V8V N400 engine upgrade, advice required...

[Bincenzo]

Hi Chaps,
I'm looking to buy and have spotted one with an after market power upgrade, done by Paramount in 2010. I'm slightly nervous as everything I've read seems to intimate that a chip is of little value. I'd welcome any thoughts on the N400 upgrade and sport body kit, which incidentally looks great (done by Aston).

Thanks in advance,

Bincenzo

[Neil1300R]

Bincenzo said:

Hi Chaps,
I'm looking to buy and have spotted one with an after market power upgrade, done by Paramount in 2010. I'm slightly nervous as everything I've read seems to intimate that a chip is of little value. I'd welcome any thoughts on the N400 upgrade and sport body kit, which incidentally looks great (done by Aston).

Thanks in advance,

Bincenzo

Hi, Paramount have not 'cracked' the Aston ECU code, so any modifications will be via a piggy backed chip, not a replacement. Don't think they sold many, so the car with it may be their original test car. See if you can find more details of what their 'modifications' were and then post up in the Bamford Rose sponsored thread at the top of the Aston forum. Mike the owner of BR is an ex Aston engine designer so will be able to advice you further.

[yeti]

Paramount do Jags.

Avoid.

The N400 kit is very nice but I dont think the power upgrade would be very noticeable. There is better bang-for-buck out there

[max b]

Not sure which model you are looking to buy, but mine has some of the N400 upgrades http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4084804.htm fitted. I have included a link in my ad which details the work involved with the N400 upgrade which is not jut a re-worked 'chip'.

If you want to maintain Aston warranty then you are limited to either the N400 upgrade or the Prodrive upgrade (which again is mainly ecu tweaking). The other option you have is the BR route where you can more personalise what you might want.

I find there is a fair margin between a standard 4.3 and my N400 (even the economy seems to be better).

You're more than welcome to come and have a try if you have already tried a standard 4.3 and found it slightly flat

Max

[Bincenzo]

max b said:

Not sure which model you are looking to buy, but mine has some of the N400 upgrades http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4084804.htm fitted. I have included a link in my ad which details the work involved with the N400 upgrade which is not jut a re-worked 'chip'.

If you want to maintain Aston warranty then you are limited to either the N400 upgrade or the Prodrive upgrade (which again is mainly ecu tweaking). The other option you have is the BR route where you can more personalise what you might want.

I find there is a fair margin between a standard 4.3 and my N400 (even the economy seems to be better).

You're more than welcome to come and have a try if you have already tried a standard 4.3 and found it slightly flat

Max

Max, yours looks stunning, but sadly 10k over my budget. I'd give my right arm to have a roadster, but can't stretch to it. From what others have said about the paramount, I'll probably steer clear, but the sports body looks great, particularly on the roadster IMHO.

Thanks all for the advice, I'm sure BR would be able to advise, I've read some of their threads and they certainly know their onions!
I'm after a V8V, preferably tungsten with black leather, about £35k, mileage not an issue as long as SH is up to speed and clutch has been monitored/changed. There seem to be a fair few on the market, so I'll keep lurking, you never know, the right one might be just around the corner.......how did you guys get yours? Impulsively or a long measured decision making process?

[George H]

yeti said:

Avoid.

^ This.

[Neilc123]

Max: I notice you have out a new clutch on it. Does it wear on the manual as much as it does on the auto? Or have you done this as a matter of caution?

[yeti]

Neilc123 said:

Does it wear on the manual as much as it does on the auto?

There's no clutch on an auto, and there's no auto in a Vantage

No-one changes their clutch 'just in case'! 30k miles is about standard for a powerful car with a manual transmission, though many have done double this, and many half. Depends on the driver's use, always.

It's the style of use that wears the clutch in the Sportshift (which is NOT auto), city driving, reversing and hill starts! When you have a manual clutch, these issues are lessened by a decent driver.

Had my DB9 clutch done at 30k, seems almost standard!

[Stedman]

George H said:

yeti said:

Avoid.

^ This.

[mikey k]

AFAIK the N400 engine tweaks are air filters with intake box mods and ECU mapping to take max advantage
They were not carried over to the 4.7 and only recent made it to the 4.7 in the S
OP don't get hung up on an N400
Try for a 4.7 and then spend some £ with BR if you need more.

[max b]

yeti said:

Neilc123 said:

Does it wear on the manual as much as it does on the auto?

There's no clutch on an auto, and there's no auto in a Vantage

No-one changes their clutch 'just in case'! 30k miles is about standard for a powerful car with a manual transmission, though many have done double this, and many half. Depends on the driver's use, always.

It's the style of use that wears the clutch in the Sportshift (which is NOT auto), city driving, reversing and hill starts! When you have a manual clutch, these issues are lessened by a decent driver.

Had my DB9 clutch done at 30k, seems almost standard!

Neil, pretty much what Yeti said. Dependant upon driving style but also dont forget mine has been pushing more power and torque than standard through RWD only, so I would say 30k miles is not too bad. It would be more of a concern to me on any potential purchase on cars 20/25k+ miles that this might be something that might need doing in the future (again dependant on previous driving style). Mines a great buy for any potential purchaser

[max b]

For ref this is a breakdown of the N400 engine work -

In 2008 Aston introduced an aftermarket dealer approved upgrade path for power and handling of the 4.3L variants that maintained the warranty with Aston. The power upgrade was The V8 Vantage Power Upgrade, creating a more potent version of the Aston Martin 4.3 litre engine with an increase in Peak power of 20 bhp to 400 bhp while peak torque is increased by 10Nm to 420Nm. This consists of the fitting of the following revised components; manifold assembly (painted Crackle Black), valved air box, right and left hand side vacuum hose assemblies, engine bay fuse box link lead (ECU to fuse box), throttle body to manifold gasket, intake manifold gasket, fuel injector to manifold seal, and a manifold badge.

[v8woollie]

It has been widely discussed that half of the additional 20 bhp is available only with Shell V Power high octane feel. In fact AM Works told me the same when I spoke to them. Probably better bang for £4k.

[theno23]

I got an N400 because I liked the extra power and sports suspension, but keeping the 4.3 exhaust note. They also come with lots of extras as standard, and I prefer the late 4.3 interior (I know, I'm weird ).

Downside is that you only get three colours to choose from.

I wouldn't pay 4k just for the engine upgrades though! As others have said you can get much better bang for buck in other places.

One thing I'd say about the clutch is, I'd actually look out for one that's on it's way out, use it as a negotiating point, and get the BR multiplate clutch in there, it's a lot better.

- Steve

[mikey k]

OP I'd look for a great deal on a standard car
If you need more power you will get more BHP for your £ from Bamford Rose rather than Paramount or N400 kits

[Bincenzo]

mikey k said:

OP I'd look for a great deal on a standard car
If you need more power you will get more BHP for your £ from Bamford Rose rather than Paramount or N400 kits

Thanks Mike, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'm new to AM anyway, although I have owned other performance cars. I need to take a little time to find it, buy it then drive it before looking at upgrades. I'd be interested to know exactly what I can get for £35k....

Thanks again,

Mark

[mikey k]

I'd that would get you 05/06 4.3 coupe in "typical" colours
A bit of hunting and maybe waiting until winter might get you an "untypical" 4.7 coupe