Tag: Top 10

  • TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CAR LIGHTER

    With newer cars getting bigger and heavier each year, we list the top 10 ways to make your car lighter and faster for any budget. 

    No, don’t worry, we’re not about to suggest attending the local zumba class to, ahem, shake your booty like a Polaroid picture. What we’re really interested in here is finding that perfect weight-loss programme for your pride and joy. And, why’s that? Well, arguably it’s the easiest way to improve performance and handling.

    Yep, when you think about it, shedding pounds could be even more important than tuning itself. In the real world it’s exactly the same as gaining horsepower… and God knows we’ve all spent plenty of cash over the years trying to gain a little extra grunt, right?

    So, that’s why this month we’ve mostly been thinking about fighting that flab and freeing up some healthy, usable power. You can get the obligatory Xmas pigging out of the way first of course, we’re not total monsters. But, when you’ve sung the last words of Old Lang Syne, here’s some tips to get you fighting fit for 2020…

    Power to weight – why do I want to make my car lighter?

    Power to weight ratios are everything in the pursuit of ultimate performance. They’re the reason you don’t see many race cars with 15-subs in the boot, and why a nuclear-powered oil tanker with 60000bhp will still be beaten off the line by my nan on her mobility scooter.

    When you’re looking at weight vs power think about this: If you’ve got a car that weighs 2000kg with 200bhp, that’s a ratio of 2000:200 or 10:1. This also means every single horsepower has to push along 10kg. If you can save 200kg in mass, the ratio becomes 9:1 – a 10-percent increase in acceleration and real-world power.

    In braking terms, a small, light car has less mass to slow down and will often be able to out-brake a much larger cruiser with significantly bigger brakes. Handling will also be improved because there’s less weight for the suspension and tyres to control. And, if you’re clever, you can also influence balance, tweaking oversteer and understeer according to where you take the weight from. With less weight your car will be more reliable due to less stress on components, you’ll enhance that magical driver ‘feel’ and you’ll get more MPG too.

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    1) Need it? No, then shift it!

    The easiest, not to mention cheapest, way of saving weight is the most obvious – stripping out all the old guff that you don’t need. The thing to think about is how far you want to go, especially if you want to keep your car usable on the road.

    Obviously the most hardcore dieting regimes, chiefly the ones where you’re looking to ditch all the trim, cut away excess metal and scrape away any sound deadening, will always yield the most impressive gains. On plenty of cars just removing the carpet can save a good few kilos for starters.

    Of course, no one’s forcing you to go mad, something as simple as clearing out all the old tools and rubbish knocking around your boot can save more weight than you might think. It’s also worth knowing that the full-size spare steelies on some of the more retro Jap motors can weigh up to 15kg, while a can of Tyreweld weighs next to nothing. There’s two reasons why new cars don’t come with full-size spares nowadays – performance and economy.

    Weight loss: From a few kg to a lot!
    Cost: £mostly free

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    2) Get some bucket seats

    Standard seats weigh an absolute ton especially those big electric, heated jobs you get in the luxury VIP cruisers. In fact, many modders in the US and Japan strip their seats of all the electric motors and fit manual sliders in a bid to shed a few pounds.

    The average car seat can weigh 16-25kg so the best solution will always be fitting some lightweight aftermarket buckets. These are available in both reinforced fibreglass and posh composites like Kevlar and carbon fibre. Some aftermarket seats can weigh as little as 4kg and, even with the added subframes, that’s a significant drop in weight – especially if you only need the one.

    When you’re making your choice don’t forget to consider that leather generally weighs more than cloth too, just try to pick up a cow sometime…

    Weight loss: up to 25KG per seat
    Cost: from £165
    Start looking: cobra-seats.com

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    3) Remember that not all rims are equal

    Steel wheels, along with the larger sized alloys, can weigh anything up to 20kg a corner with the tyres on, and that’s what’s scientifically know as ‘a lot’. Even an average set of 18-inch alloys can weigh over 12kg a corner. So, do your research and be careful of what aftermarket alloys you choose. The design, construction and materials used can have a huge impact on the overall weight. Problems are always compounded with wheels too, because when they’re rotating, this magnifies the effect of the mass. Some experts say that this can be up to 10-times the original weight and, again, that’s quite a bit of heft pulling your car around.

