Hi from the UK, SRi T owner and modifier with links to Opelaus

[Steve]

Thought it was time to introduce myself to Opelaus! Cracking forum, lots of information and keen members.

A few of the Opelaus members will know me as Docvauxhall, as this is the UK based business I run which sells various modifications for Vauxhall, Opel and Holden models and they have bought our products.

I don't want to make this sound like a sales pitch, so I won't go any further with what we sell, but if you ever need support or advice for our products, now you can PM me for advice and I can contribute to any threads on the forum too.

My personal cars are:

Vectra B 2.0 16v (X20XEV) SRi 140, which has been rebadged as an Opel, running with 18" wheels, slammed (-100mm) suspension, Irmscher styling and Magnex exhaust system. That's meant to be the runabout, but it's currently in the workshop nursing a broken cambelt and bent valves (so much for cambelts lasting between service intervals)

Astra Sri Turbo (UK Spec Z20LET) This is our project car, meant to be a summer car and used for track days and drag strip. Spec is massive and increasing by the day!!

Bodywork: UK OEM Prodrive bodykit with Irmscher bonnet extension, Irmscher grille, upper tailgate spoiler and rear lights, custom modified projector headlamps with dual Xenon HID lights. Bonnet bra for road driving to keep the stone chips down

Chassis: Eibach sportline springs with Spax 28 point adjustable dampers. Powerflex polybush wishbones, Whiteline ARB front links, Whiteline rear ARB, Drilled discs all round with custom Porsche 4 piston front brake caliper conversion

Engine: Z20LET block with Mahle low compression pistons, ARP bottom end bolts, X20XEV breather modification. Z20LEH head with Kent exhaust cam, Kent uprated valve springs, double thickness stainless head gasket, Z20LEH 440cc injectors, Z20LEH AMM. Z20LEH turbo unit with 9 litre SM EDS intercooler, aluminium airbox top, derestricted airbox with Vectra C enlarged intake pipe, Milltek decat pipe, Milltek full cat back exhaust. Aquastealth Water/Methanol injection system. HKS SSQV blow off valve

Transmission: EDS shortshift linkages and LMF short shifter, reduces throw by 80%, Helix 4 plate paddle clutch. Original open diff.

The car is gonna be off the road soon for more work shortly (once the Vectra is fixed) currently running with around 310bhp and in excess of 287lb of torque (the standard clutch slipped on the dyno at this figure when we last had it dynoed)

Next battery of modifications are:

Garrett GT2871R turbo, custom exhaust manifold, decat downpipe, full exhaust decat, AFR gauge, decat remap and rerouted induction system

Hoping to map it in at around 350bhp, although it should be capable of 450bhp, the transmission and driveshafts will probably not survive for very long. The car has our hi/lo boost controller, so we have standard boost 90% of the time and use the full power to wipe the smiles from Porsche/Subaru/Mitsi EVO drivers' faces the rest of the time :wink5:

[Nurb608]

Welcome to the site mate!

Very impressive build spec on the Z20LET. Got any pics of either of the cars?

[Steve]

Will get some up to date photos onto the internet ASAP, thanks for the welcome :wink5:

[guy 27]

Welcome to OA.

[CNBLU]

Welcome to OA Steve.

Any resoning for leaving the original open diff instead of a quaife? Also are you using the stock rods?

[Steve]

Not got round to a Quaife yet, but at the same time, quite a few of the uk owners running similar spec cars have broken gearboxes. My current thought is that there will always be a weakest link in the transmission, very few owners use the paddle clutch as it's severe unless you're skilled with it. By retaining the open diff, a tyre will slip in the worst case, whereas with a Lsd the gearbox has to deal with it. If I could get a locker diff, that would suit me over a Lsd!

[CNBLU]

Very interesting.

[Steve]

Sorry, should have replied in same post, on the iPod! Stock rods, all ARP bottom end bolts. The ultimate aim was always a tractable car for road and track use, so it's mapped to be progressive and not a top end screamer. The stock rods are strong enough for the job, a lot of tuners sell the H pattern rods as a nice shiny want it,rather than a hard nosed need it

[03srit]

Welcome.. In pretty sure Ive just asked you on eBay about the short shift adaptors.. Or maybe someone else from your company.. Anyway welcome..

