have all of it in my Multiair Mito and the turbolag is remarkable decreased.
In addition you can install lightweight pulleys (alternator and service pulley) which let the engine spool up faster.
An engine damper and the above mentioned engine mount insert from powerflex completes the setup for a fun driving.

 

[symon]

Also, for 30k, all you can get is a golf GTI which is hell boring. I'm sick of seeing them everywhere on the road, plus I love the steering weight of the Giulietta on the updated model, it feels much better than all the pre-LCI versions. So I'm happy to spend the money to improve the drive train and handling.

The Golf might be common, but to drive it is leagues better than the Giulietta. The Giulietta feels very dated and crude in comparison. The Golf just does everything much better, other than being a bit different.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

The Golf might be common, but to drive it is leagues better than the Giulietta. The Giulietta feels very dated and crude in comparison. The Golf just does everything much better, other than being a bit different.

I completely agree, from a Driver's perspective, it drives much better, has less understeer, less body roll, however I'm not a huge fan of its EPS steering system, it feels too light for me, but other than that, it drives better in every facet.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

The Golf might be common, but to drive it is leagues better than the Giulietta. The Giulietta feels very dated and crude in comparison. The Golf just does everything much better, other than being a bit different.

I'm happy with the interior to be honest. Once I install the Alpine ILX 207 with Car Play, and with the electric leather seats, I will be extremely happy with both the interior, exterior, and steering feel. The question is , if I throw some money at it, can I get it to drive as well as a golf. E.g LSD, suspension, and some improvement to the drivetrain.

 

[symon]

I completely agree, from a Driver's perspective, it drives much better, has less understeer, less body roll, however I'm not a huge fan of its EPS steering system, it feels too light for me, but other than that, it drives better in every facet.

I am not sure what model of Golf you are referring to (Mines a Mk7) and on mine the steering has different settings where you can adjust the weight, from light up to pretty heavy. It does have a variable ratio rack too but you don't even notice it.

The Giuietta has an electric rack as well, but whether it is the rack or the suspension settings the Golf has better feel.If you were not told before driving it that it was electric you would never know....

With a few mods I think the Giulietta can be made to handle really well. Better than a Golf? Who knows, but I am sure you could get to be very good. I think the general suspension design is sound, but it is badly let down by spring and damper settings.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

I am not sure what model of Golf you are referring to (Mines a Mk7) and on mine the steering has different settings where you can adjust the weight, from light up to pretty heavy. It does have a variable ratio rack too but you don't even notice it.

The Giuietta has an electric rack as well, but whether it is the rack or the suspension settings the Golf has better feel.If you were not told before driving it that it was electric you would never know....

With a few mods I think the Giulietta can be made to handle really well. Better than a Golf? Who knows, but I am sure you could get to be very good. I think the general suspension design is sound, but it is badly let down by spring and damper settings.

I've spent lot's of time in the MK 7.5. I've also owned an Audi S3 8V, while the VW steering is definitely more precise and accurate, , I think that it lacks more "feel" as an EPS systems, however this is subjective. I also prefer the manual gear box in this Giulietta over the Golf well. It feels a bit notchier and slick, though the clutch pedal feels too long.

Not many car's come perfect out of the box for me, with the exception of P cars. Probably the biggest and most challenging issue here is the drive train. I much prefer to buy a car that already has the drive train I want, as suspension tuning is much easier.

I drove the 1.7 QV, and it too is also a very boosty engine, unlike say the power delivery from the GTI 2.0 engine, or say a BMW N20 engine. I think it's just how these Multiair's deliver their power, a bit like the old JDM turbo engines.

I think the car badly needs a front LSD. I have just recently test driven the new Ford Fiesta ST which comes standard with a LSD and boy does it make a difference to the handling. I also had an LSD on my Mini Cooper R56, it really helps with mid corner grip and reduces some of that torque steer. The Giulietta is soo boostie, I'm getting too much torque steer during corners.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

The Japanese have other ignition coils, ignition coil voltage increase units and throttle body spacer.
I have all of it in my Multiair Mito and the turbolag is remarkable decreased.
In addition you can install lightweight pulleys (alternator and service pulley) which let the engine spool up faster.
An engine damper and the above mentioned engine mount insert from powerflex completes the setup for a fun driving.

Will mention these to the tuner when I see them. This is who I am taking my car to, if anyone lives in Melbourne Australia.

Maranello PurSang | Auto Servicing, Repairs, Parts | Alfa Fiat Ferrari

With 30 years of experience, our knowledge of auto servicing and repairing Alfa, Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, Mercedes & BMW is second to none.

www.maranellopursang.com

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

I've also ordered this Kit from Germany. Once this comes home, I'm purchasing the Alpine ILX-702D with the matching reverse camera. I've got the stock sound system which is okay, but wouldn't mind changing all the speakers out to some B & O's.

