ARTICLE: How to Modify / Tune your car

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by GTO

Automech rocks! They have a pretty good setup too. I got my Vtec exhaust installed from them and have been happy with the service. They are located in a compound right across the Phoenix Mills.

Hi GTO,

Thanks for the info. I have managed to track them down.
Just one question - if I fit a complete new exhaust, what will happen to the original catalytic convertor? There is mention of headers, expansion box and muffler but no mention of the catalytic convertor - or am I missing something here?

S.S.

[alias]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi GTO,

Thanks for the info. I have managed to track them down.
Just one question - if I fit a complete new exhaust, what will happen to the original catalytic convertor? There is mention of headers, expansion box and muffler but no mention of the catalytic convertor - or am I missing something here?

S.S.

i think the cat will not be included in it

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by alias

i think the cat will not be included in it

Hi Alias,

Have checked with a well known exhaust manufacturer and you are right. The original catalytic convertor will be removed. How does this affect the law with regard to emission norms? According to the manufacturer, the CO emissions will go up only marginally but, surely the "cat" is fitted for control of other harmful exhaust gases, not just CO?

I remember reading an article a few years ago where it stated that a car running on unleaded fuel (all cars these days) which did NOT have a "cat" fitted or removed the "cat" would be belching out pure cancer fumes from the exhaust due to the nature of unleaded fuel?

Also, I can't see that car manufacturers would fit an expensive piece of kit like a "cat" just to reduce CO emissions from say 0.01 (already well within emission norms) to 0.008. In fact with MPFI engines, it's the ECU controlling the fuel/air mixture giving one the low(er) emissions, so, why bother fitting a "cat"??? Please correct me if I'm wrong here.

Would appreciate yours and anyone else's (Senior Mods/Super Admin) inputs on this matter before I change to a FFE.

Suzuki San

[hyper123]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Alias,

Have checked with a well known exhaust manufacturer and you are right. The original catalytic convertor will be removed. How does this affect the law with regard to emission norms? .
.
.

Would appreciate yours and anyone else's (Senior Mods/Super Admin) inputs on this matter before I change to a FFE.

Suzuki San

Here you go - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post489841 (Removing a Catalytic Converter (Cat Con) - Do you guys think its worth it?)

[Psycho]

You have in option to fit a high flow catcon to have the the benefits me both the worlds (emmisions and power) but you will have to import the same and mate it to the ffe. Else you could also retrofit a larger catcon from a larger capacity car to aid in the free flowing of the gasses.

[alias]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Alias,

Have checked with a well known exhaust manufacturer and you are right. The original catalytic convertor will be removed. How does this affect the law with regard to emission norms? According to the manufacturer, the CO emissions will go up only marginally but, surely the "cat" is fitted for control of other harmful exhaust gases, not just CO?

I remember reading an article a few years ago where it stated that a car running on unleaded fuel (all cars these days) which did NOT have a "cat" fitted or removed the "cat" would be belching out pure cancer fumes from the exhaust due to the nature of unleaded fuel?

Also, I can't see that car manufacturers would fit an expensive piece of kit like a "cat" just to reduce CO emissions from say 0.01 (already well within emission norms) to 0.008. In fact with MPFI engines, it's the ECU controlling the fuel/air mixture giving one the low(er) emissions, so, why bother fitting a "cat"??? Please correct me if I'm wrong here.

Would appreciate yours and anyone else's (Senior Mods/Super Admin) inputs on this matter before I change to a FFE.

Suzuki San

i guess you got the answer to your question from the experts

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by alias

i guess you got the answer to your question from the experts

Got the Automech FFE fitted today. The Zen is now moving like a dream. Have kept the noise level down as far as possible to avoid problems with the law enforcement officials!!!! Have also hung onto the old "cat" in case of any problems in future.

[theMAG]

This article is being updated to include pointers from Raj Hingorani - who has personally penned this list and thought it to be useful for anyone thinking of modifying their cars:

1. While performance tuning, always first address the breathing cycle of the engine

2. Work first on external control systems outside the engine, before touching the engine. Examples include air filter, throttle body, intake system, exhaust system etc.

3. Engines of today are generally equipped with efficient cylinder heads which do not really require any reworking until much later in the list of modifications. The same applies to high lift cams.

4. Address the intake manifold design next. More power can be gained by analyzing, replacing or improving this component.

5. Address the flywheel weight - fit a lighter flywheel alongwith a better clutch unit at this stage. This improves drivability and throttle response.

6. Address the gear ratios to suit your driving style. Most engines are fitted with poor gearing from manufacturers due to mileage concerns and driving habits of the general public.

7. If one can afford it, fit a properly designed turbo system as a power booster. Good systems will very marginally reduce the mileage, but give a good improvement in power. Limit boost to 10-11 psi due to fuel requirements for the street.

8. Nitrous is a cheaper option - but not very practical for the daily driver due to bottle pressure. Monitoring this and frequent refill is excellent for drag racing but has limited utility for street use.

9. Do one modification at a time. Only then go to the next one.

10. Good tuning requires patience and attention to detail. There is no quick solution to tuning vehicles for ultra-high performance.

Towards this, searching for "quick and cheap magic solutions" is not recommended. Only a lot of hard work and attention to detail will get you the desired results.

11. Every engine has its own set of individual modifications that work best for that engine. Evaluate each carefully.

12. Focus on the fundamentals of internal combustion engines. Only this will serve you the foundation to reaching your performance goals.

13. Any engineering fundamentals will always follow laws of fluid mechanics, physics, chemistry and thermal dynamics. These laws cannot be violated irrespective of requirements.


Team-BHP officially thanks Raj Hingorani for his contribution above.

[v1p3r]

Wow, beautiful list, and some great pointers and advice there!

Can you confirm point 5 please?

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Wow, beautiful list, and some great pointers and advice there!

Can you confirm point 5 please?

Yeah point 5 does seem a bit contradictory. I always thought that lightening the flywheel weight will reduce driveability and the power band will shift to a higher range.

Won't torque come down as well?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Sorry if the question sounds stupid - but do cars modded with FFE (and cat converter removed) have issues with passing PUC tests? I thought catalytic converters were made mandatory by the central government a few years ago in all vehicles, when unleaded petrol was launched in the country. Some clarification on these points will help me understand the issue.

[viper]

Hi Mahesh,

Even I think point 5 is not correct. A lightened flywheel will reduce the torque under load and point 8 should read as NOT safe/recommended for daily drive/street use.

Other then that excellent list with valuable suggestions.

Viper

[nitroxx]

Point number 8 should indicate race use only.
Most importantly, where can I find an enlarged throttle body for a single cam D block?
Maxbore.com throttle body boring service or can someone do this work in mumbai?
Can we get an Edelbrock Victor X manifold somwhere in India?

[akshay4587]

Dont know if it has been already answered or not.

What exactly is a triphase module? and how does it work in petrol vehicles?

Are there any negative effects of using it?


Found the info here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/access...e-reports.html

[akshay4587]

Do Bolt on End cans do any good apart from creating sweet noise?
what are the side effects on an engine?