Tag: Guides

  • HYUNDAI I30N TUNING GUIDE

    The Hyundai i30N is the underestimated gem of the hot hatch crowd, but it’ll more than hold its own against the usual suspects, especially when tuned. We speak to expert tuners Courtenay Sport to give you a quick-fire Hyundai i30N tuning guide to heat up your motor.

    Engine

    The Hyundai i30N uses a 2.0-litre, 16v turbo G4KH Theta engine, which comes with either 250bhp in the N, or 271bhp in the N Performance. The block itself is essentially the same unit as found in the Mitsubishi Evo X, but has been strengthened by being of a closed deck design, which means it’s also a great base for tuning.

    First up for Hyundai i30N tuning is an option for those not wanting to get their hands dirty, and that’s a remap. A stage one map from Courtenay Sport is a simple plug and play affair that boosts power to around 305bhp and 332lb ft. But if that’s not enough for you, then there are hardware upgrades you can make too. The stock inlet is superb, featuring big bore pipe work and a cone filter in the stock airbox, so gains in this area are hard won, with an induction kit making more of an aural improvement that any noticeable power increase. To this end, a simple uprated filter for the stock air box is recommended, which allows you to save your money for the exhaust system. The OEM exhaust is a roarty unit with pop and bangs aplenty, but it is quite restrictive, especially in the flexipipe, so a bigger bore replacement here does reap around 10bhp alone for around £170. Combine this with a GPF delete or cat-back system from the likes of Milltek and you get a nice torque gain low down, plus an even better aural experience.

    An uprated tube and fin intercooler from Wagner will also be worthwhile, as it flows better and has improved cooling properties, allowing more boost to be run. Combine these with a stage two map and you’ll be seeing around 325bhp and 350lb ft. Finally, any more will require a hybrid turbo and uprated fuel pump, but combined with a stage three map, outputs of up to 400bhp and 385lb ft are to be expected, making for a seriously rapid hatch.

    Hyundai i30N Tuning

    Suspension

    The stock suspension is a properly sorted set up, with an excellent e-differential and electronic damper control via the steering wheel modes. If you want to retain this functionality, then simple lowering spring kits are available from Eibach and ST, but the ride does tend to suffer. A better, if pricier, option would be to upgrade to a full coilover system from the likes of KW. Their V3 kit with damper cancellation offers an excellent choice for lowered road driving, with superb handling and ride comfort, but you do lose the ability to adjust the damper settings from the driver’s seat. For those who want a more hardcore option or that want to do a lot of track work, the KW Clubsport kit is what Courtenay Sport  recommends, along with adjustable camber bolts from Powerflex.

    Brakes

    Unlike many other hot hatches, the i30N doesn’t use a swanky Brembo setup or similar and just makes do with its own braking system, lifted from a heavier model in the range. But far from a poor option, the stock brakes are immense, with excellent feel that gives plenty of confidence and power. Due to this, it’s worth limiting upgrades to a set of uprated pads from EBC for the road or some Pagid RS29s for the track, with a set of Tarox S2000 two piece discs a good option simply due to their lighter weight. Teamed up with some Goodridge braided hoses and your brake setup will be stunning!

    Hyundai i30N Tuning

    Interior

    The i30N’s interior is simple and stylish with supportive sports seats, a multifunction steering wheel and a multimedia screen dominating the centre of the dash. To be honest, there’s not a lot we’d change, but if you were looking to track your Hyundai, then Recaro do their excellent Pole Position bucket seats with i30N specific mounts and you can get a bolt-in rollcage from either Rollcages UK or JP Cages. It’s not recommended to fit an aftermarket steering wheel, as you would lose too much functionality, but you could always get the stock wheel customised with wither a flat bottom, some carbon-fibre, or retrimmed to your taste by companies such as Royal Steering Wheels or Control Customs who can tailor the wheel to your own spec.

    Style

    When it comes to styling the i30N, you’re pretty much limited to low-line kits including splitters, side skirts and diffusers from either Maxton Design or Zaero Design, but that’s no bad thing, as these make just enough impact to help the car stand out. Wheel wise, the N comes with 18in wheels from the factory, while the N Performance has 19in, so either size will fit no problem. Just ensure to select a lightweight option if you want to retain the car’s excellent handling, and it’s said that an 18in wheel with a quality 235/40/18 is the sweet spot for performance and ride, although the 19inchers definitely win in the looks department.

