XIIVVX
Active member
Well Mrs XIIVVX's car can hardly be called a project, but as ever there are one or two little adjustments being made to get it how we like it.
The first of these, inspired by her, not me, was a remap to liven-up the overtaking performance in the mid range. For a 1500cc diesel it is pretty quick off the blocks when standard, but definitely lacking in punch for the sneaky overtake at cruising speeds 40-60 ish.
So it was off to Zensport in Braintree, and they were good. Talked at length about what was required, we then went for a drive, me driving first and demonstrating the issues, Iggy (the boss) driving next. I then left it with them for a few hours whilst I went off to do some work.
Picked it up, we did the drive again in reverse order and I have to say - he nailed it. The custom remap is just what was needed and it is now a much more pleasant car to drive. At the same time they fitted a Pipercross filter. Normally I dislike filter mods intensely, but this was at their recommend, and it has to be said that it hasn't made the car any noisier, so it is liveable with.
Regrettably I installed mod #2 on the same day. Stupid really because it is hard to isolate the benefits of one over the other. But with bad weather coming up I wasn't happy with Mrs XIIVVX battling the A14 / A11 daily on Nakajima Ditchfinders (and 1 Contisport), so on went a pair of Dunlop BluResponse Sport to the front.
Brilliant tyres so far. HUGE increase in grip, particularly in the wet, much sharper, and notably quieter too.
The two mods together have edged up the (computer) mpg for her commute from just under 54mpg to just under 56 mpg. Doesn't sound a lot, but will make a difference of around £80 - £100 a year on fuel costs, more than covering the difference between the Dunlops at around £140/tyre and another set of Ditchfinders. It doesn't look as though the remap has done any harm to the economy at all.
Overall? Very pleased
The first of these, inspired by her, not me, was a remap to liven-up the overtaking performance in the mid range. For a 1500cc diesel it is pretty quick off the blocks when standard, but definitely lacking in punch for the sneaky overtake at cruising speeds 40-60 ish.
So it was off to Zensport in Braintree, and they were good. Talked at length about what was required, we then went for a drive, me driving first and demonstrating the issues, Iggy (the boss) driving next. I then left it with them for a few hours whilst I went off to do some work.
Picked it up, we did the drive again in reverse order and I have to say - he nailed it. The custom remap is just what was needed and it is now a much more pleasant car to drive. At the same time they fitted a Pipercross filter. Normally I dislike filter mods intensely, but this was at their recommend, and it has to be said that it hasn't made the car any noisier, so it is liveable with.
Regrettably I installed mod #2 on the same day. Stupid really because it is hard to isolate the benefits of one over the other. But with bad weather coming up I wasn't happy with Mrs XIIVVX battling the A14 / A11 daily on Nakajima Ditchfinders (and 1 Contisport), so on went a pair of Dunlop BluResponse Sport to the front.
Brilliant tyres so far. HUGE increase in grip, particularly in the wet, much sharper, and notably quieter too.
The two mods together have edged up the (computer) mpg for her commute from just under 54mpg to just under 56 mpg. Doesn't sound a lot, but will make a difference of around £80 - £100 a year on fuel costs, more than covering the difference between the Dunlops at around £140/tyre and another set of Ditchfinders. It doesn't look as though the remap has done any harm to the economy at all.
Overall? Very pleased
Quality update Rob, glad to hear it's going well!
