Technical Performance Marea ( tweaking )

[DaveP]

Hi folks

100 ELX Auto, yes, its better than you think, however there are a few sluggish spots of performance ( 0-40 for example ) which Id like to sort out with some simple modifications. Thing is, Ive never looked into performance tweaking for saloon cars so you will need to bear with me.

Ive heard about the following modifications, can someone in the know let me know where I can source them, whether they can be fitted by a layman and how effective they are?

1. Replacement Air Filter

2. Induction Kit ( how is this different from (1) )

3. Superchip ( although Ive heard this just makes your car run rich and is a con ? )

4. Low pressure turbo ( ??? where ??? )

5. Sports exhaust ( principle of what goes in must be got out again, and more, but frankly Im yet to be convinced these do anything other than make a farty noise out the back )

Im not looking to turn a 100BHP car into a 130BHP car ( although it would be nice ) but just some things to boost it a little.

Dave.

 

[polecat]

Dave,

1. A car works by exploding a fuel/air mix, the more fuel/air the bigger the bang. Two ways to achieve this, a bigger engine or squeeze more fuel/air into the cylinder. A replacement air filter is a more efficient filter that lets more air through whilst still keeping the dirt out. The engine detects more air and puts more fuel in, so you get a bigger bang.

2. Same principle as above. The existing pipes tend to be narrower than the induction kit pipes. Bigger pipes = more air = more fuel = bigger bang.

3. Superchip or other modification to the car computer. The fuel/air mix is controlled by a computer and the car is set up to meet the needs of the majority of drivers. It is possible to retune the engine management system to a sports setting. The 20bhp mods sold on eBay are not chip mods and should be avoided.

4. A turbo just pushes more air into the engine, etc.... Turbo's are driven by exhaust gases, superchargers run off a drive from the engine. Forget this unless you want to spend a LOT of money.

5. Yes they do sound nice and loud and they can make a big difference, especially if connected to a smooth manifold. Too big an exhaust can actually reduce power though as the car can go into 'cold start' mode. (A simple lie to hide how technical it is) Don't believe me? Get a bicycle pump, put a kink in the flexible tube and pump like mad, take the kink out and try again. Thats what the engine feels.

If you need any specific help then just post it up.

Dave

 

[DaveP]

Dave

Great response very informative, Ive decided to start with an induction kit ( 75 quid - last of the big spenders me ) and then see what happens, Ive heard rumours that how good the induction kit is depends on the manufacturer, and k&n might not be the best make to go with, which is a shame as thats the only one that specifically states Marea so far.

I wonder how hard it would be to put a strada 130TC engine in there ;-) Nah, thats too ambitious.

I remember having to replace the downpipe from the manifold on my 124 spider to stop the engine being so throttled and it made a significant difference to the engine performance ( seconds off the 0-60 pace ) but then it had been screwed up by Californian restrictions, the Marea is probably not so initially restricted.

100BHP is good, but as I said, its quite sluggish although on the autoroute this morning it managed 118mph effortlessly just as a stock car, until I decided that the gendarmes might take an interest ;-)

Ive also spent some time thinking about the interior, the interior door handles, and the auto-stick are just awful, they could be replaced and raise the look of the interior quite nicely.

Ho hum, FIAT could have done a few cheap things to really raise the Marea from mediocrity, lost chances eh?

 

[polecat]

Dave,

Before you splash out on a full induction kit have a look at this thread.
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=7540

Then a bit blue lacquer and it don't look too bad.

 

[DaveP]

Im amazed, you get induction roar just from removing an elbow joint on an inlet pipe and refitting the inlet pipe without the joint??????

Or does the pipe just not get refitted?

<--- confused

Done any long >800 mile continuious journeys like this? ;-)

 

[polecat]

I refitted the pipe to redirect the air that comes in that way towards the intake. It also looks good when pokished as it fills a gap in the front of the engine compartment.

I drove 300 miles on Sunday, don't really notice the noise on constant drivig but the sound when you accellerate is great. You can also replace it in less than a minute if you want.