Greetings From Central West NSW

[TeamTS]

Hey hey!
Well my name's Ben. Recently got myself a TS Equipe sedan to replace a written off Berlina (Don't worry, it wasn't my fault. damm thing got vandalised!). Then today, picked up a TS City hatch at a price i couldn't refuse! gonna be keeping my eyes open around here for tip, tricks, and all kinds of info, etc. So far me and thwe wife are happy as with the pair of them,and most likely gonna keep at least one of them for a fair while. got a few ideas with the hatchback (If i can get them past the wife! LOL)

[guy 27]

Welcome to OA

[dutchy]

Welcome to the forum Ben.

[faneca]

Welcome along!

[TeamTS]

thanks for the welcome guys. it's nice to be in a forum where the other members actually are interested in welcomming new members (unlike a certain group of blue oval owners!). i'm planning suspension/brakes, then engine mods to the hatchback. the sedan, well dunno yet

[faneca]

thanks for the welcome guys. it's nice to be in a forum where the other members actually are interested in welcomming new members (unlike a certain group of blue oval owners!). i'm planning suspension/brakes, then engine mods to the hatchback. the sedan, well dunno yet

Engine wise you won't get much out of the little 1.8s but chris_r might be able to shed some light on what you can do as he has been doing a lot of research into the area for his corsa. But yeah nothing better than going around corners fast

[chris_r]

Engine wise you won't get much out of the little 1.8s but chris_r might be able to shed some light on what you can do as he has been doing a lot of research into the area for his corsa. But yeah nothing better than going around corners fast

Hi and welcome Ben,

Aaron seems to think there's not much to be gained from the 1.8, but it seems its a belief shared by many. Only recently, out of the UK quite a few people are turboing the 1.8 instead of heading down the 2.0 turbo route. Over on Corsa-C UK, a member who goes by the name Warren (or WarrenG on some other forums) has done several turbo conversions on the Z18XE. A former Vauxhall mechanic, this guy runs his own shop where all sorts of weird and wonderful creations are coming out of. The turbo kits he does (I don't know if he'll ship them here though) are apparently good for around 220hp or 165kw at the flywheel. Not bad considering a stock Z18XE in good condition is supposed to handle upwards of 270hp/222kw.

It's a bit of toss up which is better though, 1.8 or 2.0 both turbo. The 1.8 would weigh less, but you would find it's absolute tuning potential before you would that of the Z20LET turbo from the Astra SRi Turbo. In the Astra, the 2.0 turbo is kind of a no-brainer, seeing as it's also the car it comes in. The 1.8 would probably be cheaper to turbo than the Z20LET swap, but reliability then also comes into question. A factory turbo engine would be more reliable than a homebrewed job, unless the homebrewed engine featured forged pistons, rods, etc. Also Z20LETs aren't that thick on the ground here, so a lack of availability would drive the price of the swap up too.

But in the end, this all means nothing if you can't put the power down and the best bang for buck mods on a road car always start with the suspension. Good wheels (not always the biggest you can fit under the arches) and good tyres also help. Upgrading the brakes will probably inspire a little more confidence too, but I guess Aaron would know all about that one.

[easy-e]

welcome along

[dutchy]

got a few ideas with the hatchback (If i can get them past the wife! LOL)

put that to the wife. turbo charge it lol

[TeamTS]

Hi and welcome Ben,

Aaron seems to think there's not much to be gained from the 1.8, but it seems its a belief shared by many. Only recently, out of the UK quite a few people are turboing the 1.8 instead of heading down the 2.0 turbo route.

It's a bit of toss up which is better though, 1.8 or 2.0 both turbo.

But in the end, this all means nothing if you can't put the power down and the best bang for buck mods on a road car always start with the suspension. Good wheels (not always the biggest you can fit under the arches) and good tyres also help. Upgrading the brakes will probably inspire a little more confidence too, but I guess Aaron would know all about that one.

Oh, i hear you on the suspension thing. my plan is suspension and brakes, then engine. power is nothing without control. i'm thinking a set of 17's would be about a decent size. suspension-wise i'm looking at a few options. came across a brand called "GAZ" that i can get freighted here for around $800. would love to try KW's, but getting the $1400+freight past the wife just won't happen! LOL. oh, i just commented on the turbo idea to her, and she more or less said "Only if i get one too!" Yrep, she's a keeper this one!

[faneca]

Rather than going for cheap coilovers, you could always go for the bilstein b8 and eibach shock combo, have them fitted on mine and love it! I also have bigger brakes on the front so as Chris said they do inspire a little confidence! O converted from 4 to 5 stud to fit them with the new wheels, if yours is 5 stud already look at getting som vxr brakes. Believe you have to have 17" wheels as a minimum lol

[TeamTS]

Rather than going for cheap coilovers, you could always go for the bilstein b8 and eibach shock combo, have them fitted on mine and love it! I also have bigger brakes on the front
O converted from 4 to 5 stud to fit them with the new wheels, if yours is 5 stud already look at getting som vxr brakes. Believe you have to have 17" wheels as a minimum lol

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of $$$ am i looking at for that suspension combo? As to the stud pattern, i got the std 4 stud setup. much involved int the 5 stud conversion? i've got specific rims in mind.

[guy 27]

b8's with eibachs is around $1k plus install and wheel alignment.

5 stud conversion requires front hubs (with brakes) and rear hubs (or full rear beam again with brakes). faneca can go into more detail as he did the conversion.

[TeamTS]

b8's with eibachs is around $1k plus install and wheel alignment.

5 stud conversion requires front hubs (with brakes) and rear hubs (or full rear beam again with brakes). faneca can go into more detail as he did the conversion.

thanks man, ya giving me plenty ideas! think the wife is gonna get the shits when i start collecting bits and pieces! LOL
suspension is gonna take some serious thinking and saving up to sort that one. i just wanna make sure i get it right, as eventual plan is to have a tidy little tarmac terror! LOL

[faneca]

If you end up looking to go down the 5 stud path with massive brakes let me know!
:)

Worse thing is when you want too many things at one time!

[dutchy]

As Chris said, anything can be turbo charged. Mate did that with a Great Wall V-something petrol. Cost him a load of money including stand alone ecu but he ended up on the last dyno with 410 nm of torque, 126kw atw on 14.5psi of boost which is not bad considering that kind of car. Get some decent suspension, wheels and tyres. Tackle the looks with some cosmetic tweeks (ie. colorcode handles & rub strips etc..) You want to keep the car for a while and keep it reliable. Besides that, it might not be worth the money.

[TeamTS]

Well like i said i'm planning handling (suspension, wheel and brakes) first, then i'll take it from there. body-wise i might leave it near standard. i actually quite like the hatch shape. also a fan of the whole grandpa-spec sleeper type of look. a mate who is into daihatsu's suggested an amr supercharger as an option. doesn't need to be an otright weapon, but a little more poke would be nice. just something to play with