mgf power upgrade

[fredrin]

my mgf 1.8vvc is booked in for a power upgrade. i will let you know how it goes

[Ian Burt]

2 Questions

1 : What are you having done?
2 : What power gains are you expecting?

[fredrin]

i have fitted a green cotton induction kit and a 52mm throttle body previously which have probably given me about 5bhp above the factory standard 145bhp. the imminent upgrade entails fitting a ported head, and the expected gain is to 170bhp.

[fredrin]

Latest update: The job was done last week. A ported head was fitted and while he was at it the engineer checked all the mechanical components and changed what needed changing. There were a few dodgy moments after the re-fit until we realised that a collapsed Cat was preventing the engine from breathing properly. Once that was sorted we had the engine running sweetly and revving smoothly all the way to the limiter. It feels much lighter to drive (obviously because there is more power) and the extra power is there all the way up the rev band for when it is required. Very exciting.

[Ian Burt]

Sounds good Fredrin, how did you diagnose the cat problem, was it by using live data readings from the lambda sensors or just through a process of ellimination?

[fredrin]

all the anecdotal advice was that it might be the cat. i was going play safe and have a diagnostic just to be certain but upon arranging for the job there was going to be two days before i could be booked in. i was desperate to feel my new power so i decided to take a chance on changing the cat. what could have been an expensive experiment turned out accurate.
next step is to arrange a horsepower test on a rolling road. i hope to publish the results.