An Unofficial Guide to modify Diesel and Petrol Turbo Cars The objective here is to get chart out the best bang for the buck mod path for people who are serious about tracking their turbo cars without total loss of normal drivability. Also considering how much parts cost here, the idea is to make the most of the performance gains per $ in a safe and smart fashion Phase 1 or Stage 1 as its called in India
My choice for Stage 1- Non Resonated or Cat Back Exhaust with a good panel filter (optional) Why? Turbos react best to lower back pressure on the exhaust. This will give u a smoother rev, plus unleash a bit more power across the band. It also keeps your warranty intact and wont get you dirty looks from the Service folks. Upside is also that now the engine is breathing better, you end up getting slightly better fuel mileage too. Why not go straight for a downpipe as it yeilds the best result? Downpipe is the best power mod for a turbo car, and it will open up your powerband significantly. That is also its downfall. A stock map on your ecu can correct/adjust to 5-10% power difference. A downpipe will spool your turbo earlier into a rpm range where the stock tune uses the MAF and cannot adjust to a closed loop as it was never tuned for it. This is bad as the A/F can run lean and lead to shuddering, loss of power, stress on turbo in the absolute worst case blown engine. The catback also creates a similar scenario, but to a lot less extent which the ECU can counter safely and modify the parameters to make full use of the new found breathing room. Phase 2 or Stage 2 as its called in India (This applies to N/A Cars also)
There are two ways to go here, first power up with a tune + downpipe and void your warranty, OR upgrade your suspension and/or wheels/tires and get some great handling with your warranty intact. So my preference for Stage 2 - Suspension Upgrade. Why? - because the stock suspension of most cars we drive are shit, in order to compensate for the roads. Better handling puts as big a smile on your face as more power. Also a good suspension improves stock braking, acceleration on FWD cars which most of us own, as it kills squat and dive, allowing the car to shed speed more effectively, as well as pick up speed. Added bonus, WARRANTY intact. What/How? Start with a simple Spring and Damper upgrade. Tien, KYB, Bilstein, H&R all make basic spring/damper combo that will totally transform the feel of the car without affecting daily use. IF possible dont use lowering springs with the stock shocks. They are not designed for them and are not going to hold out for long with the lowering and also wont give you the driving dynamics you want. DONT go for Anti roll bars just yet. They affect handling hugely, but also compromise the indepence of your suspension, which is not a good thing for our crappy roads. If your really into handling like me, have some extra cash and want to go the extra mile, get a set of height adjustable coilovers. It will give your the same advantage of anti roll bars without the compromise of anti roll bars. Why Not Power? Our traffic doesnt allow too rapid movement so power is a secondary need. Existing power band in most turbo cars both diesel and petrol is sufficient enough. Also power mods beyond catback will most certainly void warranty and thats something most of us dont want. Improve handling before power, and you will enjoy the power even more when you add it. Why Not add Rims/Tyre to Suspension Mod? Well it all boils down to cost. A suspension upgrade may be a little bit more expensive, but the performance you get per $ spent is far greater. The current cost of good rims and tires doesnt do well to justify the high cost for such little improvements. No point getting cheap chinese stuff which weigh more than the original. The basic idea is to improve the contact patch and sturdiness of the wheel(Upsize/Increase tire width), which should not come at the cost of added weight to the rotating mass. If it does then its of no use. |