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trizo
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3091 Posts
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 Posted - 28 Aug 2006 : 9:53:20 PM
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hey guys just a question,wat are the easy mods/upgrades u can make on ur vn perfomance wise and economy?This might seem like a duh question but as I've said b4 the performance side is a bit new to me I don't know were 2 start or wat I want to do can any1 give me any ideas!!!    
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 28 Aug 2006 : 10:41:40 PM
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The easiest and the cheapest is to make the t/b open to 100% (but I think you've already done that)
After that I'd say that the next best mod you could do is spend $50 at your local holden dealership (I wouldn't pay any more) and get yourself a VS V6 supercharged cold-air-intake (CAI). Head home and fit it yourself, might need to heat the edges a bit to get the bonnet to close properly, and you WILL need to spend a few minutes with a hacksaw blade and the bottom half of your air box, but once it's fitted, you'll love it.
The next obvious step on the induction side is a high-performance filter, if you've got the CAI and don't want to spend a lot of time screwing around, then a good quality washable panel air filter (K&N or unifilter are good brands to go with) is the way to go. If you have the time, energy and a bit of sheet metal kicking around, spend a few extra pennies and get yourself a pod filter (same brands as the panel filter) and make up a custom air box for it to sit in, so that you can still pipe the cold air in from your snazzy new CAI. (A CAI and pod is the BEST setup for naturally aspirated induction, the CAI and the panel comes next, both should help your fuel figures a bit).
After that it gets a tad more tricky (expensive). With the intake side of things looking happy now, it's time to look at the other end of the car, the exhaust. A 2.5" cat back system will sound good, and might get you one or two more kilowatts, but not heaps, a full length 2.5" mandrel bent system will really help you along, but will hurt the wallet a fair bit more. Needless to say, extractors would be nice, but unless you're going to do a full length system, don't bother.
If you've got an auto, get a shift kit fitted. A full service and a stage 2 shift kit will make you wonder where the extra power has come from. The shift kit will make the shifts much quicker and firmer, which means that you'll feel a bit of a kick in the backside when you really boot it.
If you've got about $100 or so to 'tinker' with, you can make your own memcal chips (I know I said I'd put together a how-to and it's coming, but it's going to be massive, so it's going to take a while). With these you can pretty much get your car to do exactly what you want, but unless you know what you're doing you can make it a hell of a lot worse.
If you don't have one already an LSD can help get you off the line a bit quicker, it's not strictly a performance mod, it won't give you any more power, but it will help control the wheel spin that VNs are so well known for.
For less than a grand you can get a nice set of higher ratio roller rockers, but I wouldn't bother with those unless you had the exhaust done as well...and to make the most of them, a custom chip is going to be a big help.
Keep your injectors clean, unless you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, run a slug of injector cleaner through the fuel system every 6 months or so, not only will it help keep your idle smooth, you'll notice that power will be kept as good as it can be.
Other than that...it's just common sense stuff, change the oil every 6 months or 10,000km whichever comes first (I know some people that do it every 5,000km). Only use good quality oils and filters (no...'Black and Gold' motor oil is NOT a good oil), my preference is for Penrite oil for the engine, and castrol for everything else (power steering fluid, brake fluid, diff oil...), Ryco oil filters are fine for street use, for track use I'd go with a K&N oil filter. And make sure you change the filter every time you change the oil, not every second time. Good quality ignition leads help, as do good quality spark plugs. An often forgotten filter is the fuel filter, out of site, out of mind, recommended service life is 40000km or two years, whichever comes first.
If you've got a bit of cash just burning a hole in your pocket, then you can pick up DIY supercharger kits from about $1500, but I wouldn't bother, as with all things automotive you get what you pay for. For a good forced induction setup you should budget for at LEAST $3000.
Hopefully there's a few ideas in there that you haven't tried yet...a few other (less intelligent and some illegal) ideas are:
* Mothballs in the fuel tank (octane booster, but too many and you can quite quickly burn holes in your pistons)
* A little resistor across the MAT sensor (tricks the engine into running rich all the time, uses more fuel and eats your exhaust system)
* Home-made hi-flow catalytic converter (take one standard catalytic converter, and one broomstick, remove internals of catalytic converter...car might have a little more power, but you'd better start saving for the fine from the EPA it can be as large as $10,000)
* Instead of ULP or PULP run AVGAS, your car will go like stink, but god help you if you get caught, that one's another one that the EPA will fine you for, not to mention the fact that you'd need to replace your catalytic converter too.
* NOS. A quick shot of NOS as you're accelerating, and you'll never know what hit you. Completely illegal for street use in Australia, by law you're not allowed to have the NOS bottle hooked up to the system when you're on public roads. The police will have a field day if they catch you. Also...unless it's setup just right, plan on an engine re-build every year.
