Hi,

I would like to take this opportunity to share my experiences, with regards to the latest tuning developments, on the Torque Italia 2.4L Fiat Coupe. Many on here are familiar with the ongoing quest to push the boundaries far beyond anything we’ve done before. All thanks to those for their support and encouragement through the highs and lows on this ground breaking project.

My current spec is:

Forged 2.4L 20v
Big valve head, plus C&B cams
700cc injectors, Bosch Motorsport 044 inline pump, 1.5ltr Surge tank
Tigart exhaust manifold with Tial MVR 44mm ext WG.
Garrett GTX3076 .82ar,3 inch Vband turbine housing.
Full 3.5inch exhaust system.
Methanol injection 50/50
Helix Twin Plate paddle clutch, rated at 550lbs.

A brief insight of the challenges faced. Up to the current levels of tuning, we have been encountering several restrictions which have hampered our ability to break 500hp easily. Earlier this year we were running a GT30r .86ar turbine housing (internally WG), exiting through a 3 inch exhaust system. Surprisingly it turned out to be mostly from the exhaust side i.e. exhaust pipe diameters and wastegate setup. Anyway, not going to bore you with all the techy stuff, but the most popular belief was that the stock manifold would have been the limiting factor and the most extreme claim was the cylinder head flaws. Finally, we have refuted those misconceptions...

Now to the power run at Surrey Rolling Road aka ‘the heartbreaker dyno’. Arrived at 3pm and had a quick nose around my engine bay to check for those notorious boost leaks which have haunted me for the past year. Gave a quick briefing to Charlie (dyno operator) on the current spec level and strapped her down. First run, she almost leapt off the rollers.... blimey!, nearly stalled the ol’ ticker! We struggled for 30mins adding more shackles to keep her down as the torque was overwhelming.
In the end, we were forced to turn the boost down from 1.7bar to 1.5bar, yet at 1.2bar it made 489hp!
There were several runs at the 500hp mark before we settled for the most stable result. As we expected she was running lean after 6k, so 875cc injectors are on the cards. Charlie was amazed that it cracked 500hp on a modest boost level.
Note, the current map is yet to be tweaked by Señor Flea to accommodate the latest upgrades.

So we arrive at 504bhp, 400trq @ 1.5bar with more on the way!

It was well worth all the effort to expand the tuning options for the Fiat Coupe 20vt 5cyl platform.

What a Masterpiece of an engine!

Thanks
Barbz (coming out of the shadows)

Sounds like great results, with more on the way! How does this RR compare with the one Flea uses, anyone know?
Well done Barbz

Eh?

Seriously th', gud jarb buddy - obviously more to come too!

Pffft, "another" 500 horse car? So run of the mill these days Barbz

To think 300 was pushing the envelope not that long ago.

I look forward to a spin in this one

What will be achievable in another few years?!

its less "generous"

well done Barbz, thats an amazing result with that boost on those rollers.....looking forward to the extra "tweaking"

From what I gather the RR Flea uses was recalibrated early in Jan this year and results have dropped as a result, so I suspect this "difference" to be nil. My own 20vt was used to test this theory, and made 335 horses at 1.3 bar. About 2 months later I had it on the RR at red dot (unplanned freebie), and it made 360 at 1.35 bar, and 351 at 1.3

So many variables affect dyno results, I'll leave Flea to comment with any further insight though.

Not at 1.5bar it isn't buddy

At 500hp+ level, 30bhp difference between dyno's is hardly a cause for worry.

I don't disagree for a second!

Re my car, it feels the same to drive after Fleas latest map, despite the difference in the dyno's the car has been on. To me, that's more important than the top BHP number each dyno records, and of course how it drives throughout the rev range.

Now I know my car is running around 350 as the spec and map are good for. A dyno is infinitely more useful for your monster, as your build is pushing the boundaries and a one-off, as you will have no idea what it's pushing out!

As I say, I look forward to a spin

The power at 1.2 bar is crazy, on a higher setting on the road that's going to be an absolute animal!

Well done mate, looking forward to the last bit of fettling!

I wish that was the case as i'm enjoying the exclusivity but there's several in the pipeline, roll on 2012.

Your are welcome for a ride .

Will be in the Bristol area early this week.

When I said one-off, I definitely meant currently

Give me a shout when you're about and I'll happily hop in.

Dont forget its not bhp, its the torque that talks.

The 2.4 delivers more and lower in the rev range. The result is more tractability and more 'under the curve'. Most pub talk boys wont appreciate that in their pursuit of max bhp.

The engine is better than just the max bhp figure, and 500 bhp from a 2.4 will be different to 500 bhp from a 2.0

Id be interested to see when and how the power is delivered.

How are the diffs going to stand this power? Any plans for uprated ancilliary parts so all the gear can cope?

All I want to say is Well Done, you really are the man for this forging/power custom build thing!

I have an strengthened early 5 speed under going testing and so far its holding out.

I can tell you it's an incredible car to drive. With my current setup, lag will definitely be a problem, but in this car there is no lag whatsoever!

The setup allows for loads of torque low down, and before you know it, you're on full boost, at the red line and have to change up. It almost feels like a naturally aspirated car, just 10 times quicker.

As for tractability, you really do struggle to keep the car on the road in 2nd and 3rd gear as the wheels just spin up! You get to crazy speeds in no time and you have to be awake behind the wheel!

It's the perfect road car setup with minimal lag and awesome top end power.

Nice results Barbz

wow.. that is some achievement.

The last time I had a go in it, around 450hp, it was like being in the ring with Mike Tyson. Cant think what it must be like now.

Hats off to the legend barbz, always bringing something special to the forum.

Incredible results,certainly impressive.
Any video footage of it at all?

Well done again Barbzbara.


Proof yet again that your da man.

Don't forget me in the new year Barbz ( re : our conversation )

I'm still in the queue I hope but for a few tweaks to the 2.4 I have.

As you noted in the past, the next bit is the box' & trying to keep it reliable

FWIW pal, I'd probably suggest you look into the cooler I fitted ( the box just gets so hot, very quickly ). I can hear my g/box pump whirring away after 10mins of gentle driving ( when I ever drive it ! )

I remember when Flea told me I only made 440hp, then when I heard it was at only 1.2bar I was quite taken aback, on the road, she runs 1.5, and the difference as you noted is VERY noticeable, quite savage

Keep the updates coming, as 2012 is my turn

Great results Barbz

Yeah, you should come out more!! Exciting stuff going on there though!

nice result Barbz

Hey buddy,

Of course, you'll be one of the first in.
Got some special tweeks waiting for you mate.

Hi, nice results.

Just a few questions about the setup, Where is your redline set ? Which camshaft profile is being used (med road, road max etc.) and At what point do you think (if at all) the turbo will max out on this particular setup ?

Thanks.

great result!!!

Hi

Thanks,

Limiter is set to 7800 but we dumped the run just before 7500 due to lack of fuel (power was still climbing).

Camshaft are just the off the shelf C&B's for the 2.0L, which are one type. I haven't used their timing set up though.

As for the turbo, its maximum flow rate is 64lbs compared to 55lbs of the GT30r, probably gain about 10% more power which translates to about 50hp. We shall see on Tuesday.
I will be running closer to 1.8bar and if power still climbing after 7800, then we'll push it to 8k onwards.

Hi John,

Thanks

Longtine bruv!

Give us a buzz when you got a mo'.

Lots to catch up on.