Tuning the Proton Iriz
"Thank you for reading my Proton Iriz tuning article."
The Iriz is a brilliant car tuning project to play with. If you do your homework then you can create an awesome Iriz but don't be fooled there are lots of mods out there that will simply not suit it read our unbiased guides first.
We review Iriz tuning and report on the ultimate upgrades. Proton Irizs are good project cars and with carefully picked tuning parts you can certainly maximise your driving opportunities.
Handling/Suspension upgrades
Improving the handling for DIY mechanics first priority in your Iriz tuning project.
Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you Iriz radically benefitting your drive.
We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 30mm - 38 mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with performance suspension.
Don't just look at the peak power figures, you need to see the whole torque curve when determining if a mod is right for you Iriz.
Sadly with smaller engine sizes you are wasting your time spending money on modifications, so if this applies to you get yourself an engine swap then apply the following mods.
Engine tuning mods.
This list of the stages and parts are usually carried out by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you get started.
- 1.3L VVT S4PE DOHC I4
- 1.6L VVT S4PH DOHC I4
Getting the best performance parts for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 motor sport parts just don't work well on the road making the car difficult to drive.
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How to tune your car
- Improve the handling
Focus on Suspension improvements, such as coilovers and make sure the bushings are in good order and that the alignment is correct. Then focus on improving the brakes, with a big disk brake conversion kit and fast road brake pads.
- Remove restrictions
Focus on the intake and exhaust with filters being the common point of restriction in a tuned car. Intercoolers may also become restrictive on turbo engines so this may also need to be uprated.
- Burn more fuel & air
Increase the fuelling so it matches the air coming into the engine. The ratio is important so you need to improve the fuel pump and injectors, so the head mods, big valve conversions, fast road camshafts and forced induction upgrades extra supply of air is adequately met.
- Test and replace any weak parts
Weak areas are commonly the clutch, the turbocharger and pistons and crankshaft in a highly tuned engine. Makes sure these components will cope with your power aspirations.
- The Tune or Remap
A cars ECU controls the fuel, timing, spark and even the turbo in some cases, so to fully extract your gains you should remap the car last and this will fully release the power. Some cars are easy to map, and others require piggyback ECU's or aftermarket ECU's but this is the most vital step of your tuning project.
Modifying to Stage 1:
Lighter flywheel, Alloy wheels, Remap, Sports exhaust, Panel air filter, Suspension upgrade (drop 30mm - 38 mm.).
Modifying to Stage 2:
Power/Sport clutch, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam, high flow fuel injector.
Modifying to Stage 3:
Engine balancing, Sports gearbox, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves).
Peak power is all well and good but for a drivable and fun car you need a wide power band and perhaps extending the rev range.
In this article we shall give a brief overview to the best modifications for your car, but we'd encourage you to spend some time on the site looking into the details of each type of performance mod.A fast road camshaft often proves to be one of the best NASP power modifications you can do mechanically to your engine.
It improves the intake and exhaust flow and increases 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 sport cam as this affects the engines idling and general town driving characteristics.
When pushing up the power you will need to pay attention to to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel.
Frequently power losses, flat spots and erratic idling after sports upgrades are done can usually be traced to fuel delivery or timing issues. To get sufficient fuel you may need to improve the injectors on your engine.
Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned Iriz's uprated injectors.
Intake and Exhaust Tuning.
Breathing mods are usually next up. Air induction kits will only help to add power if your air intake is struggling! Adding an induction kit to most stock engines will see ZERO LOW END POWER GAIN AT ALL. If you have heavily modified your engine and it's need for air INCREASES DRAMATICALLY then an induction kit is the answer and will help remove this restriction.
Induction kits can work well on turbo engines and larger engines (if supplied with a suitable cold air feed or air box), generally though we'd just recommend for Iriz engines you should just fit a performance panel air filter preferably made from cotton.
Do not go with the biggest exhaust you can find this will slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.
Getting the cylinder head gas flowed will further help more air into each cylinder. This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. Your clutch can seriously let you down as the power goes up if it starts to fail and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 48%. Fit an uprated clutch to avoid power loss through the transmission. The best mods in our opinion for your Iriz are Remapping or piggy back ecu, fast road cam and air intake and exhaust.
Turbo engines are just asking to be Upgraded. You will see large power gains on most modern turbo engined cars including diesels making a remap one of the most cost effective and large modifications for your money.
We've also seen some tuners toying with twincharged applications and making some very high power figures.
The most significant power gains for NASP engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. Superchargers are usually easier to add than a turbo. Turbos give boost in increasing proportion to th engine speed and this can make mapping difficult.
Superchargers will give a boost which is directly proportional to engine speed so is simpler. To cope with forced induction you will usually need to decrease the engine compression ratio .
Alloy wheel upgrades.
The benefits of alloy wheels include reducing your unsprung weight and better brake cooling. If you are serious about performance then you will need to carefully choose your tires - ideally with a soft compound tire. Large Iriz alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.
Although some people have fitted larger wheels without issues we would stick to a 17 inch rim size as the maximum.
For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Iriz options in more detail with our Iriz owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Proton tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.
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