Tuning the Vauxhall X16SZ

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Vauxhall X16SZ engine!"

We often are seeing threads inquiring about getting more power from the X16SZ and wanting to know what are the things we are recommending when it comes to X16SZ mods that work. So let us look into Vauxhall X16SZ modifications and outline the best mods that work on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

Therefore we examine X16SZ tuning and highlight the greatest upgrades. Vauxhall X16SZ are popular engines and with carefully picked motorsport enhancements like a remap, turbo kits and camshafts you will noticeably enhance your driving pleasure.

When talking about the optimum parts for your X16SZ engine, we are going to concentrate on the upgrades that give the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your X16SZ cam will make a dramatic difference to the engine power band. Choosing a higher performance cam profile raises the power band accordingly.

NB: Fast road cams usually boost the power throughout the rev range, you might lose a little low down bhp but your high end rpm power will be lifted.

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

A Motorsport and race camshaft won't do well if driving around busy urban areas.

You should ideally match your power band to your driving style so for a daily driver stick with a shorter duration X16SZ camshaft

Different X16SZ engines respond better to more aggressive cam durations than others.

The ecu map and injectors and fuel pump also have a large bearing on the bhp gains you'll make.

Extending exhaust or intake durations can alter the bhp 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.

X16SZ Tuning Stages

Stage 1 X16SZ modifications: Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold, Drilled & smoothed airbox.

Stage 2 X16SZ modifications: fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Fast road cam, induction kit, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 X16SZ modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam.

The X16SZ units make great tuning projects and we note that there is a growing number of mods and performance parts about.

ECU flashing will help unlock the full potential of all the parts you've done to your X16SZ.

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 will rely on the parts you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

Getting air into each cylinder is the aim to any engine tuning job.

The intake plenum flow the air during the suck phase from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine cylinders.

The bore size, shape and flow rate of the Intake can make a substantial change to fuel mixing and power on the X16SZ.

Most intake headers are in dire need of aftermarket parts, although a few manufacturers provide well optimised intake headers.

Big valve conversions on the X16SZ, doing a bit of port matching and head flowing will also raise bhp and torque, & more importantly will afford you increasing the bhp and torque increase on other tuning parts.

Turbo upgrades for the X16SZ

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 X16SZ

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

When your car is fitted with a turbo mods are relatively easy and most turbocharged engines are made using more solid components.

However every engines will need better parts at higher power limits

Discover these limits and upgrade to higher quality crank and pistons to utilize the power.

We've seen drivers spending a loads on turbocharger upgrades on the X16SZ only to see the whole thing catastrophically fail on it's first outing after it's been completed.

Large capacity turbochargers will usually experience low end lag, and low capacity turbochargers spool up more quickly but won't have the peak end engines power gains.

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

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into a couple of channels and flow these at differently designed vanes in the turbo charger. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there's a limitation in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on the X16SZ 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 limited bhp at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large torque gains, although more complex to setup. We have this feature on twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating X16SZ fuel injectors

When you boost the bhp you will need to look at to the fuel delivery.

More bhp needs more fuel. We would recommend you to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% capacity when fitting an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and allows a bit of spare capacity should the engine require 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 X16SZ performance exhausts

Only look to uprate your exhaust if the existing exhaust is actually causing a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the exhaust flow rate is still 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 equal out the flow of gases through the engine.

But if the exhaust is too big, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a great deal of your flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Common exhaust restrictions are in the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a better flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the X16SZ

The X16SZ engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the X16SZ, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your X16SZ engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our X16SZ owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

We need your help to complete and improve this page, so do give us your feedback in the comments box below.

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 X16SZ guides and tips are kept up to date.

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