Have you stopped modifying your car power wise.

[Petrolsmasher]

Have you reached the point with your car where you think the power is enough and are quite happy with it.

I see a lot of people year on year keep adding more and more power to their car, i kind of feel lucky in the sense that ive reached a point in my own where its pretty much what im happy with.

Its a fiesta st180 with 235bhp, perfect power for the road tbh and never find myself needing more unless on a track. Keeps up with more powerfull cars easily due to its weight.

[Jonno02]

If you keep adding power each year, you're just shifting the baseline. Eventually all levels of power will feel 'normal' and you'll want to increase it.

[kambites]

I've never felt the desire for more than the 160ish bhp mine had from the factory. Which is a good job really because getting significantly more would require fairly major work.

[Dave Hedgehog]

i stopped modding cars 20 years ago when i worked out it was cheaper and less hassle to buy a car with the power i wanted

[Funky Squirrel]

Dave Hedgehog said:

i stopped modding cars 20 years ago when i worked out it was cheaper and less hassle to buy a car with the power i wanted

This.

[Petrolsmasher]

Dave Hedgehog said:

i stopped modding cars 20 years ago when i worked out it was cheaper and less hassle to buy a car with the power i wanted

Depends, plenty of cars can be cheaply modified. Some are highly tuneable, some are not and need a lot of work to raise power.

Unless your talking more than 75BHP more it will more often than not be cheaper to keep yours and modify it aslong as you dont go mental beyond what the car can handle.

[Rod200SX]

I bought my 335i last year with a JB4 piggyback and it was running around 370hp/390hp, had some electrical issues so I removed the JB4. Ran without it for a couple weeks at the standard 306 or whatever it is, it wasn't slow but...

After two weeks I gave it a flash from another tuner, should be around 380BHP now which is more than suffice for the majority of the time (especially with an open diff) but I'm finding myself getting accustom to the power, looking at fitting an upgraded intercooler which should allow me to go up to around 420bhp. It's a slippery slope!

I think the biggest thing that causes the constant upgrades is the ease of it. On an NA car, you're typically limited by money to get more power. but with turbo cars, it's quite often a case of "ooh, well I'm happy now but for £150 I can buy X part which will allow me to go up an extra 25hp safely, then once i've done that X is only £350 which will let me go up 50hp". Man maths in action

[ghost83]

I’ve stopped modifying full stop! Realised how much money was wasted!

Rather spend it on the house instead now

Plus you can’t really enjoy it these days with speed camera vans and plod round every other corner

Edited by ghost83 on Friday 30th August 13:36

[CraigJ]

Almost, have about another 60bhp to find yet to get me to 800BHP.

Long tube headers and high flow cats should get me there. New Injectors have just arrived so the fueling is sorted.

Once i hit 800bhp i will have finished and sell the car on to fund my next project.

[greenarrow]

Petrolsmasher said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

i stopped modding cars 20 years ago when i worked out it was cheaper and less hassle to buy a car with the power i wanted

Depends, plenty of cars can be cheaply modified. Some are highly tuneable, some are not and need a lot of work to raise power.

Unless your talking more than 75BHP more it will more often than not be cheaper to keep yours and modify it aslong as you dont go mental beyond what the car can handle.

This is a very timely thread. My daily driver, bought when I did a lot of motorway commuting is a Vauxhall insignia CDTI 160. Not a fast car by any stretch, but a good family car. I've been getting bored with it, but don't have the funds to chop it in just now. A cheap re-map will take it to around 200 BHP and add another 50 LB/FT of torque, bringing it in line with the latest crop of diesels, so its a cheap way IMO of extending interest in the vehicle. Might alleviate some of those annoying diesel turbo lag issues too!

So having read this thread, I think I may just do it!

[ConzoRS3]

Bought my RS3 with a remap already installed so running 400+ bhp.. and I have no desire to make it any quicker

[Kev_Mk3]

I bought my track car a Suzuki Swift Sporting with 134bhp. I thought yes a bit more power would be great untill I got it on track.

After several track days in the UK and Ring I can say I need no power. I've upset alot of quicker sorted cars but its about momentum. I also enjoy how economical it is on track lol

It fits my requirements perfect.

I do have another car with a big turbo lump - I'd rather use the swift as I can use all the power when ever I want

[lancer778544]

A remap, 3.5 bar fuel pressure regulator, and 3" downpipe took my Saab 9-5 from 250hp/350nm to 295hp/440nm. It's plenty enough for me to be honest and any more gains will require a turbo upgrade along with forged pistons and an upgraded intercooler (that it could do with now to be honest).

[smashy]

Come down to London inner and outer subburbs I want you to use all this power on main roads with dirty big 20 mph signs painted on many of the MAIN roads.

Sick to death of the way life is becoming

[Kev_Mk3]

lancer778544 said:

A remap, 3.5 bar fuel pressure regulator, and 3" downpipe took my Saab 9-5 from 250hp/350nm to 295hp/440nm. It's plenty enough for me to be honest and any more gains will require a turbo upgrade along with forged pistons and an upgraded intercooler (that it could do with now to be honest).

Shame its not the B204 lump which the internals can take over 500bhp tried and tested

[J4CKO]

My M135i has a £175 BlueSpark box, it woke it up a bit so should be maybe 350 - 370 in that ball park.

But, not getting into any other messing with it, law of diminishing returns and its traction limited anyway, plus its so easy to end up at license losing speeds.

Straight line thrust has long been the holy grail but I dont really want to go any faster now, nice to have a go of say a 720S but the scale of the performance on offer even with hot hatches is different to what is sensible on the road, found myself in a Mazda dealer earlier sitting in an MX5, tonne and a bit, 184 bhp, think that will do.

[samwhite]

Dave Hedgehog said:

i stopped modding cars 20 years ago when i worked out it was cheaper and less hassle to buy a car with the power i wanted

Sure, if power is the only factor you use to choose a car....

[Weekendrebuild]

Rod200SX said:

I bought my 335i last year with a JB4 piggyback and it was running around 370hp/390hp, had some electrical issues so I removed the JB4. Ran without it for a couple weeks at the standard 306 or whatever it is, it wasn't slow but...

After two weeks I gave it a flash from another tuner, should be around 380BHP now which is more than suffice for the majority of the time (especially with an open diff) but I'm finding myself getting accustom to the power, looking at fitting an upgraded intercooler which should allow me to go up to around 420bhp. It's a slippery slope!

I think the biggest thing that causes the constant upgrades is the ease of it. On an NA car, you're typically limited by money to get more power. but with turbo cars, it's quite often a case of "ooh, well I'm happy now but for £150 I can buy X part which will allow me to go up an extra 25hp safely, then once i've done that X is only £350 which will let me go up 50hp". Man maths in action

Suppose it depends how you drive but the closer you get to 400bhp the quicker you find the limits of the rods an pistons on these .. little warning

[loughran]

I've had a fair amount of work done on the Porsche engine. New Shasta pistons and cylinders, Carrilo rods, Scat crank, Nuetec camshaft, new valve gear and a full flow oil system.

I'm getting about 80 bhp now. That's an extra 5 horse power over stock !

The most expensive 5 horsepower gain in history. ....Probably.

So I'm done with the engine modification for now.

[Dannbodge]

I've not modified either of my last 2 cars power wise.
Both have had 300bhp so have been plenty fast enough.