Hi to all Bravocoholics !
I'm a 98 model HGT owner from Türkiye/Ankara.
I bought her at 05/1999 ! Yes she was 1.5 years old but she was a virgin.. Because of some politic reasons,(Which was totally right!) dealers in Türkiye couldn't succeed to sell any Italian origin goods for a while !(8-12 months period) Sooo this beauty kept her self ready for me !
I never lost my passion on her. It's still the same with the day I bought her !
Anyway... That was the history of our relationship.

STEREO: I've fitted a MCD36, changed the rear speakers with a pair of Pioneer 180W,3-way oval speakers & extracted the original rear speakers and placed the Pioneer Tweeters instead !
Finally.. the sound is definitely crystal clear & the Bass reproduction is enough ! I've faded the power to rear by 2/3 and u can't believe the stereo image...

ENGINE: The advised motor oil "selenia" sucks !
I've replaced it with Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 (which is fully synthetic..)
Get rid of those funny spark plugs whose were called "good" & immediately get promoted by installing the Splitfire Triple Platinum TP 392C for the real burst !
As a must u've to change that paper filter with a quality air filter !( Green, K&N..etc.etc)
Personally, I preferred Green in-box air filter cause the sound increases too much with the direct kit !

TRANSMISSION: Change the transmission oil with out hesitation ! My choice was Castrol SAF-XO & Never use those silly additives ! I've tested them & don't want to remember that day !

Yess.. those were my little operations on HGT !

All those applications let the car accelerate better enough for some challenge with others. & It's still fun..!

The next step will be modification level 1 but I believe that I don't need it yet !
I would like to share simply everything about the HGT with experienced owners.

Hoping to hear positively from U soon...!

Bravo!!

Hi Boorock,
I too have a 1998 HGT in Lebanon, and I have changed my engine oil to mobil 1, and a K&N direct induction kit, with a chip.. I'd like to ask you, what difference does the transmission oil make? And how do u intend on modifying your car?

See Ya!!

The Transmission

Hi Tariq;

Well, as all we know FIAT never uses pure-quality products because of the cost-effectiveness !
The material is good but not the oils..!
Our transmission (Including the 2.nd Generation) is a little crunchy.. There's nothing much u can do about it!
But try to change the transmission oil. the result is awesome !

Simply, one can not believe how an oil improves that transmission !
Let me define it as Bonjovi says "Slippery when wet"
That's it man..!
Gears began to slip, u don't feel that resistance when u decide to change Gear 1 to 2 in 5.500-6.000 rpm !

And also there's no sound at all !
The only thing u hear is the "wild-bark" of those 5 cylinders...

As an advice be careful to choose the right segment in oil. It must be 75W-90 ! not less,not high !
Never use that shitty additives ! they're a real money trap & very dangerous because of their uncontrollable expansion capability..!

That Castrol SAF-XO successfully create all that magic !(I've no relationship with Castrol by the way..)

In terms of modification; I'm planning to replace the chip, cancel the catalytic converter & add a Remus egzoust system.

& that'll be all. The tires will be same as the factory size, no low suspension kits ! nothing extra !

But as I said before, I still believe that I don't need those stuff yet !

See u soon..

P.S: What's your color ?
Mine's Quickblue
(Looks like the parliament-blue but metallic)

My Car

Well I think that my mechanic puts valvoline diff. oil... I'll try the castrol. My car is Blue Black... I have removed the catalyst converter and replaced it with a supersprint replacement kat. I have a superchip init... I am just wondering if i change my cars calibration from unleades to super fuel, would it help??

See ya

Chips

Heya dudes!
I have a 99 HGT with 57i K&N Kit, and i'm willing to replace the chip.
Where have u ordered yours? Online orders?
Thanks in advance

Regards

Gonzalo
Bs As - ARG

Chips..Superchip ?

Hi Gonzalo;

My 98 model HGT still runs with the original chip.
But as I know most people prefer "Superchips" on HGTs.
I know, I'll need to replace the chip after extracting the catalytic converter & having a Remus Exhaust system fitted.
But some say that those eproms won't cancel the deadly need of the "back pressure" which is created by the converter before...
Is this true ?

Hey; HGTs with chip-tuned ones..!
Do u have a back-pressure problem ?
(The gas rejection while climbing hills, poor idling, variable-not constant idling revs ?..etc.etc.?)

I still have doubts about this chip-tuning !
& what about the consumption ?

Well, I might have doubts but here's the address u asked...!
www.superchips.co.uk

See u...

