Tuning the Vauxhall Z22XE

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Vauxhall Z22XE engine!"

We are always getting emails asking how to improve the Z22XE from people wanting to know what are the best tips on Z22XE power upgrades. So let us look into Vauxhall Z22XE parts and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

The Vauxhall Z22XE offer good returns when tuned and with the best motorsport enhancements like remapping, turbo improvements and camshafts you will definitely enhance your driving fun.

Here we detail the best approach to Z22XE tuning and show the optimum mods that work.

The best Z22XE tuning parts on an engine are in our opinion the ones that give the best value for money.

We won't be swayed by popular Z22XE tuning parts, they need to be cost effective.

Significant gains on the Z22XE can be made from camshaft upgrades. Altering the camshaft profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the bhp and power output.

NB: Fast road cams normally bump the power through the rpm range, you could drop a little bottom end power but the higher rpm power will be lifted.

Race cams, bump the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

For a daily driver you need to optimize your torque band to your typical driving style.

I'd be amazed if you find a Z22XE Competition cam is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Different Z22XE engines respond better to less aggressive cam durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The ecu map and fuelling also will make differences on the bhp gains you'll get.

Altering valve 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.

Z22XE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 Z22XE modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Intake headers.

Stage 2 Z22XE modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, Fast road cam, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 Z22XE modifications: Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

ECU flashing will help to establish the full potential of all the parts you've done to your Z22XE.

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

It is the aim to any car tuning task to get air and fuel into your Z22XE

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

Design and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a substantial effect on to fuel delivery on the Z22XE.

On popular production engines intake are in dire need of an upgrade, although a few makers provide reasonably good intake.

Fitting big valve kits, doing some Z22XE port enlargement and head flowing will also lift bhp, this will permit raising the bhp increase on other mods.

Turbo upgrades for the Z22XE

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 Z22XE

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

When your motor has forced induction upgrades are simpler to install and most turbocharged engines are made using harder and stronger components.

However engines have weakspots

See where you'll find these restrictions and fit higher quality components to cope with the power.

It's not unheard of people spending a loads of money on turbo charger upgrades on the Z22XE only to experience the motor catastrophically fail just after it's been enthusiastically driven.

Big upgraded turbos commonly suffer low end lag, and low capacity turbos spool up quickly but do not have the high rpm bhp gains.

In the last 10 years the choice of turbo units is always developing and we are seeing variable vane turbo units, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbo units divert the exhaust gases into two channels and feed these at differently profiled vanes in the turbocharger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there is a limit in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the Z22XE when loads more air is being drawn into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting bhp and torque at a much lower level.

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

Uprating Z22XE fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so should increase the fuelling when you start going beyond 20% of a power increase.Don't forget to be generous with your flow rate on the injectors.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% to the flow rate when buying an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and gives a little spare capacity should the engine need 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 Z22XE performance exhausts

You only need to to uprate your exhaust if the current exhaust is actually causing a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll see your flow rate is 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 will certainly help air flow out of the engine but do not go too large or you could will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Typically exhaust restrictions are traced to the emissions filters installed, so adding a faster flowing sports alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the Z22XE

The Z22XE engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the Z22XE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your Z22XE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our Z22XE 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 Z22XE 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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