Halfords Bits

Paulj

Paulj

Paulj

Associate
Joined
15 Mar 2005
Posts
211
Hey, bit of a random question really.
Those "performance" items from halfords etc such as performance spark plugs, do they actually make any difference to efficiency or power output of an engine?
Im looking for some small upgrades to make my clio 1.2 feel a bit faster :p

I suspect the answer will be yes, but not a noticable amount, correct?

cheers, Paul
 
Hmmm, make your Clio 1.2 feel a bit faster?

Perhaps everytime you put your foot down, push yourself back into the seat while making turbo spooling noises :D

To be serious, performance spark plugs and what not won't make your car faster. They might make it rev a little bit easier, but you'd hardly notice.
 
Cheapest way to make a 1.2 Clio faster - Strip out all un-necessary weight. Rear seats, carpet, passenger seat, door cards, spare wheel, etc etc

Best way to make a 1.2 Clio faster - Sell it and buy something else.
 
paradigm said:
Cheapest way to make a 1.2 Clio faster - Strip out all un-necessary weight. Rear seats, carpet, passenger seat, door cards, spare wheel, etc etc

Best way to make a 1.2 Clio faster - Sell it and buy something else.
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HAHAHAHAHAH :D so true.
 
Paulj said:
performance spark plugs
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Surely as long as the spark gap is the right size and the plug isn't too short or long so that it ends up in the wrong area of the cylinder... then all spark plugs will be the same, at least in terms of proformance? :confused: but maybe not in holding up termperature and other stresses, and possibly cheaper ones might fall apart and require replacement before ones made of better materials?
 
Heeeey, i wish you lot would be less harsh :p my first car!

I am a student so there is a budget to what car i can have, the idea of stripping all seats etc out seems like a good one, ive taken out all the side trimmings etc before and it was very simple :)

Oh and also, i presume that the more expensive petrol that can be compressed more before combustion (cant remember proper name for it :p ) wont have any effect on the little 1.2? I did a module on automotive engineering a while back, something to do with the ECU being able to advance spark timing etc? So probably because its not a performace engine it will be unable to do this so will have no increase in power? heeeeeeeeeeelp
 
Can I ask why the hell you want more performance from a 1.2. Surely, the reasons for buying a 1.2, performance is the last priority?

I don't think there is anything you could do which will give any sort of noticable improvement,
 
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Tesla said:
Can I ask why the hell you want more performance from a 1.2. Surely, the reasons for buying a 1.2, performance is the last priority?
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It's his first car, so I'd guess insurance was his first priority.
 
emailiscrap said:
It's his first car, so I'd guess insurance was his first priority.
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That's basically my point. If he starts modding the car then guess what will increase?

That's right, his insurance! Probably at a greater rate that performance too!
 
Paulj said:
Oh and also, i presume that the more expensive petrol that can be compressed more before combustion (cant remember proper name for it :p ) wont have any effect on the little 1.2? I did a module on automotive engineering a while back, something to do with the ECU being able to advance spark timing etc? So probably because its not a performace engine it will be unable to do this so will have no increase in power? heeeeeeeeeeelp
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You are talking about fuel with a higher octane rating, like super unleaded and Optimax. You are quite correct about being able to advance the timing to increase power, however you won't notice any gains unless you have a turbocharged car, and the ECU is specifically taking advantage of the extra octane.

It won't make a blind bit of difference in a 1.2 clio ;)
 
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Tesla said:
That's basically my point. If he starts modding the car then guess what will increase?

That's right, his insurance! Probably at a greater rate that performance too!
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I get what you are saying, but once the car is bought and driven for a while, the fact that it is as sporty as a paraplegic wombat normally means that minor engine mods are on the cards. I've been there and done that.
 
feed a sock into your cam cover, it will wrap around your cam giving more lift to the valves
 
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