[Steve]

Don't do short shifts mate, not on eBay anyway! We do fit them for UK customers, but seen so many people make a hash of the job, I decided not to sell them online!

[sooty]

Welcome mate, very impressive cars by the sounds of things, can't wait to see pics!

[kabel]

Welcome !

[03srit]

Don't do short shifts mate, not on eBay anyway! We do fit them for UK customers, but seen so many people make a hash of the job, I decided not to sell them online!
True? What do u think about something like this ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120551070449#ht_689wt_948

[chrissn89]

Well come Opelaus Steve. I purchased your Hi/Low switch a month or two ago. Great little bit of kit really handy to have the low boost at a flick of a switch. Couldnt live with out it now. Just one question when im running in low boost it runs at about 5-6psi does that sound right or should it be closer to the 7psi mark?

[adam_92]

welcome to opelaus mate... good to have another englishman haha.

[Steve]

True? What do u think about something like this ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120551070449#ht_689wt_948

I don't think I would touch that with a bargepole, it extends the original linkage, which will increase the force required to change gear (all short shifter kits do that), but that one is just a little bit of metal held on with a grubscrew. If the screw comes loose, you will loose the gears or worse still be stuck in gear, which is a pretty hairy experience. The ones I use are a complete replacement for the original gearlever and replace a plastic tube in the mechanism with a solid aluminium piece. I've seen the kits where they don't supply the metal part and the plastic original piece collapses over time, making the gearchange terrible and when they eventually break, the gearshift locks up.

[Steve]

Well come Opelaus Steve. I purchased your Hi/Low switch a month or two ago. Great little bit of kit really handy to have the low boost at a flick of a switch. Couldnt live with out it now. Just one question when im running in low boost it runs at about 5-6psi does that sound right or should it be closer to the 7psi mark?

Hi Chris, it sounds like the actuator on your car is a little weak. You can adjust for this to get back up to 7 PSI, just undo the two 10mm nuts where the actuator attaches to the lever for the wastegate and wind it out a little bit, so that more thread is at the end which isn't attached to the wastegate capsule. Do a few mm at a time and check the car in low boost on the road. It's a little fiddly to get at, use a midget spanner or a crescent spanner to make life easier. If you need to readjust, let the car cool down properly, 3rd degree burns from a hot turbo aren't very pleasant!!

[UNEEQ]

Hey! Welcome Mate... Interesting that you have a somewhat unusual model of car for over in the UK... and modified! All I do week in week out is research VXR mods and fitting them to my SRiT because of minor differences and people saying "it can't be done"!!! Will certainly be keeping an eye on your posts :) (I'm assuming it's an H?)

[chrissn89]

Hi Chris, it sounds like the actuator on your car is a little weak. You can adjust for this to get back up to 7 PSI, just undo the two 10mm nuts where the actuator attaches to the lever for the wastegate and wind it out a little bit, so that more thread is at the end which isn't attached to the wastegate capsule. Do a few mm at a time and check the car in low boost on the road. It's a little fiddly to get at, use a midget spanner or a crescent spanner to make life easier. If you need to readjust, let the car cool down properly, 3rd degree burns from a hot turbo aren't very pleasant!!

Thanks for that steve, have adjusted it alittle tighter. Im getting less over-boost now, seems smoother and its holding boost alittle higher (high boost). When boosting on 'Low boost' it is on the little mark just below 0.5bar so its getting closer to 7psi, i might tighten it a mm more once its cooled down.

Question, how do you know if its over tightened or at its optimum position. If its over tightened what are the side affects or issues?

Uneeq im guessing Steves car is a astra G SRi-T.

