I'm sure this has been talked to death, so my apologies in advance.

I don't want to invest too much in mods, but I would also like to have more low-end torque. It sounds like cats and ECU reprogram is probably the best way to go, but wanted to get your input.

Thanks!

 

Adjust the driver demand torque table.

 

Hey, i found the throttle body ground and using the airbox mod, yielded better low end, plus it's next to free to do.

 

Manifolds and cats. Discussion of results on PistonHeads.

 

Can you please explain on the procedures? any images would be helpful too. Thanks.

 

What exactly does that do and how do I do it? Thanks.

 

or trade in for a 09+...could be most cost effective!

 

If you really want to go the most inexpensive route and assuming that you have fuse 22 pulled or the vacuum hose to the bypass valves plugged, I understand from speaking with some AM techs that reverting to the original factory settings returns approximately 9 ft lbs. of low end torque to the vehicle.

Specifically, these techs over at the AM dealer in Bevery Hills used to remove fuse 22 as part of the PDI process because it seemed that every customer was requesting this. The dealership subsequently ran some dynos and confirmed that removing fuse 22 results in a loss of low end torque, about 9 ft. lbs. So now, they stopped removing fuse 22 as part of the PDI. Just something to think about....

I personally would prefer the added soundtrack. But then again, the AM Sports exhaust that I purchased comes with software that opens the exhaust valves sooner, so it sounds loud more often even with fuse 22.

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be the cheapest solution (I purchased my V8V knowing full well that parts would be marked up)--I just don't want to spend $18K on a supercharger. But I would be willing to put in a few grand on mods that will increase power, especially at lower RPM. I do have fuse 22 pulled and like you, I prefer the additional rumble. If I do add the cats, I'll most likely add it back.

 

^^^FWIW, Mike over at Bamford Rose, formerly of Aston Martin, has said that the loss of torque from pulling the fuse is a myth.

 

no doubt that the guys over at BR know our cars inside-out given their involvement during development. but i'm just reporting back what the AM garage guys over at O'Gara Coach told me. if what they say is true (and i have no reason not to believe them), they appear to have data (i.e., dyno runs) to back up their statements. i'll try and get a hold of their data if i can and post it here.

i admitedly don't have nearly as much knowledge as many of the folks on this forum regarding engines and how they run, but i assume that having the valves open with fuse 22 removed does result in a loss of back pressure which could, in turn, result in a loss of low end torque. is that not feasible?

 

Forgot to mention to be careful with high-flow cats. Unless they have a CARB number, they are pretty much illegal in California. I have read in other forums that the fine is somewhere around $1K per violation, and we have multiple cats so do that math Apparently some shops even use mirrors to look under our cars....such buls$%

Or, you can always swap them out before and after a smog test, but that will be a few hundred dollars here and there every other year and is just too much of a pain for me.

The ECU tune seems rather quick and painless. For about $2,000, I'm thinking that will be next for me. Just make sure you get a custom tune and let them know you live in CA where the hightest octane readily available is 91.

 

You can ECU done for under $1500.

 

macksamus- isn't it after 8 years with a new car, and every four years afterwards? Seems like they bumped it from 2 to 4 years recently here in California, but I could be mistaken.

One other thing- I hear that we now have the smog-police on the road, with the ability to to randomly pull you over for an impromptu smog inspection (visual and otherwise). The nice thing is, the driver can legally say, "no thank you" (as they are legally considered 'volunteer'), and decline the random inspection... i know exactly what I'd say.

 

Not sure about the frequency of the smog tests out here in tree-hugging hippy land....but it seems like my 2003 daily driver does require a smog test every other year.

Have not heard about the "smog police," although I wouldn't put it past the local cops in my area to pull you over for noise pollution and who knows what that can lead to. Also, our state is pretty much bankrupt and needs all the revenue they can get their hands on and from what I hear, the fines for being classified as a "gross polluter" with after market cats is pretty hefty....so perhaps you might even have to worry about the CHP.

Likewise, I found it a pain in the *** to even get your hands on a set of high flow cats here in CA. Because they are technically illegal in CA, many distributors will not ship here. So you need a middle man, like a friend in Vegas to take delivery and then ship or drive them over to you. Then, on top of that, no AM dealership in CA will install them for you because they are illegal. And some other reputable shops I've called that will do the installation require you to have the car towed out after the install and you need to sign waivers stating that your car is only intended for off-road use.

The most frustrating part about all of this is that you will be labeled a "gross polluter" and fined like hell even though after market cats, like RSC or Larini, will pass the sniff test. Larini even claims that its cats do a better job of reducing emissions. I'll end my rant now