Better to keep this one than suffer the part-X hit from a written of car?
My VX220 Supercharger Conversion
- Thread starter Muncher
- Start date
Better to keep this one than suffer the part-X hit from a written of car?
A lot of work has gone into the car as a whole, not just the repair. IIRC it's had extensive suspension/geo/wheel mods to get the handling just right. When it was repaired he replaced practically every bush on the car, custom interior and the engine has been fettled with, intake, exhaust, remap, engine mounts and loads of other stuff. basically it's a long, long way from being standard and it'd take a lot of work to get a Turbo to the same level.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17742962
that's the build thread.
VX220 and Elises that are written off are very different to normal cars that are written off.
Just cracking the clamshell on a Vx220 can write them off
I know all about repairing them. A freind had one of the first 2.2's from Pentagon in Derby. 3 weeks later some stupid woman drives into the back bending the exhaust and cracking the rear clam section. 8 Months later and Vauxhall were still struggling to get it back to factory condition.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9976815&postcount=226
haha, turns out '1 year' was the answer you were looking for muncher
haha, turns out '1 year' was the answer you were looking for muncher
It's a good question, why not a turbo...
There's a number of reasons really. First off, a turbo is quite a different car, with a different character. The power delivery is completely different to that of a NA engine (fairly smooth) to a supercharged engine (ridiculously straight lines). For me, what I want out of the car, a turbo power delivery is not quite right, in such a precise tool as the VX/Elise platform, balancing the throttle through corners in a turbo is much more difficult and to an extent dangerous if you suddenly come on boost mid corner. The preferred option for Lotus for the car is quite clearly a supercharged engine for more power, in all the newer Elise and Exige variants. The turbo also drives quite differently as not only is it heavier there is more weight at the rear in the iron block, from driving turbos I have been quite conscious of that.
Next off my VX is fairly unique so swapping to a VXT if I did want one would be quite a challenge in terms of selling my VX which is fairly unique and in buying a VXT. If I was to buy a VXT I'd have problems as I'd want a fairly specific modified example, with the right modifications and improvements. Even if I could find one that was relatively close in terms of spec, it would still involve spending a good few thousand pounds doing the things to it that I had on my NA. For instance the heated windscreen, no other VX in the world has one and that would be a big and relatively expensive job to put on on a turbo.
Secondly I know my VX absolutely inside out, I know everything has been done properly, all the bushes, ball joints replaced, properly fitted, properly torqued. I wouldn't have such confidence in another car.
The supercharger conversion is also a project which I'll enjoy, it's not been done before in this form and I get to work with a company I get on really well with. It's a challenge
The value of my car is kind of academic, it's been professionally valued and I have an agreed value policy with my insurers which I think is about right. I'm not planning on selling it.
Previous pics here:
http://www.muncher.org.uk/vxrebuild
There's a number of reasons really. First off, a turbo is quite a different car, with a different character. The power delivery is completely different to that of a NA engine (fairly smooth) to a supercharged engine (ridiculously straight lines). For me, what I want out of the car, a turbo power delivery is not quite right, in such a precise tool as the VX/Elise platform, balancing the throttle through corners in a turbo is much more difficult and to an extent dangerous if you suddenly come on boost mid corner. The preferred option for Lotus for the car is quite clearly a supercharged engine for more power, in all the newer Elise and Exige variants. The turbo also drives quite differently as not only is it heavier there is more weight at the rear in the iron block, from driving turbos I have been quite conscious of that.
Next off my VX is fairly unique so swapping to a VXT if I did want one would be quite a challenge in terms of selling my VX which is fairly unique and in buying a VXT. If I was to buy a VXT I'd have problems as I'd want a fairly specific modified example, with the right modifications and improvements. Even if I could find one that was relatively close in terms of spec, it would still involve spending a good few thousand pounds doing the things to it that I had on my NA. For instance the heated windscreen, no other VX in the world has one and that would be a big and relatively expensive job to put on on a turbo.
