V8 Vantage 4.3 Engine / Exhaust Upgrades
Discussion
Hi All
I'm looking for some advice. I recently purchased a 4.3 V8V and am keen to explore the options out there in terms of improving the throttle response / power and also the various exhaust options available. I have about 6 months left of the extended warranty so I want to keep that in mind as well. What I am really looking for is any personal experience with these, if they make any real noticeable difference and if you guys think they are worth the money.
- The first option seems to be the offical ProDrive performance pack - 200 cell Sports Cats, remapped ECU, opening of bypass valve (same as removing fuse 22 presumably?), increase of rev limit to 7900 rpm. For those who have gone down this route - what do you think? An extra 45 bhp is nice but is it really that useable at the top end, is there a noticeable improvement in the throttle response and pickup at lower revs? A free-flow cat will obviously make the exhaust a lot louder but how does the sports cat + standard uncorked exhaust compare to say a standard cat and a Quicksilver Supersport or similar? Would it be worth the Prodrive upgrade then fitting a sports exhaust (kinda defeats the whole button / bypass that comes with the prodrive kit?) Comes in at around £3.5k with Prodrive taking on the engine warranty so seems the most sensible option in a way.
- Second option would be to have a remap, sports cat and sports exhaust fitted - again, which are the best options out there? Would a sports cat + Supersport exhaust be way too loud? Does the exhaust give any noticeable power gains? Would come to £3-4k with the exhaust but obviously no warranty cover on those items or if they cause any issues to the engine.
- Third option - the official Aston Martin 20 bhp upgrade - airbox, remapped ECU. Seems expensive for what you get, around £3k, but could that then be combined with a sports cat / exhaust to yield a larger improvement again or is that just pushing things too much? Can you combine the AM power upgrade with the Prodrive upgrade?
- Fourth option - leave as it is and go for a 4.7 in a year or so. Will the sports exhaust, cats / remaps add value to the car or actually devalue it? Would it be better to just leave standard and upgrade to a 4.7? Would the 4.3 with sports cat / remap be much different to the 4.7?
A lot of questions in there - I guess I'm less interested in quoted figures (most of the 45bhp gain for the Prodrive setup, for example, is likely to come from the rev limit increase and high octane fuel) but the difference in sound, driveability, throttle response. Ideally I'd love something about 15-20% louder than what I have now so I can really hear it sing, less throttle lag and a bit more oomph at lower revs - those are the only (minor) criticisms I have of what is an otherwise perfect car so if I can find a solution that is relatively cheap and comes highly recommended then that would be spot on :-)
I'm looking for some advice. I recently purchased a 4.3 V8V and am keen to explore the options out there in terms of improving the throttle response / power and also the various exhaust options available. I have about 6 months left of the extended warranty so I want to keep that in mind as well. What I am really looking for is any personal experience with these, if they make any real noticeable difference and if you guys think they are worth the money.
- The first option seems to be the offical ProDrive performance pack - 200 cell Sports Cats, remapped ECU, opening of bypass valve (same as removing fuse 22 presumably?), increase of rev limit to 7900 rpm. For those who have gone down this route - what do you think? An extra 45 bhp is nice but is it really that useable at the top end, is there a noticeable improvement in the throttle response and pickup at lower revs? A free-flow cat will obviously make the exhaust a lot louder but how does the sports cat + standard uncorked exhaust compare to say a standard cat and a Quicksilver Supersport or similar? Would it be worth the Prodrive upgrade then fitting a sports exhaust (kinda defeats the whole button / bypass that comes with the prodrive kit?) Comes in at around £3.5k with Prodrive taking on the engine warranty so seems the most sensible option in a way.
- Second option would be to have a remap, sports cat and sports exhaust fitted - again, which are the best options out there? Would a sports cat + Supersport exhaust be way too loud? Does the exhaust give any noticeable power gains? Would come to £3-4k with the exhaust but obviously no warranty cover on those items or if they cause any issues to the engine.
