First steps for increasing performance. Advice?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Rotch
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Mike Rotch

Mike Rotch

Aluminium Overcast
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Down under
Well here is the story. I used to drive a Golf VR6. Then due to rising insurance/running costs I traded that in for a Toyota 1300 hatchback. It has all the bells and whistles in terms of aircon and CD sound system - so it does the basics well. Throw in good fuel economy and bullet proof reliability from this particular model and all was/is sweet.

However now, the lack of oomph is beginning to irk me. I mean it gets around town alright on its carburrettored 55kw (and 105nm of torque) , but it just has no go (unsurprisingly).

Now, I dont want to "rice" it out, but are there any additions I can put under the hood to deliver an extra 10 - 15kw or additional torque? I have read about air-filters, but some articles say - yes they help, others say - no they hinder. A free flow isnt that attractive an option as it will make the car sound faster then it really is. And "chips" are out of the question due to the aforementioned carbed engine.

Is there anything I could do, besides stick it out till I could afford something 'better'?
 
Sounds like you need some old-skool tuning. A new air filter will help if you get the carbs set up to feed it more fuel along with the more air that is available.
Look at getting a new lighter camshaft or getting the ports polished to get better airflow. Increasing the size of the air filter tube to the engine and using cabb additives could also help.
 
Well, you could get the intakes and exhaust upgraded.
Intakes mean everything from air filter to manifold(port & polish), throttle body, carbs...

Then exhaust manifold, pipe.

But it won't give much power. Better to save and get a faster car.
 
Is a lighter camshaft different to a reprofiled camshaft? (Yes, i have checked google).

Saving for something better is easier said then done, as car prices here are terrifically overpriced in relation to the average persons salary, and being younger then 25 means handsome insurance premiums.
 
Originally posted by TsLeng
But it won't give much power. Better to save and get a faster car.
Click to expand...
Did you notice he got rid of the "faster" car due to insurance ? ;)
 
Most reprofiled cams are lighter, but a lighter camshaft will allow the car to rev easier, allowing you to get to high revs (and high power) quicker, since the reciprocating mass is less.

A new pistonhead or having the car rebored would raise the capacity and give you the ability to increase the fuel being fed in by the carbs and the amount of air being given to the engine. Often just careful adjustment of the carbs can add 2-3hp on its own, since the fuel is being used most efficiently.
 
Hmm. Reboring is quite a large step for me I think :O

If I were really going all out, I would then look towards shoehorning a 1.8i litre VVT-i Corolla RSi engine in that would really raise the performance stakes. But as I hinted at before, I dont want to damage resale value too much, or build myself a boy racer, so that option is out of the question.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, any more ideas are welcome.

EDIT: 30/40? Magnitude of petrol fed to cylinder?
 
Mike, ur in South Africa right?

How much does a 318 cost there?
Over here it is RM200K. Divide by 3.8 to get it in US dollars and it is very expensive.
A 1.8 Corolla costs RM120K.In the US a similar model only costs 15K.

So its same over here too.
:(
 
Originally posted by Mike Rotch

If I were really going all out, I would then look towards shoehorning a 1.8i litre VVT-i Corolla RSi engine in that would really raise the performance stakes. But as I hinted at before, I dont want to damage resale value too much, or build myself a boy racer, so that option is out of the question.
Click to expand...

Well.. when does a car turn into a boy-racer? Since you're looking for a car w a slight better performance, simply buy yourself a Corolla with a 1.6 engine. Or does that increase the cost too much?

Otherwise I think a bigger carburator w tuning camshafts is the way for you to go, mabye a 2" exhaust system. Open air filters is more for the sound then performance.
 
He's already changed cars I'm sure he doesn't want to again it's too much a PITA.

Just get the car to breathe easier. I honestly don't know much about carbs though so I can't really help you much about that.

I've never heard of a filter hindering a car's performance. Just don't put it too low into the wheel well or you may get unlucky and pick up some water. I got a 9" cone just after the MAF just under the stock filter housing. Definitely not a hinderance. ;)

Getting it to breathe easier means the basic ricer crap to some people, but it does include that. Make sure it gets good airflow, and good exhaust flow, but don't overlook fuel flow. Just touching up on these three catagories should push the car to where you want it.
 
Go old school....

find yourself a good, full service engine mashine shop and get the head ported/polished, also look into new valves and have the valve seats recut with a 3 or even 5 angle cut, this will improve intake flow and allow for greater horse power. Also a performance roller cam, ajustable timing set, and lighter valve train assembly will help alot too. Next up is an improoved ignition system. then look into the intake manifold, get a new one or have yours polished and matched to the intake ports on the head. next step headers, after that get a better carb. then a tailpipe. remember to that every tiime you add a new part you will have to re-tune the car to take full advantage of its potential... doing this you can easily double the power of your car... boring and/or stroking the engine, increasing the compressing, getting a ligher crank and rods will also improve its performance... you may have to upgrade the trany/clutch/rearend etc to cope with the power...