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Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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trizo
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3091 Posts
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Posted - 28 Aug 2006 : 10:51:27 PM
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che mouce big help time to start thinkin!!!!!
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 28 Aug 2006 : 11:01:32 PM
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| If you get really mental about it, there's a way to use a motorbike engine block, some dry ice (or liquid nitrogen) and a whole lot of sheet metal and piping to get a good bit of power out of it. But it's a lot of stuffing around, and it only lasts as long as the dry-ice takes to melt. I'll give you a day to think about that one...see if you can work it out. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 28 Aug 2006 : 11:03:37 PM
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| sounds interesting ??????????????????????? |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 Aug 2006 : 7:43:49 PM
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Okay...since you don't seem to have come up with the solution on your own:
Build a box large enough to house the engine block of a small motorbike engine (build it so that it has one hole at the front of the car, one hole pointing towards the rear and a removable lid). This box needs to go in place of your air box, hopefully with enough room to get a filter mounted on the front of it. Place the engine block in the box, so that there is a clear path through from the front hole to the back hole, along the line of where the crankshaft would have sat. Run a pipe through here (hopefully about 3 or 4 inch pipe, metal would be best). Now the fun part.
Pack the box and the engine block with as much dried ice as you can. It helps if you can pre-chill the block in a freezer for a day or two, and you should wear rubber gloves to do this. Pop the lid on, and go for a drive. You've heard of a 'cold air intake' this is taking it one step further. It's a home made dry-ice intercooler for a naturally aspirated engine. The engine block from a motorbike provides enough thermal inertia to ensure that the dry-ice doesn't just piss off straight away, and also helps in the thermal transfer away from the pipe through the middle of it. One thing you have to be careful of is to make sure that none of the dry-ice vapours can enter the air intake system, let's face it, dry-ice is solid Carbon Dioxide, you don't want CO2 going into the engine, you want oxygen, and you want it cold :)
It's a hell of a lot of stuffing around, but if you can get it to work, and you have enough dry-ice, it's GREAT. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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trizo
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3091 Posts
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Posted - 29 Aug 2006 : 8:22:05 PM
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| well fu@# me you had me thinkin about it all cay at work i even asked a couple of smart arses lol.. I dont think I'll be feeding my car dry ice but sounds like 1 hell ova week end!!!! |
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matt
P Plater
95 Posts
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Posted - 30 Aug 2006 : 01:50:50 AM
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| how much can you pay for a shift kit? i have no idea. |
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crewzincool
P Plater
19 Posts
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Posted - 30 Aug 2006 : 9:13:02 PM
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| yeah id'e like to hear more about the shift kit...and the lsd, were would you start to look for one of them |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 30 Aug 2006 : 9:22:16 PM
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I told my boss at work about the dry ice intake and he said yeah it works his son and there mates were doin it 4 a while just showin off until 1 of them fu@#ed up!!!lol ooooooooppppppppsssss dry ice is fun!!:P might try it on my mates car first not mine (just in case)...
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 30 Aug 2006 : 9:38:36 PM
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Okay, shift kits are best left to the professionals. Well...the installation anyway. Find anywhere that can do a service on your auto trans and ask them about a shift kit. Simple as that. As for the price, sorry guys, got no idea (I drive a manual).
There's two ways to go about the LSD conversion, you can either replace the contents of the diff 'pumpkin' (but it's a whore of a job, and unless you've got all the gear to line it up properly you'll end up with a dodgy setup at best), or you can replace the entire rear axle/diff assembly (not as hard as you might think).
Of course you can always go to a suspension/driveline specialist and ask about an LSD. Be prepared to pay for it though, you can pick up second hand ones from pick-a-part or any wreckers, but unless you are feeling REALLY lucky, I'd get it reco'd before putting it in. LSD's do have clutch packs in them, and they do wear out. Also...keep in mind that LSD oil is different to normal diff oil...the standard stuff will eat your clutch packs fairly quickly.
Again...I can't help out with the price for a good quality LSD, I plan on finding out when my current diff dies. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Easy
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 02 Sep 2006 : 2:57:25 PM
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| I've just had installed a 2.5" exhaust from the cat back and cai and i have to say its made a heap of difference. The old girl breathes a hell of a lot better and goes harder as well. Best of all it didnt cost me all that much. Now all I need is a decent air filter and to make sure the throttle opens 100% and I got myself a sweet VN. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 02 Sep 2006 : 3:09:40 PM
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Being only a cat back system, the majority of the gain you've had will be from the CAI. The biggest restriction in the stock exhaust system (other than the mufflers and the cat which you are required by law to have) is the drivers side engine pipe. To get it under the bellhousing the wonderful engineers at GMHA decided to 'crush' it. It doesn't flow nearly as well as it should.
