[BB Spider]

Hey,

I'm new to this whole scene (never had a car worth spending any time and money on!) and wondered if you could help me out, im looking to improve the overall performance of my Spider, are there any easy and cheap upgrades/fixes/tweeks that you would recommend? I am pretty useless under the bonnet but keen to learn.

For example I read a lot about induction kits and air filters, what about this fleabay find?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Rome...e:Alfa+Romeo|Model:Spider&hash=item51a337efb7

On another note I am going to book the Spidey in for a once over at Proalfa, are these guys good? i am based in East London, so any advice on trusted local garages would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for your time

 

[spankdanny]

induction kits are a waste of money in my opinion. just make more noise not horsepower. unless you have the facilities to fabricate your own and match it to a gas flowed head and exhaust.

 

[wayne-dear]

Pop a K&N filter in the standard airbox, change the rear exhaust sections for a better one (lighter and sounds better) i had a larini.....after that you are looking at big money for not much gain.

 

[Spider95]

.

 

[wayne-dear]

Forget the K&N filter, the oily residue on these filters can ruin the MAF - and these are expensive to replace.

Concentrate on keeping all the service schedules up to date, most importantly changing all the timing gear every 36,000 miles/3 years without fail. The TS engine also benefits from clean oil, so changing the oil/filter every 6,000 miles is a good idea. And keep the oil level on the max line at all times.

Any attempted performance enhancements on this engine IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.

A K&N filter in the original housing is NOT OILED SO IT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO THE MAF,
Now as for your other statement, my first GTV, ph1, had the K&N in the stock housing, Larini rear system and a modified chip from Alfatune (replacing the previous owners 'superchip') the car drove beautifully and sounded fantastic, Alfatune's chip is all about driveability, no wild 'extra 1,000,000 bhp increases' statements just tweaks to the ecu here and there, i would say that with all i had on it i was up maybe 12/15 bhp, it does not sound much but the way it drove said it all..(all i had to get was the chip, rest was already on it) so much vfm...

 

[JamieH2304]

I've gone for the Autodelta air filter and replaced the rear exhaust section with a Ragazzon straight through. Coupled with an Alfatune remap (JJB in York) you would notice a difference.

I've also ditched the spare wheel (I'd not do this if it was my daily drive) and removed the damper weight from the back (some would advise not, I didn't notice the difference) saving between 2-3% of the cars weight. Small gain I know but it all adds up.

Powerflex the back end if not already done, make sure your shocks are OK, fit a strut brace and you'll have a decent set up. Anything beyond this will probably cost you big bucks.

 

[.:ian:.]

You can remove the balance belt, will make the engine rev a bit more eagerly, more power? well, perhaps.
You can fit a smaller, lighter aux belt pulley, again, will reduce the drag on the engine, and make it a bit more willing.
Fit some lairy cams : Colombo Bariani Performance Cams (Fast Road Max Profile Alfa 1.8/2.0 16V TS engines)
Chop it in for a V6

 

[YulBrynner]

You can remove the balance belt, will make the engine rev a bit more eagerly, more power? well, perhaps.
You can fit a smaller, lighter aux belt pulley, again, will reduce the drag on the engine, and make it a bit more willing.
Fit some lairy cams : Colombo Bariani Performance Cams (Fast Road Max Profile Alfa 1.8/2.0 16V TS engines)
Chop it in for a V6

I've removed the balancer belt on mine with the net result of no discernible difference whatsoever. In fact I think the engine was smoother with it on so it'll be going back on soon.

 

[jurdy1]

Would have thought that unless you take the head off and have it flowed, added some slightly loopy cams and then put a decent free flowing exhaust on it you're not going to see reasonable gains from a remap/piggy back chip. I have seen the chip/exhaust arguement played out a hundred times on here so I would probably add that any gains depends on the depth of your pockets. I'd love to tinker more with my twinnie but my cash is going elsewhere at the moment. If you want to go at it gradually, at least make the car handle right and stop better. I'd probably chuck my cash at the suspension and brakes first and then add a decent SS exhaust. After that sky really is the limit.

