The site author's view on tuning modifications and their ultimate cost.

Having watched the tuning market in the U.K. expand over the last fifteen years or so we are now in a situation where there are many, many parts available for Italian cars where a decade or so ago there were virtually none 'great' I hear you say ! but wait a minute before you race off and order truck loads of gear, it could be costing you more than you actually realise. Firstly have you considered the Insurance impact of modifying a car from standard ? most insurers will not even consider such things, so before committing to any mods call them and ask, it could be the cheapest phone call you ever make and don't ignore the fact either as you could find your policy is voided by any changes from standard. Secondly you may well be de-valuing your car, body kits are not to everyone's taste, and also would you have considered buying a modified version of your car before you had even owned the standard model, how could you ensure the modifications had been carried out correctly? Thirdly and by far the most important in the U.K. if the car has been modified will it now pass the MOT test legally, the latest guidelines in Britain require the car to conform to its original emissions rating narrowing the field of engine modifications to almost nil beyond induction filters, exhausts and maybe ECU chip conversions at the extreme, just imagine having to take off all the tuning equipment you had just fitted because it had made the car illegal to use on the road, believe me it could quite easily happen and the existence of computer technology at the test garage means no more 'bent' MOT's either, so there is no way out.

However, that said, there are some sensible modifications that could with minimal outlay, bring horsepower increases.
1: Air Filter. Either a panel filter which will give 1-2 horsepower (cost £25) or a simple induction kit which will give 3-4 horsepower by replacing the standard restrictive intake tubing and bolting directly onto the injector housing (cost £50) or even a full induction kit which has tubing which separates the filter from the injector housing by a tuned length and may give 5-6 horsepower (cost £150 perhaps).
2: Exhaust. A stainless Cat-back system will release 4-5 horsepower (cost £250) and will have the bonus of probably outlasting the car and paying for itself by negating any further exhaust bills.
3: ECU Chip. A replacement ECU Chip if used in conjunction with the above items could free up a massive 7-8 horsepower (cost £150-£200), but (I am told) can have the drawback of making the car a little undrivable especially in stop/start traffic situations, alternatively to have a chip designed specially for your needs select this link
4: Fully synthetic Oil. Oils such as Mobil1 or similar can give small gains over the mineral based standard oils used, the main bonus being that the oil will not break down under almost any condition giving 100% protection for your engine well worth considering in the long term, don't be put off by the possible 1 horsepower gain you will get by using it (cost £20-£30 per 4 litres).
5: Platinum or Split-Fire Spark plugs with high performance plug-leads. High performance spark plugs will give marginally more efficient combustion over the standard item but will add to the overall horsepower gain, if once again used with all the above components (cost £20-£50).
6: Higher Octane Fuel or Octane booster. 98 Octane fuel (Super Unleaded) will give a small power increase if the car is set up to use it all the time at the expense of a large dent in you wallet (cost 80p per litre plus rolling road charge to set engine up for usage).

By applying all of the above and having the car set up on a rolling road you might come away with something near 70 horsepower but more like 65-66hp for £600 outlay. There are, of course the usual ways to get the most from your car like ensuring the tyre pressures are correct and thus achieving minimal rolling resistance and of course polishing your car to a fine shine giving a reduced wind resistance, you may laugh but when did you last see a dirty racing car ? on a Mini for instance the difference between dirty and clean can mean 3 to 4 mph to top end speed according to the MIRA wind tunnel team.

Some Cinq sites on the net even (somewhat hilariously) go as far as suggesting polishing your inlet/exhaust manifold internally and also the remainder of tubing all the way to the back box, this might work on racing cars but is going just a little too far for use on the road.

I have been asked on many occasions about suspension mods what works and what does'nt etc, my suggestion on an ideal setup for the road is this, -25mm springs with Koni adjustable dampers and an uprated anti-roll bar, my car was fitted (as you may have read) with Pi springs (from MBG) these are totally unsuitable for use on the road as they rob the car of suspension travel and are far too stiff for comfortable travel even on the smoothest of tarmac ! I feel they would be much better suited to a sprint or hill-climb car with only occasional road use don't be conned into buying a set I am not the only person to find this out, -25mm is the max. Uprated anti-roll bars don't come without their penalties either a change from the standard setting will make the steering heavier at low speed and also increse tyre wear they do however stabilise the car very well and control body roll admirably. Insurance company responses on suspension mods vary so much that some will just ask you to send the reciepts for the parts (and increase your policy by a percentage of the cost) others will just not insure you, so ask first before diving in with both feet!

And finally......
.....There is of course the ultimate performance add-on which will give you faster 0-60's and higher top speeds for probably less money than all of these mods...... the ultimate performance upgrade being of course...... a new, faster, more powerful car...... always worth considering as an option before starting to tune or modify any vehicle.

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