    Hyundai i30N Tuning

    Hyundai i30N tuning conclusion

    It may lack the kudos and brand heritage of the likes of Honda’s Type R, VW’s Golf GTi or RenaultSport and Ford’s RS monikers, but the Hyundai i30N relies on much more than its badge and is a better car as a result. In stock form it’s a belter, but with the potential to add 50% more power into the mix, plus make the already excellent handling and braking more focussed and potent and you’ve got a seriously impressive hot hatch for very reasonable money. So if you want to fly fast and under the radar, or you’re just not that bothered about the badge, you can pick up a three year old i30N for around £20k and have one of the finest hot hatches around.

    Hyundai i30N tuning contact:

    Courtenay Sport
    www.courtenaysport.co.uk
    01692 404313

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  • HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CAR FOR A TRACK DAY

    Race circuits are the perfect place to push your driving skills to the max, but you must ensure your car is ready for the stress. Following this simple guide on how to prepare your car for a track day before you go will enhance your enjoyment and take a lot of the fear out of it. It should also help you bring your pride and joy home in one piece!

    Prepare your car for a track day

    Assuming your car is in good general condition (a recent service is advantageous), here are the most important things to check.

    Prepare your car for a track day

    Fluids

    Ensure that your oil and coolant are up to their maximum marks – take extra with you so you can top up during the day if required. High cornering speeds on track make the oil in your sump move around much more than on the road and can force it away from your oil pump pick-up, which can lead to oil starvation and engine failure – which is why most race cars have baffled sumps – however, this situation is also much more likely if you have low oil levels, so make sure your properly lubed up. Also, your coolant will be working overtime to keep a caned engine cool, so keep an eye on it throughout the day if you want to avoid a cooked engine and blown headgasket. Coolant additives such as Water Wetter or waterless coolants such as Evans Powercool 180 can help keep temps down too.

    Brakes

    Your brakes will be put under much greater pressure on a trackday, as you brake hard and regularly from high speeds, increasing brake temperatures and wear. A larger multi-piston set up is ideal, but with careful monitoring of their condition, normal road brakes should be fine. Ideally, it’s best to have at least three-quarters of your pad material remaining before any trackday. Running with destroyed pads will dramatically reduce your stopping capacity and quickly kill your discs. It could be worth looking at uprated pads before the day, but remember to bed them in before doing any heavy braking on track. Brake fluid is also important, as higher temperatures increase the risk of boiling the fluid. A good tip is to make sure the brake fluid you have is reasonably fresh. You can check out our guide on high performance brakes here.

    Wheels and Tyres

    Having a dedicated set of lightweight trackday wheels and sticky tyres – such as slicks or semi-slicks – is a nicety, but not a necessity. Normal road wheels and tyres will be fine in most cases, but just make sure the rubber has plenty of tread (you’ll have to drive home afterwards, remember) and that pressures are at the recommended levels. It’s also worth giving your wheel nuts a good torquing too, as you don’t want to be departing with your rims down the main straight!

    Bodywork

    Check that there is no loose bodywork and ideally that the headlights are taped-up. This way, if the worst happens and you lose a light, broken plastic or glass won’t be scattered over the circuit to cause punctures for following vehicles. Some people will remove one of the headlights completely, which helps gain additional airflow to the air filter behind. Splitters, spoilers and skirts can aid track driving, but won’t generate any usable downforce, merely modify the car’s pitch and reduce lift. Swapping heavy steel body panels for lightweight carbon items will improve your car’s performance – due to a higher power-to-weight ratio – but make sure you retain the front-to-rear weight balance. Our guide to car aerodynamics offers more advice on improving your car’s performance, you can read it here.

    Prepare your car for a track day

    Interior

    Inside, remove anything loose in the door pockets and footwells that could become a missile under heavy braking or acceleration, or worse, get jammed under a pedal.

    For the more serious trackday fiend, a bucket seat with harnesses is a good move, as is removing extra weight like the rear seats, passenger seat and excess plastic trim. Rollcages are a good option if you are a trackday regular and are concerned about safety in the event of a crash, but are generally not compulsory unless you are competing in a regulated series. Video cameras need to be securely mounted without causing an obstruction and most trackday organisers will want you to sign a disclaimer that states the footage is for private use only. Those who want to lose a bit more weight inside can check out our top 10 ways to make your car lighter guide.

    What track day should I pick?

    With loads of events each month all over the country (Covid permitting) finding a trackday to suit won’t be an issue, but here are a few things to consider before booking:

    Noise limits: This is set by the local council and will be strictly enforced. If you’ve got a loud aftermarket exhaust, get the dB levels checked. If your car is too loud, you won’t be allowed on track.

    Format: You have two main choices: ‘session’ or ‘open pitlane’. The former groups drivers of similar ability into 20-30 minute sessions – this is probably the best bet for newbies. Open pitlane days offer as little or as much track time as you want (as long as the maximum number of cars on track isn’t exceeded), but usually cost more, as numbers have to be restricted by the organiser.