    Obviously budget is always a consideration here, but forged rims, along with rotary forged (flow formed) wheels will always be the ultimate in lightness over more common cast wheels. OK actually, the ultimate would be full-on carbon fibre wheels, but who’s got the cash lying around to pay 4-grand-plus per corner? We’ll just have to wait for those six little numbers to come in!

    Weight loss: up to 45kg (4 wheels)
    Cost: from £650 (set)
    Start Looking: srbpower.com

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    4) Plastic is pretty fantastic

    Due to its complex chemical makeup, glass is a particularly heavy material – handy for seeing through when you’re driving, but heavy none the less. In fact, the glass in an average hatchback can come in at up to 50kg, and that’s why race cars use polycarbonate windows which weigh up to 60-percent less, are super-strong and are pretty much shatter proof. It’s not common with the Jap stuff of course, but in the wider motoring world, a few production cars run polycarbonate here and there. It’s not just the performance specials either, the first to do this was the Smart Fourtwo, and that was way back in 1998.

    Anyway, the switch to polycarbonate windows also helps lower the centre of gravity for a bonus improvement in handling, they’re also relatively cheap compared to many performance mods out there.

    Everything from replacement windscreens to quarter lights are on the market and with side windows you can often specify race-car style vents and sliders. And,  while you’re at it, take a look at your sunroof – you won’t believe how weighty the glass and mechanism can be there, luckily plenty of these can be replaced too.

    Weight loss: up to 25kg
    Cost: From £80
    Start looking: acwmotorsportplastics.co.uk

    5) Sort your chassis

    You know in The Fast and The Furious when they’re designing that orange Supra and saying using aftermarket suspension can save 10-pounds (4.5kg) a corner? Well they were right. In fact, with the advancements in technology, the savings nowadays can be significantly more, in some cases over 10kg can be saved just by switching to a set of coilovers.

    It doesn’t stop at shocks and springs either, there are loads of other chassis parts that can shave off a few kgs, sometimes a whole lot more. Lightweight adjustable control arms are also a popular choice, especially those super-hardcore alloy jobs you find on many a Honda, simply because they also do a great job of helping you set up your chassis geometry.

    When it comes to your brakes, you may think that big brake conversions will always weigh a whole lot more than standard, but plenty of times that’s just not the case. Nowadays plenty of the top end items will offer quite the saving. Multi-pot alloy brake calipers and discs with alloy bells can weigh a lot less than standard cast iron jobs, and obviously, they’ll work much more effectively too.

    Weight loss: up to 40kg
    Cost: From £150
    Start Looking: bc-racing.co.uk, ksport.co.uk, bilstein.de

    6) Get the body you’ve always dreamed of

    Lightweight panels, particularly fibreglass replacements, have been a racing staple for decades now. In the more hardcore fraternities it’s pretty common to totally replace front ends, or even the whole body, swapping out all the steel panels over a custom-fabricated, lightweight, tubular chassis.

    Of course, we also now have the wonders that are carbon fibre and Kevlar, and everything from bonnets and tailgates, to front wings, bumpers and even complete floor pans are on offer. The best thing is that prices are coming down all the time too.

    That said, always be aware of what you’re buying and, if possible, check the weight first. Some cheaper parts are reinforced with steel structures or seriously thick fibreglass underneath, and that can actually be heavier than the standard part altogether. Be especially mindful of this on cars like Subarus which often come with lightweight aluminium bonnets in the first place. You don’t want to make your car heavier, do you? That’s just defeating the object.

