Best things to do for a 1.8 petrol

[bigwul]

Well, ive only just bought it and was cheap at £470... buying another car is not an option right now. And this one is in immaculate condition inside and out. Just looking for some hints tips and tricks to get some more out of it.

I bought a 2 owner FSH car with new DMF and manifold done for £300....1.9 cdti 150hbp - with a years MOT - needed a couple of things done - as they all do - as will your £470 purchase.

good thing is - with 2nd hand FMIC and very little money - remapped to circa 200 horse.........and still great on the diesel....!!!!

Otherwise - a LOT of time and £££s - and a lot of disappointment.........but if playing is your thing and £££ not an issue....then all good.....

[Sodburybungy]

I'd rather have the fuel economy from my 1.8 tbh. I'm at the age where speed and acceleration don't really matter (never did if I'm honest - only gets you into bother). I'm currently getting 38mpg out of my 54 reg 110k z18xe just going back and forward to work, so well happy with it. Cruising at 75 ish on the motorway is fairly quiet. Only really go faster to overtake. I know someone with one of those supposedly economical Smart cars who only gets that 38 - and I pay 180 quid more VED!!

[baines23]

iv got same car i also looked in to it as i didnt actually realize the lack of power but quickly realized i was just better of just maintaining the car than splashing the cash, so i would say just do the same keep the car in good nick as whats better than having a well maintained car? okay there is power and speed but thats not for us filters / exhausts etc as mentioned may help or just make it look good ! a lot of cheap ways to make car look different

[simon1]

Being a 2005 the OPs car will be Z18xe not Z18xer like Harrysdad.
So it is 122 bhp standard.
There was someone who had one of these to 170ish. Cant remember his name or what he done to get there.

that will be me then just sold my vectra c after 10 years of ownership
was running 170hp
but I did it over many years and looking back now would cost a lot to do and with vectra's so cheap and turbos out its the better option
i had dbilas inlet
qed cams. Stage 3 head. Ports to match
adj sprockets
solid shimmed lifters
biigger inj
adj fpr
custom manifold and 200cpi cat biigger out let on the flange and custom bigger down pipe
matched to irmscher Y and quad outlets
custom mapping
now got a yr old insignia Biturbo
still miss the vectra though but see it as its only round the corner or at my place of work being neglected

[Blurry120]

Mines the estate version, was thinkin of tuning, but alas, i gave up quite quickly, it would cost more than the car is worth , however i did drop it on coilovers, so the handling is better, and i can drop it more if needs be, which i`m thinkin of doing.
I` d say go for a K&N airfilter, piper cross maybe? At the end though the zx18e engine in fairness is a good engine thats reliable if looked after, it has none of the problems of a diesel ie the cdti150, i have a total vauxhall magazine somewhere about tuning the different vauxhall engines and there is a lot for the 1.8 both in 16V and VVT form, but if you have very deep pockets and willing to spend more than the what the car is worth, I`d say spend the cash on making it look different, upgrades wether factory or not ie leather seats etc, different alloys etc.
I`ve spent a lot over the years on mine, and mainly wear and tear stuff too, but the engine has never let me down, and so its reached 109000 miles and still pulls well for a car thats 17 years old on a 55 plate

[vectra gsi 3.2]

i has a 1.8 corsa, and looked into the turbo conversion kit price wise...its an absolute fortune...
half the money would buy u a zlet conversion..
only thing about the small block is....there great for the track if ur gona go out for a few outings

[BORNXenon]

IMHO it doesn't matter what engine is in your car, if you want to start tuning it you can quite easily get to the point where you are spending more than its worth.
I had my Vectra B for about 12 years, bought it for 5k and probably spent at least that again over it's lifetime on various parts, wheels, suspension, brakes, exhaust, manifold, body kit, etc, etc. At the end of the day I justified it because it was my hobby and because I did it gradually, the costs weren't that noticeable.
Although it was 'only' the 2ltr, I ignored the usual "buy a car with a bigger engine" and "just drop a V6 into it" comments and carried on upgrading parts as budgets allowed and at one point it was running well over the 170bhp mark and regularly surprising V6 owners because although it had similar power to a standard V6, it was much lighter and, with a lightened flywheel it took off like a rocket, and that was without the 'big' engine mods like reprofiled cams, etc.

Basically what I'm trying to say in the above ramble is if you want to tune it, tune it. It's your money. A Z18XE or Z18XER is never going to be a VXR killer, even with boatloads of cash spent on it because you're starting with 1000cc less, but you don't have the high tax bills and you'll probably still get better mpg (unless you go really silly). As long as what you've done to your motor makes you smile when you press the loud pedal, sobeit.

Just make sure you also upgrade the 'stop faster' bits to go with the 'go faster' bits!!



EDIT: Also just noticed the date on this thread and realised I've revived something from over 6 years ago!!
Meh, whatever, still think I have a valid point!!