[SteelToe530]

Hello everyone! I just picked upa 2005 Corolla XRS with the 170 hp Celica motor. I was just wondering what is the best (cost effective and safe/easy) way to see some HP and Torque gains. So far I am thinking an Injen Cold Air Intake and eventually a Cat back system. I want to keep it carb legal and am finding parts for this model not too easy to find. Any help would be great! I have owned many Toyotas from Celica to Supra to Camry (family thing) hehe and now this sporty fun car. Glad to have found this site to hang with others that recognize Toytota qaulity and don't just jump on the band wagon of other groups.

 

[PhatRoyale]

Definitely look into getting an Apexi PowerFC to lower the lift engagement point and allow for easier tuning.

Best bang for the buck upgrade for the XRS IMO. Welcome to the forum!

 

[SteelToe530]

Thanks!

Thanks PhatRoyale,

What is that exactly? I am totally new to tuning. I have been very interested in lowering lift engagment but I figured I would need an aftermarket unlocked ECU or a Matrix ECU that kicked in a little lower. I will google the part you mentioned. Thanks again!

 

[PhatRoyale]

The PFC is a standalone engine management system.

If you look around a bit, you'll sometimes find used ones for sale that come with a commander and datalogit as a complete package.

 

[SteelToe530]

Wow

I just searched and saw a DIY project with the Apexi PowerFC and this dude said he now has Lift ALL the time through ALL gears! Is this safe? This must eat gas non stop lol.

 

[silver04rollas]

Start with the basics first. You can make the car a solid 14 seconds car with just some basic modifications. I don't have any ECU tuning and if you do similar mods to what I have in my signature, it will become hyper responsive and have an insanely aggresive character.

Don't even think about ECU tuning at this point with everything else stock. Doing engine tuning should be the very last thing in any N/A car since all of the other mods affecting the air intake flow and exhaust flow completely change how the ECU should be tuned

Here is the list of order in which you should do the mods

- Injen cold air intake
- Magnaflow full catback exhaust
- PPE engineering 2ZZ-GE race header
- Fidanza 7 lbs flywheel
- A stronger clutch (ACT stage 1 is the best one for 2ZZ as it has stock feel)
- Lighter wheels to reduce rotational mass
- Apexi PFC tune with Redliner9k Corolla XRS harness

There are many suspension and grippy tire mods you can do that will enhance the performance that you can see in my signature.

Let me know, if you have any questions.

 

[SteelToe530]

Thanks much guys. Yeah waiting to tune until the bolt ons are hooked up makes sense. How low can you safely tune LIFT to kick in? I have heard some say they set it to 5k or so. And once you swap out that ecu how hard is it to program lift kick in? Also would that still smog here in CA?

 

[silver04rollas]

Thanks much guys. Yeah waiting to tune until the bolt ons are hooked up makes sense. How low can you safely tune LIFT to kick in? I have heard some say they set it to 5k or so. And once you swap out that ecu how hard is it to program lift kick in? Also would that still smog here in CA?

I personally am a handling/response and agility buff so I have been focusing hardcore on tremendous response (both from engine and suspension) and also braking (slotted and cross drilled rotors etc.)

Regarding your question, every 2ZZ-GE car is a bit different. It is all where about where changing the cam switch over to the big cam without losing torque since the big cam requires a lot of air/gas mixture for high levels of combustion.

The most common range is 5200 - 5800 rpm. One Corolla XRS got its best engagement at 4800 rpm, but that was only one of a kind. No other XRS made power/torque with the big cam engaging so far down low.

Again, it is all determined during tuning of the ECU and as long as the torque curve is not dipping downwards, the tuner keeps lowering the lift engagement.

If you want to know more, you should contact redliner9k. He is the 2ZZ-GE tuning GURU and he has developed many parts for Corolla XRS himself (PPE Engineering race header, PFC harness for Corolla XRS).

He also owns a 200+ wheel HP N/A XRS with a 9000 rpm redline (250 [email protected] crank)

Here is his youtube channel:


http://www.youtube.com/user/Redliner9k