Having just picked up my auii fairmont ghia vct, i have a few issues (raised a while ago i believe). economy is rather poor- 500-550 km out of the full tank.

i am getting extractors. what ones should i get and what prices am i looking at? i have heard that life is more difficult for simple mods with the vct engine, any truth to this?

a friend suggested ss induction cai, worthwhile? costs?

exhaust... this is where it gets a little seedy... at the moment i like the silence of teh car. can i get a nice mandrel bent sustem that does the same job as a sports exhaust, just without the constant rumble?

Brakes. not surprisingly, there is feedback throuh the abs brakes and steering wheel when braking lightly - medium at high speed (90+). DBA cross drilled slotted fronts worth the cash? what should i do for the rears? how about pads? id like to steer further away from metal pads, as i dont wnat the new disc being chewed to bits!

anything else anyone can suggest it would be great! number one issue for now is economy... power i will worry about later! (always is a bonus though!)

cheers all

-Janek

Economy isnt too bad there as l get about 600 driving around town and 650-700 max highway driving. Only get 300 klms when towing work trailer to so maybe get new plugs and leads. I've got pacies and 2 1/2 inch mandrel with hot dog muffler and it is load but if you want quet then get more mufflers on it. Got mine fitted for 780 from exhaust bros in hoppers. Good gains can be made from changing the cam of the vct but you have to get a chip also which is the expensive part.

I have gone through the VCT nightmare and come out the other side. I strongly suggest you go to www.aufalcon.com and read a couple articles I wrote. One is called "Orphan no more" and the other is "Caspers Car has Surgery".
I think it will give you an insite into the VCT and help you get an idea of what can be done...and why....to help you out.

As for brakes, I will be going DBA slotted (not drilled, no real gain just looks) and Bendix Advance pads on the front of mine in the next 2 months. After a fair bit of reading up and asking it seems to be a decent combination.

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Sorry to burst the bubble but the VCT is a very different animal to the std OHC I6. It does not respond to the same mods in the same way, this applies double to exhaust where the wrong decision can actually lose power on the VCT. This has been documented a number of times. If you do it right though VERY high figures can be gained. You are correct about a chip though, the factory ECU programming is horrible at best. I have a Chiptorque in mine and the difference is remarkable. For $595 plus fitting it will make a huge difference, add another $200 for custom tuning and you will see another increment in performance gain.

As for VCT aftermarket cams, I only know of 1 and thats the JMM DEV5 VCT one which is no good by itself, the head need massive work on it to get the performance out of it. Put it in without the headwork and you will see very little improvement if any. Words from Jim himself. If anyone knows of another aftermarket VCT cam I'm all ears cause I've tried near on all the manufactures without sucess.

Still, with mine getting 150rwkw and a 15.0@93.5mph 1/4 for an auto, a new cam really isnt required.

Nice one Casper - good to see you have finally got your VCT issues sorted...I recall giving you a run at one of the Heathcote meets when yours was running very ordinary...good to see you've gone through the hard yards and come out the other side

I contemplated doing a VCT conversion on my EL...but too many changes, coil pack, ecu, vct actuator *duh* and the like.

Janek - Congratulations on the ride - luxury and a bit more poke to boot ! Members on here have found success with EBC greenstuff pads...although they will dust a bit more...so be prepared to clean your wheels a bit more often

Rotor wise - yep couldn't agree more...cross drilled are largely for looks - I recall the LS1 club wouldn't allow DBA cross drilled rotors fitted to cars on their track days due to the rotors heating up and cracking...but I'm sure every man and his dog knows this story now !

Cheers,
Steve

Yes, it was VERY ordinary there for a while. Turned out to be a dead MAP sensor so the car was running about 10-1 Air/Fuel, MEGA rich.

She's gone through a few changes since then.

Thats about what I get ot my VCT ghia around town . But on the H/way with optimax I've got over 700ks driving at the posted speed limits. I found when I put the extractors and 21/2 red back system it was to noisy with the hotdog so I had him fit a quieter rear muffler, maybe more restrictive but easier to live with day to day. Also the car now moves a bit quicker when overtaking. The only thing I've found with the standed pacemakers is top end is alot better.
I lowered mine with kings superlows and fitted pedders sports riders shocks at the rear as the ghia shocks bounced to much with a full tank of fuel. The other thing I found was that the premium models IRS do not have upper camber adj like the XR's, you have to buy the kit from Ford.
Mines a series 1 so I have done a couple of rotor replacements on the front only. Bendix advance do a good job and the thing I like about them is no brake dust to damage your wheels. I've driven all series of Au's except the T models and none really impress me with their brakes but they do the job
My wifes 2002 Mazda SP20 has got great brakes that my Ford could only dream off.

ghaiman

amen to the mazda.... stops on a dime hey!

brakes i am going the slotted/vented option, with bendix advance. extractors i still dont know enough about which will suit, i am well aware of teh issues with vct, hence me specifying explicitly that it was a vct.

exhaust wise, i want as quiet as i can go, with as little restriction as possible.

K&N is going in today, and xr8 CAI is being sussed out.

now, what about fords EMS system? it runs rich as a dog, i understand, so possibly upgrading will attain better economy? i have a megasquirt ecu system built and waiting to be used, maybe a good application?