So you have decided to become the next Lewis Hamilton? I am truly excited for you, only issue now though is that you haven’t quite landed those million pound sponsorship deals. Fear not, there are some cheap tweaks and tricks you can impliment to make some effective changes on a very limited budget.
Let’s Explore!
Weight saving
So this first tip is an excellent way to increase your power to weight ratio, by removing unnecessary components, you are able to shave a significant amount off without spending a penny, what’s more, if you have no plans to restore the car to road- legal condition, you could sell all those extra parts as spares for other drivers, actually generating some budget to use for more tuning fun!
DPF delete and remap
So if you run a dirty oil burner (diesel car) your cheapest and most bang for buck modification is the removal of the DPF and an engine remap. You can get a great DPF delete in Kent, providing that’s local enough for you. A decent remap with the DPF delete can yield as much as 20-30% more torque – which would completely transform the drive of the car, it simply wont feel like the same car. All the extra turbo boost pressure kicking in can be quite exciting, tuners will also set it to kick in sooner and the power delivery will be much more smooth.
Exhaust back box reduction
Another great way to improve circulation, boost and acceleration is to remove as much of the exhaust system as possible. Some turbo cars for example have 2 or even 3 catalytic convertors, plus 2+ exhaust back boxes and the dreaded DPF. All of these block and restrict the flow of exhaust gasses, which will not only cause blockages, but will reduce the power driven to the turbo from the exhaust gas feed. If you are able to remove lots of exhaust components, this will also reduce the overall kerb weight of the car too.
Air filters
As chavvy as they can be, a good sports performance panel filter in addition to the remap listed above can make a decent difference. If you stick a filter cone on the end of your inlet manifold without a remap or heat shield, you will do far more bad than good However if you are going to do the above work, a filter at approximately £50-£100 is well worth investing in. They are also very easy to fit, anyone with a hand and a screwdriver should be able to install the kit.
So what are you waiting for? Strip that car down, list all the extra surplus parts online (ebay, car forums, gumtree etc) and get some money coming in. Then get that remap/DPF removal booked – you will see a huge difference in the performance of the car with very little expense as a result. If you are going to be doing all the above work anyway, you may as well change everything whilst your at it, but don’t drive it on the road as it wont be legal – you have been warned!