Generally speaking FTO is not easy or popular car to be tuned, there are not many off the shelf performance parts, moreover only MIVEC powered car owners have decent power form their engines. So what can be done to improve performance of the FTO.
The unfortunate reality is that there is no cheap way to get more power out of N/A engine, but fortunately performance tuning is not only about extracting more power.
I was thinking of ways to make the FTO perform better, and the cheaper way to do it is to put the car on serious diet, but then again it will impair the comfort of the driving, unless you go for the carbon diet and then again it is very expensive. Vicious circle really.
One cheap way of improving performance is to reduce unsprung weight, meaning lightweight wheels, not so expensive, but effective mod.
Another relatively cheap and effective mod is to swap the flywheel for lighter model, it will not increase the power, but will allow the engine to rev higher and quicker.
Custom mapped ECU is always good, the power gains are not as impressive as in case of turbocharged engines, but it will allow for getting maximum out of your current set up. From what I know (I am not expert in this field, but some of my friends are, anyway it is the second hand opinion which shall be treated with pinch of salt) in case of N/A engines you will usually not increase top BPH by much, but there are considerable gains in mid rev range, anyway much depends on the skills and style of the mapper. Nevertheless mapping ECU is good value for money mod. Just bear in mind that any modification of your engine will require custom maps, so it is best to first modify everything on your mod list and then have your car mapped.
As for increasing fueling system, tuning the car (engine as well) is about the balance. you can increase the fueling, and get more fuel into engine, but if you won't get more air into engine at the same time, it will not do you much good either. And even when you get more air and fuel into engine, but have restrictive exhaust it will do you no good.
Porting and polishing the head is a good base for any further mods for the engine (see engine = pump), but true, it is not a cheap option, and requires specialized knowledge and equipment, not something of DIY type job. But done well and it is the bedrock for further tuning. if you are serious about tuning your engine this shall be first money spend, and the gains are quite good.
From this moment you can install wilder cams, high lift valves, double valve springs to let your engine rev higher, install individual throttle bodies (suitable for the engine) etc etc.
The reality however is that no matter what you do if you want to stay N/A you will not have huge power gains, and for the price of half of the abovementioned upgrades you can do engine swap (evo engine or galant) and have immediately more power with potential for huge power gains much easily (and cheaply) available that all you can do to your N/A engine.
Supercharging and turbocharging the engine increases its volumetric efficiency. in case of N/A engines the volumetric efficiency rarely reaches 70%. while when charged it can easily be 150%. but any kind of charging increase strain and unless you run low boost, the internals need to be swapped for stronger (forged). then there is a question how much power can gearbox and driveshaft handle, not to mention that you need to install intercooler, probably the only modification that increases power and reduce engine stress due to lowering charge temperature, we are talking 1000 euros here.
Every now and then (usually couple of times a day
) I am thinking of my FTO flying through the corners and rocketing down the straights. Usually my conclusion is that the most effective and cheapest in long run option is to swap the engine for one from EVO (preferably together with the whole 4wd drive).What do you folks do to improve performance? What mods work, defo do not work, what would you recommend and how much would it (roughly) cost?
