z20net tuning advise

[matt0785]

looking for some advise to try and get a bit more from my z20net what else can i do iv read so many post with so much conflicting info just looking for some genuine advise

current mods are

fmic with full hard pipe setup
td04 turbo
iridium plugs
panel filter
air box mod

looking for a good re-map but want to find out if there is anything else i can do before re-map as there is no point mapping it till i have finished with the mechanical mods

[Caveman_nige]

bigger injectors and fuel pump.....
3 inch downpipe and sportcat....


what bhp is it currently running at..

[matt0785]

not shure what its putting out not been on rollers or had it mapped till the mods are finished no point wasting cash feels around the 200 mark not much torque but i havent been driving it hard till mapped and i make sure fueling is good

what injectors would you suggest
do they make a walbro thats compatable with the signum

exhaust will be completly replaced with 3" system front o back when funds allow

[accveccysriturbo]

matt I think nige is by far the most clues up on this engine on the site. Think he has. Post somewhere explaining what he has done in quite some detail.

[Caveman_nige]

i assume thats the original turbo and not an upgrade to your car and that your car was made in 2006 or later. With it you should already have 381cc injectors (light green coloured) which is more than adequate for most peoples tuning tastes..

I upgraded to 630cc injectors and a 255lph universal Walbro fuel pump to feed them (replacement injector loom required or you cut up your existing one to mod it as I did). I added these as I hydrided my TD04 turbo and made it bigger/more powerful which in turn makes it demand more air and fuel when i blow away those Audi S3 drivers etc.

I used to run on the Iridium plugs as well but had some issues, I now run with NGK Biofuel plugs that seem to work even better despite they are only £2 each. These came recommended to me.

All the various upgrades are best when put together as a complete package, if you don't beef up the turbo you will not have the demand for more fuel though.

I would say the 3" inch stainless downpipe with a sportcat can make a difference and is well worth doing but they do not come cheap if you want it doing properly,

What FMIC intercooler are you using as they may be more of a hinderence than a benefit by adding lag.. The only true upgrade intercoolers for these engines that i have found are made by Forge (about £500 - £600 i think) as the have worked closely with the saab tuners to make sure the cores and thinkness work with the capacity and aiflow available and are no real benefit until your pulling about 280bhp. I guess ome universal ones may do something so I it would be interesting to hear if your found a significant performance improvement with it. Having spoke with plenty of sales places i get too much sales schpeel and very little, if any, diffinative information.

You can only take the block so far though, over 280bhp and you will want to be looking at forged pistons which means opening up the block, this is best coupled with a flowed bigger manifold and an even bigger turbo. It all gets very serious the higher you want to go, more money for less horses than you would get with ealry tuning mods. With the engine running with all these extra mods you would be wearing things out sooner so you need to be reasonably adept with a spanner or the labout costs will bury you and make it a very uneconomical project..

[matt0785]

no my car is a 2004 and iv fitted the td04 turbo from a saab aero had the replacement oil and water line made etc. the intercooler im using is a small ish one regal one from my prev calibra turbo didnt want to go to big as you say about lag and yes it did make a slight difference nothing spectacular though

where did you get the injectors from are they a direct fit etc im sure i may have a walbro in the lock up somewhere as i replaced the one on my skyline thinking its was ****ed but turned out to be regulator fault

as for power if i manage to hit 250-260 i will be happy as its the family car dont want to go daft with it as i was tempted to fit a c20let into it as i have one sitting but my car is full canbus so to much hastle with the wiring

also what boost can this engine safely handle with stock head and block as im still running standard boost till re-map dont want to melt anything also what fuel pressure are you running

as for the spanners yeah im more than capable of most work iv just never worked on this or the saab version so better to ask first and avoid **** ups as somebody has always done it before like yourself and handy to avoid probs or hours of trawling internet finding parts

[Caveman_nige]

Well mate you have good kit fitted. I would expect you to get around the 250 mark with remap as you stand.
Fuel pump and injectors will allow the turbo/engine to u leash more potential. For now if I was you I would go with
Bigger injectors and fuel pump, a remap will be good then. adding a bigger downpipe and sportcat will make things faster
Later on but you will not need a further map to appreciate those gains.

Having it as a family car is inky understanding as mine is the same. Do it step by step mate. Enjoy the tubing you do as you go
Up through the bhp scale. T

I hope that makes sense, I am doing this from my crappy work phone so cannot link you to some good threads.
Hopefully somebody else can help me with that.

[Jezzy]

This is probably the thread that Nige is referring to:

http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124949


As for boost levels, my stage 1 runs 16.5 PSI, so at a guess I'd say other people are running 22-25 PSI safely.

[matt0785]

mine is currently showing 15 psi on boost gauge with 16-17 overboost but not to sure how accurate it is as its an old used gauge i want to get a digital one to put in glove box out of site along with air/fuel mix meter

thanks for the advise nige im going to remove the centre silencer from the exhaust make the standard system a bit less restrictive then get a re-map and see what happens

if you get time nige could you let me know where to get and what injectors that you are using


could anybody recommend a good place in scotland to get the z20net mapped

[Caveman_nige]

Thanks Jezzy, always a reliable and very knowledgeable guy.

As it happens I am in the pub chatting with my only trusted mechanic.
We are going through the ins and outs of my next venture.
All I can say is go for it, I will help with what I know, if you were
Nearer I would come and help you. But do it stage by stage unless you have inherited a lot of money.

Remember thought that you can buy a 2.8T for good money. Its more enjoyable though
To take a 2.0T past that, its the joy if tuning against buying it almost ready made.

Remember and S3 is the same size engine so its a worthy opponent.