As this page is getting outdated and need some updating due to dead links and products no longer available, I suggest highly you read Philbo's great page on "Staged Elan Performance Upgrades" -- Click HERE
After numerous requests for explanations and recommendations regarding Elan upgrades, I have decided to create a comparison listing of the available upgrades. This list is divided into sections regarding upgrade areas. Within each area is a listing of the upgrades available. Included is my opinion of the "performance" of these upgrades, the "price", and the "value" of them in a graded format. My goal is that you can see the some of the main upgrades available and evaluate which are interesting to you and which will fit your budget.
Please send me your input regarding this list.
The columns in the tables below are my personal subjective ratings of the upgrade products.
Performance: This refers to how much performance increase you will get in your Elan using this product with regard to the subject of the table. There are some products listed in more than one table and their ratings will change according to the topic rated. In general, these products are rated with regard to each other as a whole.
Price: This refers to how much you will spend to purchase AND install the product in your Elan to properly use it. In general,
will be less than $100,
Value: This refers to how I feel the product sizes up with regard to the performance gain in the rated area for the price.
FOOTNOTES: At the end of each section will be notes about each product and references to their known sources for purchase.
Horsepower
Upgrades
|
Product |
Performance |
Price |
Value |
| Turbo Upgrade |
|
|
|
| Manual Boost Controller |
|
|
|
| Electronic Boost Controller |
|
|
|
| Lightweight Flywheel |
|
|
|
| Turbo Water Injection |
|
|
|
| Spark Plug Wires |
|
|
|
| Intake / Air Filter |
|
|
|
| Exhaust |
|
|
|
| Unorthodox Underdrive Pulley |
|
|
|
| Spark Plugs |
? |
|
? |
FOOTNOTES:
It should be noted here that we have no hard, objective data for any real H.P. gains from the following products specifically in the Elan.
Turbo upgrade
Well, if you've tries everything else and you still crave more power, then you'd better get yourself a bigger turbo to make even more boost. This is a large project that requires, at minimum, installation of a new or piggy-back ECU as well as proper fuel-air ratio monitoring. If you really want to do this right you should do a rebuild of the engine and fuel system with proper racing parts, properly balanced, and installed to proper tolerances!! If you have a lot of dough burning a hole in your pocket and the proper need-for-speed, you can contact Isuzuperformance for info on just the turbo upgrade part of this project.Manual Boost Controller
The best and most impressive performance upgrade you can add to your Elan--need I say more!! This little part cost a mere few dollars but will propel your Elan to new stardom in your mind. Please see the MBC write-up on this site for more details and information. MBCs can be purchased from various places and you can even make and install your own.Electronic Boost Controller
This is the sophisticated brother to the MBC. Here you essentially have a computer controlled solenoid running the MBC valve for you to get maximum boost control. The computer allows different programmed levels of boost to be selected while driving and controls the boost pressure to tighter tolerances. Plan to spend a good sum of money to buy the unit and do find a good garage to install it as it must be wired into the car and plumbed into the engine properly!
Flywheel
Aluminum flywheels weigh a fraction of what the O.E. steel flywheels weigh, allowing the engine to rev more quickly, with an increase in midrange power, and lower sprint times. These are bolt-in replacements for the original, available from StormStylz.com. Also, since the transmission must be opened to install this part, it would be possible to install a Limited Slip Differential and replace the clutch at the same time if you so desired!Spark Plug Wires
The plug wires that came with the Elan may have been alright when new, but that was 10 years ago!! Since then your Elan has fired anywhere from 250 Billion to 1 trillion electrical pulses down each of your wires, depending on your current mileage!! This fact, together with the corrosion of time, will deteriorate the performance of your spark plug wires. The H.P. gain will be small but will depend on how poor your original wires are performing at present. You can replace your Elan wires with O.E. ones or get a set of Magnecor KV85 wires from a Magnecor dealer or order from SJ Sportscars, LTD. Go to the Magnecor site to read about the benefits of their wires and the myths purported by other brands! These can be self-installed.Intake / Air Filter
This allows your Elan to breathe a bit more freely, and a few H.P. will be gained from its use. You can use a drop-in replacement filter--see the CommonParts page on this site for more info--or you can purchase a new intake pipe with open-ended filter. The intake replacement is available from Top End Performance or you could have one custom made. See the Intake write-up on this site for more info and discussion. This part can be self-installed.Exhaust
Unorthodox Underdrive Pulley
The exhaust set-up referred to here is the Turbo-Back "Stan's Headers" complete system from Bill at Isuzuperformance. Having a larger diameter system from the engine back allows the engine to expel its gases more readily, with less resistance, and gives back some H.P. that the original system was robbing!! Please see the Exhaust write-up on this site for more info and explanation.
This is a light weight crank pulley for the accessory belts which both reduces weight and accessory speed, reducing drag and rotating mass to free up more power to be applied to the wheels. It reduces pulley diameter by ~25%, and reduces pulley weight by about 75%. H.P. gains are few but noticeable. This part is available from Isuzuperformance, and can be installed by yourself, but it is a decent sized job. This pulley can be replaced as part of the timing belt replacement procedure for your car as much of the labor is the same!Spark Plugs
Spark plugs are what fire the gas to power your car! Be sure they are in good condition and properly gapped. Torquemaster makes plugs for the Elan that just may perform better than traditional ones? This may be worth investigation. See the CommonParts page on this site for more info.
