[Luka]

Hey evereyone I have a 1.6L Vitara. Its Fairly standard and im verry happy with it. i has wondering if you guyz could help me with some performance advice? Id like to know what performance equipment i Really Need before i go crazzy 4x4. Such as, i dont know, Snorkle? Exahust job maybe? Strong Lights? Whatever you guyz can sugest would be a big help to me.

[Scrawny]

Do you know if it's carby or EFi?
My advise won't give you any performance benefits at all but will help when off road.
Snorkel
Bullbar
Rated recovery points front and rear
Aux. lights
Snatch strap and rated shackles
Good set of AT tyres
Knowledge on how and when to use all of the above

If you want slight performance gain out of your engine then get extractors and a new exhaust fitted, including new cat. A simple 'tune up' (spark plugs, air filter, leads, etc) will also go a long way to giving you the full engine potential.

[zooky08]

For performance
Exhaust
Extractors
Snorkel
Cam upgrade
Tune up
New spark plugs and leads
Clean points, rotor button

[buzbox]

Suzuki valve caps are good for an extra 5 KW

But for engine performance do like zooky08 said, and in that order. Well I'd start with the last 3.

If you want offroad performance, Start with a decent set of tyres and lift.

[Built4thrashing]

Luka wrote:

Hey evereyone I have a 1.6L Vitara. Its Fairly standard and im verry happy with it. i has wondering if you guyz could help me with some performance advice? Id like to know what performance equipment i Really Need before i go crazzy 4x4. Such as, i dont know, Snorkle? Exahust job maybe? Strong Lights? Whatever you guyz can sugest would be a big help to me.

easy solution....sell it and buy a V6 model.

[SuziBlu]

98 is a must.

[Luka]

Ok ok this is great! if you guyz got more info that would be great. i dont have a snorkle but my zook has a 2 inch lift Cooper Off-roader tyres a Nudge bar 2x 100wat Sotlights and front and rear recovery points. I might look into a new Exhaust? Can anyone help with that? is there some sort of special exahust I should get or special mufler? BTW all posts to my noobie questions are Much appriciated Thax to everyone that helps me.

[DarkHorse]

Any exhaust shop can put a 2 inch cat and zorst in for a couple of $hunj, and could source a set of extractors for you.

Are you sure you have proper recovery points at each end, not just the original tow/tie down loops, which are not necessarily safe for full-on recovery?

Get some recovery gear (snatch strap and shackles minimum) and you should be good to go. Always a good idea to go out with someone else in case things go pear shaped!

[Luka]

yeh thax for the advice Mate. So will a good exahust job help the performance alot or just a little bit? Maybe i should get a Safari Snorkle Before i do the exahust. What do you guyz think?

[Scrawny]

A snorkel won't make any difference in performance.
An exhaust will only make a difference if the current cat is blocked, otherwise you won't notice much

[Gwagensteve]

Luka, what exactly do you mean by going crazzy 4X4?

Why do you think you need to spend money on your car before you drive off road?

To start with, you only need to spend money on safety equipment.

Make sure you carry a snatch strap and two shackles, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and a functional jack and spare tyre.

Then get a quality tyre pressure gauge, a good quality compressor, and a UHF CB or hand-held.

Then:

JOIN THE NSW SUZUKI CLUB. Driving with experienced drivers is the biggest performance improvement you can make to your vehicle. That's because the one thing that has the biggest effect on the performance of the car is the driver, and drivers who learn from more experienced drivers get more out of their car.

And additionally, understanding the safety of going out with other cars is the most important message of all.

Right now, your car is able to do things you couldn't even imagine. Everyone else was like you too once - keen to throw some money at your car to make it better, even of you had no idea what "better" was. Right now, a skilled and experienced driver could get in your car and drive it places you didn't think were possible.

Once you have gone on some drives with other suzuki owners, you'll have a really good idea of what adds performance off road.

Forget about the exhaust until it's stuffed. Your car makes plenty of power to work properly off road. Noise doesn't equal power and there's stuff all extra power to be had in changing the exhaust, especially as it's the first thing you'll smash on a rock offroad.

You don't really need a snorkel. Vitaras have quite well designed air intakes and if you are sensible and assess the depth of any water/holes before you drive in, you won't get water in the motor. Another good reason to go out with other people.

The #1 performance modification you could make to your car for off road driving would be a rear diff lock. This will get you further than lift, bigger tyres or really anything else.

Driving off road has almost nothing to do with engine performance. Every standard suzuki model has more than enough power to work well offroad. Off road driving is about gearing, traction and clearance, but mostly it's about driver skill.

Steve.

[stocker]

If your from blacktown NSW, you'd be right around where i live .

I noticed not so much more power with my Exhaust system but definitly improved acceleration. and made it a bit more responsive. I got my entire exhaust system done at Windsor Exhausts and they did a top job.

Just remember to mention to them ( or any exhaust shop i might add ) that you need the exhaust to be run Above the Chassis rails. and it definitly needs a flexd joint in it. Mine was done 2" Right the way through using the original cat, $660.

I'd definitly be looking at getting a set of decent tyres, you should be able to run a set of 235 / 75 R15's on yours no drama's with the 2" Lift. as to tyre manufacturer / Style ( All terrain or mud terrain )thats up to you. I Run the BF Goodrich allterrains, they are great for almost everything i have found and i've never had a puncture yet (Touch wood)

Hope my 2cents helps

[Gwagensteve]

That's good stuff stocker, but the OP already has cooper tyres. My guess is that for where they're at now, that's probably fine.

I'd still say an exhaust isn't really a performance modification for off road use. It won't hurt, but it's a poor value mod based on off road performance only.

Steve.

PS Luka - when you are thinking about what to spend your money on, always ask yourself why you might need it.

Better lights are nice, but they're expensive and all the time they're not being used, they're just $$$ sitting out the front of the car waiting to get pinched or hit a tree. If you're not driving at night tracks at night, you don't need special lighting for that application.

More power? More power is nice, but if you have open diffs ( no lockers) and smallish tyres, you already have more power than you have traction, so more power isn't an advantage.

Step through each problem that way and you won't spend money in the wrong place.

[MacDaddy]

zooky08 wrote:

For performance
Exhaust
Extractors
Snorkel
Cam upgrade
Tune up
New spark plugs and leads
Clean points, rotor button

X 2
Some say they dont notice much or any improvement with a new exhaust and extractors... but i have had it done on every Zook i have owned, and definitely noticed a decent difference in engine performance... i got a 2in system, with extractors on my old Vit, it felt good afterwards... i got a 2in system, with High Flow cat, and straight thru muffler on my GV, and it flies now.. he he...
Snorkel wont benefit with performance, but it does help the engine run cooler, by getting cooler air into the engine...
You would be surprised what a good service and tune up will do for the engine, replace spark plugs and get better leads... run some Nulon engine flush thru the engine and put a better quality, semi-synth oil in it... and one simple thing to do, is switch from standard unleaded, to premium 95 Ron, or 98 Ron of you can afford it, runs better, and the Zook engine loves it !