More power from a ZR160....

[t40ora]

..but at a resonable VFM?

Anyone done anything worthwhile? So far seen options from 13bhp for £300 to 24bhp for £1100 to (gulp) 60bhp for (wait for it)... £12000!

Is it only induction/exhaust for minor increase? Is it worth it to do head mods etc? And does anyone know if the turbo mod is a truth or an urban myth?

Help much appreciated; it's my wife's car and she's NAGGING me!

[AL666]

What did the first two options involve doing to the engine?

[t40ora]

Both just variations on induction kits and exhausts.

[AL666]

I think the best way to go is throttle bodies, Emerald ECU and more aggressive cams. Or try and find yourself a 190 engine from an Elise.

[t40ora]

New engine not on the cards due to how far my wife wants to go. Throttle bodies - yeah, thanks, thought of these too.

So have Emerald got it sorted for K series engine? Haven't heard anything, but I guess I'll need to contact them.

[AL666]

From what I've heard, Emerald is the best aftermarket ECU for the K Series and not too expensive, Dave Andrews' Website has a lot of useful information on tuning parts for the K Series, but most people tend to shy away from the VVC mechanism when tuning and revert the engine back to solid-cam.

[t40ora]

AL666 said:

From what I've heard, Emerald is the best aftermarket ECU for the K Series and not too expensive, Dave Andrews' Website has a lot of useful information on tuning parts for the K Series, but most people tend to shy away from the VVC mechanism when tuning and revert the engine back to solid-cam.

Cheers Alex. I check out the website when I'm more awake.

[AL666]

No worries mate, I also use Eagle F1 tyres BTW

[Tahiti]

The VVC mech is fairly restrictive, and not always THAT reliable. Piper do a solid cam conversion kit for instance, mated to TBs and a decent ECU and you're looking at approaching 200 BHP. Not sure on price though. You could also try to source a VHPD head (made for solid cams straight off) and replace the VVC one.

When I was looking to do a VVC upgrade a few years back, no one had successfully remapped the ECU to run the mech, hence most people removed it. I guess now things may have progressed though.

[t40ora]

Looks like it won't be a simple operation then.

Thanks for the advice though; some food for thought and a bit of research needed.