Peugeot 306 Tuning

"Thanks for reading my Peugeot 306 tuning guide."

The 306 is Peugeots family sized runabout. First hitting our streets in 1993 it has come along way in a relatively short time.

The notable performance models include the XSi,S16 and range topping GTI-6. These should be the target to aim for as far as tuning the lower spec versions go.

The more you start with the greater your end power gain will be. This means that the 16 valve 2.0 engine is the engine of choice.

A number of popular modifications to the 306 include induction kits, suspension upgrades and sports exhausts.

Tuning tips and articles

Engine tuning Transmission tuning Care care Intake & exhaust mods Improve handling Forums

Recently a large number of cool styling modifications have entered the market place and we are seeing quite a few show car quality 306s being driven on our streets.

The 306 is a popular tuning base due in part to the large selection of performance and styling parts available for it.

When it comes to suspension upgrades TorqueCars would not recommend dropping a hot hatch version of the 306 any more than 35mm.

The standard cars can go a little lower as their standard suspension is set higher in the first place.

If you have anything under a 1.6 you will find that no matter what performance modifications you carry out there will be little actual gain. The only effective mod on these cars is a full sports suspension kit - you may as well enjoy the handling. If you are like many other 1.6 and lower 306 owners then your best option is to do an engine swap.

Many 306 owners criticise the built quality of the 306 citing leaks from hoses as the most frustrating issue.

Taking some time to fit good quality silicone hoses and replace the HT wiring with performance leads will offer peace of mind as far as plumbing issues go.

Look to the XSi and S16 and GTi-6 for suitable donor engines. We have seen some very nice v6 conversions carried out.

There are also a number of Peugeot speicialists springing up offering turbo conversions which, although expensive are probably one of the best modifications you can do to your 306.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. Air induction kits are only beneficial to boost power if the cars air intake is struggling!

Adding an induction kit to most small engines will see NO LOW END POWER GAIN AT ALL. If you have heavily modified your engine and it's need for air INCREASES DRAMATICALLY then an induction kit is the answer and will help remove this restriction.

For most 306 engines TorqueCars would suggest you just go with a washable panel air filter. On heavily tuned engines and turbo vehicles an induction kit will help release the power providing you address the problem of needing cold air.

Do not go with the widest exhaust you can find this will slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Getting a professionally flowed (ported and polished) head with larger valves can fully maximise your power gains.

Your clutch can seriously let you down as you increase the power if it starts to break and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 48%.

Fit a power clutch to avoid power leak through the transmission. The best mods we would do for your 306 are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.

Turbo engines are just begging to be flashed. You will see significant power gains on most modern turbo engined cars including diesels making a remap one of the most cost effective and significant modifications for your money.

We've also come across some owners toying with twin charging applications and making some impressively high power gains.

Despite the large cost involved adding forced induction to a NASP engine will give large power gains.

Turbos are often harder to add than a supercharger. Turbos increase power in increasing proportion to rising engine speed and this can make mapping difficult.

The nice directly proportional boost and rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them simpler to map. Decreasing the engines compression ratio will allow you to add forced induction, water injection may also help prevent detonation.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Many 306 owners uprate the handling of their cars with coilover suspension parts as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car.

Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you 306 dramatically improving your drive.

Drop the car by as much as 26mm - 39 mm and fit sports stiffer dampers, bigger drops will need other modifications in most instances.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Due to the fact that alloy wheels are less heavy they improve performance and they help to cool the brake disks.

If you are serious about performance then you will need to carefully choose your tires - ideally with a directional tread pattern tire.

Please note although they can look cool on the 306 big alloy wheels will actually decrease your performance. The larger you go the lower your acceleration will be - this to the change in your effective final drive ratio.

Although some people have gone larger than this without issues we would stick to a 16 inch rim size as the maximum.

There is a more updated version of this Peugeot 306 Tuning article on TorqueCars.com.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss 306 options in more detail with our 306 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Peugeot tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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