    Weight loss: up to 25kg
    Cost: F Weight loss – anything up to a ton, maybe more!
    Cost from £30
    Start Looking: tarmacsportz.co.uk

    7) Remember it all adds up

    When it comes to standard parts, most are made to a budget, so there’s plenty of areas where shaving off a few grams here and there can add up. Take your standard exhaust manifold, it’s most likely cast iron, a stainless steel tubular replacement will not only save a few kilos, but will improve the gasflow for more power too.

    It can be a modification as small as a lightweight pulley set or racing steering wheel. Then again, it could be as bonkers as a carbon propshaft, aluminium diff or lightweight gearbox housing – it all makes a difference. We’ve even heard of people emptying their washer bottles and keeping their fuel to a minimum on a trackday. It may sound crazy but it makes sense – 3 litres of washer water weighs 3kg while 40-litres of petrol nearly 30kg.

    Of course if you’re looking for the ultimate in lightweight bolt-on performance you could bag yourself a full-on titanium exhaust. Titanium is comparable to steel in strength but has less than half the overall weight. It also looks pretty damn tasty too!

    Weight loss: 200grams to 20kg
    Cost: from £50
    Start Looking: scorpoion-exhausts.co.uk

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    8) Get the right electricals

    Obviously most of us aren’t looking to go that far on a road car, but there are plenty of other easier options. Take your car battery for example. Normal lead-acid items are really, really heavy, but these can easily be replaced with more lightweight units, perhaps even a super-compact racing item if you’re not running too many electrical systems.

    Then there’s the audio. If you like to hear your music properly I’ve always been an advocate of a sound system with a dedicated woofer. But, it’s always worth thinking about the gear you’re fitting – do you really need that 18-inch woofer and 4000Watt amp outside of an SPL competition?

    Some manufacturers have made a massive impact with lightweight audio over the past few years, and nowadays you can get some serious performance and exceptional sound quality out of tiny subs and even tinier amplifiers. Of course there’s also the age-old option of ripping out the standard system altogether, or fitting a compact Bluetooth receiver instead of a headunit. It all works.

    Cost: from £free
    Start Looking: jlaudio.co.uk

    Top 10 ways to make your car lighter

    9) Step away from the fast food!

    Let’s just say that one of the heaviest things in your motor is you. In other words, it’s no use trying to shave 20g off the wiring harness and immediately reaching for that second cheeseburger – take this from a rather portly, salad-dodger who knows!

    If you already look like you’ve been on the cover of Men’s Health then well done you, but the rest of us will probably admit we could all do with being a little fitter. So, maybe getting your laptimes down a bit could be your motivation to dodge a future heart attack? Then again, maybe life’s just too short for eating steamed cabbage anyway!

    Cost: Free

    10)  Don’t put it back on again!

    You have to feel a little sorry for all those F1 engineers. These guys spend all year trying to shave half a gram off a brake caliper, then Lewis Hamilton turns up with a nose ring that probably weights five times that. My point is to be mindful of what you’re putting back in your car – there’s pros and cons for almost everything.

    A roll-cage can add a significant amount of weight but it can also save your life in a smash. Then again, with the rigidity and safety a cage provides, it’s possible to remove a whole lot more metal from the car – along with things like side impact bars.

    Think of it like this, cages always look great but racecars have to have them because of the safety regulations, some drivers would happily do without them just to get the performance edge. I know it’s a random one, but in 1952 NASCAR driver Tim Flock was disqualified from a race for having a cage made from painted wood – how’s that for a serious set of spuds, eh?

    As with any other modification, it’s all about balance, so make sure you thoroughly (excuse the pun) weigh-up your options before you start pulling stuff apart.

    Source

  • AFFORDABLE TRACK CAR PROJECTS: TOP 10

    Time on track is probably the most fun you can have in a car. Here’s our Top 10 affordable track car projects to get you started in the world of track days.