P.S: Guys, what're u doing for the deposits & the clogged injectors ?
& What is the diagnosis for this illness ?

Chipped HGT

Hi there,
My HGT is chipped by Superchips, and it is running very well indeed, and I have a replacement cat by supersprint.. But I am looking forward to fitting a full kit. I have a question for any of u guys, are the splitfire triple platinium any good? And if so, do any of u know the serial nos.?

Thanks

Unichipped

Guys,

My HLX has just returned from having a Unichip and Supersprint exhaust fitted. The car already had the K&N induction kit fitted.

The Unichip is a 'piggy back' electronic module which is used in conjunction with the existing ECU as opposed to the Superchip which replaces the existing engine mapping chip. The garage said the mapping can then be tailored to suit the mods I've done to my car as opposed to the generic chip made for all cars. I was sceptical but thought I'd give it a go.

Well, early results are positive. The car seems much more responsive throughout the rev range, increased torque and BHP. And this has been proved by printouts on the rolling road. Further benefits include future proofing, where the ignition and fuelling maps can be altered at will when/if further mods are made.

I can't say if the improvements are all down to the chip, or some to the exhaust, or just having the car dialled in on the rolling road, but the results are certainly worthwhile.

Only down side is the cost, £480 +vat fitted as opposed to £240 for the Superchip. As the saying goes, you pays your money....

Paul

SplitFire3

Hi Tariq;

I've done my homework on spark plugs & I can definitely advice u The SplitFire Triple Platinium spark plugs !

They're doing everything that they promise !
- U can easily detect the low consumption If u can hold yourself...
- Acceleration slighty differs..
- No misfiring, hesitation at cold start ups..etc.etc..

But...!

According to my mechanic(Who has a degree on engineering)they won't last as they promise !
"Their optimal life ends after 30.000Km.!!"

Well in my opinion they worth the price which is really affordable !

MODEL NO FOR HGT : TP 392 C
GAPPING : 0.9mm

FOR MORE INFO www.splitfire.com

See u..!

P.S. By the way; what're u doing for deposits & clogged injectors..?

HLX tuning

Hi

I was just wondering what power figures you obtained from these mods after rolling road, as I have a HLX with a 57i kit, an exhaust and cat replacement following after Christmas (a chip will follow later). I am interested in what the actual BHP and lb/ft torque you gained.

Thanks

Harry

Power and Torque Figures

Harry,

Torque increased from 118 to 126 foot pounds and bhp increased from 116bhp at 5693 revs to 123bhp at 5726 revs.

More importantly, driveability has improved. The car feels much crisper and more responsive. To be honest, I think just having the car set up on the rolling road helped without the chip mod. I'm also thinking of replacing the CAT as the tuner I used said this was the most restrictive part of the exhaust and can rob you of 10bhp. If you want any more details, prices etc, on the mods I've done, let me know.

Have a good Christmas.

Unichipped

Sounds impressive - but did your insurers clobber you much for all these mods? Can you recommend any good insurers for modified cars?

Regards,

Mark

Suggestions

Mark,

I've heard good things about Adrian Flux. At the end of the day it pays to ring round whether you have a modified car or not.

As far as mine goes, what they don't know about they can't sting me for...

Paul

chip

a friend of mine owns a 2000 bravo hgt and i own a 2001 hlx, we have been told its not possible to chiptune these cars and that if we touch one wire, the entire electrical system must be changed! i see that some of you have replaced or upgraded your chips. so i see that it is possible but then why have we been told otherwise???

spark plugs.

I am a spark plug development engineer, and I look after all Italian and French manufactures.
I will agree with you as i have already said that the original plugs were a compromise of durability v price. If you want optimal performance with plugs which incidentally will not improve the power significantly (We have carried out extensive tests on various engines) then you want a plug with one ground electrode and a fine wire centre electrode, not the multi electrode rubbish that Bosch etc propose. For good performance the gap must be as large as possible, again our tests have showed 1 mm to be an optimal value for ignitability and decent durability. Any more than 1 mm may cause problems with flashover, meaning the spark goes down the oustide of the spark plug to earth, something i believe the 5 cylinder engine is prone to, also the ignition coil may begin to suffer a little with its output. Remember the power output increase if your lucky will be no more than 2 hp and you can get that on a cold day compared to a warm day in your car!
You dont have to use just our plugs but anyones as long as they have a single ground electrode and a large gap, which you can adjust after you buy them! The only thing you will notice is that the engine will be smoother with an optimised plug.