Peugeot 407 Tuning

"Tuning up the 407"

We look at 407 tuning and summarise the best modifications for this popular family car.

Overall the Peugeot 407#s are good project cars and with a few sensible performance tuning mods you can dramatically maximise your driving enjoyment.

They may be overlooked by many as Family or executive cars but they are great to drive and make superb sleepers if you do the right mods to them.

We have seen some awesome 407 tuning projects and there seems to be quite a loyal fan base of 407 owners. With the right mods your 407 can be transformed into a fun car. Don't waste money, do your homework and follow our unbiased guides to each performance upgrade to avoid disappointment.

Tuning tips and articles

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

 

Improving the handling for loads of people first priority in your 407 tuning project.

Adding some negative camber at the front wheels and around 1 to 1.7 degrees of toe out, will dramatically enhance your 407 in handling and cornering.

We would go to a maximum drop of 28mm - 40 mm on most models. You risk rubbing on the arches if you go lower than this.

Many 407 owners uprate the handling of their cars as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car. We would go to a maximum drop of 35mm on most models. You risk rubbing on the arches if you go lower than this.

Top end power should be your overall aim on the 407 with a nice fat peak torque band.

407 make good sleepers if you debadge them and fit the most powerful engine upgrades and handling mods you can source!

The best power gains come from larger engine sizes. The more you start with the bigger the return on investment so engine swaps are good value mods for small engined cars.

These mods are usually performed by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you begin.

Getting the best mods for your planned usage of the car is essential. Stage 3 competition upgrades just don't work well on the road as it makes the car hard to control in slow traffic.

Stage 1 mods:alloy wheels,Remap,lighter flywheel,suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm),sports exhaust,Panel air filter.

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

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

Tuning modifications.

These mods uprated parts are usually installed by our members, decide how far you want to go before you get going.

Getting the correct grade of tuning parts for your planned usage of the car is a time and money saver. Stage 3 motor sport mods just won't work well on the road hard to control in slow traffic.

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Guide to the Best Tuning Mods & Upgrades

  1. Mods that Remove a Restriction

    If the intake or exhaust are restricted in any way this will have an impact on your cars performance, so use an induction kit/filter upgrade and better flowing exhaust whenever your tuning creates a flow restriction.

  2. Mods that Improve Handling

    Braking, Suspension and general alignment of the suspension components is vital for any tuning project even before you start increasing power.

  3. Fit Stronger Parts

    Tuned cars will show up weaknesses, typically in the turbochargers, clutch and internal engine components. Whilst most engines can cope with mild tuning mods, TorqueCars recommend that you upgrade the internal components before these weak spots manifest themselves.

  4. ECU Tunes & Remapping

    While some cars can be easily remapped, others may require piggyback ECU's or aftermarket ECU's but this is the most vital step of your tuning project as it fully releases the power from all of your mods and upgrades. Expect 10-20% on NASP engines and 30-40% on turbocharged units.

  5. More Power Needs More Fuel & Air

    Every tuning project will aim to increase the air supply, but fuel supply is just as vital and will need to match the air the engine can utilise. Fuel to Air ratio is vital so upgrade the fuel pump & injectors. Also you can look to perform head mods (flowing and porting), bigger valves, fast road cams and forced induction upgrades to improve fuel.

Stages of Tune

Stage 1 mods: Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm), Panel air filter, Remap, Alloy wheels, Lighter flywheel, Sports exhaust.

Stage 2 mods: Fast road cam, high flow fuel injector, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, Power/Sport clutch.

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

You really need to keep as much low end torque as you can and aim for a wide power band rather than a narrow top end power hike.

The whole point of our tips is to give a little insight into the world of tuning modifications and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your car tuning project, the best tuning upgrades and all aspects of modding cars.Fast road cams offer one of the biggest bhp gains for your money as far as a single sports modifications goes on a NASP engine.

The intake and exhaust flow play a large part in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car difficult to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a camshaft upgrade with other mods and finish with a remap to fully release the power gain.

When pushing up the power you will need to pay attention to to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel.

Using higher octane petrol is another option if you find you are suffering from pinking or premature ignition on your Peugeot project after fitting other uprated upgrades. To get sufficient fuel you may need to upgrade the injectors on your engine.

Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned 407s uprated injectors.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Contrary to popular belief there is often very little if any power gain reached by fitting an induction kit, they only become beneficial and are recommended after you raise the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Induction kits can work well on turbo engines and larger engines (if supplied with a suitable cold air feed or air box), generally though we'd just recommend for 407 engines you should settle for a performance panel air filter preferably made from cotton.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow through the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too wide or you could will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Getting the head ported and polished will further help more air into each cylinder. This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. A good fast road upgraded clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never cut corners or assume your standard OEM clutch to cope. The best mods we would do for your 407 are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give large power gains and fully release the potential power of the engine.

We've also come across some owners playing with twin charging applications and making some seriously high power hikes.

The most significant power gains for NASP engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. Turbos are generally harder to add than a supercharger. With a turbo the boost curve is related exponentially to the engine speed making it more challenging to map.

It is easier to map a supercharger because the boost is directly proportional to engine speed on a linear curve. Adding forced induction will generally require a lower compression ratio or water injection.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and more efficient brake cooling via the extra air flow they allow. Pay attention to your choice of tyres (tires) for your car, a good soft compound tire can really enhance your cars handling. Large 407 alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Although some people have with bigger wheels without issues we would restrict ourselves to a 17 inch rim size as the maximum.

There is a more updated version of this Peugeot 407 Tuning article on TorqueCars.com.

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