- Third option - the official Aston Martin 20 bhp upgrade - airbox, remapped ECU. Seems expensive for what you get, around £3k, but could that then be combined with a sports cat / exhaust to yield a larger improvement again or is that just pushing things too much? Can you combine the AM power upgrade with the Prodrive upgrade?
- Fourth option - leave as it is and go for a 4.7 in a year or so. Will the sports exhaust, cats / remaps add value to the car or actually devalue it? Would it be better to just leave standard and upgrade to a 4.7? Would the 4.3 with sports cat / remap be much different to the 4.7?
A lot of questions in there - I guess I'm less interested in quoted figures (most of the 45bhp gain for the Prodrive setup, for example, is likely to come from the rev limit increase and high octane fuel) but the difference in sound, driveability, throttle response. Ideally I'd love something about 15-20% louder than what I have now so I can really hear it sing, less throttle lag and a bit more oomph at lower revs - those are the only (minor) criticisms I have of what is an otherwise perfect car so if I can find a solution that is relatively cheap and comes highly recommended then that would be spot on :-)
well I think you will find that those that have spent £££ on upgrades will no doubt justify them
those that havnt will justify not spending the money
thats just human nature for you
personally, im in the latter camp and waiting for a 4.7 upgrade in the future ...Ive had my car over 4 years now so it will be ready for a change soon...well...when ive got closer to 100K miles ...it wont feel like VFM otherwise LOL
my main reason is previous "tuning" experience in that Ive bolted on 40bhp to a 740kg car before, and not been that excited by it, so spending £3-4K (or more) to do it on 1.5 ton car for 1/2 the effect dosent seem so appealing
thats just my boring logic these days....5 or 10 years ago, likely I would have spent the money just for the hell of it
those that havnt will justify not spending the money
thats just human nature for you
personally, im in the latter camp and waiting for a 4.7 upgrade in the future ...Ive had my car over 4 years now so it will be ready for a change soon...well...when ive got closer to 100K miles ...it wont feel like VFM otherwise LOL
my main reason is previous "tuning" experience in that Ive bolted on 40bhp to a 740kg car before, and not been that excited by it, so spending £3-4K (or more) to do it on 1.5 ton car for 1/2 the effect dosent seem so appealing
thats just my boring logic these days....5 or 10 years ago, likely I would have spent the money just for the hell of it
I'm not sure there are any options out there at the moment that markedly improve the throttle feel. Possibly the worst feature of the 4.3 dynamically, but not something that seems to be changeable.
I seriously doubt any modifications along the lines of those you're looking at will increase the value of the car. They might make it more attractive at sale time (though they may put some off), but you won't recoup the money you spend.
If it were me, I'd either wait for the 4.7...or possibly fit just a new back box. Won't make it noticeably quicker, but will "feel" quicker owing to the improved noise. It's also easy to take off and you should net some money selling separately when the time comes (or use it on the 4.7).
Various options. I've had a Tubi on mine for some time and it's brilliant.
I seriously doubt any modifications along the lines of those you're looking at will increase the value of the car. They might make it more attractive at sale time (though they may put some off), but you won't recoup the money you spend.
If it were me, I'd either wait for the 4.7...or possibly fit just a new back box. Won't make it noticeably quicker, but will "feel" quicker owing to the improved noise. It's also easy to take off and you should net some money selling separately when the time comes (or use it on the 4.7).
Various options. I've had a Tubi on mine for some time and it's brilliant.
Well I was under the impression that the Prodrive remap was thought to remove the throttle lag that the standard Vantage has built in (apparently to cater for all driving styles) but again whether this is actually the case and how noticeable it would be in the real world I'm not sure.
In terms of exhausts, I know some give a higher, more Ferrari-like sound - to be honest I'd probably rather a lower, more american V8 sound or pretty much how it is now but a bit louder.
In terms of exhausts, I know some give a higher, more Ferrari-like sound - to be honest I'd probably rather a lower, more american V8 sound or pretty much how it is now but a bit louder.
Broshnat said:
Well I was under the impression that the Prodrive remap was thought to remove the throttle lag that the standard Vantage has built in (apparently to cater for all driving styles) but again whether this is actually the case and how noticeable it would be in the real world I'm not sure.