    Instruction: Check if there is an ARDS (Association of Race driving Schools) instructor on hand. You’ll find a 20-minute session (about £50), with your own personal Stig, will teach you loads and boost your confidence.

    Prepare your car for a track day

    What to expect on a track day

    At the track you’ll get a short briefing that covers the format and rules for the day and the flag signals. The main rules cover how and when you can overtake and that you must NOT race! Track marshals positioned around the circuit monitor this closely and anyone breaking this important rule will be immediately pulled in to explain themselves. On your first few laps, you probably won’t be familiar with the track and your tyres will be cold. Do not be tempted to go for it straight away as this is probably the time you are mostly likely to have an off! Start slow and build up speed as your confidence grows and tyres warm up. Throwing the car around might be fun, but if you overdo it, you may unsettle the car and risk going off (plus it will take its toll on the car with parts wearing out faster!). Concentrate on driving smoothly – smooth is fast. Aim for getting braking points and corner apexes right. Get your gear changes and braking done in a straight line before turning into a corner then feed the power in gently as you exit the corner and don’t forget to wind the steering lock off as you exit. Practice keeping steering inputs to a minimum.

    After a session, always complete a cool-down lap to get some air to the brakes, engine and the transmission, and once stopped in the pits DON’T apply the handbrake, as the pads can fuse themselves to the discs if you’ve been using them hard. Popping the bonnet will help cool the engine too, which gives you a chance to double-check your fluid levels. Also, check the tyres again for excessive wear and that the pressures are still OK; and that all the wheelnuts are tight.

    First appeared in Fast Car magazine.

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  • MITSUBISHI EVO VI BUYING GUIDE

    The Mitsubishi Evo VI was the first official UK Evo and are still the most sought-after versions. But what should potential buyers look out for?

    ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.’ This well-known phrase that describes the relationship between a manufacturer’s on-track performance and their forecourt sales couldn’t be more appropriate than when it comes to explaining the automotive niche of rally replicas. With the road cars bearing such close resemblance to those seen tearing through the muddy lanes of a Welsh mountainside or snow-covered Finnish forest, it was only logical that manufacturers would capitalise on their success on the special stages to bolster their sales in the showrooms. And the public has been smitten ever since. Even now, with many of the original manufacturers and models no longer competing in the WRC, the cars that forged their reputations in the heat of rally battle are still seen as performance icons to be revered. And no model better lives up to its rally rep tag than the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI.

    Mitsubishi Evo VI History

    The first Evo to be officially available in the UK, the Mitsubishi Evo VI was launched in January 1999. 7000 were made in total, with improved aerodynamics over the outgoing car, offering better cooling and less drag, along with engine tweaks to improve response and reliability.

    UK cars were imported by Mitsubishi Motors and prepared by Ralliart UK. Most came as GSR-spec, but a cheaper RSX model was also launched to combat the draw of Subaru’s keenly-priced Impreza rival.

    Although all Evos are essentially a derivative of the full-blown WRC heroes, the one variant that really nails the rally-rep promise is the Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition (TME). Launched in March 2000 to commemorate the flying Finn’s fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, the 5000 TME cars were the closest yet to the real thing, available with an optional £700 graphics pack that mimicked the look of the World Rally Car. They also benefitted from a titanium turbocharger and 17in Enkei wheels that shared the same design as the WRC car.

    Such was the demand for the Evo platform, that a more potent Evo VI Extreme was released. Prepared by Ralliart UK, the Extreme raised power to 340bhp and 303lb ft of torque and nailed the 0-60 sprint in just 4.0 seconds with 100mph achievable in just 10. But if this still wasn’t enough, the Evo VI RS450 model, again built by Ralliart UK, pushed the envelope even further with 380bhp and 383lb ft of torque slashing a further two-tenths of a second off the 0-60mph time. It also came complete with a rollcage and was the final bow for the VI before the tamer-looking Evo VII was introduced in 2001.

    Mitsubishi Evo VI

    Mitsubishi Evo VI: What to look out for

    As all Evos are technically imports, as they are made in Japan and imported into the UK, officially by Colt Cars, or as ‘grey’ imports by a third party import company, it is vital that they are prepared correctly for UK roads. One of the main things you need to check is that it has been undersealed. Japanese cars are not undersealed. They don’t need to be, but in the UK it’s essential that they are undersealed as soon as possible to protect against UK weather and salt that will quickly corrode untreated metal. When it comes to selecting the right car, documentation, receipts and a complete service history is a must, with a vehicle inspection by a specialist highly recommended. Many Evos have been owned by members of the popular Mitsubishi Lancer Register or are known to members, so don’t be afraid to do some research into the car you are looking at before parting with your cash, especially now as prices are at an all-time high and rising!

