Alfa Admiration
The Alfa Romeo 156 - like most other Alfas - is a vehicle that owners can really form a bond with. It's the sort of car that gives pleasure simply by looking at it, let alone testing its handling - it's no wonder there are so many loyal Alfa fans out there.
Wisrute Buddhari of Thailand took delivery of this new 156 back in March 2000 and has so far racked up over 19,000 kilometres of trouble-fee everyday use - with the exception of a small "gearshift glitch." The car is actually quite a rarity in Thailand as it is a Sports Pack III fitted with a 5-speed manual 'box. The add-on aero bits you can see are from the good people at Zender.
After taking delivery, a little more power was soon being craved and Wisrute decided to add a Novitec cat-back exhaust kit. This gave a noticeable performance gain but did not last on the car for very long - looking for a system with a slightly quieter, more refined note Wisrute then swapped to a Supersprint cat-back system with two mufflers. A stainless steel header is also on its way.
On the intake side of things, a K&N pod air filter has been mounted inside the standard airbox - this gives improved flow while maintaining fairly low intake temperatures.
Although the standard 156 handles very well in even standard form, this beauty has also come in for some suspension mods. An Eibach/Koni combination was fitted first up, but ride quality issues necessitated some further researching. The Eibach and Konis have since been replaced with a Sachs kit comprising matching springs and (non adjustable) dampers - these bring the ride height down about 30 - 35mm (compared to stock) and provide a very acceptable everyday ride.
Wisrute then replaced the stock 16-inch rims with a set of Zender Siena 17s - Alfa's own 'Telephone Dial' 17s were simply too heavy at 11.5 kilograms each. Peer through those Zender spokes and you'll spy Tar-Ox grooved discs and lines teamed with recently installed MotorQuality pads. Yep, this is a very sweet all-round package.
But, wait, there's another 156 in the Buddhari family...
Wisrute's wife just happened to be searching for a new car when the 156 Sportwagon was introduced to the Thai market. The wagon purchased is a Selespeed self-shifter and, although luggage capacity is actually smaller than in the sedan, it's universally loved in the family. If the need to carry a heavy load arises there's always a Seat Alhambra to step up to the task...
Wisrute hasn't been able to resist the temptation to modify the Sportswagon as well as his sedan - the wagon now flaunts new forged Tecnomagnesio 17 x 7.5s (weighing just 8.3kg each), lowered suspension, Tar-Ox grooved discs and a JR replacement air filter. Another nice 'un!
If you're an Alfa-holic visit Wisrute's website at www.myalfa156.com
MR-2 Terror
The MR-2 Turbo's combination of light weight, 2-litre DOHC turbo power and ample MR traction means it's a car to always be taken seriously. And if you're talking about Dave Tanabe's US 1991 MR-2 turbo we can only advise looking the other way at the lights and playing dumb...
Dave's rampant little Toyota has been treated to, well, pretty well everything. Let's start under the engine lid... The standard Toyota turbocharger has been discarded to make space for a GReddy T67 turbocharger, stainless manifold, external wastegate and downpipe package. You'll also find a GReddy intercooler (with a fan and a custom core spray), Spearco water/alcohol injection, Type R blow-off valve, JAZ catch can, 1-range colder than standard NGK plugs, Nology hotwires, MSD 6AL and Blaster 2 coil and a RC big-bore throttle body. Induction air is filtered by a K&N cone and the exhaust is a GReddy Power Extreme job.
Electronic gadgetry includes a G-Force ECU, HKS VPC, GCC II and A'PEXi AVC-R. A MSD two-stage rev limiter - which is wired to the clutch - allows easy turbo pre-spooling for extra quick take-offs.
Backing the heavily worked 3S-GTE is a 6-puck clutch teamed with a JUN superlight flywheel and the standard 5-speed gearbox fitted with a modified C's short-throw shifter. Traction is generous thanks to 235/40 Yokohama AVSis worn on the Akt Alpha 17-inch rims. Front tyres are 215/40 17s.
Poise through those high-speed bends is delivered thanks to Koni adjustable struts teamed with H&R lowered springs. A Suspension Techniques front swaybar, MR2PP 'crash bolts' (which give up to 2-degrees negative camber) and custom tower bars round out the package.
The braking department is currently taken care of by cross-drilled rotors with Axxis Metal Master pads and racing fluid. ABS came as factory fitment.
