[-Dan-]

I'm fed up with seeing people asking the same question(s) over and over again about how to get '-Insert figure here- bhp' extra from their '1.1, Westcoast, Furio, VTR, VTS etc etc' Saxo, so I thought, despite there being a fair bit of information around, I'd summarise it into an easy to read and understand format, with all models of the Saxo range catered for.

Right...

The first step when looking for more power, is not an ebay 'Electronic Supercharger' or an '-Insert figure here- BHP Chip'. These are rubbish, and while occasionally the 'chip' is quite effective on some engine types, the power claims are bollocks. The general rule is you pay for what you get, for more info - see Ryans thread in the stickies on Ebay Superchargers and Chips.

Acceleration isn't all about power, its about a great bit list of things, the most notable are power to weight, and traction. So a lightweight car like the S1 Lotus Elise that only has a 1.8 118bhp engine, yet only weighs 750kg will nearly always out-accelerate something with a huge engine but weighs far more like a BMW 540i with it's 4.4 V8 and 286bhp.

You simply don't need high litre, high bhp engines for a Saxo, the weight of it would make it counter productive, and you can guarentee you will hit every single problem possible at some point during the project, and odds on say it would be an absolutely MASSIVE achievement if you even got it running, let alone moving, and handling even slightly well.

If you don't fancy the work/costs/drawbacks involved with boosting, you could go down the N/A route. There are numerous examples of very highly tuned N/A Saxos/106s on here, which I can only imagine goes like stink, and I think it's fair to say this is massively more than your average person would be able to handle, and certainly overkill If the car is intended for road use (as I guess most people want their cars for).

So don't let power and massive bhp figures go to your head, in the real world figures are basically just a guideline, and anyone that knows anything about cars will tell you to take power figures etc with a pinch of salt unless the entire car (suspension, chassis, brakes, tyres etc) are to a similar standard.

On to the improvements

If you want my advice, the engine, albeit arguably the most important part of a car isn't the ONLY part. Don't neglect things like the suspension, brakes etc.
The rule of thumb when it comes to performance upgrades, is do things evenly. You see a prime example in the Muscle vs Jap Car feud.

You have huge amounts of power in the muscle cars, which great, down the drag strip is all well and good, but as soon as you include corners, or places where they have to brake, the well-rounded (but less powerful) jap cars dick on them.

In the same way (although not quite as extreme) spending £1,000s of pounds on your engine, and keeping the standard suspension is the same sort of thing. I think most of the regular track go-ers will back me up in saying that a well-balanced saxo with a decent suspension setup running about 150bhp, will beat any 200bhp Turbo'd Saxo running standard shocks and springs, standard brakes etc around a track every day of the week. Especially if the less powerful car is properly setup and much lighter.

Further to what I said above about an overall package being better than just spunking money into the engine, I thought I'd lay out a couple of guideline setups for people looking for a well-rounded package.

Road-Setup

Based on a standard setup - with the following modifications.

Power and Transmission
- Panel Filter and Cold-Air Feed or Enclosed Induction Kit - choice is yours.
- Decat Pipe (For a MK1 or a VTS) or an aftermarket Manifold on the 8v MK2s to replace the Mani-Cat
- Choice of exhaust system - for a road-car a double-silenced system will help stop droning.

Suspension
- Bilstein B4 Dampers Front and Rear or the OE Citroen ones if they're still in good condition.
- Eibach Pro-Kit (35mm) or Eibach Sportline (50mm) springs - choice is yours.

This setup will have a good combination of noise, performance and looks without compromising the car on the sh*tty UK roads.

Fast-Road-Setup

Based on a standard setup - with the following modifications.

Power and Transmission
- Panel Filter and Cold-Air Feed or Enclosed Induction Kit - choice is yours.
- Decat Pipe (For a MK1 or a VTS) or an aftermarket Manifold on the 8v MK2s to replace the Mani-Cat
- Choice of exhaust system - for a road-car a double-silenced system will help stop droning.
- Uprated Gear linkages (firms up the gearchange)
- Quickshift

Suspension/Control
- Bilstein B8 Dampers Front and Rear
- Faulkner 155lb springs, lowering roughly 35mm
- Powerflex/Polyrace uprated bushes all-round
- Some nice grippy sports tyres - See the Tyres thread in the stickies for good choices.
- Kamracing 'Fast-Road' brake package - Mintex M1144 Pads all round and Maxtorq Group N Discs.

Interior
- Bucket Seats and Harnesses
- Decent Wheel (OMP or a replica)

This is a more driver focussed setup and it's all about hitting the twisties and letting the Bilstein and Faulkner setup work it's magic.

Light Track-Work and Fast-Road Setup

The next stage after that is where it gets complicated and much more 'personal' to the individual. But personally for Light Track and Heavy Fast-Road usage I'd get everything done that I listed in the Fast-Road setup then, I'd look into getting a wilder cam profile going on, and a decent remap. Match this to the AST Coilover unit with the 170lb Springs coupled again with some Bilstein B8s on the rear and you'd have a nice setup going on. I'd also definately looking into getting some high-performance discs and pads resistant to fade and warping. Then of course arguably the most important two things - I'd lose all the un-necessary weight from the car, and get some lightweight wheels wrapped in some decent tyres.

Onwards we go...