SS3 Performance and Handling Modifications

[Excalibur]

Im from NZ
Im putting out this info so that all those Celicas in OZ can surprise a few other drivers
Ive done a lot of research for my little non turbo baby and its starting to get up and go quite well
Here's what I've done and some times

My car is a:
Toyota Celica 1998 SS3
2.0L Red Top Beams engine with vvti
ST202-BLMZF
197hp stock / 216 ?
1250 kg stock curb weight / 1148 kg now
economy 28 - 32 mpg / 10- 12.5 k/l

Times: 1/6/2011
95 octane, cold tyres
I was doing 8.6 secs to begin with on the 0 to 60
And 18.6 secs on the 20k to 160k

0 - 100kph ......6.2 secs
20 - 160kph ..13.37

100k to 160k ..7.8 secs (hard acceleration up to 100k in 3rd)

The 20 to 160k is my main measure and I do that by cruising at a steady 20k in 1st and then press my foot down (no clutch). Changing gear at 7000rpm.

(useful sites - torquestats.com / zeroto60.com / albeedigital.com)



Modifications

I have also put the amount of hp I believe these mods have added. This is just a guess and goes from my times after each mod. Please dont get shirty about my claims, but see it more as a reference to the other mods.

I've also put hp gains for weight loss. Of course losing weight doesnt add hp. But it frees up the hp you have available, therefore I have put in these amounts so you can have a relative idea of how weight loss helps. Basically with a 1200kg car at 200hp, losing 6kg is the equivalent of gaining 1hp.

* Ram air or 'Air Assisted Intake' [see footnote] fitted with 4 litre container behind fog light [fog light removed] (4hp)
[This mod alone took an amazing 1 sec of my 20 - 160 k time]
* Electric Water Pump and Digital Controller (2-3hp)
* Racing Spec Condenser and earthing kit (2-3hp)
* Catalytic converter core removed (oxygen sensors left in place) (1hp)
* Fuelstar installed to fuel line (1.5hp)
* Stock Platinum plugs aligned to intake (+1hp)
* Amsoil 10W30 full synthetic oil and Amsoil 1 micron filter
(guaranteed for 25,000 miles or 1 year between changes)
* K&N Panel Filter (1.5-2hp)
* Heat wrap on exhaust manifold


* Battery removed / 5.5kg dry cell Vertex 440 amp Racing Battery installed (1hp)
* Spoiler removed also spare wheel, jack, fog lights 22kg (4hp)
* Aluminium GT4 bonnet 6kg (1hp)

* Volk TE37C 15" x 6.5 mags (45 offset) (2-3hp)
* 15mm wheel spacers G Racing
* Tein Super Street Adjustable Shocks
* 2 piece Znoelli Rotors/ alloy hats (2hp)
* Toyo T1R tyres / Teo Plus

* Low compression 350 degree Racing Brake fluid
* Soundproofing in front and rear guards, firewall, undercarpet



Weight Shed (current weight on res. 1152kg)

12.1 kg - Spare wheel (I carry tyrefoam)
12.0 kg - Aluminium GT4 bonnet (6kg)
11.0 kg - Air conditioning

10.0 kg - Volk TE37C 15" rims
9.6 kg - Tein Coilovers
8.3 kg - Rear seat and belts behind driver
7.0 kg - Spoiler
5.5 kg - Battery
5.5 kg - sideskirts
4.3 kg - Boot tyre cover, wires, lining
3.4 kg - spare wheel cover, lining, Top trim off hatch cover
3.2 kg - T1R 205/50/16 (8.62kg)
3.0 kg - 2 piece front rotors with alloy hats
2.4 kg - Jack and brace
2.8 kg - replace fans with 14" racing fan
1.5 kg - Fog Lights

1.0 kg - Aerial
1.0 kg - Rear wiper and motor
0.7 kg - aluminium heat shield
______
105.5 kg
[About 13 kg added with respray, soundproofing foam and extra gauges, wheel spacers]


Handling

When I got this car the handling was sloppy with a lot of body roll and sway under hard braking.
New shocks all round helped. the aluminium bonnet and lightweight battery improved the cornering noticeably
The 20mm lowering springs also dramatatically improved handling
The next best upgrade was the 16" x 7 rims. This stopped the remaining sway
As the wheels were 46 offset from a Subaru, I put on the 15mm spacers to move the wheels out more, giving it an offset of 31. * See warning on spacers on footnote
The car immediately felt wider and flatter. These were G Racing Hubcentric Spacers engineered to 0.05mm
Now it could take corners at speeds 10 to 15 k faster than before, probably faster but I havent found its limit yet.
They also made the suspension softer and the steering better, as previously it felt a little light at high speeds

