Altroz iTurbo modification: Looking for power & comfort upgrade options

It has a number of small but tasteful mods that have been done to it over the past year and a half.

BHPian CannedShroud recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys, I'm kinda on the fence here. I own a Tata Altroz iTurbo (which I understand is far from being the best base for a build). And it has a number of small but tasteful mods that have been done to her over the past year and a half (performance and otherwise). So here's the full list, I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I'm looking for more power, but creature-comfort mods are welcome as well.

Base: Tata Altroz iTurbo XZ+

• BMC Conical Air Intake
• Aftermarket 'HKS' Muffler (99% not HKS)
• NGK Iridium Spark Plugs
• Bosch Brake Pads
• Continental UC6 205/55/r16 rubber (maybe not so much of a mod but it's definitely worth it)
• Aftermarket rims (16-inch 7J)
• Stage 1+ remap from WolfMoto
• 95 RON Fuel Calibration from WolfMoto
• Honda City Auto Dimming IRVM
• All white lights (HID + LED + LED)
• LED turn Indicators

Apart from these, I do maintain the car well.

• Doing regular service every 10k rather than 15 as per Tata
• Using better quality fluids
• Opting for OEM replacement parts (better than complete OEM)

How can I proceed from here?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

I think you've done enough. I believe in customizing cars, but not "over-modifying" them.

• The Altroz is not a hot hatch like the Polo GTs. Rather, you should derive pleasure from its styling, highway manners, mature suspension, great cabin etc.
• Go road-tripping. The memories you create with a car are more important than anything else. The money you'd saved up for mods, spend it on road-tripping with your friends/girlfriend/family.
• Follow the best practices here. Needs a little time & money.
• At most, a sound system upgrade because you've really done up your car well (share more pics). Although, the stock ICE is pretty good by OEM audio standards.

Here's what BHPian Asish_VK had to say on the matter:

Your car looks to have most of the things done already and looks great. I don't have many suggestions here, but if you don't mind can you share the performance gains by the mods carried out?

(With the remap, fuel mapping & air intake etc) ?

BHPian CannedShroud replied to BHPian Asish_VK:

Sure, the short answer is the same as what my tuner gave me - 16-18% gains on peak figures from the stage 1+ remap. So that comes to like 125 bhp and 165Nm torque.

The long answer is... There are gains but not so much in the peak bhp or torque department. More in the torque curve. You can feel the turbo spool sooner. The torque in the low end (which was already quite good) has gone up tremendously. The tune I opted for might not be for "comfort" oriented drivers because if you are not gentle with the pedal - you can feel the boost building up. Even under 2k, you can feel the engine trying to tug its way through! And much like a diesel, you can feel the sharp push of torque from 2.5k right up to 4.5k rpm (I think this is where it makes its peak numbers). That, and the last final (jerky yet fun) nudge in performance after 4.8k rpm still remains!!

About the fuel calibration - it comes at a cost. I cannot run normal-rated fuel ( I only have to run 95+ rated fuels ). But I'd say it's worth it. These small turbo engines are notorious for engine knock and to manage this they have extremely harsh punishments on ignition timing to help avoid knock.

So having the 95 RON calibration, I can stay a few degrees of timing in advance (because of the VVT). This renders in less "oh what? Where's the power?" Moments and also greatened fuel economy figures!

They also offer a hybrid fuel map- where you can run normal fuel under 2k rpm and then 95/97/100 octane calibration past 2k.

This is good enough to cruise around AR 80 when tugging through traffic when there are no higher-grade fuel pumps nearby. But yolo, I have never been in a situation where I couldn't find a pump. And even if I did - I have a few bottles of ProOctane octane booster in my trunk to aid in those situations.

The air filter is trouble honestly. It doesn't filter dust particles as well as the stock paper filter. And the placement of it (the way I have it is wrong) pulls it hot air (almost all the time). But the crazy induction sounds you get from it gives me butterflies!

The whoosh as boost is building up and the sharp pfffft when the BOV releases the air pressure is just heart-soothing in a way!

But the dust in the intake manifold because of this and the fact that it's oiled, causes some issues. I tend to find some oily coating on my MAP sensor which needs to be cleaned or the car doesn't run properly sometimes. (Might also have to do something with the initial issues I had with her.. there are a few iTurbos that have some underlying powertrain trouble that Tata isn't able to solve).

If you have any further questions, I'm happy to help! I understand how tough it is to find and support a car that sadly has absolutely no presence in the aftermarket scene..

Hope this helps

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