Boost Response Upgrades
Product
Performance
Price
Value
Turbo Bypass Valve
Exhaust
Electronic Boost Controller
FOOTNOTES:
Turbo Bypass Valve
Here is another small part that will do more than ever imagined. This valve, also called a Blow-off Valve, releases your turbo pressure from the intake system when you shift or chop the throttle---your turbo keeps spinning and boost pressure returns much more rapidly than stock when you hit the throttle again. This part is available from both Top End Performance. Use of this part is imperative when running increased boost, unless you have a spare turbo around! See the Bypass Valve write-up on this site for more info and discussion as well as installation help if you get one.Exhaust
Again, the exhaust set-up referred to here is the Turbo-Back "Stan's Headers" complete system from Bill at Isuzuperformance. Having a larger diameter system from the engine back allows the engine to expel its gases more readily, with less resistance, and thus allows the gases to spin the turbo with quicker response. Please see the Exhaust write-up on this site for more info and explanation.Electronic Boost Controller
See the discussion above in the HP section. The EBC is listed here as it, in theory, will give an enhanced boost control and response compared to using just a MBC.
Traction Upgrades
Product
Performance
Price
Value
Racing Coil-Over Suspension Adjustable Shock Absorbers Limited Slip Differential Clutch
Front Strut Tower Brace Rear Strut Tower Brace Wider Tires FOOTNOTES:
Racing Coil-Over Suspension
Want to change the handling characteristics of your Elan? Well the most certain way to do this is with a new strut/coil-over set-up! See the write-up on this site for more info and explanation. The full set-up will run a few thousand $$ !!Adjustable Shock Absorbers
If you just want adjustable shocks for your Elan, then Isuzuperformance as well as some UK dealers offer them to fit the Elan--see the CommonParts page on this site for more info.Limited Slip Differential
You will find as you add more power to your Elan that the front wheel traction becomes an issue. Unfortunately the Elan did not come with a front L.S.D. Adding this part will improve your traction and your perception of the car's power as the HP will be delivered to BOTH the front wheels and wheelspin should cease to be an issue. This is an expensive upgrade that will need to be installed by Pros with experience in Isuzu/G.M. transmissions. This is available from Isuzuperformance. Since the transmission must be opened to install this part, it would be possible to replace the clutch and flywheel at the same time if you so desired!Clutch
The Elan clutch has been known to go well over 100,000 miles without problems. Sooner or later you can have problems with your clutch or wear it out. You may want to select an alternative to the O.E. clutch for better performance. Isuzuperformance lists a few replacement clutches for the Elan worth considering. Also, since the transmission must be opened to install this part, it would be possible to install a Limited Slip Differential and replace the flywheel at the same time if you so desired!Front Strut Tower Brace
This part is offered thru Top End Performance only. In theory this part can improve the stiffness of the front end in cornering. I personally think the suspension set-up is very rigid, and therefore this part will do little, but there are some Elan owners with this part you can ask about its attributes. It can be self-installed.Rear Strut Tower Brace
This part is offered thru Club Elan in Korea only. In theory this can improve the stiffness of the rear end in cornering--see the write-up on this site for more info. It can be self-installed.Wider Tires
If traction is what you want then perhaps a bit wider tires will help. This is a controversial area, so I will not say this is a guaranteed improvement. I have upgraded my tires from 205mm to 225mm--this should correspond to nearly a 10% gain in tire contact patch--after all, it is the contact patch that connects you Elan to the road! Purists will say this tire change can upset the suspension balance, but this is debatable too.
Brake Upgrades
Product
Performance
Price
Value
Front Brake Calipers
Front Brake Rotors
Front Brake Pads
Steel-Braided Brake Lines
FOOTNOTES:
Front Brake Calipers
A front caliper upgrade is reserved for the elite few. Personally I think having the other parts on this list in working order will give your Elan proper stopping power. Certainly a caliper upgrade can only be better, but plan on spending thousands of dollars for this upgrade! There are a few Elan Owners with this upgrade, so search them out via the "Owners List" and get some feedback; the kit around the UK is the AP 4 piston caliper. You can get a big brake kit from Isuzuperformance. More info on caliper upgrades here!!Front Brake Rotors
These are available from more than a few sources: Isuzuperformance sells aftermarket rotors; I got my EBC rotors from Chris Neil, a dealer in the UK--see the CommonParts page on this site for more info. EBC and Tarox seem to be the brands people are getting these days but there are others. These can be installed by yourself or a professional--see the FrontBrakes page on this site for more info. It seem to me that having front rotors in proper condition is probably the most important part of getting your braking system to work effectively.Front Brake Pads
These are available from more than a few sources: Top End Performance and Isuzuperformance both sell aftermarket pads--see the CommonParts page on this site for more info. EBC and Tarox seem to be the brands people are getting these days but there are others. These can be installed by yourself or a professional--see the FrontBrakes page on this site for more info. After the front rotors, your front pads are the next most important part of getting your braking system to work effectively.Steel-Braided Brake Lines
These are available from 2 sources: Top End Performance and Isuzuperformance. They are essentially the same thing but are from different manufacturers. I would recommend installation by a professional. These should improve your spongy brake pedal feel and help with stopping performance a bit. See the write-up about SS brake Line Installation.
Please send me your input regarding this list. --Doug