Tuning New to the x1/9

[FartKart]

Hey there! I Just bout a 82 x1/9 about a month and a half ago, and I am super exited about gettin the ball rolling on tuning and what not. Unfortunately, I have zero knowledge about em'! I've been searching around on here for tuning suggestions and whatnot, but, from what i have seen, i haven't really learned much. For the time being, Right now, I just want to do some basic and hopefully cheaper upgrades, to boost the performance. Engine swaps are out of the question for now

Its an 82' injected 1500 5 speed. This may be un-neccasary info, but like i said... no knowledge. I appreciate the help.

Also, I live in Oregon, if this complicates getting any necessary parts.

 

[ppalma]

I'm usually just happy to have my X1/9 running reliably, but if you want to start upgrading, I would suggest starting with the brakes. There are a few drilled/vented disc brakes available that may improve somewhat the braking performance.
I do believe the following discs are available for the X1/9:
http://en.tarox.com/products/brake-disc-sport-japan.html
I find them really cool, but unfortunately I recently changed the discs and bought Brembo.
The next "upgrade" would be a new water pump, thermostat and re-coring the radiator if it hasn't been done recently. If your cooling system is not in top condition it won't be able to handle the "standard" 85hp (75 in the US?). I would then suggest finding a European-spec camshaft, either from a X1/9 or Lancia Delta 1.5. That should help you get a more "spirited" engine.

 

[jimbro1000]

Welcome to X1/9 ownership!

Living in Oregon shouldn't be any more of a hurdle than anywhere else in the states.

I would suggest taking a look at xweb and mirafiori.com - there are a lot of stateside X1/9 owners around and all of them have been willing to pass on their knowledge. There are even a couple of X1/9 specialist suppliers around that should be able to help you out with most things. There are plenty of performance upgrades available at all levels of improvement - the X1/9 was a solid favourite in the various autocross championships for some time which grew a fairly decent grassroots performance engineering base. A lot of that has faded somewhat but there are still enthusiasts out there that will help you!