Tuning the Vauxhall X24XF

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Vauxhall X24XF engine!"

We are frequently seeing threads requesting information on the best X24XF mods that work. So let us look into Vauxhall X24XF modifications and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

We shall review and look at X24XF tuning and show the ultimate modifications. Vauxhall X24XF great bases for a tuning project and with the right performance upgrades like a remap, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will substantially improve your driving fun.

The best X24XF mods on an engine are typically the ones that give the best power gain for you spend.

We won't be swayed by popular X24XF mods, they need to be cost effective.

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 engines power gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

NB: Fast road camshafts normally push up the power across the rev range, you may sacrifice a little low down torque but the higher rpm power will be better.

Competition camshafts, push up the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

For a typical daily driver must carefully try to optimize your torque band to your driving style.

I would be surprised if you have ever thought a X24XF Motorsport camshaft is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Each engine responds better to less aggressive camshaft durations than others.

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

Altering valve 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.

X24XF Tuning Stages

Stage 1 X24XF modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft.

Stage 2 X24XF modifications: Fast road cam, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust.

Stage 3 X24XF modifications: Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

Mapping should help to release the full potential of all the mods you've done to your X24XF.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but your results will differs on the mods you've applied and the condition of your engine.

Shoving more air and fuel into your X24XF is vital to any engine upgrade job.

Intake transmit the air from the filter and allow it to be sucked into the engine cylinders.

The shape and flow characteristics of the Headers can make a substantial change to fuel atomisation on the X24XF.

Commonly we find the intake are needing an upgrade, although a few car makers provide reasonably good intake.

Adding a X24XF larger valve kit, doing a bit of port work and head flowing will also raise bhp and torque, and more importantly will afford you a greater bhp and torque increase on other tuning mods.

Turbo upgrades for the X24XF

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 X24XF

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 your motor has forced induction parts are going to net you a larger power gain and we find turbo engines are made with better components.

However engines have limits

See where you'll find these limits and install more solid crank and pistons to cope with the power.

It's not unheard of mechanics spending a loads of money on turbo upgrades on the X24XF only to suffer the indignity of watching the engine go up in smoke soon after it's been enthusiastically driven.

Larger upgraded turbochargers often experience low end lag, and little turbochargers spool up really quickly but don't have the high rpm power band gains.

Thanks to new tech the market of turbos is always developing and we are seeing variable vane turbos, permitting the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp.

Twin scroll turbos divert the exhaust gases into 2 channels and direct these at differently angled vanes in the turbocharger. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there's a limitation in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the X24XF when considerably more air is being drawn into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor sapped performance at a much lower level.

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

Uprating X24XF fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will have to pay attention to the fuelling when you start going beyond 20% of a bhp and torque increase.We strongly recommend you to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% to the flow rate when buying an injector, this accounts for injector deterioration and provides a little 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 X24XF performance exhausts

You should look to replace your exhaust if your exhaust is actually causing a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll find your flow rate is still ok 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 air through the engine.

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

Usual exhaust restrictions are traced to the emissions filters installed, so adding a higher flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the X24XF

The X24XF engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the X24XF, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your X24XF engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our X24XF 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 mods were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our X24XF 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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