207 Tuning

"Turning the 207 into everything the 205 GTI stood for"

As a car gets older and starts appearing in numbers in the used car market there is a lot more interesting in tuning and aftermarket parts.

The 207 is no different. My first experience of the 207 was  diesel powered hire car in France.

The build quality and styling was better than I had seen on most previous models .

However I was distinctly unimpressed with the vague handling and saggy suspension.

Fuel economy was superb and the diesel engine, while not lively did give good performance and had plenty of torque.

Handling on the Sport and GTi models is a lot better than the diesel but there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

Get a decent set of lowered and fully adjustable shocks. Lower the car a little, about 40 mm should suffice. A rear anti roll bar will help tighten up the car in the corners.

Many 207 owners uprate the handling of their cars as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car. Drop the car by as much as 35mm and fit stiffer dampers, bigger drops will need other modifications in most instances.

Our aim in 207 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end. The 1.6 VTi is the best base engine to tune up but the THP 175 direct injection engine is a star performer. Although the cars are setup for economy you can remap the turbo engines and really transform the car into a track day monster.

Peugeot 207 engine tuning.

You really need to keep as much low end power as you can and aim for a wide power band rather than a top end spike. A fast road cam will be one of the best power mods you can do mechanically to your engine. Avoid a full blown competition cam as this will upset the cars impeccable manners and drivability on the roads.

Remaps on the turbo are the best and most cost effective mods you can do. It is worth noting that the diesel engines are also completely transformed with a simple remap.

Peugeot 207 Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. You need to unrestrict the airflow into the engine as much as possible and a cotton panel air filter will help this. A lot of 207 owners go for a full induction kit as the engines sound great with an induction roar but TorqueCars recommend a high flow sports panel air filter as the performance mod.

Sports exhausts will certainly help air flow through the engine but do not go too large or you will reduce the flow rate and upset the cars torque. Stick to 1.5 to 2.0 inch exhaust bore for best results. We have already seen some 207 fitted with drainpipe exhausts and while these sound great, little if any performance benefit is derived. 

Gas flowing 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 In nearly all cases of 207 tuning your clutch will start to slip and this needs to be uprated - read our article on clutches for more information.

If you have a NASP engine then you will usually consider adding forced induction but this can be more problematic than a simple engine swap. Generally turbos are harder to add than supercharger although a few Peugeot specialists are offering turbo and supercharger conversion kits.

The nice steady boost to rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them easier to map. Decreasing the engines compression ratio will allow you to add forced induction, water injection may also help prevent detonation.

Peugeot 207 Wheel modifications.

The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and more efficient brake cooling. It also looks great and helps the wheel fill the arches better. Please note though that large 207 alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio and this will affect your acceleration.

For this reason we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 16 inches with low profile tyres, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no problems.

For more information on Tuning your 207 please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss your tuning options in more detail with our enthusiastic 207 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Peugeot tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Peugeot. 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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