    Any car can be a track car. You’ve literally just got to drive a car onto a track and bingo, you’ve already won. The first stage, really, is to teach yourself to be a track driver: adjust your methods of driving so that you’re essentially unlearning all of the good habits you use around town to be more aggressive on the circuit. Late braking, wide-open throttle, taking racing lines through corners, all the things you wouldn’t do on the way to Tesco (unless you’re some kind of terrifying menace to society). As your skills grow and you start to reach the limits of the car, you can begin to refine and optimise things to improve the experience – upgrading to some quality track-biased tyres, fitting more aggressive brake pads, uprating your suspension, maybe going a bit mad and throwing your rear seats in the bin in the name of weight loss. And once you get really serious, you’ll probably find that you’re building yourself a dedicated track car rather than using your daily driver.

    Now, this might sound like an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t need to be. Once you’ve budgeted for the essentials, like a quality helmet and the necessary track day entry fees, the amount you spend on your track car is totally up to you – it needn’t necessarily cost a fortune, it can be surprisingly inexpensive. So we thought that, in the name of encouraging some entry-level track fun, we’d pull together a top-ten of our favourite bases for affordable track-based projects. Naturally the concept of ‘affordable’ is entirely subjective – some people may have earmarked a couple of grand for their next project, others will be lucky enough to have £5k, maybe even£10k, while some (like us) will be picking the lint out of their pockets in search of an extra 50p. So we’ve tried to keep this list sensible – some of these cars can be found for a couple of thousand (or less), but none of them will set you back more than £5,000 to buy. We’ve had a little look at the performance potential for each one, so you know what you might be getting into. Have fun choosing, and be sure to send us some pictures of your track exploits! Remember, shiny-side-up, and keep out of the kitty litter… Here’s out top 10 affordable track car projects.

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    Vauxhall Corsa VXR

    We’re talking about the Corsa D here, the one sold from 2007-14, and the VXR is looking like pretty decent value at around £3,000. Within that aggressive little bodykit and hunkered-down stance you’ll find a 1.6-litre turbo motor spitting out 189bhp, and you also get a decent set of Recaros as standard. These are cars that were made to be modded, as Vauxhall proved by having a crack at it themselves more than once: in 2008 they offered a ‘888’package, which included AP Racing brakes and a bunch of suspension tweaks. And then of course there was the Nürburgring Edition, which came bristling with 202bhp, Bilstein dampers, lowered springs, uprated exhaust, forged wheels and, most importantly, a Drexler torque-sensing LSD. But even if you have a bone-stock VXR, you’ve still got a super playful track toy, and all of those upgrades are things you can readily find in the aftermarket. We’d suggest the most entertaining route is to find one that’s a bit aesthetically shabby but mechanically tip-top, then just strip out and throw away the interior, whack it on a set of Bilstein B14s (replacing all the bushes as you go), fit some sticky Nankang AR-1 tyres, then blow the budget on Tarox6-pots. That little package would be a whole bunch of fun.

    Price today: £3000

    Top mods: Bilstein B14 Coilovers, Drexler LSD, semi-slicks, Goodridge braides hoses.

    Ford Fiesta ST150 (Mk6)

    The Ford Fiesta ST150 has a hell of a lot going for it as a track project. We’re talking about the Mk6 Fiesta ST here, the one sold between 2003-08, and it’s often referred to as the ST150 because (you’ve probably guessed) it has 150bhp. This is courtesy of a 2.0-litre Duratec, a big engine to shove into a little car at the time – and it’s pretty tuneable too. The ST also received a fresh bodykit with different bumpers and spoilers, disc brakes at the rear (lesser models sometimes had drums), lower and sportier suspension, and part-leather seats – with the option of full heated leather. The best part is that you can pick up a tidy example for about £2,000, and there are plentiful upgraded parts available off the shelf. A set of Newman cams, a Cosworth intake manifold and a bigger throttle body will get you well over 200bhp, and that’s just for starters! Throw in a 3J Driveline LSD, a set of KW coilovers and some meatier brakes and you’ll be laughing. Quite literally. All the time.

