Tuning the Vauxhall C24SE

"Comprehensive guide to performance parts and tuning the Vauxhall C24SE engine!"

We are regularly getting messages inquiring about getting more power from the C24SE and wanting to know what are the premier C24SE power upgrades. So let us look into Vauxhall C24SE mods and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some problems along the way.

The Vauxhall C24SE really good project engines and with the best performance mods like a remap, turbo kits and camshafts you will definitely maximise your driving enjoyment.

This pages aim is outline options for your C24SE tuning and summarise the premier modifications.

The best C24SE modifications on an engine are in our opinion the ones that give the best value for money.

We won't be swayed by popular C24SE modifications, they need to be cost effective.

Significant gains on the C24SE can be made from cam upgrades. Altering the cam profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the power band and power output.

NB: Fast road cams usually boost the power over the rev range, you may sacrifice a little bottom end power but the higher rpm power will be better.

Motorsport cams, boost the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

In a car used daily one should, ideally, try to match your bhp range to your preferences.

I'd be surprised if you have found a C24SE Motorsport cam is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Different C24SE engines respond better to extreme cam durations so view each engine as unique.

The engine timing and injectors and fuel pump also will make differences on the torque gains you'll achieve.

A longer valve duration can alter the torque band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

C24SE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 C24SE modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Intake headers, Fast road camshaft, Sports exhaust manifold, Panel air filters, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 C24SE modifications: Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 C24SE modifications: Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions.

Remaps helps release the full potential of all the upgrades you've done to your C24SE.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but the outcome usually vary depending on the upgrades you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

Pushing fuel and air into your C24SE is the main goal to any car tuning project.

The intake plenum take the air from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine and mixed with fuel.

The shape and flow characteristics of the Plenum can make a big change to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the C24SE.

On popular production engines headers are in desperate need of an upgrade, although some makers provide decently flowing headers.

Big valve conversions on the C24SE, getting port matching and head flowing will also increase torque, & importantly will raise potential for raising the torque increase on other tuning parts.

Turbo upgrades for the C24SE

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your C24SE

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes superb power gains.

When an engine has a turbocharger upgrades are giving better power gains and most turbo engines already contain stronger components.

There are tuning limits for every engine, with some being very over engineered and some only able to handle stock power

See where you'll find these restrictions and fit higher quality crank and pistons to handle the power.

There are many tuners spending a lots of money on turbo upgrades on the C24SE only to suffer the indignity of watching the car literally blow up on it's first outing after it's completed.

Bigger turbochargers often experience a bottom end lag, and small turbochargers spool up quickly but won't have the peak rpm power band gains.

Over the last 20 years the world of turbochargers is always increasing and we now see variable vane turbochargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into two channels and push these at differently profiled vanes in the turbo. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there's a limit in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on the C24SE when loads more air is being drawn into the engine.

You'll see that 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting performance at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large power gains, although more complex to get working. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating C24SE fuel injectors

Don't omit to boost the fuelling when you are increasing the bhp - it makes the car more thirsty. It makes sense to over specify your injectors flow rate.

The rule of thumb is to add another 20% when fitting an injector, this accounts for injector deterioration and affords a bit of spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Best C24SE performance exhausts

You only need to to uprate your exhaust if the current exhaust is actually creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you should find that the flow rate is fine even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow from the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too large or you could will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

Typically exhaust restrictions can be traced to the filters installed, so adding a faster flowing high performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the C24SE

The C24SE engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the C24SE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your C24SE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our C24SE owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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We really like hearing from our readers, and hearing about which tuning parts were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our C24SE guides and tips are kept up to date.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Vauxhall. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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