    Mitsubishi Evo VI

    Engine & Transmission

    The Evo’s 4G63 2.0-litre turbo engine is strong, but does require regular servicing (fully synthetic oil needs changing every 4500 miles, AYC fluid even 9000, brake fluid every 18,000 miles and spark plugs and timing belts every 45,000 miles). Look for signs of grey or blue smoke, which could indicate an expensive cylinder or turbo problem. White smoke is normal (condensation) as is some black smoke, especially on de-catted cars or those running a bit rich. A ticking sound from the top of the engine is normal and usually disappears when revved. Manifold heat shields are prone to tarnishing, and you should ensure any tuning has been carried out by an expert.

    Standard clutches wear quickly whilst front helical LSD bolt failure can be expensive to correct. Look out for worn gearbox output shaft bearings, and any issues with the Active Yaw Control system, which will be highlighted by groans from the rear when turning or by an illuminated AYC warning light. Replacing an AYC diff pump can cost over £3000.

    Chassis

    The Evo VI has got cracking handling but strut top mount bushes can wear out producing a knocking noise on turning, as do anti-roll bar bushes and drop links. If adjustable aftermarket coilovers have been fitted ask the owner to show you how adjust them and listen out for low-speed rumbling which could indicate worn wheel bearings.

    It’s not surprising that the brakes take a hammering on all Evos, but the Evo VI in particular can frequently suffer warped discs, which can show themselves through brake judder when stopping from speed. While far from a cheap solution, the only permanent cure is to replace the original items with a quality aftermarket kit like those from Brembo, AP Racing, EBC or K Sport.

    As well as checking all four alloys for any signs of kerb damage or corrosion, also check the tyre wear pattern carefully – correct geometry alignment is essential, so if there’s uneven wear ask questions. Also, as is prudent on any high performance car, mismatched or budget tyres should also start alarm bells ringing.

    Interior & Electrics

    The Evo VI has a hardy interior that seems to wear well and stand up to the passing of time. The standard Recaro front seats are a particular highlight as they not only look good, but also hold you in place well when exploiting the Evo’s legendary handling prowess, although you’ll need a new seat base frame if the recline adjustment is slipping, which can be hard to come by and costly. Check that all warning lights go off on startup and ensure all electric windows and mirrors, climate control and any optional sunroof controls work correctly. While you’re in there check the floor if possible for signs that a rollcage may have been fitted, which could indicate heavy track use. Ensure any aftermarket gauges such as those for boost and oil pressure or electronics such as turbo timers or boost controllers are installed correctly and work as they should too, preferably with receipts in the documents of installation and set-up by a specialist.

    Servicing & Maintenance

    Like any valuable or high performance car, keeping the servicing on point is key to protecting your investment and prolonging the life of the car. With the Evo VI, a basic oil and filter service is required every 4500 miles and costs around £170 from a specialist such as Evotune. Add in an AYC service and that jumps to £265, transmission, differential and gearbox oils push it to nearer £450, while Iridium spark plugs add another £60 on top of that. The cambelt will also need changing every 45,000 miles and costs just under £300. Keeping the underside in good nick is well worth the £400 for a wax oil treatment too, as a full underbody restoration can run to well over £5k if left to corrode. Other than that, replacing the brakes as and when needed with good quality aftermarket alternatives starts at around £490 for a set of front discs and pads.

    Mitsubishi Evo VI

    Style

    Evos are extremely prone to rust, especially if they have missed out on getting properly undersealed when they first arrived here in the UK, so make sure that you thoroughly inspect the boot lid, sills, suspension mounts, inner wings, chassis legs and around the fuel tank for signs of the dreaded red rot. Stone chips on the front end are practically unavoidable, especially on older, higher mileage cars. The intercooler mesh can also suffer. So a resprayed front bumper isn’t always a cause for concern, as long as any chips have also been treated to prevent rust first. A more alarming sight would be uneven panel gaps and inconsistencies in the paintwork, which could indicate hidden accident damage that has been poorly repaired. It’s also worth checking in the engine bay and under the boot carpet for signs of repair too. Finally check that the trim is consistent with the model you are buying, Evo Vs and VIs are very similar and a simple bumper and spoiler swap can easily fool anyone who may not be an Evo expert into thinking they are buying the more valuable VI, when it’s actually a V in disguise – an eagle eye on the documentation should help here too.

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