    Price today: £2000

    Top mods: Newman Cams, KW Coilovers, 3J Driveline LSD.

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    BMW 3 Series (E46)

    The E46 makes for an awesome budget track rocket these days – the prices have come way down, and they’re still plentiful enough on the used market that you can pick and choose to find a good one. And despite the number of them that are being ragged to destruction on the drift scene, it’s worth remembering that these aren’t just skidders, they make for excellent circuit toys. Naturally you’re not going to find a cheap M3, and you may well find that the petrol/manual 325i options (or, if you can track one down, the 330i) are increasingly prone to scene tax. But any E46 is a fun E46 – you may be lucky and get one with a big engine, but even a 318i will be a hoot once you’ve stripped it out and got it on some decent suspension and rubber. There are plentiful parts options available, and a huge number of owners groups on various social channels that can help you pick out the best mods for track heroism –so it’s not just a fun project, it’s a gateway into a whole new community. Start with some HSD coilovers (and we’d recommend OEM shock tower reinforcement plates to prevent ‘mushrooming’) and a set of Nankang NS-2R tyres, and work up from there.

    Price today: £1500

    Top mods: Shock lower reinforcement plates, HSD Coilovers, Nankang NS-2Rs.

    Porsche Boxster (986)

    How brave are you feeling? Buying a cheap early Boxster is one of those life decisions which could end up being the best choice you ever make, or the most financially ruinous. And the fun part is that there’s no way of knowing which way it’ll go – still, it’s good to roll the dice sometimes isn’t it?

    There are a few things you can look out for to help your peace of mind: most important is a good service history, as the engine’s pretty inaccessible so it’s possible a budget-minded owner won’t have bothered. Check for wet carpets caused by roof leaks, as the ECU’s under that soggy carpet, and walk away from overheating cars as early ones sometimes had terminally porous engine blocks.

    However, if you’ve bought a good one, you’ll find yourself with a fabulous track car right out of the box –awesome handling, endless grip, perfect steering, and oodles of potential for upgrades. Suspension mods can be handled in three phases if you want to spread the cost: first upgrade the anti-roll bars to H&R items, then whack on some Eibach springs, and finally (when you’re ready for maximum attack) swap in some Bilstein B16 coilovers. A lightweight flywheel and Quaife LSD make a massive difference, and the combo of K&N induction and Milltek exhaust is a no-brainer.

    Price today: £5000

    Top mods: H&R anti-roll bars, Milltek exhaust, Quaife LSD, Goodridge braided hoses.

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    Toyota Celica (Mk7)

    The Mk7 generation was very few people’s favourite Celica. But that’s their loss and your gain, because these peachy little coupes can be picked up for around £2,000 (often even less), and you’re buying a whole lot of performance potential for the money. The most important thing is tomake sure you buy the right one to start with; you see, they all came with 1.8-litre engines, but confusingly there were two different ones sold at the same time. The 1ZZ-FE motor served up 140bhp which was perfectly OK, but the 2ZZ-GEis the one you want; co-developed by Yamaha and sporting variable valve timing and two-step variable valve lift control(which is sort of Toyota’s version of VTEC), it gives you more revs and 188bhp, which is much more like it. How can you tell if you’ve got the right one? Helpfully, it’s written on the engine cover: the 140bhp motor is badged VVT-I,while the 188bhp one says VVTL-I – that little L makes all the difference.

    So, you’ve got a decent starting point. And once you’ve added in some Goodridge braided lines, grooved discs and Orange Stuff pads from EBC and a set of BC Racing coilovers, you can talk to Fensport about a remap. These engines love being cammed too, Cat Cams can help you with that.

    Price today: £2000

    Top mods: EBC discs/pads/lines, BC Racing coilovers, Fensport map.

