Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Webby the Bear on 03 August 2015, 17:22:14
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Hi guys, hope you're all well.
For some time now I've been looking at ways of improving the acceleration of the old girl (the Omega that is ::)) and I'd like to share with you a list of things I've done and potentially some ideas to get it even nippier off the line.
I was told ages ago not to listen to 0-60 times as they are, well, complete 'dangle berries'! I now agree with that. I swear the times in Parkers and the like are simply made up as they list my car in exact same guise as 9.5 seconds and 9.2 for the same engine and spec ::)
Anyway, a while ago I went to TB's (can't remember what for) and he drove the car and his verdict was it felt a bit underpowered. knowing he always drives like it's stolen I knew I had to look at that further.
The problem, after many hours on the forum, was found to be a duff vacuum box at the front. Got a new one and it really seemed faster. Was very pleased,
Anyway since then I regularly check the vacuum lines, the operation of the multirams, I've checked the vac lines are in the right order as it's clear that's very important. I've done compression tests (all spot on), I've replaced ht leads, coilpacks, replaced cam covergaskets when theres been a load of oil in the wells, ive kept the breathers clean, changed a faulty crank snsor, etc etc.
I'd say the biggest thing I've done to affect the performance though is to actually drive it fast! clearly theauto box haspicked up my ''new'' style of driving and it feel really quick. im enjoying that.
anyways, ive been considering a chip for some time but to be honest the price well exceeds the gains after reading peoples reviews so im not going to bother.
this may sound a really retarded question.....but ive got budget tyres on all 4 corners. and they're pretty much all nearing replacement (3 are on 3mm and 1 is on 2mm). would buying a decent set of tyres improve the acceleration? would the low-ish tread take away any performance? would anything in the suspension set up affect acceleration?
your thoughts always welcome. :y
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Physics would suggest worn tyres produce better acceleration than new ones
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interesting.
ill have to bring it back over to you tb... see if you can see the gains ive seen :)
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ps, ive said I don't want a superhips remap. but do they do one of those Bluefin plug n play things for the omega? out of interest :)
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Seem to remember when Top Gear fired one over a quarry edge it went rather well with gravity an all.
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just answered my own question looking at their site....no, the Bluefin isn't available on the omega ::)
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just answered my own question looking at their site....no, the Bluefin isn't available on the omega ::)
It is, or was, but only for Flash Memory Map ECU's, ie DBW's only (excluding 2.5TD).
Forget BlueFin anyway, most people I know don't rate the Map improvements anyway.
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thanks zirk.
I think most on here agree that a remap via the superchips is a bit of a waste of time anyway. its a lot of dosh to get nothing out of it. though the website informs me ill get an extra 12bhp and 16 torques. oooh what to do :-\ ::)
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thanks zirk.
I think most on here agree that a remap via the superchips is a bit of a waste of time anyway. its a lot of dosh to get nothing out of it. though the website informs me ill get an extra 12bhp and 16 torques. oooh what to do :-\ ::)
Just hold fire on the Chipping Webby, my Chip man is still working on the 2.5 Chip. ;)
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thanks zirk. let me know if theres anything he can offer. ill wing some dosh and beer tokens to you :y
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ps im sure its been covered but would there be any engine risks of doing a remap? and I could still keep my egr blank?
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so. just coming back to the original post.
if I do all the things as per the first post yet im still getting a 0-60 time of around 10.5 seconds.....as oppose to the book time of 9.5....even though I don't trust this.....
what else can I be doing to get this down?
or is the parkers time near impossible to gain as it is just a pure lie or they did some ''things'' to make it as good as possible (i.e. took seats out for example)???
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3.0 cams?
3.2 Exhaust manifolds?
3.0 droopy plenum?
Porting?
:y
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thanks james.
I kinda meant is there anything that can be done to it in its current 2.5 stock form...
or another way of putting it....
why does the 9.2 (or 9.5) second dash seem way off as I cant do better than 10.5 (ok its only a second but still) when ive done all the things I can to check the health of the engine as it stands.
or even another way....
how accurate (or plain wrong) are the parkers / reviewers 0-60 times?
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I've got a spare can of Nitro Methane some where in one of the spares sheds, a 10% mix should give a 'temporary' kick in the ass,just before your engine lets go in a big way :o the bigger the percentage the more spectacular the destruction 8) :-X ::) Can't beat the smell of Nitro in the morning :y
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lol was thinking more of a ''non force fed'' way lol
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thanks james.
I kinda meant is there anything that can be done to it in its current 2.5 stock form...
or another way of putting it....
why does the 9.2 (or 9.5) second dash seem way off as I cant do better than 10.5 (ok its only a second but still) when ive done all the things I can to check the health of the engine as it stands.
or even another way....
how accurate (or plain wrong) are the parkers / reviewers 0-60 times?
These times are based on an ideal world scenario. No wind. No weight. Perfectly smooth and flat road surface. Optimal operation of all mechanicals.
In the real world this is never achieved especially when the car is pushing 15 years old ;)
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so 10.5 seconds for 0-60 in real world is nothing to be concerned about?
