From the Vault – Performance on a budget

Street Commodores - 27/10/2008

It seems like there isn’t a day goes past that we don’t hear how much financial doom and gloom we are faced with but don’t fret, there are still some great modifications you can do to your ride that are going to give you an increase in performance without breaking the budget. It really comes back to the basics which to be honest people often overlook when first modifying their car.  I have put together my top 10 tips for getting more out of your ride without breaking the budget.

Tip No 1 – Service & Maintenance – Doesn’t matter how much money you throw at your ride if it’s not properly serviced and maintained then you are probably wasting your time and money. Ensuring everything is in correct running order and good condition is the first place to start when modifying your car.

Tip No 2 – Fuel – One of the simplest ways to improve your cars performance is to use 98 Octane fuel, this is very beneficial in late model Commodores that are running active knock and that will adapt to run more ignition timing as the engine see’s less knock due to the higher octane fuel. By running 98 instead of 91 octane fuel you will feel a definite increase in performance however to get the full benefit you may need to run a few tanks through the engine to give the ECU time to fully adjust.

Tip No 3 – Cold Air – The Cold air intake is probably the best known and simplest modification you can do to your vehicle and provides a good return on investment. There are several options from just replacing your factory filter with a K&N free flowing fabric style to a replacement air box system like the “over the radiator” intakes now available for your VT-VE and you will see a noticeable increase in performance for a number of reasons. Obviously engines like cold, dense air as it carries more oxygen which in turn make more HP but you also have the added benefit of your late model commodore’s ECU constantly monitoring intake temperatures and changing the ignition timing to the engine to suit, meaning the lower the intake temps the more ignition timing the ECU commands resulting in a more powerful engine.

Tip No 4 – Throttle Body. A simple effective upgrade in Commodores not running an electronic throttle set-up, is to fit a larger diameter aftermarket unit, the benefit is not just in flowing more air and giving you an increase in HP through the higher RPM range but the increased diameter in throttle blade results in a more responsive feel to the accelerator pedal due to less pedal movement resulting in a larger volume of air being allowed into the engine.

Tip No 5 – Exhaust – An exhaust system upgrade is also an obvious upgrade but it doesn’t mean you have to replace the whole exhaust, just fitting a “Cat-back” system can again help the engine to breath better and not only improve performance but economy under normal driving conditions while giving with added benefit of making the vehicle sound like it is performing better due to an improved exhaust note.

Tip No 6 – Remapping your vehicles ECU is a fantastic way to improve your Commodore’s performance and economy. Unfortunately there is a lot of smoke and mirrors surrounding the performance tuning industry. Using a reputable, qualified tuner to custom re-map the factory ECU is great way to not only increase your cars performance it also has the added benefit of being able to alter gearbox parameters, to make shifts firmer, increase shift points and remove torque management all adding up to better “seat of your pants” performance increase.

Tip No 7 – Grip – I know burnouts and spinning tires is all the rage, but you won’t go fast if your tyres slip. Tyre grip is a key ingredient in getting any car off the line and maximizing acceleration. Tyres like M/T’s drag radials are a great way to get the power to the ground. Built using the latest in high-tech radial construction techniques and years of drag racing experience in compound development, this DOT-approved street legal drag radial will get your car down the road or track in record time.

Tip No 8 – Torque – A Torque Converter upgrade, for those of you who have automatic transmissions is a great way to get you car of the line and make it feel more responsive. The factory converter is tuned for fuel economy and designed to lock up as soon as possible. Allowing the transmission-to-engine connection to slip until the engine reaches power-rich rpm will not only allow you to get into the sweet power band at launch but improve the throttle response at lower RPM, through increased torque multiplication. A properly built stall converter should not compromise your vehicle’s drivability under normal driving conditions and can still retain the factory lockup strategy for good cruising economy.

Tip No 9 – Diff gears – One of the best ways to improve your car’s acceleration is to lower your rear-axle ratio. Lowering the rear axle’s gear ratio gives your engine more mechanical advantage enabling the car to accelerate faster resulting in better 0-100 and 14 mile times. If you rear end doesn’t have an LSD center then fitting one will also help traction and acceleration.

Tip No 10 – NOS – I know it’s not necessarily cheap or legal on our streets but in terms of return on investment a properly set-up NOS kit is going to give you a big increase in power for a modest investment. A basic single-nozzle wet nitrous kit is all you will need to knock seconds of your ¼ mile times.

Final Tip- If you can’t afford any of the above a HORSEPOWER FACTORY sticker on the back window is good for at least 15 “bench racing” HP and is sure to scare off any “want to bes” you pull up alongside at the lights..
Power to the people..

Rob Vickery