Alpine - KIT-7AR-940 7 inch Installation Kit for Alfa Romeo Giulietta (Type 940) from 2013- and newer

Alpine - KIT-7AR-940 7 inch Installation Kit for Alfa Romeo Giulietta (Type 940) from 2013- and newer

www.alpine.co.uk

 

[alfaquo]

You will always get a bit of a lag effect on a 1.4 MA

Due to being indirect injection it runs a relatively low compression ratio, so until the turbo reaches its boost threshold it will always seem a bit gutless.

Until 2015, the 1.4 Multiair had a compression of 9.8:1 but from 2015 a compression of 10.0:1

Of course it won't make much difference...

The 1.4 MA has the greatest power (170 ps) compared to all competitors, (1.3 to 1.5) this is only possible with the largest turbo, therefore the turbo gap
Which you notice much less with a TCT

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

Update: The tuner only had time to service my car, and download the original ECU map. I've booked in again in another 3 weeks for the dyno and custom tune.

Sadly. the KW V1 coilovers I ordered are made to order 6-8 weeks.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta (06/10-ON) 940 ST Coilover Suspension by KW

Upgrade the suspension on your Alfa Giulietta. Lower your ride, gain adjustability and transform your ride with track focused handling. Transform the performance, handling and appearance of your Alfa Giulietta

empireperformance.com.au

Empire performance didn't mention the "made to order" part, until after I paid for the goods. Geepers creepers.

Sorry guys. I'll post again in a few weeks with the remap and Dyno results, I'll see how wide and early I can make the torque band, and how late in the RPM I can make peak power, without any engine mods, but just a pure custom ECU remap. I'm also going to request burbles in "D" mode only. And also ask that N mode be similar to D stock, and that the new D mode been more responsive. No idea if this can be done on stock intercooler and ignition. I will wait for the tuners feedback and get back to you, for whomever is interested in going the custom ECU remap route, rather than chip tuning.

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

Congratulations on the purchase, I don't know about oz cars but the mirrors on mine are huge, if someone knocked it off I wouldn't care, I would also love to know how an engine mount cures turbo lag, never heard of this, if you remap it will drive nice, good luck

I wonder if the UK mirrors have a different part number to the OZ mirrors. I've heard the Euro cars have convex mirrors which helps. Everything on my side mirrors looks really really close, in comparison to my rear view mirror.

 

[Pseudoguru]

Hi Alfa Wolfe, I live in Sydney and I had a similar Giulietta 1.4MA bought new in 2012. Loved the car but hated the turbo lag which is why I ended up selling it and buying a Giulia Veloce. It was especially annoying going through those mini roundabouts. I'll be interested to hear if you are able to solve it by a re-map or changing the engine mounts (not sure why this would affect it). I sort of solved the issue by ALWAYS driving the Giulietta in manual mode so I chose the gear. That way, I changed down before the roundabout to keep the revs up and out of the low rev laggy range. I just decided not to buy another TCT. Ironically, in the Giulia, there is a stock auto 8 speed box. I'm a manual driver at heart but the Giulia auto box is so good that it actually works really well at selecting the right gear at the right time. So, I am normally happy to leave it in N. Good luck with it. Where are you in Australia?

 

[JnL]

What I forgot: since you live in Australia it is probabl very hot sometimes, so a bigger intercooler helps reducing the lag when it is hot!

 

[haakon]

What I forgot: since you live in Australia it is probabl very hot sometimes, so a bigger intercooler helps reducing the lag when it is hot!

I’m way down south in Hobart, and it’s winter here. It’s still a laggy bugger

 

[Alfa_Wolfe]

What I forgot: since you live in Australia it is probabl very hot sometimes, so a bigger intercooler helps reducing the lag when it is hot!

Hi JNL, interesting you mentioned that. It is just becoming winter here in Melbourne, and I can definitely notice the difference in power already, and even slight increase in responsiveness in the engine now that it is colder. It indicates to me ,that even a stock car, in a warmer climate, will get more consistent performance with a bigger intercooler. Maybe these multiairs run hot.

Hi Alfa Wolfe, I live in Sydney and I had a similar Giulietta 1.4MA bought new in 2012. Loved the car but hated the turbo lag which is why I ended up selling it and buying a Giulia Veloce. It was especially annoying going through those mini roundabouts. I'll be interested to hear if you are able to solve it by a re-map or changing the engine mounts (not sure why this would affect it). I sort of solved the issue by ALWAYS driving the Giulietta in manual mode so I chose the gear. That way, I changed down before the roundabout to keep the revs up and out of the low rev laggy range. I just decided not to buy another TCT. Ironically, in the Giulia, there is a stock auto 8 speed box. I'm a manual driver at heart but the Giulia auto box is so good that it actually works really well at selecting the right gear at the right time. So, I am normally happy to leave it in N. Good luck with it. Where are you in Australia?

Melbourne. I've driven the Giulia, yeah it uses the 8 speed ZF which is probably one of the best auto boxes out there, apart from a good dual clutch, used in all the modern BMW's as ell. The TCT on the Alfa's are absolute crap.

 

[haakon]

A really good way to hate the turbo lag even more is take a Tesla for a drive…