Next performance mod..??

[karlandstace]

Hey guys,

I am fairly new here. I have posted a few times before when having issues and have found you all to be very helpful.

I know this has been covered a million times but.. looking for a little advice from people who have done it all before.

I have a TF 160. Great car that a love to bits. She's done 52k now with full service history and in great condition. List of mods so far are,
X power springs (standard dampers), zandf remap, pipercross panel filter, intake pipes led to passenger side duct, decat and miltek back box.
I'm after a little more performance and the car does feel a little flat low down. Flies at the top end though.

What would you change next?? 4-2-1 manifold, sports cat, induction kit? NOS!?? I have around £500 to spend maybe stretch a little more.

I know I'm not going to gain much without spending significantly more just after the next mod to improve things that little bit.

Cheers,

Karl

[bigmac]

put the money in the bank to pay the bill when the head gasket lets go.

[karlandstace]

uprated head gasket fitted at 36k so hopefully won't need another one for some time...

TBH it's not a daily driver so when it does go I can do it myself and it's not the end of the world

[Helsbyman]

If you can change a head gasket you would be able to change your exhaust cam piper £250 ish and a Mike satur 4-2-1 manifold £504 inc vat
You will need a cat for your m o t

[karlandstace]

An interesting option. I would not be confident resetting the cam timing myself though which I would imagine would be fairly critical with a longer cam.
4-2-1 are £500 now which I would consider tbh if it would make an improvement

[Helsbyman]

I would think it would make an improvement BUT if you would notice it would be another thing. In theory it should give a boost in torque
You say it is lacking low down which is odd as my 160 is all low down. The 160 should make it's torque at 2000- 4800 rpm. mine is O K at 1750 rpm in 4th most times

[karlandstace]

Iv never driven another one which doesn't help! But it definitely feels a bit flat below 5k rpm. The difference when it comes on cam is fairly significant. Reminds me of my mates old civic type r tbh. Not quite as aggressive a change but very noticeable. I'm thinking of putting the cat back on and seeing if that makes any difference. With the miltek and no cat it's pretty brutal anyway.. to say it's raspy and tinny would be massive understatement!

What was the bill for the head work you had done Helsbyman? It seems that is really the way to go for any decent gains

[Helsbyman]

The head on a vvc is better than a 18i to start with, so you get less torque/bhp per £ spent as you already have 25 bhp more and the head work only seems to make a difference at 70+ mph. Head work is about £450-£550 I paid £500 3yrs back to a firm called sabra heads who are very good with K series head mods. I stayed with std valves but have since learnt of a firm in B ham who do bigger ones with a different seat profile

[RSR92]

Helsby...a few questions, who is the Garage in Bham? I'm not far from there so is of interest.

And re your Mod list, what is a Torque tamer and where did you find your aftermarket alloys? I can't find any except for MGF and TF ones that have the correct PCD

[Steve White]

The aftermarket alloys (Pro race 1.2) are made by Team Dynamics, who are the same manufacturer as the OEM TF 11 spoke wheels.
They sell them on ebay under the seller 'magicwheels' and they are direct fit on the F/TF with the correct PCD.

Torque tamers are alternative stiffer bushes that are fitted to the engine/chassis stabiliser bar to reduce engine movement.

[Helsbyman]

HA and my lips didn't move ha
Cann't remember the name of the firm but it was not a garage it was a manufacturer of engine parts, try googling it OR ask sabre heads [ Roger ] he may know
The wheels are also 1kg per wheel lighter 7.5 not 8.5

[RSR92]

Fantastic thanks for the clarification on all fronts from you both, I'll check the eBay page out and probably leave the torque tamers, I think I have a lot more pressing things to deal with first. Decisions decisions....anyway I'll let the thread return to it's original purpose and will suggest as a next mod the new gear selector assembly Bellcrank Assembly from Mike Satur! A mod I myself also need to do but one that I am sure will be relevant to most TF/F's that are coming up to a fair old age

[Helsbyman]

Another mod which gets over looked is an electric water pump

[ianhunter]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure that a decat was not recommended for the TF 160

[RSR92]

The OP said Sports Cat but yeah I think a decat was shown to lose power on any VVC model, there's a post knocking about somewhere on it

[Helsbyman]

Yes there were two different posts about 3-4yrs ago one said a loss and the other said no difference

[RSR92]

Sounds about right to me, Helsby...are all your coolant hoses silicone? If so how much did the cost end up to replace them all?

Changing all the coolant and fuel pipes to silicone is something I'm considering but obviously I was of the impression I'd have to mess about with a load of 45 degree bends and couplers - what was your experience in replacing it all?

[Helsbyman]

I got the back set off some one @ £150 and i paid full price for the front £300. The only hoses which are not silicon are the inside heater ones and of course the metal ones attached to the block

[RSR92]

Ah okay great thanks good to know, so you wouldn't be able to advise on what angles and pipes I'd need to be getting?

Time to get the tape measure out I guess then! And to find the very useful thread on the ID on the hoses that's around somewhere, I think I'd get the SS underfloor and Silicone rad pipes before worrying about the ones in the bay

[Helsbyman]

281849070460 is the number and its £255 of ebay