In terms of exhausts, I know some give a higher, more Ferrari-like sound - to be honest I'd probably rather a lower, more american V8 sound or pretty much how it is now but a bit louder.
The throttle lag is noticeably improved in the AM upgrade just as in the prodrive offering.In terms of exhausts, I know some give a higher, more Ferrari-like sound - to be honest I'd probably rather a lower, more american V8 sound or pretty much how it is now but a bit louder.
its not about the 'extra 20-40bhp that you cant feel' its about the change in character which makes the upgrade worthwhile IMHO.
glugcom said:
yes, an excellent "no bull" thread - refreshing to see we have more options in the tuning market now If you really want more power you could fit a supercharger. This one is from GMR Design.
The supercharger pulley wheel can be seen to the bottom left of the redesigned plenum chamber. The carbon fibre container to far bottom left is the reservoir for the water injection. This 4.3 chucks out 555BHP at the flywheel.
The supercharger pulley wheel can be seen to the bottom left of the redesigned plenum chamber. The carbon fibre container to far bottom left is the reservoir for the water injection. This 4.3 chucks out 555BHP at the flywheel.
LordBretSinclair said:
If you really want more power you could fit a supercharger. This one is from GMR Design.
The supercharger pulley wheel can be seen to the bottom left of the redesigned plenum chamber. The carbon fibre container to far bottom left is the reservoir for the water injection. This 4.3 chucks out 555BHP at the flywheel.
LBS, do they have a website?The supercharger pulley wheel can be seen to the bottom left of the redesigned plenum chamber. The carbon fibre container to far bottom left is the reservoir for the water injection. This 4.3 chucks out 555BHP at the flywheel.
- anyone know what the revised torque figure is?this IS a different company to the one that couldnt sort out the engine mapping and only gave a 3 month warranty on the SC parts LOL ? 
/sorry to be a cynic, as these one off conversions seem to show up on websites every few months .....but before parting with £15-20K id like to know there are 50 cars out there with the upgrade that have done more than 1000 miles.....or some kind of non quibble warranty on the whole engine from a reputable company that will still be in business in 3 years time when my engine goes bang
/sorry to be a cynic, as these one off conversions seem to show up on websites every few months .....but before parting with £15-20K id like to know there are 50 cars out there with the upgrade that have done more than 1000 miles.....or some kind of non quibble warranty on the whole engine from a reputable company that will still be in business in 3 years time when my engine goes bang
There is some more information abnout the GMR supercharger in the EVO review here:
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2455...
Unfortunately when EVO tested the car it wasn't fully developed. I'm not sure what the situation is now but cannot find anything on Paramount's website about the Paramount 500 so maybe they've abandonded this kit?
The other option for a supercharger seems to be the US based ESX Motosports Super Vantage Kit http://www.esxmotorsports.com/products/?id=6028
600bhp+ (claimed) at the flywheel. A demonstration of what performance that gives you is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTf5REA0BNY
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2455...
Unfortunately when EVO tested the car it wasn't fully developed. I'm not sure what the situation is now but cannot find anything on Paramount's website about the Paramount 500 so maybe they've abandonded this kit?
The other option for a supercharger seems to be the US based ESX Motosports Super Vantage Kit http://www.esxmotorsports.com/products/?id=6028
600bhp+ (claimed) at the flywheel. A demonstration of what performance that gives you is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTf5REA0BNY
bogie said:
glugcom said:
yes, an excellent "no bull" thread - refreshing to see we have more options in the tuning market now bamford rose / mike, is it possible to outline the supercharger options discussed here like you have done for the others?
355f said:
if any one is looking for a quicksilver supersports- mine is in the classifieds!
Do you mind if I ask why you want to sell after only 2K miles? Too loud / not loud enough? Sound not right? Or not what you were wanting? Does this provide a higher pitched exhaust note or a lower v8 muscle car rumble? Still trying to decide what I want for my V8 in terms of exhaust upgrade. 
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