Getting the best performance from your VX220.

"The Griffin rises from the ashes..."

When a mainstream manufacturer look to make an affordable and fun track day car people sit up and take notice.

The VX220 is often favourably compared to the Lotus Elise and is better equipped from a luxury point of view. Although the VX220 is certainly not designed to be a daily run around it can be used on a daily basis. 

It has been designed as a fun accessible track had a car therefore is not suitable for people with a back problem as it can be quite difficult to climb in and out.

The 2.2 litre engine has been tuned to produce 145 brake horsepower which seems an ideal balance for the chassis. The suspension set up, grip and handling place this track day weapon in the hands of the average driver due to its forgiving and nature. The suspension is somewhat softer than the Lotus Elise which creates an ideal environment for a novice track day driver to improve his skills. The following modifications are usually performed by our members, decide how far you want to go before you begin.

Getting the right mods for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road.

Stage 1 mods: Exhaust, Panel air filter, Remap, lighter flywheel

Stage 2 mods: Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, fuel injector & fuel pump upgrades,power clutch

Stage 3 mods: Engine balancing, adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), competition cam, sports gearbox.

The turbo engine is an absolute dream and a simple remap will raise power levels by 40 BHP. With a turbo upgrade, sports exhaust, lighter flywheel and intercooler combined with a remap the you can see peak power gains of over 70 BHP. (TorqueCars would strongly recommend that you upgrade the clutch and get a carbon fibre drive shaft to handle this level of power.) Join our forum to discuss the various tuning options with other VX220 owners

The car has been made from lightweight materials, which means the slightest engine modification will have a large impact on performance. The popular mods done to the VX 220 include a sports exhaust, an induction kit, fast road cams and suspension modifications.

Because it comes from the Vauxhall stable it is reliable and cheaper to repair should something go wrong.

Security is not a strong points of the VX220 and many used examples are fitted with high quality immobiliser and alarm systems. If fuels has not had security fitted this should be done as a priority.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss VX220 options in more detail with our VX220 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Vauxhall tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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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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