What should I get now?

[puntobloke]

no mine went straight on!

 

[Chas Uno]

Your Punto looks really nice already Darkcircuit. To be honest I wouldn't do that much more to it else it will look a bit overdone.

My opinion on the exhaust is :yuck: Too over the top really, and dangerously close to being a 'Chav' accessory.

If I were you, I would look at getting another set of alloys and not worry about the lowering (yet). You have a Sporting, so it already has uprated suspension. Therefore you wouldn't really benefit from having the car lowered other than for looks.

After you fit the alloys you could always have it lowered at a later date if you wanted.

Tinted windows, hmmm, not my thing but other people like them. The law seems to have become a lot stricter these days as well, so there is a fine line between what is legal and what isn't. Are you sure such dark windows as you showed in the attachments are actually legal?

So my vote is go for the alloys, and maybe lower it next year when you get some more money to spend on it.

Have you decided yet what you're going to go for?

 

[darkcircuitUK]

Thanks for the excellent advice uno

I have decided to go for the above alloys, I wasn't going to tint my windows as heavy as the car in the pic, that was just used as an example of the type of alloy I was looking at

My plan was, put the alloys on and then see if the car needs lowering afterwards.

And yes, I have totally gone off the idea of that exhaust.

I might just buy the alloys and then spend the remainer of the money on something else

 

[puntobloke]

My opinion on the exhaust is :yuck: Too over the top really, and dangerously close to being a 'Chav' accessory.

i wouldnt say 'chav',i call it individual.....how many of these exhausts have you seen on a punto?????
if we are talkin chav we got to be talkin a loud 5/6" rear exhaust system,whereas the one shown is as silent as a standard exhaust.

 

[Ben R]

Nothing wrong with a loud exhaust!

 

[Chas Uno]

i wouldnt say 'chav',i call it individual.....how many of these exhausts have you seen on a punto?????

Not many, but perhaps that's also why it was the least popular vote in the poll. Not many people fit them because most don't like the look of them!!!!

Also, does this exhaust actually DO anything that the standard exhaust doesn't? Probably not, more likely it's all just show. That's why I likened it to a Chav accessory, as Chavs plaster their cars with stuff that make it look like it should go faster but actually serves no useful purpose other than aesthetics.

Maybe I'm out of touch, but I prefer to fit performance parts that actually do something...

 

[puntobloke]

a Chav accessory, as Chavs plaster their cars with stuff that make it look like it should go faster but actually serves no useful purpose other than aesthetics.

Maybe I'm out of touch, but I prefer to fit performance parts that actually do something...

I think you need to update yourself on what these exhausts actually do to the car,yes i do agree with you on your statement of what a chav will do to there car,however exhaust systems now can add anything upto 15bhp ontop of a 'normal' exhaust system depending on what you buy,the mentioned 'chav' like system actually added another 8bhp.

 

[Chas Uno]

I think you need to update yourself on what these exhausts actually do to the car,yes i do agree with you on your statement of what a chav will do to there car,however exhaust systems now can add anything upto 15bhp ontop of a 'normal' exhaust system depending on what you buy,the mentioned 'chav' like system actually added another 8bhp.

And is this quoted power gain the exhaust manufacturers claims or is there an independant report from a magazine(s) that has tested it on a rolling road comparing it with a stock system?

Sorry to be cynical, but I spent too many years involved with engine rebuilding as well as reading magazines such as Cars and Car Conversions, Street Machine, Fast Car, Custom Car, Classic Ford, Fast Ford etc. Too many times I saw them test so called performance parts such as exhausts/ induction kits/ manifolds only to find that compared with stock the power gain was hardly noticeable. In some cases cars were fitted with a number of performance parts and it was found that when tested power was LESS than the stock vehicle!

Also worth noting, that whereas in some cases an exhaust had increased bhp slightly (most often pushing the power curve further up the rev range), the TORQUE figure had dropped below standard. This in effect made the engine feel very peaky, and compared with a stock system felt like it was producing less power under normal road use because the stock system was more torquey.

It's also worth bearing in mind that an exhaust system, especially a modern type with a catalytic converter, needs to have the WHOLE system replaced for power increases, not just the back box. Changing the back box on it's own is unlikely to have any effect at all. Again, read the magazines that actually test these on a rolling road, and look at four cylinder cars that have been race prepped to see what a real performance system looks like. Believe me, they don't have four tailpipes!

Engine tuning is an all or nothing situation. If you want to fit a performace exhaust, then you need to do so from the exhaust manifold to the tailpipe. The manifold has to be complimentary with the cat, the mid section and the tail pipe and vice versa. But that on it's own is no good until work has been done on the induction side. More air/ fuel needs to go in, throttle bodies need to be modified, ecu units need to be remapped. Then of course you get into cylinder head work, where the valves may have to be increased in size, the camshaft needs greater lift and duration, the head needs to be ported and gas flowed etc.

So perhaps now you can see where I'm coming from, as there is far, far more to gaining horse power than simply slipping on a fancy exhaust back box.

Until I see a full rolling road test of this aftermarket exhaust compared with a stock system, I will keep a healthy degree of scepticism about it. Until I see proof that it is indeed a performance enhancing accessory, then it will for me be nothing more than a way of extracting money from people who are only getting a fancy tail pipe.

However, if someone wants it purely for it's looks, then that's fine. Personally I think it looks silly, but that's my tastes and obviously other people must like them else they wouldn't make them in the first place.

Saying that though, I think the fact that it was the least popular modification in the poll really did speak volumes about what the generally opinion is

 

[darkcircuitUK]

Whoa, I have decided on the wheels guys lol. No need to argue on my account

How about I take u both out for a nice cold pint

 

[Ben R]

Whoa, I have decided on the wheels guys lol. No need to argue on my account

How about I take u both out for a nice cold pint

What about me??

 

[Chas Uno]

Whoa, I have decided on the wheels guys lol. No need to argue on my account

How about I take u both out for a nice cold pint

Careful Darkcircuit, you'll end up buying a round for everyone on the forum at this rate!

 

[darkcircuitUK]

Lol half of them are under-age so I would be okay

 

[Koa]

well i'll drink theirs for them

 

[gaddass]

thank god Im not the only one.After years of reading the same mags and a mechanic apprentaship I know a little.Tuned legnths of exhausts and moving the power curve through restricting/derestricting is a basic knowledge.Sticking a freeflow backbox on when the major hindrance is the cat's is basicaly a waste of time.
All the 'upto'15%increase crap has been about for years,1%is upto.
I prefer to spend money where it will work but the truth is many(younger ones especially)like the noisy exhaust and stupid useless spoilers and as its their dosh all good to them.IMO the best modified car looks factory spec but goes/handles better,thats where the fun is.

 

[darkcircuitUK]

I think I am going to The alloys that Ian was gonna sell me are no good, can't find wobbly bolts small enough to go in the holes Don't suppose anyone knows of any 16-17" alloys that will fit a Fiat Punto that I can get for around £250?

 

[darkcircuitUK]

Come on guys I need your help, I have £350 burning a hole in my pocket. What am I going to do with it???

 

[bulldog5046]

go back to the ps2 install... you car looks cool enough already...

or do somthing cool to the interior... i want to put either blue or red carpet in my uno....yeah that does sound stupid now i say it back to myself...probably look cool in your punto tho!

 

[darkcircuitUK]

You are suggesting that I pull all the current carpet out (which is moulded specifically to the car) and fit my own carpet?

 

[bulldog5046]

You are suggesting that I pull all the current carpet out (which is moulded specifically to the car) and fit my own carpet?

mm hmm

 

[Emm]

i think tints and lowered!