Glad to know that you've had such a good gain from the pair of mods you've done so far.
Welcome to the club, I hope you stick around for a while...there's a lot of good people here, and a hell of a lot of help if you ever run into trouble with your VN. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Easy
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 02 Sep 2006 : 9:20:47 PM
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| Thanks mouce been reading the site for a while and finally decided to post. Saw a change in performance just with the exhaust change over, apparently the mufflers were stuffed. Now it revs out to over 100kph in second gear (not that you should be revin it that high) whereas pre exhaust it wouldnt rev past 75-80. I've also got more low down in 4th and 5th as well. As far as I'm concerned its the best money I've spent on the car |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 05 Sep 2006 : 7:18:19 PM
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nanananana batman!!!!!!!
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 05 Sep 2006 : 10:00:14 PM
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LOL...having changed from stuffed mufflers to good ones will make a huge difference even if they were stock :)
And yeah...more than 100kph in second is possible, it's not good for the car, but it's possible, I wouldn't recommend doing it again any time soon though.
Custom memcal and you'd be seeing some good power gains. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 05 Sep 2006 : 10:04:18 PM
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| wen going to a bigger xahst do u haf to change xtractors or can u get them 2 fit?Ihaf no idea!!!(duh) |
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kempo
P Plater
56 Posts
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Posted - 06 Sep 2006 : 10:00:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mouce
LOL...having changed from stuffed mufflers to good ones will make a huge difference even if they were stock :)
And yeah...more than 100kph in second is possible, it's not good for the car, but it's possible, I wouldn't recommend doing it again any time soon though.
Custom memcal and you'd be seeing some good power gains.
Umm yeh 100kph in second not good thing, I was doing a skid in 2nd and revved it abit to hard and ended up doing damage to the motor  new motor is on the way tho he he. |
Get back in ya box idiot! |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 07 Sep 2006 : 9:21:49 PM
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I take it you were at the drags or a burnout comp?if not thats wat u get 4 tourturing your car hahahaha!!
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 07 Sep 2006 : 9:52:38 PM
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Redline in second gear in a manual VN V6 commodore is about 113kph according to my model...so you can give or take a little on that, but it's pretty close, so I'm not surprised that it crapped itself.
Depending on the memcal that you've got it can start leaning off the fuel pressure from as little as 4600rpm, so it's really not doing you any favours. Maximum speed that I recommend for 2nd gear is 80-85kph (on the speedo) and even that I wouldn't like to hold for too long.
Look after your new motor a bit better. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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TVS
P Plater
19 Posts
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Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 09:39:59 AM
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| As far as shift kits go, we put a B&M Shift Improver kit part number 70239 if I remeber correctly into the missus VN and it made a world of difference. Chirps into second hard and snaps into 3rd. Cost was like $80-$90 and we put it in ourselves. As far as rockers go, a set of 1.8 yella terra's are going into the missus VN today as well so hope to have some feedback on them soon for ya's. |
1996 VS Commodore Turbo 6 Speed
1989 Supercharged VN V6
1988 139DB Sound Off Camry |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 8:00:42 PM
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@TVS bring it on mate your car is the sh#t!!$80-90 4 the **** kit !!!is there much 2 install?
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TVS
P Plater
19 Posts
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Posted - 11 Sep 2006 : 08:34:11 AM
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| You can get it from www.vpw.com.au I am pretty sure, and my mate installed it and never done one before so it wasnt that bad but he's pretty handy at stuff like that. |
1996 VS Commodore Turbo 6 Speed
1989 Supercharged VN V6
1988 139DB Sound Off Camry |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 18 Sep 2006 : 9:12:27 PM
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| sweet site che 4 that! how did the rockers go?much diff worth doin?;P |
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matt
P Plater
95 Posts
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Posted - 19 Sep 2006 : 12:10:48 AM
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| im def puttin one of those shift improver kits on the christmas list, thanx for the site!!! |
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trizo
Forum Moderator
3091 Posts
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Posted - 19 Sep 2006 : 9:57:56 PM
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| let us know wat u think still browsin through it all been here 4 2 days now hehehhehehe;P |
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Brum
P Plater
65 Posts
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Posted - 27 Sep 2006 : 5:17:57 PM
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Just curious, whats the deal with getting larger valves, and upgrading the valve springs? What does it do, and is it worth it on stocker V6's? How much do they set you back?!
Also, does a port and polish gain much power or torque??
@ TVS, how did those roller rockers go in the missus commy?? |
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