[olly6969]

I suppose the problem with a NA engine is that it's quite expensive to get more than a modest increase in oomph.

I love the 3.2 at the top end, but I've always wanted a bit more torque under 4K. No offense to all of the GTA owners who have modified their exhausts and induction, but although these mods may change the sound of the engine, do they really improve perfomance much?

I can't help thinking any gains are going to be in the order of a few percent. But am I wrong? I'm interested in your opinions..

So what are the options?

Remove the airbox snorkel / induction kit - some people seem to think this is a great cheap mod, but just because it sounds better doesn't mean it is faster? Also I'm worried about sucking water up.

Full / partial decat? - I'm not exactly eco friendly (who on this forum is, considering your CO2 output!) but I have no real wish to add any more nitrous oxides or hydrocarbons to the atmosphere. Also isn't this a pain when it comes to MOT time?

Equal length pipes - how much difference do they really make?

Bore out - too expensive for me!

Supercharger - too expensive and insurance implications

Engine remap - will it give me what I'm looking for - more low end grunt? What is the risk of engine damage in the long term?

Nitrous - Worried about damaging the engine, and insurance implications


I know everyone has their opinions on these things, but what I'm really looking for is some scientific proof. Has anyone done this kind of tinkering in a properly scientific manner - rolling road pre and post tests etc? Rough costs would be good too.

Or should I just keep it as it is and spend some money on suspension instead? Mine is all standard at the mo.


Cheers

Olly.

 

[shiny_car]

i think best bang for buck is equal-length front pipes and remap.

for my car:
*air filter: no performance difference
*air intake pipe: no performance difference
*high flow main cats: no performance difference
*back box: no performance difference

*equal length FPs: significant difference; not massive, but definitely good
*remap: AD remap is pending but promises much

but overall, boy, does my car sound good. *priceless*

 

[GTA Jimbo]

Olly, IMO i would look at the Remap route, i had this done on my 147 GTA last month down at AHM. I was not specificly look for low end torque, but Adie can play about and hopefully give you want you want!

I dont have all the graphs with me now but if your are really intrested then i can dig them out.

 

[olly6969]

Olly, IMO i would look at the Remap route, i had this done on my 147 GTA last month down at AHM. I was not specificly look for low end torque, but Adie can play about and hopefully give you want you want!

I dont have all the graphs with me now but if your are really intrested then i can dig them out.

That would be useful. Thanks Jimbo. How much wonga?

Olly.

.

 

[GhostyDog]

3.7/8 will give you a big lovely slab of torque, I've driven both an SC and 3.7 both Autodelta conversion and I much prefer the 3.7 as a standalone upgrade. If I was to come into money and looked to do both I'd do the 3.7 first followed by a supercharger.

I think the 3.7 gives you bottom end and the SC gives you top end and together you get explosive acceleration throughout the range.

My next upgrade after suspension will be equal length front pipes and remap maybe some after market management too depends on cost vs increase ratio.

That said I was following a 1.9 JTDm 159 Sw this mornign and he was giving it some welly and I had to give it some welly to keep up, I have no doubts I was faster on paper but the 159 holds the road better and I couldn't use all my power

 

[GTA_Nigel]

Custom remap will help the most IMO. You can get the tuner to focus on torque improvements and better throttle response. I got this done and it made a noticable difference in 1st and 2nd gears. Can't see any issues with long term performance if you use one of the reputable and knowledgable tuners.

You should also get a Q2 and better dampers. Q2 is vital to help you get the power down. Everything else is nice to have IMO. And if you are like me you will start adding it all!

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[AYAT]

i too have some of the same concerns, equal length downpipes and remap makes sense. im gonna remap after i have decided and done any breathing modifications. i will definately be doing a nos install in next 6-12 months when funds allow and will post my experience. the nos on paper is best performance upgrade for money, after alot of reasearch and the right set up my concerns with engine damage are less so than originally feared. some people (including myself) will say its not true power. but as im a little older an wiser i cannot justify throwing more money than i paid for the car, ive done it before and is an ongoing process of upgrading. plus the fact the nos is on and off is better for me now as i may not always want 400bhp as the gta in standard form isnt exactly slow and sometimes family members need to drive the car in which cas i can turn the nos off, plus it doesnt effect the na mapping of the engine.

