Tuning the Vauxhall X22XE

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Vauxhall X22XE engine!"

We are regularly getting posts requesting info on the optimum X22XE modifications. So let us look into Vauxhall X22XE upgrades and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

Here we examine the options for your X22XE tuning and outline the best modifications. Vauxhall X22XE offer good returns when tuned and with carefully picked motorsport upgrades like remapping, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will noticeably improve your driving enjoyment.

Just because particular upgrades are popular with X22XE owners it doesn't mean you should fit it, we shall concentrate) on the top upgrades that will give your X22XE the biggest power gain return for your cash.

The camshaft profile plays a big part in the engines power output so camshaft upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake & exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen camshaft profile, so large torque gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

NB: Fast road cams tend to boost the bhp and torque throughout the rpm range, you may sacrifice a little low end torque but the high end rpm power will be higher.

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.

For a daily driver must carefully try to match your power band to your driving style.

I'd be shocked if you find a X22XE Race camshaft is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas.

Each engine responds better to different cam durations than others.

The ECU mapping and fuelling also will make differences on the torque gains you'll achieve.

Extending exhaust or intake durations 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.

X22XE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 X22XE modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Intake headers, Drilled & smoothed airbox.

Stage 2 X22XE modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 X22XE modifications: Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Engine balancing & blueprinting.

A remap should help to release the full potential of all the upgrades you've done to your X22XE.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but the end result may rely on the upgrades you've done and the condition of your engine.

It is vital to any performance tuning project to pull more air into the X22XE engine

Intake take the air from the filter and allow it to be fed into the engine cylinders with fuel for the squish phase.

The shape and flow characteristics of the Intake can make a substantial change to fuel atomisation on the X22XE.

It's not uncommon that air intake manifolds are needing performance upgrades, although a few makers provide fairly well optimized air intake manifolds.

Increasing the X22XE valve size, doing some port work and head flowing will also improve bhp and torque, and as an added benefit will permit increasing the bhp and torque increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the X22XE

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 X22XE

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.

If a car is fitted with a turbo tuning mods are going to make more power and you will discover turbo charged engines are made using strengthened components.

There are common areas of failure for every engine, with some being extremely strong and some just sufficiently able to handle stock power

We recommend you find these limitations and install forged components to survive the power.

We see many car owners spending a a stack of money on turbo upgrades on the X22XE only to suffer the indignity of watching the whole thing explode on it's first outing after it's finished.

Larger capacity turbo chargers tend to suffer low end lag, and smaller turbo chargers spool up really quickly but won't have the peak rpm engines power gains.

Over the last 20 years the choice of turbochargers is always increasing and we commonly find variable vane turbochargers, allowing the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

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

You'll commonly see there is a restriction in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the X22XE when loads more air is being pulled into the engine.

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

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

Uprating X22XE fuel injectors

Don't miss you'll need to look at the fuelling when you are increasing the torque - it makes the car more thirsty. Don't forget to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

As a rule of thumb add 20% when buying an injector, helps cope with injector deterioration and allows you some 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 X22XE performance exhausts

You may need to upgrade your exhaust if your current exhaust is creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the exhaust flow rate is good 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 help balance the flow of gases through the engine.

But if your exhaust pipe is too large, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose much of the flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Usual exhaust restrictions are in the filters installed, so adding a freer flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the X22XE

The X22XE engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the X22XE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your X22XE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our X22XE 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 upgrades were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our X22XE 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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