Project: Vectra-C [56k Beware]

[Keith Fusco]

I was unsure wether to post this up at first, but I will, as it will include a hell of a lot of photo's over time. Some good, and some not so good, so here it goes...

I did mean to do one of these for the Corsa-D originally, but gave up after a week, or so, and made individual threads for it, but I'll try to keep this one into one thread.

The pictures will be with my iPhone, and Canon 400D, so they'll be some good one's, and some not so good one's.

In 2006, I bought this:

It's a 06 plate 1.3CDTi Corsa-C SXI+. I then done a little bit modding, and turned it into this, which wasn't that good...

Then, in 2007, I bought myself this...

It's a 07 plate 1.3CDTi Corsa-D club. I did some modding, and got it into the June 2008 issue of Max Power, and it looked something like this...

Here's a shot of the car in the magazine too, which was a 4 page spread.

After having the D for nearly two years, I decided it was time to go from the boys toys, to the men's toys. I did want a brand new Vectra, but of course, they stopped making them a while back, so I had to go for a 57 plate vectra instead. Not too bad though, as it's a huge step-up from the D anyway. So I opted for a 57 plate 1.9CDTi SRI Vectra-C.

When I picked it up from the dealer, the MPG was quite terrible:

But after a ride from Sunderland back home, it improved a hell of a lot. Even after a 15 minute drive!

Here's some quick shots of the inside of the car.

 

[Keith Fusco]

Now for some cliche badge shots...

Some of the car's exterior:

 

[Keith Fusco]

I then done the very first mod (As such) on the Vectra, and that was to remove the dealer sticker.

 

[Keith Fusco]

I have another mod on the way, in the shape of a 8 LED Xenon bulb for the boot, as there wasn't one in there when I picked up the car, for some reason. I had a 55mm festoon bulbs which I tested, and it worked, but it's a 39mm bulb needed for the boot.

I also have my silver indicator bulbs which I need to add, planning a de-badge, and loads of other stuff. Doing the small, cheap things first, and then onto the bigger things, like wheels etc.

I still have no idea what wheels to go for. I like the 19" snowflakes, but they're quite common, so I'm not sure.

Here's another quick update. On Sunday night, I tried out Dynolicious on my iPhone in the Veccy on a private road to see what it was doing, but I forgot to add the pictures onto my memory stick to add into the thread, so here they are...

This one's a little blurry, but nevermind!

 

[Matt Sayle]

Good luck with the project and I like the badge shots very much

Look forward to seeing more in the future!

 

[Gary]

how'd you get 166bhp from it? isnt it supposed to be 150?

 

[Deleted member 11799]

You know my opinions on this mate

 

[cyclone]

You like Vauxhalls then.

 

[pro.wannabe]

how'd you get 166bhp from it? isnt it supposed to be 150?

they are a very good powerful engine and can easily produce more than stock power without any work

i have a passat tdi130 and that has been rolling roaded at 145bhp with nothing done

i might have to try a few of my veccy-b 2.2 with a few extras

 

[Gary]

tbh i cant see how an engine rated at 130bhp on an engine dyno can produce more when its on a rolling road. Rolling road bhp should measure less.

Anyway, we really need to discuss the photos or i'll have to move it to OOF section.

(edit: looks like someone already did)

 

[Keith Fusco]

Good luck with the project and I like the badge shots very much

Look forward to seeing more in the future!

Thanks. They were just quick shots, but I'll try to get some better one's when I wash it next.

how'd you get 166bhp from it? isnt it supposed to be 150?

It is supposed to be. The only thing I can think of is that the weight is incorrect. The times, and speeds are spot on though, so it may well be 166BHP as standard.

You know my opinions on this mate

You like Vauxhalls then.

They're alright. Nice, and cheap to run. I'll be going VeeDub after this though, I think.

they are a very good powerful engine and can easily produce more than stock power without any work

i have a passat tdi130 and that has been rolling roaded at 145bhp with nothing done

i might have to try a few of my veccy-b 2.2 with a few extras

Even just a quick clean of the air filter, and a good service can improve the engine, and make it go faster.

That's great. I was very tempted by a Passat over the Vectra. Maybe when this one's ran into the ground, I'll go over to them.

I'm hoping to get a RR of the Veccy done just after the new year too, to see how accurate the iPhone is.

tbh i cant see how an engine rated at 130bhp on an engine dyno can produce more when its on a rolling road. Rolling road bhp should measure less.

Anyway, we really need to discuss the photos or i'll have to move it to OOF section.