Secondly I know my VX absolutely inside out, I know everything has been done properly, all the bushes, ball joints replaced, properly fitted, properly torqued. I wouldn't have such confidence in another car.
The supercharger conversion is also a project which I'll enjoy, it's not been done before in this form and I get to work with a company I get on really well with. It's a challenge
The value of my car is kind of academic, it's been professionally valued and I have an agreed value policy with my insurers which I think is about right. I'm not planning on selling it.
Previous pics here:
http://www.muncher.org.uk/vxrebuild
I need to put a boost gauge in my car and would like an oil pressure gauge too. Elise-shop.com do quite a nice pod for either two or three gauges and they also sell the gauges themselves for oil temp, oil pressure and boost. Are there any better options than this or any multifunction devices which are capable of doing the same and more?
I have the SPA Boost / Charge Temp gauge in my Astra. Very nice gauge and very accurate.
I can now say a bit more about what I'm doing as previously I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to tell people.
I'm working with Courtenay Sport on this, it will be their new stage 1 supercharger install which will be the first one in the UK. It will also be the first time any of their customers have DIY'ed it. The aim of the exercise is to check it all works ok with a view to eventually releasing it as a DIY kit.
I'm looking for about 220bhp at the first phase to check the stage 1 works ok then once we're happy with that I'll be moving to a smaller pulley, adding laminova cores and a really nice chargecooler which should mean approx 250bhp.
I'm working with Courtenay Sport on this, it will be their new stage 1 supercharger install which will be the first one in the UK. It will also be the first time any of their customers have DIY'ed it. The aim of the exercise is to check it all works ok with a view to eventually releasing it as a DIY kit.
I'm looking for about 220bhp at the first phase to check the stage 1 works ok then once we're happy with that I'll be moving to a smaller pulley, adding laminova cores and a really nice chargecooler which should mean approx 250bhp.
Surprised you're letting some company use your car as a guinea pig
It's not really like that, I know courtenay extremely well and have the utmost faith in what they do.
There are over 100 supercharger conversions across Europe which either Courtenay and their European partners have carried out with an extremely good record, no failures at all in about 3 years they've been doing them.
This is just a lower level of tune than normal and is being done in DIY form to see how easily someone with a spanner can install it and raise any points or questions which they may have taken for granted when fitting them themselves.
It's not strictly development, it's more a case of further testing of the stage 1. They don't regard me as a customer and I'm relatively local which is useful for them. I may also help to produce an install guide for it.
I'm definitely interested in how this goes for when i maybe/hopefully/really need to/going to do it/sort my priorities out/get a vx lol.
Are they aiming to make it significantly cheaper by doing a DIY install? Will you need an aftermarket ECU for the mapping and additional sensors? What superchargers can you get from courtenay at the moment?
Are they aiming to make it significantly cheaper by doing a DIY install? Will you need an aftermarket ECU for the mapping and additional sensors? What superchargers can you get from courtenay at the moment?
I've no idea on price, but yes, no chargecooler labour which requires both clams off and you lose the £1,600 the chargecooler costs.
It will use the standard ECU which Courtenay will provide a base map and then I will have RR time to get it fine tuned.
Details of the current conversions are here:
http://courtenaysport.co.uk/index.php?act=viewDoc&docId=19
At long last pretty much everything is here for the stage 1 conversion
With any luck it will be up and running over the weekend
I already have the eagle rods, comp blower cams, Harrop supercharger and 2.0 SC TB ready for stage 3 and hopefully 300bhp+
- ECU has been mapped to a base map
- ECU has been relocated to the other side of the engine bay
- Injectors, MAP sensor, throttle body wiring and more has all been extended, solvered, and neatly bundled/covered
- Alternator has been modified
- Standard cams have been put back in
- Injectors have all been replaced with new plugs
- Supercharger inlet manifold has been fitted
- Probably a bit more too...
With any luck it will be up and running over the weekend
I already have the eagle rods, comp blower cams, Harrop supercharger and 2.0 SC TB ready for stage 3 and hopefully 300bhp+