    Honda Civic Type R (EP3)

    The EP3 is one of those cars that you can buy for under a couple of grand, but you probably shouldn’t. There’s a fair few of them about still, and a lot of them have been thrashed mercilessly, so the sub-two-grand cars are always a bit baggy – cheap to buy, but you’ll spend a fortune fixing it up. If you’re after a tidy road car for daily use you can budget up to £5k, although good usable ones for track purposes will be between £3-4k. The most important things to check for are a) a good service history and b)a sympathetic owner – because the K20 motor uses a surprising amount of oil, and its sky-high redline and VTEC lunacy encourage drivers to push it hard… if it hasn’t had its oil checked and topped up regularly, it’ll be eating itself.

    Find a good one and you’ll be very happy. These thing sare simply phenomenal on track! Start with the chassis mods: Hardrace rear camber arms and lower control arms, Eibach front camber bolts, JDM rear anti-roll bar and Eibach Pro Kit springs will get you cornering like a champ. If you’ve got cash to splurge, an LSD is a strong option (although with your chassis mods and a decent alignment setup, by no means essential). Exhaust upgrades are more for noise than actual power unless you swap the manifold too– Tegiwa can help with a full system, and a carbon-boxed ITG Maxogen induction kit is a great addition. And bear in mind that if you want to map it, you’ll need to physically open up the ECU and get a Hondata piggyback chip fitted.

    Price today: £4000

    Top mods: JDM anti-roll bar, Hardrace camber arms, ITG Maxogen induction.

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    Mazda MX-5 (NA)

    We can’t stop looking at these in the classifieds, as we’re waiting for the time to come when serious big-money collectors start snapping up the mint ones for silly prices and drag up the values of all the crap rusty ones. Amazingly, it’s still possible to pick up a solid and MOT’d Mk1 (NA) MX-5 for about £1,500, which has to be the bargain of the century. Aside from the fact that it’s got pop-up headlights (and all the coolest cars have pop-ups), it’s another worldly experience to drive: probably the sweetest manual gearshift of any car ever, a super-playful chassis which you essentially steer with your butt-cheeks, an eager little twin-cam that wants to rev for days. Believe the hype, these cars are fabulous.

    Look out for rust in the sills and rear arches, and avoid any car that has ‘DETUNED’ stamped on the V5 (these UKDM-only 1.6s only had 88bhp,for some reason), and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. The mechanicals are bombproof, and there are plenty of tuning options whether you go for the 1.6 or the 1.8. A Japspeed short-ram intake is a good start, along with a Racing Beat exhaust. With the 1.6, a set of Kent Cams ‘SportsR’ camshafts eliminate the flat-spot at the top of the rev range. It’s also worth bearing in mind that while there was never a factory turbo MX-5,these engines were designed with forced induction in mind as they also appeared in the 323 Turbo – so there’s a lot of aftermarket turbocharging options. BBR are the experts to talk to there. Whiteline ARBS are well regarded, and if you’re getting really serious then Öhlins Road and Track coilovers are the way to go. Goodridge braided brake lines are a must and try some EBC Yellow Stuff pads too.

    Price today: £1500

    Top mods: Racing Beat exhaust, Whiteline anti-roll bars, Japspeed short-ram induction

    SEAT Leon Cupra 20VT

    This is the forgotten Cupra. Based on the Mk4 Golf platform, it’s always been overshadowed by its upgraded Cupra R sibling, which had the TT 225-spec BAM engine. But the regular 180bhp-spec Leon Cupra 20VT has always been a bit of a hidden gem – not least because it’s pretty stealthy. These cars are usually found in burgundy or dark blue, looking like regular OAP shopper runabouts rather than full-fat hot hatches. But with a super-tweakable 1.8T under the bonnet and all the good bits from the VAG parts bin throughout the chassis, you can build a real weapon here.

