306 1.8 xs tuning ??

[jjenn20]

Iv had my 306 for a bit now and were after a few extra bhp,
Does anyone no what the best setup will be

[allanallen]

Remove engine, discard, fit j4rs

[Midnightclub]

Fit GTi head, cams, exhaust mani, basically whole top end. Get standalone ECU, get it mapped. Job jobbed. Maybe even low boost supercharge it if you're feeling lucky

[Toms306]

But you might as well just buy a GTi then....

[Midnightclub]

Yeah probably, but it wasn't a "Which car should I buy" thread. If he wants to tune it, let him. It probably wouldn't be far off/far ahead of a stock GTi anyway but would be different and more interesting

[Toms306]

True but its cheaper and easier to just buy a GTi lol, just thought it was worth mentioning.

[Piggy]

See SRowells attempts at emptying his wallet to be different and make gti power from the 1.8!

[Midnightclub]

He just did it in the wrong order... GTi head should've been the top priority along with the standalone

[jjenn20]

Thanks for the replies guys,
Iv already got the exhaust manifold and exhaust im gona buy what I neeed then get it all fitted at once, whats a decent standalone ecu ? Dastek

[Toms306]

Omex apparently....not that you'd guess from the ones on here.

[Eeyore]

Hello! Right 1.8xs tuning isnt cheap. For a quarter of the price you could get a decent gti6...

If you want to just say youve done something then get an aftermarket airfilter and an exhaust. I can recommend a decat and straight through centre section with a rear back box.

For real tuning power...

The car is 112hp standard. The head is stupidly restrictive. It would have been too close to the gti if peugeot had stuck a decent head on it.

For a start you can add gti6 inlet and exhaust manifolds. But on the standard management which is difficult to map its actually been seen to reduce power to 100hp! With a map to suit it would be decent but seeing as you cant remap the original ecu you need to go standalone. I run an omex. Ill give a run down of costs later....

What you really want to do is fit a gti6 head. The 6 head is one of the most free flowing NA heads and makes great power with the 6. The 1.8 is an alloy block where as the 6 is iron which is significantly heavier. The 1.8 is amazing on track and will have most things in the corners but is fairly limp on the straights.

I run throttle-bodies which sound epic. But only free up a few single ponies. Definitely not a budget mod.

So in conclusion... its expensive... if you declare these mods on insurance its going to cost you more to insure than a 6 anyway... My advice... get a 6.

Throttle bodies and Omex 600 - £1200 - 2400
Custom Loom Parts - £120
Mapping - £400
GTI6 Head and cambelt replacement - £120
Power Steering Relocation - £40 - 60
GTI6 Gearbox, reverse cable, gearstick, GTI6 Flywheel, GTI6 Clutch, and sump - £200
Lightened Flywheel - £250

So yeh ive spent about £2400 on the basic stuff above. Way more than that when you total up the list. And its made 129.4hp. Thats only 17 more than stock...
Thats not with the gti6 head fitted so with that id expect about 160-180hp. What I can say though is its great on track as its light and revvy. If I can eventually get 6 power from it then thats great.

[jjenn20]

Do most companies map them ??

[Midnightclub]

Depends on where decent mappers are in relation to you really (for each different standalone ECU), unless you don't mind travelling. No point getting 'X' ECU if you've got to drive a million miles to get it mapped.

[jjenn20]

Srowells have you had the exhaust manifold changed

---

Ino mate, im thinking its gona cost a bomb for a few bhp, it is quiet nippy standard, but my mates hdi is much quicker up the hills lol

[Eeyore]

Nope sorry thats on standard exhaust manifold too but with a decat and straight through pipe.
To be honest a HDi has way more torque so its going to be better off the line and hills.

It will be expensive. If you want to have a go though try the inlet manifold and exhaust. Mine had a 4hp gain with the inlet with resonator bung. Not sure what happened on the guy who only got 100hp. The inlet is easy enough to do. Access for the exhaust manifold is a pain.

Best mod though has to be a 6 box. Shorter gears and it really eats through them!

[jjenn20]

I put a backbox on it yesterday lol it sounds shittt

[C.A.R.]

Don't de-cat the car if it's used on the roads - you lose a noticeable amount of torque as the engine relies on the backpressure from the catalytic converter.

GTi6 exhaust manifold, cat/downpipe and a new exhaust will make the car sound a bit fruity and might make a tiny difference to the performance. The standard management will be OK with this. Adding the GTi6 Manifold will however upset the standard management - warning lights and overfuelling will follow. It increases the throttle response - but then it would, the throttle body itself is nearly 50% greater diameter.

Don't bother with the inlet and only do the exhaust if you can get cheap parts and do it yourself at home would be my advice. If you still crave more performance, get a different car or strip the interior out!

[Eeyore]

Yeh tbh its not great unless you are willing to take it all apart and throw money at it... Just to put it out there... I was getting 280 miles if i was lucky out of a full tank of fuel. Its under 20MPG. Its coming off the road and Im scrapping the shell and putting the engine in a 3 door shell so it can be a proper race car. Its terrible as a daily. Ive got a decent job but ive been living in my overdraft for almost a year now just because of car parts and more importantly fuel... Ive seen the light and im getting something more sensible...

[Niall]

Right, out of the box power, go and buy a gti. They are powerful for what they are and a good laugh.
Now, if you want to be different from the crowd, ignore all the comments you'll get saying "oh the 1.8 is shit, get a J4RS". Its not a shit engine. Get a higher flowing head on there with suitable cams and proper mapping and it will be a cracking engine.
Issue with the 1.8 is the Sagem ecu. Its just awful so if you do make any changes, it needs to be on aftermarket management which isn't cheap!

[jjenn20]

I would go for a gti6 but I cant insure one, I wouldnt mind a 106 rallye but there a bit small,
how much would a gti6 head cost to be fitted ??

[Toms306]

If you cant insure a '6, you cant insure a modified 1.8...

[Midnightclub]

You can't just fit the head, it'd need mapping to, but your ECU can't be mapped, so you'd need to go aftermarket... and so the costs mount up quickly.

If you can't afford to insure a GTi, I highly doubt you can afford to insure a declared modified 1.8 honestly (Unless you're planning on not declaring that is....)

[jjenn20]

Lol, it wouldnt be declared

[Niall]

Lol, it wouldnt be declared

Then i doubt you'll get any help on this forum...

[jjenn20]

Why ??

[Toms306]

Umm, because you'll be driving with no insurance and we don't want to be part of that....

[jjenn20]

What about the people with a decat on this site ?

[Niall]

Most people have multiple modifications and they aren't silly enough to drive without insurance.

[Toms306]

What about it? If they've ticked 'exhaust changes' on their insurance it's covered... Waste of time really though, petrols are better with a standard cat, I certainly wont be decatting my '6! Plus if the cops pull a petrol with a decat you're likely to get a telling off at least.

But regardless of that, you want to make significant power mods which the insurance assessor will see and wont pay out if you crash. Or the police if they stop you for a roadside check. Not declaring a stereo or some stickers is one thing, but power mods really need declaring.

[WiNgNuTz]

I have a particular hatred for people who drive with no insurance, as the guy who originally wrote off my China 1.4 was uninsured, and did a runner. If you're going to modify your car, make sure you declare it!

---

Omex apparently....not that you'd guess from the ones on here.