Chances are that the Kancil has had an engine transplant and some serious modifications administered to that engine, so unless you drive a real SLK, you’d probably get burned by that Kancil again. Fret not however, for here’s a guide on the modifications that can be done to up the power of your car’s engine and give you a fighting chance.
Forced Induction Systems
This is the mother-load of all car modifications. A forced induction unit is basically an engine component that forces more air into the engine, and more air = more power.
There are two types of systems; a turbocharger or a supercharger. The main difference between the two is the power supply of each. A supercharger is powered by a belt connected directly to the engine. A turbocharger on the other hand is powered by the exhaust stream.
Because of the differences in the power supply, both give different types of performance. A supercharger is activated once the engine is switched on and remains activated throughout all rev bends. A turbocharger is activated only when the car is running above a certain rpm. The time between the rev and the boost provided by the turbocharger is known as turbo lag. The less turbo lag, the better.
Some engines in high performance cars such as the Mitsubishi Evolution come factory equipped with a turbo unit. These engines however are specifically designed to handle the wear and tear associated to track racing, thus having a turbo unit installed is not a problem. However, for the average Nissan Latio, installing a turbo unit is challenging but not impossible.
The first step is naturally to search for a Bolt-on Turbo (BOT) that fits your car’s engine. A scout around some forums may yield some results, but for better understanding and to make a more informed decision, it’s wise to have a chat with the technician at your car’s service centre. More often than not they would be able to point you in the right path.
In general however, there are a few basic modifications that should be made to your car before it’s ready for a turbo unit. These modifications include a better radiator, suspension, exhaust, tyres and of course, brakes. An aftermarket Electronic Control Unit is also needed to remap the car’s air-to-fuel ratio, as both systems require tuning to be able to force in the optimum amount of air into the engine.
Take note however that turbo units requires a rev usually above 3,000 RPM to kick in, so fuel consumption will definitely be affected. Your car will gulp instead of sip.
Forced Induction Systems
 |
This is the mother-load of all car modifications. A forced induction unit is basically an engine component that forces more air into the engine, and more air = more power.
There are two types of systems; a turbocharger or a supercharger. The main difference between the two is the power supply of each. A supercharger is powered by a belt connected directly to the engine. A turbocharger on the other hand is powered by the exhaust stream.
Because of the differences in the power supply, both give different types of performance. A supercharger is activated once the engine is switched on and remains activated throughout all rev bends. A turbocharger is activated only when the car is running above a certain rpm. The time between the rev and the boost provided by the turbocharger is known as turbo lag. The less turbo lag, the better.
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Some engines in high performance cars such as the Mitsubishi Evolution come factory equipped with a turbo unit. These engines however are specifically designed to handle the wear and tear associated to track racing, thus having a turbo unit installed is not a problem. However, for the average Nissan Latio, installing a turbo unit is challenging but not impossible.
The first step is naturally to search for a Bolt-on Turbo (BOT) that fits your car’s engine. A scout around some forums may yield some results, but for better understanding and to make a more informed decision, it’s wise to have a chat with the technician at your car’s service centre. More often than not they would be able to point you in the right path.
In general however, there are a few basic modifications that should be made to your car before it’s ready for a turbo unit. These modifications include a better radiator, suspension, exhaust, tyres and of course, brakes. An aftermarket Electronic Control Unit is also needed to remap the car’s air-to-fuel ratio, as both systems require tuning to be able to force in the optimum amount of air into the engine.
Take note however that turbo units requires a rev usually above 3,000 RPM to kick in, so fuel consumption will definitely be affected. Your car will gulp instead of sip.
Also, if you set the boost level too high, your car’s engine life will be reduced significantly because of the extra amount of stress placed unto it.
The amount of horsepower added to your car once one of these systems is installed depends on the amount of boost set. Normal atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi, so if you’re able to get that much boost, you’ll have 100% horsepower gain (if your car has 100 HP, a boost of 14.7 psi will give you 200hp.) Normally, BOT users set their boost lower than or at 14 psi, anything more will put serious stress on the engine, usually causing failure.
Popular turbo brands include Greddy, HKS, Apexi and Garrett.
Engine Control Unit (ECU)
The ECU is the brains of the engine. It decides how much fuel is burnt, how fast it’s burnt, ignition timing, throttle response - basically how the engine behaves at different RPM’s.
What you want is a programmable ECU so that you can manually adjust the parameters of the ECU to suit your driving style. It is always wiser to leave the tuning to a specialist unless you have extensive knowledge in the software used to tune the ECU.
An ECU that is not tuned properly may cause you to spend loads of cash on fuel as the optimal fuel injection/burning is based on ECU settings.
Popular brands of programmable ECUs include GReddy and Motec.
Lightened Crank Pulleys (LCP)
Every car has Crank Pulleys. This component is basically a wheel in the engine bay that powers the alternator, water pump and air conditioning compressor. LCP is a crank pulley on a diet.
It weighs less than a normal crank pulley thus reducing the stress that is put on the car, allowing for an easier rev. Mind you, that most aftermarket LCPs come without a harmonic dampener, which works as a pillow that absorbs all the vibrations in the engine bay, reducing damage to the crankshaft, and to the overall engine. So it’s best if you can find a LCP that comes with a harmonic dampener built-in.
Let me stress that LCPs DO NOT increase HP gains, it merely increases torque and decreases the amount of stress put on the engine.
So far, I’ve only seen a brand called Mythelogy producing LCPs.
The amount of horsepower added to your car once one of these systems is installed depends on the amount of boost set. Normal atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi, so if you’re able to get that much boost, you’ll have 100% horsepower gain (if your car has 100 HP, a boost of 14.7 psi will give you 200hp.) Normally, BOT users set their boost lower than or at 14 psi, anything more will put serious stress on the engine, usually causing failure.
Popular turbo brands include Greddy, HKS, Apexi and Garrett.
Engine Control Unit (ECU)
 |
The ECU is the brains of the engine. It decides how much fuel is burnt, how fast it’s burnt, ignition timing, throttle response - basically how the engine behaves at different RPM’s.
What you want is a programmable ECU so that you can manually adjust the parameters of the ECU to suit your driving style. It is always wiser to leave the tuning to a specialist unless you have extensive knowledge in the software used to tune the ECU.
An ECU that is not tuned properly may cause you to spend loads of cash on fuel as the optimal fuel injection/burning is based on ECU settings.
Popular brands of programmable ECUs include GReddy and Motec.
Lightened Crank Pulleys (LCP)
 |
Every car has Crank Pulleys. This component is basically a wheel in the engine bay that powers the alternator, water pump and air conditioning compressor. LCP is a crank pulley on a diet.
It weighs less than a normal crank pulley thus reducing the stress that is put on the car, allowing for an easier rev. Mind you, that most aftermarket LCPs come without a harmonic dampener, which works as a pillow that absorbs all the vibrations in the engine bay, reducing damage to the crankshaft, and to the overall engine. So it’s best if you can find a LCP that comes with a harmonic dampener built-in.
Let me stress that LCPs DO NOT increase HP gains, it merely increases torque and decreases the amount of stress put on the engine.
So far, I’ve only seen a brand called Mythelogy producing LCPs.