    Essentially, anything you can do to a Mk4 Golf, you can do to this. A Revo remap will easily take that 180bhp base up to around 210bhp, then you can add in a Milltek exhaust, RamAir induction, and the sky’s the limit. With a few supporting mods, the bigger turbo from the 225 engine will pay huge dividends, and once things start to get really hardcore you can save those pennies for a K-Sport 8-pot BBK and some KW V3 coilovers. Keep it in that boring stock paint shade and wrap the standard alloys in semi-slicks, and no-one will suspect a thing…

    Price today: £2000

    Top mods: Revo remap, Milltek exhaust, KW coilovers, Toyo R888R tyres.

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    MINI Cooper S (R53)

    Much like the EP3 Civic, the R53 Cooper S is a car that you can very easily pick up for peanuts, but it might not be a great idea. Yes, you can buy one for under £2k, but buying one for closer to £4k with a decent history will be less painful in the long run.

    These cars are an absolute blast on track even in standard form, and the thing we’d recommend first of all is to downsize the supercharger pulley. There are various percentage options but there’s no point mucking about – go for the full-on 17% pulley, combine it with an Airtec top-mount intercooler and your stock 170bhp will suddenly rise to around 200bhp. Plus, the blower will be wailing like a banshee!

    It’s not cheap, but the next step for the serious track fan is to swap in a full Eibach chassis makeover – coilovers, top-mounts, anti-roll bars, the lot. It makes a world of difference, and turns a really good car into a great one. And one of the things R53s are known for is the pops and crackles from the exhaust – particularly facelift models, which had more of this stuff mapped in from the factory! There’s a lot of exhaust options out there, but our extensive research found that the Scorpion system sounds the best – as well as adding a few horses, of course. An LSD makes a huge difference to these cars too: some models had them fitted as factory-standard (like the Checkmate edition, for instance), but otherwise get yourself a Quaife ATB.

    Price today: £4000

    Top mods: 17% pulley, Airtec intercooler, Scorpion exhaust

    Affordable Track Car ProjectsAffordable Track Car Projects

    Audi TT 225 (Mk1)

    The Mk1 TT is another of those cars that’s so goodto drive, it amazes us that they can still be bought so inexpensively. When Audi saw fi t to bolt in a quattro system underneath, they created a chuckable coupe that would just grip and grip and grip until the tarmac itself started rucking up like a hallway carpet. Combine this with the crazy BAM engine (which involved so much more than bolting a big turbo to a 1.8T; it also had upgraded pistons and rods, juicier fuelling and bigger intercoolers), and you’ve got the recipe for something truly special. £2k buys a tidy runner, and the tuning world’s your oyster. We’d start with a Milltek cat-back and RamAir induction as your belt-and-braces mods, combined with a set of Goodridge braided lines, EBC grooved discs and Red Stuff ceramic pads. Upgrade to a Forge front-mount intercooler, and a Revo Stage2 map will catapult you up to about 275bhp. Some Toyo R888Rs will help you deploy this effectively, and a Haldex controller can send more torque to the rear wheels for fruitier handling.

    Price today: £2000

    Top mods: Milltek exhaust, Forge intercooler, Revo remap, Goodridge braided hoses.

    Source

  • Used Modified Cars Under £10,000 in 2018

    Summer’s right around the corner, meaning many people will be looking to switch their car of choice. If you are looking at buying a modified car, and have a budget of under £10,000, we’ve compiled our top ten list using cars for sale today.

    This list compiles our favourite ten modified cars for under 10k. This list should give you the inspiration you need to find that perfect summer car. Included in our list is a wide variety of cars, from full show cars, to lightly modified motors.

    1 – Volkswagen Scirocco GT Tdi 170 – £7,700

    VW Scirocco For Sale Under £10,000

    If you are looking for a bit of get up and go from a modified car, along with German build quality, then this tastefully modified VW Scirocco is ideal. Sitting on Eibach springs and 19″ AVRS Alloys, this car is totally stock under the hood. The Autovogue bodykit and custom exhaust build make this car stand out from the crowd visually.

    View the full listing here.

