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KLD_84
Starting in the driveway
2 Posts
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 Posted - 01 Nov 2006 : 9:39:29 PM
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hey everyone! i am a new member as of today, so i am still just finding my way around this website! but i would really like to know what i can do to my VN to make it go faster?!?! i have had it for 4 years and i haven't really done anything to the engine besides maintaining it. thanks guys! 
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 01 Nov 2006 : 11:10:44 PM
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Depends entirely on your budget, there's three different 'grades' of budget. The typical uni-student one (aka. anything that is free is good), then you step up to 'cheap' mods (I class these as anything less than $1500 each), and then 'expensive' mods (for when you win tatts).
The free mods:
1) Make sure your throttle body is clean and can open 100% http://www.vncommodore.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=394
2) Check your tyre pressures, yep believe it or not, having under-inflated tyres will make your car a bit slower once you're moving. On standard 14" or 15" rims I suggest somewhere between 32 and 36 psi.
3) Remove the bellmouth (S2 engines only). Between the metal intake elbow and the manifold itself there is a large black plastic bellmouth. Remove this and replace it with the 'paper' filter from the S1 engine. Idle will be a tad rougher, but bottom end torque will increase too ;)
The 'cheap' mods:
1) Cold Air Intake (CAI): Price = about $50-$60 from your holden dealership. The CAI from the VS S/C V6 engine fits the VN and pipes cold air straight into the airbox, cold air is more dense than hot air, the more dense it is the bigger the bang in the cylinder.
2) Washable panel filter: Price = about $80-$100 from Repco/Autobarn... A good quality air filter will allow your engine to breathe a bit easier, thus getting more power to the ground. So long as you get a good quality one such as K&N or FinerFilter then you'll never need to buy another air filter again.
3) Engine Service: Price = Depends on what you do to it. Even a simple oil flush and change can improve the performance of the engine. Flushing the cooling system is a very good move, if you can be bothered fitting a lower temperature thermostat (5deg lower can make a noticable difference) is a good idea too. Spark plugs and leads are very important, you get what you pay for, and good quality plugs and leads will help. Don't forget to clean your injectors too ;)
4) Fuel. Price = Too fkn much  Seriously, find the best fuel for your car. Up until recently I have found that Optimax was the best fuel for my car, however I am currently testing V-Power, and I'm not impressed yet. I always suggest trying the 'premium' fuels offered, stay away from any fuels which contain Ethanol, and ONLY buy fuel from the major retailers (Shell, Mobil/Ampol, BP, Caltex). Find out which fuel gives you the best feel. And despite paying slightly more per L of fuel, I think you'll find that you go further on the same amount, by switching to PULP I have saved (based on some rather 'interesting' calculations) about $100 a year for the last two years. And as the price of fuel increases, I find that those 'savings' increase.
5) POD filter. Price = about $100. Ditto point number 3. EXCEPT, a pod on it's own will do little but offer a 'nice' noise. A pod in a custom built box with the CAI hooked into it will offer a noticable increase in throttle response.
6) V8 t/b. Price = depends where you get it from $80-$200. It bolts straight onto the intake system. Now...it will NOT make your car go faster, however it will give you a more snappy throttle response at low throttle percentages. Larger bore throttle bodies are available, however there is a 67mm bottle-neck in the manifold so the extra width is useless.
7) Higher ratio roller-rockers. From manufacturers such as Yella-Terra and F.I.T. these handy little devices replace the rockers that are in the motor at the moment. They provide most of the benefits of a cam change but for a fraction of the cost. Price = from about $500 (easy enough to fit yourself).
8) Exhaust. Cat-Back exhausts while they provide a nice note they do bugger all for performance. Full length systems at 2.5" (no larger on n/a engines) with mandrel bends, the stock headers are not BAD, however they do burn out eventually. Full exhaust systems can be had from as little as $500. But the sky is the limit.
9) Diff change. If you change the ratio of the diff to be a bit shorter, you'll launch harder, but your top speed will be reduced. Given that the top speed of a VN V6 is somewhere about 270kph, you can afford to wipe out a few kph ;). Keep in mind that if you change your diff ratio you'll need to get your speedo recalibrated.
10) Shift Kit (Auto only). It won't really make your car any quicker, but it will make the shifts firmer, giving you better acceleration.
There are other ideas which would fit into this budget range involving: NOS, buying a V8 engine, cam swaps, and I think even a stroker kit can be had in this price range (though I'm not 100% on that).
Okay now for the 'fun' stuff. The 'expensive' stuff.
Full forced induction kits can be had from $1500, HOWEVER good ones start from $3000 (and that's for the cheap stuff). It gets much more expensive if you want to really push the boost higher. Anything beyond about 9psi and you'll want to consider a full rebuild with strengthening.
Dyno tune with custom memcal (normally after a cam change and/or rebuild). Starts at about $1000, but quickly goes up with dyno time and number of memcals 'tried'.
Now that you've made it through all of that. Welcome to the club, nice to see you wanna get stuck into it. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 02 Nov 2006 : 10:59:00 PM
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| Come stroker kit is around $2200 for the NA parts,,,, $4000 for a stroked engine, $6000 for a stroked engine suitable for boost applications and $9000 for a fitted fully stroked S2 boost application engine |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 02 Nov 2006 : 11:31:57 PM
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| Well...those are some prices to think about then? Anyone know the magic six numbers for tatts this weekend? |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 02 Nov 2006 : 11:41:32 PM
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| If I did I wouldnt be tellin ya lol however i would give ya all the spare parts y9u could think of |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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KLD_84
Starting in the driveway
2 Posts
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Posted - 04 Nov 2006 : 12:51:10 AM
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| thanks heaps for all the information guys! i will definately have to look into it. very useful information!!! |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 04 Nov 2006 : 10:27:53 AM
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Hey, there's almost an unlimited number of things you can do to make your car quicker. I just threw you the first few ideas that came to me.
It's possible to make your own engine chips, I'm working on a how-to at the moment, if you can do some basic maths, and know how to use a computer and a soldering iron it's a piece of cake.
It's taken a lot of research, and several head-aches to work it all out, but the writeup is in the final stages. Hopefully I'll have it up by Christmas for everyone to muck around with ;) |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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