[gmonkey]

pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics :) :) :) :)


yeh im guessing astra G (as its a LET) and probs the cool coupe shape we never got

[boorny88]

welcome mate cant wait to see the cars

[Steve]

Thanks for that steve, have adjusted it alittle tighter. Im getting less over-boost now, seems smoother and its holding boost alittle higher (high boost). When boosting on 'Low boost' it is on the little mark just below 0.5bar so its getting closer to 7psi, i might tighten it a mm more once its cooled down.

Question, how do you know if its over tightened or at its optimum position. If its over tightened what are the side affects or issues?

Uneeq im guessing Steves car is a astra G SRi-T.

If you over adjust the actuator, the car will have no more grunt lower down, but it will hold boost all the way to the rev limiter instead of backing it off, because the ECU will be trying to open the wastegate, but it will be held shut. That sounds great, but the turbo has to be electronically limited to protect it at higher revs, which is why the boost pressure falls away, its not the turbo running out of steam, but the wastegate opening. If the wastegate doesn't open, the turbo will overspeed and destroy the bearings.

Leave it at no higher than 0.65bar in low boost, then you'll be safe.

[boorny88]

what products do you make mate

[Steve]

Managed to reactivate my photobox account and retrieve some photos!

The Vectra
3667

An old photo of the Astra
3668

The UK SRi Turbo was a limited edition of 500 cars that came in metallic black, red or silver, basically the same spec as the Australian version, but has a bodykit from Prodrive instead of the OPC kit that the UK GSi and Australian SRi has. I'll need to get some better photos of it when I get around to washing and polishing it again :thumbs:

[Steve]

what products do you make mate

Total closure units for the Astra G and other models, the boost control hi/lo switch kits and a few other bits and pieces are in the pipeline. Also do the odd remap from time to time, but tend to do these on each car when they're brought to us, as the Bosch ECUs can be a bit temperamental if you're not careful when you flash them and can lock, meaning a dead car!

[boorny88]

cars look mint mate i like the black sri-t love the black as mine is black haha

[OPC]

welcome mate, sounds like a tough car

[[OPCSRi]]

Welcome to OA Steve from another Steve that also has a Black 'G' SRiT.

[Steve]

Thanks for the huge welcome guys! I've been a member of a few UK clubs and forums over the years, but as you get more into the mods and learn a lot about the cars, some forums seem to fall short, especially in the UK where there is a lot of chequebook tuners spouting about work done to their cars by other people (is that a phrase that makes any sense in Aus?). As my own business is growing, we do more and more unique mods (the Porsche brake conversion was a UK first, as was the Greddy turbo timer onto an Astra G & we came up with the hi/lo switch kit for a third of the price the other UK tuners were charging at the time for one requiring a custom remap).

Now on the hunt on Opelaus for some knowledge and parts off you guys, as I have read lots of topics off people doing proper home tuning and tweaking instead of sticking their hands into their pockets and throwing money at someone else for their "project cars"

[brc]

Thanks for the huge welcome guys! I've been a member of a few UK clubs and forums over the years, but as you get more into the mods and learn a lot about the cars, some forums seem to fall short, especially in the UK where there is a lot of chequebook tuners spouting about work done to their cars by other people (is that a phrase that makes any sense in Aus?). As my own business is growing, we do more and more unique mods (the Porsche brake conversion was a UK first, as was the Greddy turbo timer onto an Astra G & we came up with the hi/lo switch kit for a third of the price the other UK tuners were charging at the time for one requiring a custom remap).

Now on the hunt on Opelaus for some knowledge and parts off you guys, as I have read lots of topics off people doing proper home tuning and tweaking instead of sticking their hands into their pockets and throwing money at someone else for their "project cars"


Hi Steve,

Guys, I can personally vouche for Steven's high quality products. I recently purchased the Hi/Low switch off him and was confused with the wiring. He put it in simple instructions and now, have resolved all issues I had. He was happy to give up his time to ensure I was a happy customer, for that I value him as a seller.

Steve, we don't really have Courtney and Regal etc... Most of these guys do the dirty work themselves. If we need a remap, we ask a member off opelaus, we have local tuners all over AUS.

[[OPCSRi]]

What was the difference with a Greddy turbo timer to the other brands because I run a Greddy in my Astra G SRiT?