Externally, the '2 is topped off with a Border front bumper with standard fog lights, a Kaminari front lip, Gracer side skirts, Tom's scoop, modified '95 MR2 taillights, '95 MR2 colour coded spoiler and moulding, '97 MR2 clear corners, Hella H4 headlights and tinted glass. This is, of course, in addition to the aforementioned lowered stance and 17-inch rims.
Inside, the cosy cabin is decked out with Greddy EGT and boost gauges, a K&N air-fuel ratio monitor, AutoMeter shift light, Momo harness, GREX shift knob, Clifford alarm, HKS turbo timer, Autolook pedals, Carmate rear view mirror and a custom push-start button. Oh, and a very important radar detector.
Sounds are sourced through a Kenwood double DIN headunit feeding a Sony EQ, Alphasonik crossover and two Soundstream Class A amps. A solobaric 10-inch sub and MB Quart splits create the desired SPL.
Phew - so what
hasn't this '2 got?! Well, add the yet-to-come Porsche 'big red' calipers, upgrade fuel system, exhaust mods and a couple of extra gauges and there ain't much!
Dave's goal is 500 rear-wheel horsepower - check out the ongoing progress at
www.powernet.net/~tanabe/mr2/
Fairer SX
Jill Banks and her modified S15 200SX can frequently be found in the Western Australian motorsport scene giving 'the big boys' a giant shake-up.
Jill has thrown a stainless 3-inch turbo-back exhaust, GFB blow-off valve and boost controller at the SR20DET motor found under the lid of her 2001 S15 Spec R. There's certainly no shortage of usable torque and power and it's nice to see the suspension and brakes have also been up-spec'd accordingly. Whiteline front and rear swaybars, 25mm lowered King springs, adjustable Koni shocks, front camber and castor kits and a front tower bar give the 'SX great handling finesse and excellent turn-in.
The standard ABS controlled four-wheel discs have also come in for a serving of quality brake fluid and Bendix Metal King pads (these are a little too noisy for street use, so are fitted prior to competition only).
Visually, the car is now set off with cheque pattern rear graphics, tinted windows and a top lookin' set of 17 x 8 Techart Lace rims. These wear 235/45 ultra high performance Kumho tyres; note, though, 245/45 Bridgestone RE540s on the standard 16-inch Nissan rims are used for track attacks.
A regular site on bitumen circuits around Perth, Jill and her 200SX have recently broken the Women's sprint long circuit record at Barbagallos Round 6 of the ENJO Sprint Event series as well as clinching some top spots in the road registered 2.0 ÃÂÃÂ 4.0-litre 2WD class. And all that with just 11.5 psi boost! Jill is a self-confessed "revhead" and you can count on her hotting up the pace even further.
Keep tabs on how Jill's rocket, in addition to some other Australian female owned weapons, is going by visiting www.crazybitchracing.com. Also, thanks to Brian White Photography (www.bwmedia.com.au) for the 'SmokeFree' Barbagallos shot.
It's All Good
A nice example a cost-effective and streetable upgraded LS1 is this Holden VX SS Commodore owned by Michael Bowe. Six of the seven cars Michael has owned have been Holden products and it's fair to say he's a bit of a fan - as a matter of fact he's a fan of pretty well anything related to Supercars, drags, Auscars, Nascars and Indycars.
Michael's previous car - a 1999 VT2 LS1-powered Commodore SS auto - got him used to having monster torque and power (446Nm and 220kW to be exact) so when the opportunity came up to snap up a brand new 2000 VX SS auto it was too good to refuse. According to Michael, the biggest improvements of the 225kW-spec VX were the revised dash and console trim, red coloured gauges, the front and side appearance of the body kit and - after a while - the look of the 17-inch factory rims. The engine and driveline, though, gave no real noticeable improvement - not in standard form, at least...
The temptation to update to a VY SS or one of those hot new Fords has been recently overcome and Michael has treated his low-kay VX to some power tweaks. These days, the car flaunts Di Fillipo 4>1 headers, high-flow cat converters, a twin G&D Performance 2 ½-inch inch exhaust, HSV air intake with a K&N panel filter and a custom LS1 Edit remap.
Michael says the exhaust is a tad loud, but is very pleased to report that there's much more pull all the way from idle. According to Michael (and going by the chassis dyno graph that shows 218 rear-wheel kWs) the flywheel kilowatt count is now up to around 280;
well into top HSV territory. Not only that, the LS1 Edit remap of the auto trans control has delivered sharpened up-changes during both light and heavy-load acceleration.
What else could you want from these (relatively) simple mods? Check out the car by starting at www.pipeline.com.au/staff/mbowe/default.htm
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