doing this right you can keep your car in a near stock appearance and get some major performance gains. a sleeper, if you will. My friends and I have been using this method for 7 years now and most people don't even know we have done something to our cars, or trucks, untill we pop the hood. this is a good thing because we don't have yearly inspections here so we can pass our cars off as stock, IE NO insurance rate increases. I do not know what your situation on vehical inspections/licsenceing is there but i would think you could do most of these mods and no-one would know the difference unless you were showing off....
 
most power is "contained" in the head. i would suggest a head swap from that fuel efficiency engine to something that at least has twin cams and 16 valves. if its a corolla (they used to call the hatchback conquest. dunno if ey still do.) they should pretty much be interchangeable. you want a setup that has twin side draft carbs.
as a 1300 you will never get much ooomph from it, but you can make it much "racier" without ricing it.

i would suggest switching the motor to a twin cam 1600. bump the compression a hair, twin dellorto or webber carbs, a hot intake cam, and a free flowing exhaust.

that would be how i was doing it if i were still in zim. assuming i could get a hold of all that ****.
 
To a certain point, free flowing exhausts will leave you with more power. However, as soon as you go overboard, the side effects outdo the good effects.
 
Originally posted by TsLeng
Mike, ur in South Africa right?

How much does a 318 cost there?
Over here it is RM200K. Divide by 3.8 to get it in US dollars and it is very expensive.
A 1.8 Corolla costs RM120K.In the US a similar model only costs 15K.

So its same over here too.
:(
Click to expand...


Yup, Bad Ol' SA. A 318i costs R228000 which currently equates to about US$28000. A 1.8 Corolla costs about US$20000 for a baseline 1.8 :grumpy:

simply buy yourself a Corolla with a 1.6 engine
Click to expand...

Resale value = 👎

they used to call the hatchback conquest. dunno if ey still do
Click to expand...

They still do 👍



Thanks for all the suggestions. I think for the moment, airfilter and retuned carb will be the priority. After that, I will see how much a reprofiled cam will set me back, and if my exhaust packups up before then, then at least I will have a reason to replace it with something more "suitable" :trouble:


EDIT: Just saw an ad for a place selling 1.8i RSi VVT-i engines (+- 140kw) for US$400. Oh, if only I wasnt so practical :(
 
Thought I'd post it here as well, just in case you lose the links.


http://www.corollaperformance.com/Mods/Index.html
http://www.toyotaparts4u.com/show_u...toy_corolla.htm (half way down there are some modded ones, check what they did)

Info: (you don't want to know where I got it)
Julie
Pennsauken, NJ
1999 Toyota Corolla
Mods: TRD Exhaust, Cold Air Intake, R-Active Coordinating Hoses, Performance Carbon Fiber Brakes, Indiglo Gauges and Shift Knob, Custom Built Performance Clutch, Coilovers, Performance Struts, Falken Tires, 16" Ultra Chrome Wheels, (2) 12" JBL Subwoofers, 12 disc CD Changer, Alpine Flipout Indash DVD/Navigation, Power Accoustic Fire & Ice Amp.
Future Mods: Body Kit, Turbo Charger, Intercooler

http://www.streetsource.com/profile.aspx?ProfileID=5594
http://www.toyotanation.com/showthr...8776&forumid=16
http://www.cardomain.com/id/chico8703
http://www.cardomain.com/member_pag...cat=5&val=1
http://home.earthlink.net/~krisp007/2/trdcorolla.htm
http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Prof...?Profileid=9185
http://www.cardomain.com/id/lashrolla
http://www.modsearch.com/search.php
http://www.sounddomain.com/id/leiterman22
http://members.aol.com/trdcorolla/guest.htm
 
I just got an email quote from on our the tuning places here in Johannesburg:

Stainless steel Free flow and manifold branch - $400
Gas flowed heads and modified cams - $840

Least I know what it would cost now.


EDIT: On this places site, they have a blurb on what they do:

"All too often, tuned cars produce more power at higher revs to the detriment driveability at lower speeds, but not so with our Conquest. In order to achieve this extra grunt, the technicians and engineers at Steve's gas flowed the 1,3-litre engine's cylinder head, fitted a reprofiled camshaft and a Wildcat freeflow exhaust, and tuned the car on a rolling road dynamometer. The cylinder head was optimised using a sophisticated flow bench, allowing for the guesswork to be taken out of this process, and ensuring that improvements were yielded as soon as it was bolted back on to the block.

Although far from being transformed into a firebreather, the Conquest now feels much stronger and more willing than before. The engine spins freely - apparently it is able to rev over 7 000 r/min, although we are unsure when to shift as the Conquest has not yet had a rev counter fitted.
Whether cruising on a highway or blasting around town, our little Toyota always has power in reserve. Initial impressions are that it feels at least as powerful as its 1,6-litre fuel injected big brother - quite impressive when one considers that it is just a mildly tuned carb-fed 1,3-litre.
Conquests engine will now produce approximately 71 Kw at its flywheel at the coast, another indication of just how successful this conversion this has been.


The exhaust note from the Conquest 'zing' being replaced by an altogether more manly tone. This baritone bark is never intrusive, and does not resonate at any point, a fault often encountered with such systems.
The exhaust set-up includes a set of branches as well as performance silencers to reduce backpressure and thereby up power.

The cherry on top is that the car's engine is covered by Steve's Auto Clinic's six month/20 000 km warranty ..."
 

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