    2 – Audi A3 Air ride – £6,300

    Audi A3 For Sale

    Another German hatchback, and that isn’t a bad thing. Looks, German engineering, reliability & practicality. All things that are sought after in when buying a used car. This example stands out from the crowd with it’s air ride suspension. And a remapped 1.2 engine means it has some poke for a small engined car!

    View the full listing here.

    3 – Ford Focus ST Mk2 – £7,000

    Ford Focus ST For Sale

    We’re going with another hatchback for our third pick, however this one originates from Ford. The ever so popular Focus ST Mk 2 to be precise. This Focus ST is a monster, pushing 330bhp and 408ft lbs of torque thanks to its Dreamscience tuned engine. It backs up those power figures by looking the part with it’s Air Lift suspension and Schmidt alloys.

    View the full listing here.

    4 – VW Polo 6R – £7,500

    VW Polo For Sale

    Number 4 goes to our cover car and this show ready Polo looks drop dead gorgeous. Sitting on bagged suspension, this Polo has R32 body panels, Audi alloys, and a custom R32 style exhaust. This is real head turner, while maintaining practical.

    View the full listing here.

    5 – BMW E92 320D – £5,995

    Modified BMW 3 series for sale

    We are taking a break from the practical hatchbacks with our next pick and going coupe. If you are looking for a modified German Coupe, then it wont be long before you stumble across the E92 BMW. There are plenty of these around, and many have been modified. Although this one, with it’s Matt Gold wrap really stands out from the crowd. Other than the wrap, this tame 320D has been remapped, and sits on 19″ Quantum S1 alloys.

    View the full listing here.

    6 – Audi A5 Xclusive Performance – £9,995

    Audi A5 For Sale

    Continuing the theme of German coupes, our next pick is the mighty Audi A5. This one has been heavily modified by Xclusive Performance. Giving it a whole new wide bodykit, alloys, exhaust and various RS5 finishes. If you are looking for a completed project car then this is a great pick, as all work has been completed by a professional garage to a high standard. This car is a steal for under £10,000.

    View the full listing here.

    7 – Audi A5 – £8,250

    Audi A5 For Sale

    Two Audi A5’s in a row? Yes, well this one is for those who like their cars a little more stock and original. This car crams in the modifications with Stance+ Ultra Coilovers, a set of sweet 19” Rotiform CCV rims and a stage 1 remap performed byMOTECH PERFORMANCE to name a few. Also you’ll spot a bevy of RS5 body parts and you’ll sure hear it coming with a centre box delete.

    View the full listing here.

    8 – Bagged VW Bora – £2,900

    Vw Bora For Sale

    This VW Bora is a retro pick, and a favourite of ours. It sits absolutely perfectly on Air Lift AutoPilot V2 creating that iconic slammed look, and the bagged suspension setup and rims on this car cost just as much as the sale price! This Volkswagen is an absolute steal for just shy of £3k.

    View the full listing here.

    9 – Nissan 350z GT – £8,000

    Nissan 350z For Sale

    If you love your car to stand out of the crowd, you can’t nail it as much as with this Orange 350z. This modified 350z is finished in a factory orange, and has plenty of alterations to make it unique. You can start with a full sports suspension setup, with genuine Nissan GTR wheels, a host of Nismo upgrades, engine remap and a full Scorpion Exhaust system. This is a real head turner.

    View the full listing here.

    9 – VW Golf Mk3 Show Car – £5,200

    VW Golf For Sale

    We’re rounding out our list strongly with this stunning Golf Mk3 show car. This Golf is custom from front to back, riding on Airlift Air Ride installed by the guys over at Only Charged Dubs. On the outside is a new paint job in VW Peppermint Green, with custom smoothed panels, and moving inside you’ll find a Genuine Quick release Neochrome NRG steering wheel, along with reworked Cream leather and vintage touches. To top it all off, this Golf has hardly any miles on it for it’s age, as it’s been used as a show car! You really wont find many custom cars this clean for under £10,000.

    View the full listing here.

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