I put on new slotted rotors but they were quite heavy (6.8 kg) and robbed me of power.
My old stock rotors were only 4.7kg, but they had been crossdrilled
and were very thin at 21mm (celicas are 28mm/26mm min)

With my mechanic taking the necessary measurements we convinced a company to make us some 2 piece rotors
Luckily the Celica pistons are 69mm long. This means that with worn pads and rotors at 22mm
there is still 23mm of piston left inside the caliper( I never let them wear more than 2/3)
This was necessary as the only disc that fitted was 24mm. It is still thick and weighs 5.3kg with the alloy hat
My brakes dont seem to get hot much, but I do run a 600 degree low compression racing fluid
At present with standard Toyota pads but I may upgrade to some Rally type pads when I can afford a set

Muffler: I have put on a straight through carbon fibre. It improved my times by 0.2 secs but was 500% noisier so I removed it. I have tried the Flowsound muffler which had good performance reviews. It slowed me down by 0.4 secs. I am putting my stock (quiet) muffler back on as it has given me these times. i have heard the Blitz Nur Spec R is good and quiet.

The soundproofing has made my car a lot quieter. I have put on $800 worth - 5 spraycans of underseal underneath the car, 4 inside the wheel arches and 3 inside the boot and door panels as well a a 1L tin. I also have a medium density adhesive backed foam with a silver flame resistant surface. Its $75/M and I have it everywhere. In my engine bay as you can see in the photos, ALL through the boot and shock pillars, under the seats and footwells and a fair amount of household insulation stuffed into various nooks and crannies. I find the T1R's quiet. Quieter than the GT Radial Champiro 228's. Personally I wouldnt use any other tyre.

.

Wheel Spacers : The spacers I put on only moved my wheel out 11mm, as I had 46 offset Volks from a Subaru. The smallest 'hubcentric' spacers are 15mm. A hubcentric spacer has 2 sets of wheel studs - hence the weight of 780gms each - they will slow you down a fraction, but improve handling a lot. 'Hubcentric' spacers are highly engineered and will be certifiable, as they keep your wheel weight on the hub NOT the studs.

Unless you have 46 or 48 offset rims on a 2000 model Celica, 15mm spacers may not be a good idea (Im guessing these Celicas are 42 offset?) They may be ok, but they may stiffen up your steering quite a lot as a 15mm spacer changes your acumen angle. The 2000 model already has superior handling to the ST202 anyway i think.

If you install shim spacers - I would recommend only 3 to 5 mm shims. 7mm and 10mm shims transfer the weight of the wheel onto the wheel studs which is dangerous. If the 2000 models are anything like mine - you will have very short wheel studs and you may find that a 3mm shim is as long as you can go (keeping 6 to 7 turns on the studs). You can replace your studs with longer high tensile racing studs, (a bit more stress on your outer wheel bearings but they will still last for years). Im happy with my spacers, but in retrospect i would probably have put on 3mm shims and universal racing studs. This would have given me more power available at the wheels and been cheaper.

Ram Air - My Ram Air is a 4 litre juice bottle with the bottom cut out and in the space behind my fog light (removed) A 40 or 50mm tube is around the neck and goes up into my airbox. I have read on the web this only creates 0.18psi and it is more the cold air that gives you power. Mine makes me 1 sec faster in my times, and I have removed it and retimed it many times.

Yesterday I went to tape the pipe/airbox join to create more of a 'forced induction system' and I found a large hole in the air intake near the airbox. I sealed this and was 1 sec slower - So there is not a lot of 'ramming' going on. Maybe an 'Air Assisted Intake' is a more accurate name. I think it is helping the air to keep circulating and making it cooler. My system is perhaps more like having your pod at the front of your grill facing into the wind, rather than in your guard (not in the engine bay!)

Possibly your pod would work a lot better if you had a 2" x 1" hole in your pipe 4ft from your throttle. I think this would keep your air cooler. My hole is about 10cm off my main pipe near where it joins the airbox

Re; the photo below - I have since moved my Electric Water Pump Digital Controller to the dash.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Excalibur