(edit: looks like someone already did)

I think it all depends on if it's being read at the wheels, or actual engine HP, as I'm sure the wheel HP is always much more.

 

[DeadlySmurf]

All done on a private road as well i hope

 

[tonycommander]

Go have a look at www.dtuk.co.uk for diesel engine tuning...

This engine can easily push out 200bhp.. with little effort..

that makes it a very fun car to own

 

[Keith Fusco]

All done on a private road as well i hope

Of course!

Go have a look at www.dtuk.co.uk for diesel engine tuning...

This engine can easily push out 200bhp.. with little effort..

that makes it a very fun car to own

I used to have a CRD2 tuning box on my Corsa-D, and it was pretty good, but I sold it, so I might buy another one later on to replace it, as it was a different map on each car!

looks well smart, what's the plans for this one?
you trde yours in or manage to get a sale?

Cheers mate. I traded it in... I spied you heading to Asda behind a police car tonight. Probably didn't see me, as I was in the Veccy.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

As the boot didn't come with a bulb in the light socket for some reason, I decided to buy a 8 LED xenon one from eBay. It's alright, I guess. Better than having no light lol.

And for some speedo bokeh...

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I must admit that I don't know what Dynolicious is or how it works, but those acceleration figures look very optimistic to me!

Even if it is producing 160hp, I don't believe thats enough for those figures to be accurate.

 

[nilagin]

I must admit that I don't know what Dynolicious is or how it works, but those acceleration figures look very optimistic to me!

Even if it is producing 160hp, I don't believe thats enough for those figures to be accurate.

I'd agree. 0-60 in 7.64 secs. from 160 hp

A car will produce less hp at the wheels than at the flywheel.

32 mpg isn't very good from a derv. I get 38mpg out of my 2.0 petrol Mondeo.

 

[whitewash]

what is dynolicious? please explain as those figures look optimistic


is it a rolling road or is it simply some sort of program using the accelerometers in the iphone?

 

[barrypriddis]

I have a 2001 Vectra 2.2 SRI 150, which I absolutely love. On journeys over 20 miles I consistently achieve 40MPG+, and that includes the "occasional blast" to overtake.

 

[Keith Fusco]

32 mpg isn't very good from a derv. I get 38mpg out of my 2.0 petrol Mondeo.

I obviously get more than that now lol. The 32mpg was from when I picked it up, drove a few miles home, and did a few trips around the doors. It'd only been used for test drives previously, so the MPG were way down. Got it up to 53mpg the other day.

what is dynolicious? please explain as those figures look optimistic

is it a rolling road or is it simply some sort of program using the accelerometers in the iphone?

Uses the accelerometers in the phone.

I have a 2001 Vectra 2.2 SRI 150, which I absolutely love. On journeys over 20 miles I consistently achieve 40MPG+, and that includes the "occasional blast" to overtake.

Nice!

 

[whitewash]

as an accurate tool then its no good, but i guess (as long as the results are fairly repeatable) its an interesting tool to meddle with and compare cars and have some fun then. but i wouldnt take any figures it gives as gospel.

 

[Gary]

i bought one of these vectra 150 diesels a few months back.. dont the indicators drive you nuts?? they cancel themselves when you want them on, and they stay on when you want them off.. does my flipping head in (had the same problem with a BMW i rented in Holland)

 

[nilagin]

i bought one of these vectra 150 diesels a few months back.. dont the indicators drive you nuts?? they cancel themselves when you want them on, and they stay on when you want them off.. does my flipping head in (had the same problem with a BMW i rented in Holland)

I didn't think BMW's came with indicators. Obviously an optional extra.

 

[Gary]

I didn't think BMW's came with indicators. Obviously an optional extra.

LOL
must have been next to the fog lights which were jammed on, and the headlights jammed off

 

[Keith Fusco]

as an accurate tool then its no good, but i guess (as long as the results are fairly repeatable) its an interesting tool to meddle with and compare cars and have some fun then. but i wouldnt take any figures it gives as gospel.

I'm actually going to do a RR in the new year, so I can compare the results, and then see how accurate the Dyno is on my phone.

i bought one of these vectra 150 diesels a few months back.. dont the indicators drive you nuts?? they cancel themselves when you want them on, and they stay on when you want them off.. does my flipping head in (had the same problem with a BMW i rented in Holland)

Nah, they're fine for me. I went from a Corsa-C to a Corsa-D, and they drove me crazy in that car, but having that for a year, and a half, I got used to them, and wouldn't go back to normal indicators.

I didn't think BMW's came with indicators. Obviously an optional extra.

Lmfao, classic!