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Come on Webby,where's your sense of fun :) it should certainly wake your neighbours up...and of course you local fire station...enjoy :y
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I wen't through this phase with 0-60 times awhile ago, got over it now and accept the Omega for what it is :)
...Even made a wee video LINK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sx7Bm4hZRA) to look back on for when it finally blows up ;D
Granted this ones the 3.2 with 200k on it, But still shifts when it needs to though mind :y
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Three ways to improve accelaration
1. More power
2. less weight - throw out carpets seats , trim spare wheel, rear seats, trolley jack, bricks, boxes, carpets and seats.... Fit perspex windows, throw out heater, air con plus air con rad and alloy boot and bonnet (self made of course)
3. Change diff but then you will use a lot of fuel at max revs doing 70 mph.
No two option is cheap BUT makes your car feel utilitarian.
3.0 cams and the wait for it chip and keep it in good trim.
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thanks james.
I kinda meant is there anything that can be done to it in its current 2.5 stock form...
or another way of putting it....
why does the 9.2 (or 9.5) second dash seem way off as I cant do better than 10.5 (ok its only a second but still) when ive done all the things I can to check the health of the engine as it stands.
or even another way....
how accurate (or plain wrong) are the parkers / reviewers 0-60 times?
I think you will find some of the more enthusiastic testers have their tricks of the trade and will do things like rev the nuts off the car and then thump it into drive, after all it was going back to Vx in a few days in one piece or if it can't stand the abuse maybe few more. ::) ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
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Okay so
10.5 seconds for a bog stock 2.5 is normal then taking in to account this was done in real world? I also take the point about the age of the car but as compression is spot on and multi Rams working correctly then why are Kyle age be a factor? Ps not arguing just tryin to understand
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simplest thing none has mentioned is super unleaded petrol. more power less retarded spark and better fuel economy.
after that smaller diameter tyres (giving faster acceleration but slower top speed and your speedo willl be out. and your insurance)
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Thanks mob. I've tried it once. I'll give it another go :y
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Plus omega man. . . . 7.5 secs. How you getting that when the book says 8 seconds for the 3.2?
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From my personal experience, I always found the book times to be conservative, a good running motor always beats them.
Remember on an auto the stall launch method.
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Cheaper just to buy a 3.0 or 3.2 :y
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Got to agree....but you'll have to have a drive of either and you'll understand why you need one :y My 3.0 MV6 is a different beast compared to my 3.2 MV6 and my 3.2 Elite with a remap BUT! all of them will get you down the road as quick as your brain will want to cope with......come to the next High Wycombe meet and try one and then buy one 8) :y
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just answered my own question looking at their site....no, the Bluefin isn't available on the omega ::)
It is, or was, but only for Flash Memory Map ECU's, ie DBW's only (excluding 2.5TD).
Forget BlueFin anyway, most people I know don't rate the Map improvements anyway.
I agree.
Bluefin in a turbocharged V6 made SFA difference to the performance of my car. In some performance parameters it was actually slower.
I doubt it would improve the 'get up and go' of a NA Omega.
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so 10.5 seconds for 0-60 in real world is nothing to be concerned about?
How do you obtain these figures, Mr Bear?
Speedo and stopwatch?
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From my personal experience, I always found the book times to be conservative, a good running motor always beats them.
Remember on an auto the stall launch method.
Yes.
Autocar magazine and the like test two up and with a full tank of petrol.
They also test in opposite directions in order to give a 2 way average.
One up and with low fuel my Omega 2.6 auto recorded zero to sixty in 8.7 seconds.
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Despite the knockers on here,the Omega is no slouch in a traffic light drag race and surprises the boy racers when they think they're hard enuff! to take you on ::) and also quite a few of the retard must be away first on the green light fraternity. The 3.2 MV6 is extremely nimble when going round corners and again it's an old car that's not a lot of money to buy, but it can certainly hold its own in a street fight and I'm very happy to own and drive them,and in a way with a few upgrades on the suspension and brakes you have got a real handy tool and imho, they are a secret that's best kept amongst ourselves :-X :y
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At some point someone will let me try a 3.2 ::) Id like to see the difference if any to the 3.0 ::) But this mite be dangerous because if the 3.2 is to my liking then i would have to get one or 2 ::)
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There is a difference between the two cars in the way the power is delivered,but the figures stack up fairly closely.In all honesty I have never pushed the 3.0 MV6 since the engine was replaced, although the grunt is definitely there, I just don't want my nice clean licence whisked away just to prove the point.
But having said that,when I first got my 3.2 MV6 back in'04 it had come straight out of service with the Met and luckily for me I actually own a private motorway (the M3) and allow the poor people to use it when I don't need it, and on a quiet day I actually got very close to that cars maximum speed. All I remember looking down at the speedo for a split second and saw the needle pointing north of 140 mph, it was a once only deal and wouldn't recommend it to others.....but a very capable car nonetheless :-X :y
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Book figures should be easily achievable on that era Vauxhall.
