Dan P
Part of things
Posts: 169
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Aug 22, 2014 16:29:01 GMT
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hi, i was just looking around for ways to increase the performance output of my '93 polo 1.0l (tiny engine i know ). ive came acros several items that claim to increase performance, like ECU chips and performance air filters/exhausts. Considering the price of these parts compared to standard, i was just wondering if they actually make a noticable differance or if they just claim to do so. any help is appreciated! thanks, Dan
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Aug 22, 2014 16:44:17 GMT
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Nothing bolt on other than bike carbs or forced induction will make a "seat of the pants" noticeable difference to a 1.0 polo engine. You might make it sound a bit faster but it's very unlikely to go any faster.
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ferny
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 979
Club RR Member Number: 13
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Aug 22, 2014 17:00:59 GMT
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Depends what you mean by "cheap". There are some parts out there which are good and not over-priced. There are also little black boxes which claim big power gains and all they do is make an LED flash. If you're lucky and get a posh one they'll trick to car into thinking it's cold and make it run rich, as well as the flashing LED.
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goldnrust
West Midlands
Minimalist
Posts: 1,872
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Aug 22, 2014 17:17:06 GMT
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My experience with friends Polos says…. bike carbs….. might make it sound a bit faster but it's very unlikely to go any faster. … forced induction on the other hand will make it much much faster! Step 1 before any bolt on type mods, is to make sure you're getting factory power from your engine. A good service is a start. If it's got a poorly tuned carb/incorrectly set timing/dirty air flow sensor/etc then getting it back to 'as new' condition will make it feel a lot faster. Beyond that the question is to ask yourself what more do you want from your engine? Those Polo engines are designed to potter around town and peak torque is made early in the rev range to make the engine feel spritely at those speeds. Without major changes, with big head work, cams, etc you're not going to get it to scream out to the redline like a sports car engine. Likewise with a 1.0 displacement without forced induction it's not gonna have low down grunt like a bigger engine. So if you want just a little more here and there, and are happy with the general character of the engine by all means buy some of the standard bolt on mods; exhaust, air filter etc. As said above avoid the £10 black box with an LED in it…. Sometimes sounding faster, and therefore feeling faster is all you really need Equally by the same logic, if you want real performance gains then would an engine swap be a better way forward? AFAIK there's a number of other VW engines that essentially bolt right in? ...or buy a faster car to start with. Whilst is sounds a bit obvious and defeatist, it's an option that shouldn't be overlooked. To increase the hp of your current engine by 50% is almost always more costly than buying a car thats 50% faster!
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Last Edit: Aug 22, 2014 17:19:27 GMT by goldnrust
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,786
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Aug 22, 2014 17:38:27 GMT
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I paint all the engines I build so they're nice and shiny. Worth at least 15 bhp. Polishing or chrome plating the rocker covers also adds POWAR*
* I may actually be being sarcastic as I'm in a silly mood
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You're never going to get big, usable power from a one litre NA engine cheaply. If it could be done then the OEMs would already be doing it!! They have £millons in their development budgets, we have a little less.
The only caveat is, that of course, the OEMs are designing a car for Mr and Mrs J Public and to meet a raft of rules and regulations, therefore, where we can improve matters is at the 'cost' of everyday usability: big carbs/mapped ECU give power at the cost of fuel consumption. Wild cams improve top end at the cost of driveability. Remove cats and silences at the cost of emissions and noise. Etc, etc.
Can I suggest an alternative approach, inspired by one of my heros, Colin Chapman: "Simplicate, then add lightness." and "Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."!
Another words, strip out the car! Depending how many creature comforts you want to retain will depend on how far you want to go. When I was preparing my last rally car I managed to strip out 20kgs...that's right TWENTY kilos of sound deadening and proofing from passenger compartment. Given the car weighs about 1000ks that was an instant 2% increase in power to weight ratio for a day's hard graft but no cost whatsoever!
All that curse word in the boot? Clear it out! Spare wheel? Replace with a large can of tyre repair! Those 16/17", wide alloy wheels and tyres? Replace them with 14" skinny steels! Weigh 70kgs? Get down the gym till you're 60!
All just depends how far you want to go!
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