Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax Aero engine tuning

Afternoon all,

I have read few previous threads whereby there is a fair bit of interest (especially for Series 1 owners) to increase the power of the BMW V8 and raise the power up to that of later Aero's.

From my research and experience it seems highly unlikely than an exhaust/chip/filter is going to get people up to 320/330bhp like some companies will claim, however if there is any rolling road evidence (before and after - as just "after" doesn't mean much due to calibration variables of rolling roads) I am happy to stand corrected.

I believe there is a lot more power hidden away in such a large well engineered V8 and mods such as inlet manifold (I hear this is very restrictive), exhaust manifold (even more restrictive on the Aeros), high flow cats and cams together with a good map and exhaust could produce pleasing results.

If I recall Si was going to look at developing some off the shelf parts for the Aero, but thought I would ask what people have had done and what results they found?
I know Morgan themselves will have dabbled in this and tweaked the press cars (common practice amongst all manufacturers) so there is definately power out there to be found!

Me personally I would be quite happy with a genuine 330bhp..

I think Adrian ( AJSky2fly) had some work done on his - not sure if was before he bought it?

I quite fancy releasing a few more horses too, although I'm not sure I necessarily need them....

James

I spent some time looking at this, it seems al the work has been done in the USA, where most of the motors went, fitted into X5 trucks, 545s, 750s, etc.

I found, but lost, a site offering a supercharger to fit into the V, replacing all the inlet stuff and offering +100bhp and +100 ft lbs.

Without traction control I think that increase, especially the torque, might make the cars a bit of a handful!

It would be cheaper to buy an S2 if you can find one for sale.

- coming back from a lovely drive out today I put the power down a little too early when exiting a rather damp roundabout.

A quick fishtail of the rear reminded me we have fair bit of power on tap already.....

No harm done but,just when you think you are a driving God, reality reminds you that you are not


James

Isn't there still a RHD GTN for sale at a bargain price at the moment? And a LHD GTN in Belgium for sale. Get your power increases there easily!

James - I believe Adrian's came to him tuned, think it has a chip and exhaust on it.

Peter - Interesting regarding the supercharger, I always figured they wouldn't fit.. I do wonder if 100bhp and 100lb ft might be an overkill in power and cost, although the supercharger sound would be nice.

With regards to changing to a different Aero I personally prefer the S1 shape, I would love the buy the GTN for sale currently but at nearly twice the price of a standard S1 I think although well priced to some I have seen - its still way to much.. (for me certainly!)

The only engine with more power was, as mentioned, the GTN, which had the 4.6is engine, tuned by Alpina. The S2 had the same engine as the S1

I'm always interested to read comments regarding the 4.4/4.8 V8 because no one is yet been able to get more power out of the engine without major modifications(and this included MMC). As for bolting on a supercharger or turbo, general consensus is that you'd struggle to find space to do it in an Aero and would end up with something sticking out of the bonnet like a hotrod!

It would seem that the variable value timing is the limiting factor and this is what stops you from making and noticeable gains in BHP.

As an aside, what I always found frustrating is the large performance difference between standard engines. Aeroman, Asbo, Boshly, MrTony, myself and a few others all put our cars on the same rolling road, on the same day, and there was, iirc, a 30bhp spread between best and worst performing engines. It would seem that the easiest performance gain would be buying a very strong stock engine, rather than one with asthma!

I think as well as adding just more power, you would have to ask why? If acceleration is your thing, then perhaps a change in rear diff ratio or gears would be better?

Ading bhp also adds heat issues as well, and stress to types and brakes etc.....It all starts to add up.

Gleaning from past posts, I'd summarise the go-faster options as:
- more power - difficult to do, but incremental improvements to be had with exhaust fettling & catalyst removal (but changing the back pressure in the system could be counter-productive)
- less weight. Not much scope here
- more grip. Sticky tyres... a better diff, if one exists. An endless quest to improve the suspension setup.
- more control. Having a more skilled driver is probably the greatest area for improvement. Requires training, some thin-soled footwear. And more training.



Will