Why?

[murphyv310]

Hi.
Perhaps I'm a fuddy duddy but why are some tuning their cars for huge power for road use?
Its not all about power, consider road conditions, speed limits, brakes, gearbox, clutch, wheels/tyres, suspension geometry, insurance, reliability, hazards, your driving skills and costs. Fine if its factored into everything.
Think carefully if you haven't.

[ROBBIE G]

I think the 75 was more designed as a comfortable cruiser I think the car to tune and mess with would probably more a ZS/ZR I had a ZS there fantastic fun to throw around and amazingly very nimble, ive had a ZT and few 75s I wouldn't want to treat them that way I more enjoy the comfort than there speed ability

[d_a_n1979]

Because each to their own!

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by d_a_n1979

Because each to their own!

Yes I agree. Do it right though, there's more to tuning than just the engine!

[pab]

Originally Posted by d_a_n1979

Because each to their own!

What do you expect from your car? Did you buy it because you thought it would set the tarmac on fire?

Not me, just an enthusiast of the marque, if i wanted more I would buy more.. Simple.

[Dorset Bob]

This site has given me lots of ideas on improvements for my car.
There are lots of them, plenum, lighting, ICE, VIS motors, handbrake mods. etc etc.

I think it is a real shame that once engine performance modifications are mentioned the black and white "do-gooders" pile in with their, often misinformed, comments.
I prefer a life of colour.

Good luck to anyone that has the time and the money to do such upgrades.

[Kyletrek]

Personally I think our cars do have the potential for good power gains if the parts could be found/made/modified.
yes my tourer and zt were both modified with 160map synergy and boost turned up and yes I want more power, but that doesn't make me a bad or unsafe driver?
I did crash my zt a month or so ago but that cannot be blamed on performance modifications at all as I was doing about 35 mph in a 40mph road that was an error on my part and nothing to do with extra performance.
I agree that a number of modified cars are neglected in terms of maintenance ie bushes brakes etc. as they would rather spend the money on going faster, this is not how I think, I was taught that making a car faster you first upgrade the brakes and suspension to handle the power and improve braking abilities.
I think the posts on here are somewhat unfair as in reality a zt 190 is essentially a zt 120 that has been MODIFIED to be faster than standard? Same goes for the 180 and 160 zt's and 75's.
This is only my view please feel free to interperate it how you see and will gladly reply to any comments or differing views for discussion

[johnnyb44]

When i first got my hands on our diesel auto ( 116) it was so slow. In the real world of driving day in out, back and to work i found myself losing confidence in my abilities to drive it safely. Getting stuck behind a Tesco lorry can be so frustrating as they stick to the 40 mph limit religiously on A roads. Trying to overtake one in such an underpowered car had some serious brown trousers moments. Combined with 100s of other similar situations you where left with a car that's frustrating to drive and potentially dangerous at dropping you in the brown stuff. Since the remap over taking can be done quickly and safely.To me this has made my car feel a hell of alot safer having the extra omphh. I very rarely break the speed limit so brakes , suspension ect are in my eyes still more than capable at doing there job. The problem starts when youngster get there hands on cheap cars and heavily modify them and only do half a job. A 160 bhp corsa is a pretty rapid car for a youngster to be in charge of ,and nowadays its relatively cheap and easy to modify. Most of the time though the mods only extend to the engine, exhaust , wheels and spoilers. Brakes and suspension get ignored and the car gets thrashed to an inch of its life to impress the girls. These are the dangerous cars on our roads and not the new powerful modern genuine machines we see gracing the motorways.
I was a typical example many moons ago trying to make my old capri into something it wasn't " lol "
Its just that nowadays cars are so much more easy to extract huge amounts of power out of. Its a dangerous combination to mix with young inexperienced drivers.

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by johnnyb44

When i first got my hands on our diesel auto ( 116) it was so slow. In the real world of driving day in out, back and to work i found myself losing confidence in my abilities to drive it safely. Getting stuck behind a Tesco lorry can be so frustrating as they stick to the 40 mph limit religiously on A roads. Trying to overtake one in such an underpowered car had some serious brown trousers moments. Combined with 100s of other similar situations you where left with a car that's frustrating to drive and potentially dangerous at dropping you in the brown stuff. Since the remap over taking can be done quickly and safely.To me this has made my car feel a hell of alot safer having the extra omphh. I very rarely break the speed limit so brakes , suspension ect are in my eyes still more than capable at doing there job. The problem starts when youngster get there hands on cheap cars and heavily modify them and only do half a job. A 160 bhp corsa is a pretty rapid car for a youngster to be in charge of ,and nowadays its relatively cheap and easy to modify. Most of the time though the mods only extend to the engine, exhaust , wheels and spoilers. Brakes and suspension get ignored and the car gets thrashed to an inch of its life to impress the girls. These are the dangerous cars on our roads and not the new powerful modern genuine machines we see gracing the motorways.
I was a typical example many moons ago trying to make my old capri into something it wasn't " lol "
Its just that nowadays cars are so much more easy to extract huge amounts of power out of. Its a dangerous combination to mix with young inexperienced drivers.

Thank you.
My point in starting the thread in the first place.
Well said that man.

[alanjay]

Originally Posted by murphyv310

Hi.
Perhaps I'm a fuddy duddy but why are some tuning their cars for huge power for road use?
Its not all about power, consider road conditions, speed limits, brakes, gearbox, clutch, wheels/tyres, suspension geometry, insurance, reliability, hazards, your driving skills and costs. Fine if its factored into everything.
Think carefully if you haven't.

I quite agree but I was recently criticised for my policy of cruising at 60 for maximum fuel economy whilst only pushing the peddle down for rapid overtaking.
I know what my car is capable of without changing factory settings and in standard format, it still can surprise a lot of boy racers.
But I'll stick to my policy of only using available power when I need to, that way I enjoy the serene driving of a 75 knowing I have the power when I need it.
Possibly that's why I can achieve mpg that others cannot.
Hope you agree.