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-   -   ARTICLE: How to Modify / Tune your car (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifying-car/25959-article-how-modify-tune-your-car-10.html)

Thanks Technologist. I will now go ahead & fit the MOMO to my ZXi

Hello BHPians,

Am posting this for my friend, He bought a Scorpio SLE on Dec 2011 and he feels discomfort (Back and neck pain) due to the body roll which is new for him. He was driving Hyundai Accent & Nissan Maxima. He would like to reduce the body roll and improve the ride quality by doing modification to his suspension or tyres upsize / downsize or both.

We read the thread which discussed about the Bilstein b6 which sounds suitable for leaf spring replacement. The new Scorpio SLE comes with coil spring with Struts.

Experts, Any valuable suggestions ?

Thanks in Advance.

tilak back and neck pain coz of body roll ? Look at the seating 1st and if you can set it right then am sure the back and neck pain should be gone. Mostly has to do with his posture of sitting and nothing else.

Suspension upgrades yes are available for the latest scorpio. Pete's have them for the Scorpio, you might wanna check with them.

Hey Riju, I lost your phone number and hence could not call you for this. Yes, I had checked with the seating position and adjusted slightly inclined so that his back doesn't bounce for all little vibrations. And called Pete's office kerala and they said Blistein b6 is out of stock, and also we checked with the person deals Petes here in chennai and he said there is nothing for scorpio :(

My doubt with Blistein is whether it will reduce the bumpiness of scorpio. Will buzz you shortly to discuss this.

hi GTO,
Thanks for an informative article. my swift has given up the ghost after 3,58,468 km with a blown gasket. the piston rings seem to be worn out too. and i'm so happy. am i crazy?? hell no. this means i'll need a new engine for my baby, and to quote a famous person " there is no substitute for cubic capacity" i'd like to know what the best engine and gearbox combo would be best for my swift?. a 1.6L baleno engine maybe? please keep in mind the easy availability of forged internals. I'd like to have a sleeper. no turbo for now, maybe a NOS wet fogger the most. i'd like to build it up further as and when i get the cash. also please keep in mind that i'm a DIY guy, so if required i'll buy the whole wiring harness. Next priority is the suspension and brakes upgrade.the whole thing is going to be a home shed project. i'll keep you guys posted with the results. any and all ideas welcome. please forget the 2JZ engine. it will not happen.
P.S. i have done my share of engine rebuilds from sumo's to laura's, and a few esteem's. none of my cars have ever been to a workshop except for body work. that should explain enough about me.

You could check with Red Rooster performance, they have Tein suspensions for Scorpio. I had test driven a Scorpio a year back and it was great.

You could your headers and FFE from Raj Hingorani. His contact details can be found in the T-BHP directory too.

I am planning on changing the plugs to Iridium and convert from semi-synth to full synth engine oil for my Figo 1.2.

The car already has a FFE and CAI from RRP. Is it worth it to go for the Iridium plugs and any idea how much they are.
I will be going for the fully synth oil as I am aware of the benifits.

Thanks..

Hey guys. I wanted to post a new thread on this topic but it seems I'm not given such privileges yet.

Anyways, I was thinking of refurbishing the old maruti 800 which my grandpa bought some 26 years back. I don't want it to be sold off to anyone as I feel it's part of my grandpa's "legacy":). She still runs pretty decently for an old bird but has the occasional coughs and whistles. The interiors are really beat up and look absolutely pathetic. I'm willing to spend a good 2 lakhs or more in refurbishing her, but I need some solid advice on where to start and what to expect. I don't want anything gaudy like spoilers and stuff. I would like a decent set of wheels, maybe an engine overhaul, new interior parts, a new paint- job, new lights, stereo and maybe central locking. I was also thinking if it's possible to put the new k10 engine into the 800. All your help would be much appreciated.

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.

Nice advice and very practical too. However would have helped 'technically challenged' people like me if there were some pictures to add to the useful advice.

thank you for the post, it does give basic good insight for a starter. i would suggest you to post more details with other options as well. could you also provide the best part available for the above mods with price in INR ? In addition with the current fever in india over performance modification, it would be great to mention the DON'T DO IT things as well.

I agree with Twinhead's comment.

It would be a good to have an approx idea of the cost and availability.
+ List of dealers in a city that are good at doing this kind of installation !

As requested - A detailed diagram on what to modify in the powertrain of a turbo car. The diagram is from the Subaru WRX motor, but applies to all turbo motors.


Coming next - Suspension Modification Guide for FWD and RWD cars.

Note to MODS- I think since this is specific to turbo cars, the thread could use its own sticky instead of being merged on the 10th page of this thread. Otherwise its difficult to find.

I wont provide recommendations for parts in terms of brands. Each person has their own brand loyalty, and no point bruising egos:Frustrati.

Nearly all parts have alternate vendors, so select a part you want, look up the vendors, read all reviews online (enough forums are there on every car) and make up your own mind based on power goals, price, complexity and go for it. :-)
:rules:

Note from Support - Posts merged. Please use the multi-quote feature to reply to multiple posts. See this for tips.

Agree for the stock suspension quality.
However have adoubt, how does it effect the alignment of the car.