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At some point someone will let me try a 3.2 ::) Id like to see the difference if any to the 3.0 ::) But this mite be dangerous because if the 3.2 is to my liking then i would have to get one or 2 ::)
You'll find the 3.0 quicker (esp if both are autos), although the power delivery of the 3.2 does start lower down.
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Plus omega man. . . . 7.5 secs. How you getting that when the book says 8 seconds for the 3.2?
Could have had the wind in the right direction that day, Saying that there where 2 in the car extra weight might have helped traction??.... As far as what I've done to it nothing much tbh, It has a different air filter now but at the time of the video it did have a custome exhaust apart from that standard.
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The car had 39,000 miles on the clock and has a calibrated speedo,so what I saw for that brief moment I can only say how it was and it would never be attempted again to prove or disprove.The car has only 80,000 miles on it now and I'm trying not to break it ::)
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At some point someone will let me try a 3.2 ::) Id like to see the difference if any to the 3.0 ::) But this mite be dangerous because if the 3.2 is to my liking then i would have to get one or 2 ::)
You should have mentioned it when we met at Billing last year, you would have been welcome to a blat down the A45 in mine. :y
What is this obsession with speed........ mine does 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds if that's of any consequence. ;)
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At some point someone will let me try a 3.2 ::) Id like to see the difference if any to the 3.0 ::) But this mite be dangerous because if the 3.2 is to my liking then i would have to get one or 2 ::)
You should have mentioned it when we met at Billing last year, you would have been welcome to a blat down the A45 in mine. :y
What is this obsession with speed........ mine does 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds if that's of any consequence. ;)
Never thought about that ;) But yours is a fast black one so will be faster than any other colour ;D Wouldnt call myself a speed freak , the 0-60 is quite handy though . Then again i been told that if i ever owned a 3.2 i would need to lpg it as they are unbelievably thirsty especially when cracking on :-\
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At some point someone will let me try a 3.2 ::) Id like to see the difference if any to the 3.0 ::) But this mite be dangerous because if the 3.2 is to my liking then i would have to get one or 2 ::)
You should have mentioned it when we met at Billing last year, you would have been welcome to a blat down the A45 in mine. :y
What is this obsession with speed........ mine does 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds if that's of any consequence. ;)
Never thought about that ;) But yours is a fast black one so will be faster than any other colour ;D Wouldnt call myself a speed freak , the 0-60 is quite handy though . Then again i been told that if i ever owned a 3.2 i would need to lpg it as they are unbelievably thirsty especially when cracking on :-\
Sorry, the 0-60 bit wasn't aimed at you personally :). I agree about the 0-60 being handy, especially for traffic light Grand Prix. :y
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Can't think off hand of any traffic lights round here that open onto a 60mph road,think the highest is on a 40mph stretch.So no need-just as well as in 40 odd years of driving I've never done one-for a 0-60 sprint time.
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one of the best ways to make a car go faster is improving the aerodynamics
so
remove the headrests should give you at least 10mph
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Everyone knows folding the rear seats down makes it go faster.
(reference (http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=352924&mid=350420&i=0&nmt=Folding+down+the+back+seats+to+save+weight+thread+%2D+link%3F&mid=350420) .. sadly the old Corsa forum thread that originated it is long gone, probably from shame)
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one other go faster trick - change out the
geriatric auto gearbox and add a pedal
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If you could drive a manual,try a renault 5/11 1.4 turbo,if you could find 1,from personal experience my 11 was very quick at pulled upto 135mph very quickly on my personal test track.
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If you could drive a manual,try a renault 5/11 1.4 turbo,if you could find 1,from personal experience my 11 was very quick at pulled upto 135mph very quickly on my personal test track.
M69.....M6?
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Change the differential to a higher ratio.
My MV6 will be undergoing that improvement soon.
Since my car has been off the road since last November I've made a few enhancements, but still building up the engine so can't say for sure how much better it will go -
Extensively gas flowed and ported heads
3.2 ported exhaust manifolds
Ported plenum and lower divider
Jetex 200 cell sport cats
Jetex full stainless exhaust system
2.6 auto differential 4.22:1
This will complement the already in place -
Superchips custom map
Piper fast road cams
Drilled airbox with K&N panel filter
Theres a few ideas for you!
Ive suggested modifications to you before, you were considering a 3.2 engine? Or a chip? These ideas seem to have gone out of the window so to speak have they?
A nice cheap mod is the differential
Cheers Dean
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Make the car lighter. And the driver ;D
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Spirits thanks for that. I've considered a diff replacement but the increase in idle speed would annoy me. And currently waiting to hear about a good priced remap.
How did you go about porting the plenum out of interest
Big griffin it's a good point you make. I'm eighteen stone lol couple of the the there I reckon
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Cylinder head developments did the porting and gas flowing, along with 3 angle valve sears and skim to clean the head.
Andy Weston is based in Bromsgrove.
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Interesting mate. I may have a word with the chap from cylinder head services who we usually send heads to for skimming :y
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Webby, I (briefly) had a 2.5 with 3l cams and Superchipped. It still wasn't a patch on my 3.0, not even in the same league.
I would start with a better engine, before considering *any* mods.