Team-BHP - giving the Swift some low end torque and fatter wheels

Hi folks... first post here on this great forum so bear with me

I'm looking for suggestions on how to get a some more low end torque on a Swift. I'm a little dissapointed in the way the car responds to the throttle at low rpms... In fact the only time the car comes alive is after you pass 4000 on the tacho.

I guess driving an Ikon for the last couple of years has spoilt me in that regard

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions? I heard somewhere that the shape of the intake trumpets can effect the torque curve of the engine. Is it true that if they are widened the engine develops more low end torque and if they are lengthened then you get more top end power? Even if that is true, how easy is that to implement and what are the approximate costs involved?

Another solution I guess is to mess with the gearbox. Maruti has deliberately gone for tall gearing with this car, which explains the very good fuel efficiency figures... but that takes all the fun out of the car. So would one have to replace the entire gearbox or is there a way to just change a couple of the ratios?(2nd and 3rd should be enough to make me happy) Again, what are the costs associated and who (in Bombay) would be able to do that?

Also, with regards to wheels and tyres, what would be a good size? I met a guy who claimed to have 225/60/R16's on his car, but i doubt that the Swift can accomodate anything that wide... and how would that affect the ground clearance? I honestly think that the Indian version of the Swift rides a little too high (170mm is it?), in fact I'd like to lower that to about 150mm. Any clue on how to do that? Would it involve substantial suspension mods? Is it advisable?

Yup...a performance exhaust should be able to help you with your low end torque worries.
Check www.automechexhausts.com for more information. Gearbox modifications too expensive and not worth the hassle in my opinion.
Ride height can be lowered by changing the springs...that is if you have dough...and can also be altered by different tyre sizes although to a very limited extent...but i'l leave that to the tyre gurus.

Welcome to the forum.

Drifter

Quote:

Originally Posted by karthik247

First thing would be to get a K&N Air Filter.

:)

If the Swift gearbox is the same as an Esteem's then you can change the final drive ratio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

You need to change your final drive ratio. Final drive in MPFI Esteem is 3.52..You need to change the following parts: -

1) Esteem countershaft to replaced with countershaft PN 24131-60B41 (18T)

2) Esteem final drive to be replaced with final drive gear PN 27511-60B01 (79T)

3) Esteem speedometer driven gear to be replaced with speedometer gear PN 23131 - 64B00 (16T)

With this you will get a final drive ratio of 4.388:1 which is the one used in the old Esteem/1000...The stock MPFI doesnt rev beyond 5000 RPM in 4th and 4000 RPM in 5th...by doing this mod alone you will rev higher in the higher gears, thus increasing your top speed, and also get more acceleration in the lower gears...

If you want even more acceleration AND top speed use 165/65R13 (Indica V2 OE fitment) tyres.

Only after doing this you should go for headers and freeflow because you will lose some low-end torque, but it will be compensated by final drive...If you don't want to invest in a full header, just change the 2 into 1 downpipe...you need to lengthen it by some and use a larger diameter pipe for it to have a effect in the usable rev-range...keep the cat and go for a straight-through glasspack muffler...I can't give you specifics for this mod because I have not tried it on an Esteem.

If its not the same box and the final drive is already in the range of ~4.2 - 4.4, then headers and freeflow need to be matched to lower rpm band.

See if you can get a remap that improves low-end.

If you go for a tyre that has more dia than your present one then you could lose some low-end although not very significantly.

Yeah... intake and exhaust seem to be the obvious targets. I'd prefer to stay away from the noisy mufflers though... Silent and violent is so much better!

That whole bit about changing the final drive / input shaft etc sounds quite intricate, though I'm quite sure that the Swift and Esteem have different gearboxes. Just thought of something that would make it a whole lot simpler... Does anybody have an extra baleno engine and transmission lying around? ;)

One more concern I have... the international Swift comes with glass/glossy A-pillars (and B-pillars too if i'm not mistaken), but the Indian Swift has what looks like masking tape on the same spots. Any bodywork experts know how to make these parts shiny again?

Hey The End,

Here goes my suggestions in order of priority and cost factor.

1> K& N conical air filter
2> Complete Free Flow Exhaust including headers.(4x2x1)
3> Porting/Polishing Head and Intake Manifold.
4> Enlarging/Porting/Polishing the throttle body.
5> Better Plugs(4 pointers, iridium or platinum)
6> 8.5mm Plug wires.
7> Better Ignition System

Please follow the order for the mods otherwise the results may not be as desired. All of the above will help increase low end & mid end torque.

I can get these jobs done for you as well as thats what I do. Please feel free to pm me if interested and we can discuss details.

Viper

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEnd

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions? I heard somewhere that the shape of the intake trumpets can effect the torque curve of the engine. Is it true that if they are widened the engine develops more low end torque and if they are lengthened then you get more top end power? Even if that is true, how easy is that to implement and what are the approximate costs involved

You've got it backwards, to get low end, you need longer trumpets and vice versa. Keep in mind you will lose some top-end if you do this. Optra 1.6 uses dual-path trumpets to solve this compromise.

However this is not a job for DIYs or self taught mechanics. The expertise you are looking for exists only in Coiambatore to my knowledge.

Swift gearbox is all new and not lifted from Esteem.

Those sound like brilliant suggestions Viper... I'm gonna approach you as soon as I get back from a slightly extended holiday.

And thanks Mpower for that clarification. Dual intake trupmets on the Optra 1.6 sounds like a great idea... So am I right if i call that a different solution to the same problem that VTEC's and VVTi try to solve?

Moving on the brakes.

Now I have another query... as we all know, the majority of Indian cars come with drum brakes for the rear wheels. Is it possible to replace those with disc brakes? And how complicated a mod is that? Any idea of the costs involved? I'm thinking of that mod for the Ikon, as the brakes on that car are definitely its achilles heel. I guess if it works out it would be a worthwhile mod to any car...

Which actually raises another issue... If one was to change the brakes on a car with ABS, then how much more difficult would that be?

a free flow exhaust and a stock replacement filter should be more than enough for your regular use..

since you are from mumbai..automech is the place to go for exhausts...no one in mumbai makes better exhausts...and i am sure many amongst us will vouch for that ..

about the upsize read this ,
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...ghlight=upsize

and for better handling you can geta strut brace ...its cheap ...will cost you about 1.5k at the most ...and you can get all this from automech..you can search for a lot of topics on strut braces on this forum ..

beware of people making tall claims !!!!!!!

and,i suggest you to make all your modifications in steps so that you can understand the difference..

whatever mods you plan to do ...do keep us posted