Tuning the Chrysler Crossfire

"Tuning guide to the most effective Chrysler Crossfire modifications."

The very distinctive 2 seater sports car sold really well. It shares much with the great Mercedes R170 platform as used on the SLK so actually makes a great basis for a tuning project.

It was sold from 2003 to 2007 around the world and the later addition of a roaster version and the SRT6 won the car more fans and followers

The Crossfire is a great car tuning project to play with. If you do your research then you can create an awesome Crossfire but don't be fooled there are lots of uprated modifications out there that will simply not suit it read our unbiased guides first.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Handling modifications are high on the agenda for the Crossfire.

If you set the toe out to 0.8 to 1.3 degrees on the front, and add a small amount of negative camber then cornering will radically be enhanced.

We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 28mm - 35 mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with motorsport suspension.

Top end power should be your overall aim on the Crossfire with a nice fat peak torque band.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

Engine Tuning.

Typically these mods are usually carried out by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you get started.

• 3.2 L M112 E32 (195 cu in) V6
• 3.2 L M112 E32 ML/C32 AMG

Getting the best sports mods for your planned usage of the car is a time and money saver. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road and will make the car undrivable.

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Modifying to Stage 1:

 Sports exhaust, Lighter flywheel, Panel air filter, Remap, Suspension upgrade (drop 28mm - 35 mm.), Alloy wheels.

Modifying to Stage 2:

 Fast road cam, fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch, Ported and polished head.

Modifying to Stage 3:

 Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Sports gearbox, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing.

You really need to keep as much low end torque as possible and aim to achieve a wide power band across the rev range rather than a narrow top end power spike.

The point of our guides is to give a little insight into the world of tuning modifications and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your tuning project, the best uprated parts and all aspects of modding cars.A fast road cam is generally one of the best NASP power modifications you can do from a single upgrade to your engine.

It maximises the intake and exhaust flow and pushes up the power if done right. Ideally you'd add other mods and finish up with a remap. We'd also caution you not to go with a motor sports profile cam as this affects the engines idling and general town driving characteristics.

When pushing up the power you will need to increase to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel.

Frequently power losses, flat spots and erratic idling after sports kits are done can usually be traced to fuelling or timing issues. To get sufficient fuel you may need to increase the injectors on your engine.

If you've uprated your fuelling with bigger injectors you will also need to get a bigger fuel pump to supply it.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Now we move on to the intake and exhaust and ensure proper flow through the engine. Contrary to popular belief there is often very little power gain achieved by fitting an induction kit, they only work well and are recommended after you increase the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Maximum power gains come from a full induction kit with a cold air feed on heavily tuned engines, this can be sited within an air box but a panel filter should suffice for most applications. TorqueCars suggest you use a panel air filter as these are easy to clean and maintain and generally perform better than paper ones.

Do not go with the biggest exhaust you can find this will slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best exhausts for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Head porting and polishing the head will allow you to maximise your air/fuel charge. Leave this to a professional though with a proper flow bench and machine tools Your clutch can fail as you increase the power if it starts to suffer and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 43%. Fit a power clutch to avoid power leak through the transmission. The best mods we recommend for your Crossfire are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give big power gains and take full advantage of the strength of the block. Adding forced induction will see big power gains but this is usually too expensive to be cost effective. It is generally easier to bolt on a supercharger than it is to get a turbo working. With a turbo the boost curve is related exponentially to the engine speed making it harder to map.

The nice correlating boost and rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them simpler to map. Adding forced induction will usually require a lower compression ratio or water injection.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and better brake cooling. Get a good directional tread pattern tire to improve your handling and help improve traction on your Crossfire. Large Crossfire alloys can decrease performance. If you get big alloys you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Due to this fact try to keep the overall rolling diameter of the wheel the same as supplied from the factory. In all cases we do not recommend going above 18 inches.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Crossfire options in more detail with our Crossfire owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Chrysler tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below.

We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which mods work best for them on each model of car. Comments are used to improve the accuracy of these articles which are continually updated.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Chrysler. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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