 

[AussieAlex]

Would have thought that unless you take the head off and have it flowed, added some slightly loopy cams and then put a decent free flowing exhaust on it you're not going to see reasonable gains from a remap/piggy back chip. I have seen the chip/exhaust arguement played out a hundred times on here so I would probably add that any gains depends on the depth of your pockets. I'd love to tinker more with my twinnie but my cash is going elsewhere at the moment. If you want to go at it gradually, at least make the car handle right and stop better. I'd probably chuck my cash at the suspension and brakes first and then add a decent SS exhaust. After that sky really is the limit.

This man speaks the truth.

The first mod anyone should ever do to their car should be handling. At the end of the day; unless you go to track days all the time and know how to drive.....and I mean 'properly' drive like a race car driver. Then the best mods for anyone of us normal folk are ones that make the car stop quicker, turn in sharper, stay flat through corners, and ultimately just make it easier for us to stay on the road and get as much grip and stability as possible. After you have done the suspension, brakes, sway bar(?), then look at exhaust, cams, etc.

That's just my 2 cents anyway

 

[BB Spider]

Great stuff, thanks guys

I sadly dont have the cash to sort the suspension and brakes out yet, but its on the list

think a decent service is the way to go!

my exhaust is looking pretty knackered after being scraped over one too many speed bumps (previous owner was huge) so was going to replace that anyway, so thats the first step I think!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[00Alfa Andy]

I'm going to fit some Piper Cams simply because they are cheaper then mentioned above and my local machinest is a distibutor.
Having cam locking tools made shouldn't be a problem either

 

[AussieAlex]

Great stuff, thanks guys

I sadly dont have the cash to sort the suspension and brakes out yet, but its on the list

think a decent service is the way to go!

my exhaust is looking pretty knackered after being scraped over one too many speed bumps (previous owner was huge) so was going to replace that anyway, so thats the first step I think!

Thanks for the advice!

Definitely get a decent service! Might also be worth looking at getting powerflex bushes put in the rear end (as someone else also suggested).

After that, save, save , save, and look at doing brakes then suspension. I would do brakes first as stock ones are pretty average and unless your shocks are knackered you can wait on the suspension for a while.

 

[BB Spider]

Might also be worth looking at getting powerflex bushes put in the rear end

excuse my ignorance but what are they?

 

[BB Spider]

these?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Powerflex...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35c8dead33

 

[AussieAlex]

Yep those are the ones. But you would want a full kit such as this;

Powerflex Complete Rear Bush Suspension Kit (Alfa GTV/Spider) from Gazzella Racing UK

There may be places around to get the parts cheaper but you would want a kit like that. You can also get them for the front but typically the back is where they are most definitely required as the rear bushes wear pretty quickly and iirc they can actually gouge the chassis (as they have metal inserts) which can cause all sorts of issues. These powerflex bushes are polyurethane (plastic) so they won't damage the chassis as they become worn. Plus they also offer more rigidity to the car as well.

 

[BB Spider]

Great thanks mate

 

[.:ian:.]

I'm going to fit some Piper Cams simply because they are cheaper then mentioned above and my local machinest is a distibutor.
Having cam locking tools made shouldn't be a problem either

They are cheaper because they take your cams and re-profile them. There are lots of downsides to re-profiled cams over made from scratch ones.

 

[scottyf]

I'm going to fit some Piper Cams simply because they are cheaper then mentioned above and my local machinest is a distibutor.
Having cam locking tools made shouldn't be a problem either

Good find. They look really cheap compared to the usual list of cam's that are on the market. I'm intrigued. Have you ever used them before?

 

[AussieAlex]

Good find. They look really cheap compared to the usual list of cam's that are on the market. I'm intrigued. Have you ever used them before?

As Ian said above; all they do is recondition your existing cam. So they're not really new cams but really just a re-birth of your existing ones.

Also as Ian mentioned, re-profiling cams does have its cons and personally; I would rather pay for a brand new cam and have my stock cam as a back-up then go and potentially destroy the only cam that I have. But that is just my opinion and I would love to see how they work out for Andy. Though I personally wouldn't risk it.