 

[olly6969]

--snip--You should also get a Q2 and better dampers. Q2 is vital to help you get the power down. Everything else is nice to have IMO. --snip--

Have the Q2. Best upgrade I've ever done to a car! Thinking about suspension mods but I want to spend my money wisely.

Olly.

 

[swanny]

I'd do Q2 and better springs/dampers first if I were you, worry about adding power later.

My favourite upgrades - but probably not in 'must have' order

1. Supersprint/BMC CDA/Autodelta pipe - don't know if it improved power but I absolutely love the noise it now makes
2. FSD's/Eibachs/strut brace - much more fun and confident handling and not worring about grounding
3. Q2 - peace of mind and fun coming off roundabouts
4. 18" GT alloys - love the look
5. Upgraded pads/braided hoses - not a great improvement on the road but no fade at all on the AO trackday

 

[AYAT]

question for swanny, do u think the car would handle better with upraded arbs. im gonna order top strut brace, but ive seen on other threads that tightening to much at the front not suited to the car, but just the rear. so is it worth a rear top strut brace as well

 

[olly6969]

Thanks for all your feedback :thumbs: - What sort of cost am I looking at for a remap?

Olly.

 

[swanny]

question for swanny, do u think the car would handle better with upraded arbs. im gonna order top strut brace, but ive seen on other threads that tightening to much at the front not suited to the car, but just the rear. so is it worth a rear top strut brace as well

Not sure about the ARB upgrade. I seem to remember a thread on here a year or two ago discussing the merits of them in which Trailblaser (I think) suggested they could make the car tail happy??
I'm happy with the way she handles so don't see any ARB's in the future

Strut brace is a definate improvement though:thumbs:

 

[GTA Jimbo]

Thanks for all your feedback :thumbs: - What sort of cost am I looking at for a remap?

Olly.

I think my remap at AHM was about £300, but if you want something personal then it could be a little more!!!!!

 

[GhostyDog]

I think my remap at AHM was about £300, but if you want something personal then it could be a little more!!!!!

It can cost a lot more, I read a really good article in TVR Club magazine where they progressively live mapped TVRs over a 2 day period taking the engine to load points in increments of 400 rpm. Obviously you have to have time between sessions to reduce the affects of heat soak so takes a lot longer and as such I think they were charging nearly 2 grand for the service, but the end result was staggering power and torque increases.

Swanny should know more about this

 

[GTAlfaromeo]

ARB upgrade ,best thing I have done to my GTA

 

[swanny]

ARB upgrade ,best thing I have done to my GTA

What else have you had done (shocks/springs etc.) and how does the ARB kit make the car feel?
:thumbs:

 

[Chuck21]

Sorry, daft question, but what are equal length FP's ?! I've been considering my next step(s) and I think the FSD's are my best bet but any straight forward performance tweaks would be tempting (already have a Q2).

Thanks!

 

[AYAT]

hopefully booked in with gus next week for equal lenght downpipes and remap, will report on the difference.
im thinking that will be all i will do for a while, just want to tighten up the chasis a bit more now.

 

[Oggy_GTA]

Not sure about the ARB upgrade. I seem to remember a thread on here a year or two ago discussing the merits of them in which Trailblaser (I think) suggested they could make the car tail happy??
I'm happy with the way she handles so don't see any ARB's in the future

Strut brace is a definate improvement though:thumbs:

Swanny, what improvements do you see from fitting a strut brace? Did you have an issue with the car before, or was it just a try it and see thing?

I agree with you about the Q2 and fsd/eibachs before anything else. These are sensible and effective!

 

[swanny]

Swanny, what improvements do you see from fitting a strut brace? Did you have an issue with the car before, or was it just a try it and see thing?

I agree with you about the Q2 and fsd/eibachs before anything else. These are sensible and effective!

I had the strut brace fitted at the same time as FSD/Eibach (so difficult to say exactly) but the first thing I noticed after picking up the car was a stiffer feel at the front of the car and much nicer steering even at very low speeds (before the FSD's will be doing their thing)

Sorry I can't explain it better - very difficult to explain but defo feels like the strut brace helps