 

[Gary]

with regards to the corsa. I really dont like modded cars much as 99% of modders dont seem to know when to stop.. But your corsa is actually very tasteful.

 

[welly]

What's the deal with modding Corsas? I'm guessing they're a cheap car to mod? You can't polish a turd, in my opinion

 

[Nod]

Do an image search for copralite and you'll find some polished turds!!!

 

[Keith Fusco]

with regards to the corsa. I really dont like modded cars much as 99% of modders dont seem to know when to stop.. But your corsa is actually very tasteful.

Thanks.

 

[Keith Fusco]

On Sunday, I had a little bit of free time, so I decided that I wanted to do another few mods. I did have my silver indicators ready to change over, but I couldn't seem to get into them to change them, as there's nothing to unscrew to get them out, so I left them for the moment.

I decided that a de-bdage was on the cards, as it makes the back look so much cleaner, so that's what I did. I left the 1.9CDTi badge on still, as it looks too bare with nothing on at all, but I'm not sure what to replace it with yet. I still need to remove the SRi badges from the side too, but that'll be done another day when I'm free.

Now for some pictures!

That's with the Griffin removed, and the other two badges left. It just didn't look quite right, so I removed the Vectra badge too.

 

[Scootymad]

I didn't think BMW's came with indicators. Obviously an optional extra.

Care to say that again :bang:

Its urban myth that BMW's have no indicators, but I can assure they come as standard, and MOST of us do use them :razz:

BTW, it would look miles better if you were to remove the 1.9TDDI badge aswell, because it now looks all off balance.

 

[Keith Fusco]

BTW, it would look miles better if you were to remove the 1.9TDDI badge aswell, because it now looks all off balance.

I've saw a few with no badges on the back at all, and they all look quite bare, and bland. For the moment, I'll leave it on, I think.

 

[Scootymad]

Each to their own

I myself am a car enthusiast and I always think either all or nothing, if you get me.

For example, I see people in cars the same as mine and they have the 116/118 badge left on them and it looks so out.

Still though, its a very nice car. Do like the new Vectra's.

How much did you pick it up for, if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Shine On]

Dynolicious is a bit of fun, the results should generally be taken with a pinch of salt though, especially if the parameters like weight that are input are not entirely accurate. Remember it also needs to be completely securely mounted to get any hope of a sensible reading.

There are some nice pictures there, even if I can't get too excited about the car in question. Silvery hues are often difficult to get a nice picture of, the darker they get the better it seems though. I have nightmares trying to photograph bright silver cars I'm working on.

 

[Keith Fusco]

Each to their own

I myself am a car enthusiast and I always think either all or nothing, if you get me.

For example, I see people in cars the same as mine and they have the 116/118 badge left on them and it looks so out.

Still though, its a very nice car. Do like the new Vectra's.

How much did you pick it up for, if you dont mind me asking?

Yeah, I get what you mean. On my Corsa-D, I removed everything from the back of it, and it just looked too big, bulky, and plain, so I added an Opel badge onto there, as it's much smaller, and much better to look at, I think, so I may do the same here, or just get rid of everything. Will be much easier to clean!

I got it for £9k. Got just under £6k trade in on mine too. I'd have liked more, but with the car market the way it is, I was happy with it. Made just under £1k back from parts, and still have a lot more to sell from it though, so it's not too bad.

Dynolicious is a bit of fun, the results should generally be taken with a pinch of salt though, especially if the parameters like weight that are input are not entirely accurate. Remember it also needs to be completely securely mounted to get any hope of a sensible reading.

There are some nice pictures there, even if I can't get too excited about the car in question. Silvery hues are often difficult to get a nice picture of, the darker they get the better it seems though. I have nightmares trying to photograph bright silver cars I'm working on.

Yeah. I got the weight from Parkers, and then put it in, but to get a proper reading I think, I'll have to get it properly weighed, at the lorry weigh-in's. Mine was securely mounted in a cradle on the vent, which doesn't move.

Thanks. It's so much easier taking pictures of a silver car, than my old black one, especially at night, as the black just takes in all of the light.

So are you a car photographer then?

 

[POAH]

i bought one of these vectra 150 diesels a few months back.. dont the indicators drive you nuts?? they cancel themselves when you want them on, and they stay on when you want them off.. does my flipping head in (had the same problem with a BMW i rented in Holland)

not really push gently for 3 flashes or push up harder to put them on properly, not that difficult to master IMHO

 

[POAH]

prefer it with the badges on at the back but prefer the clean grill at the front.

someone took offence to my vectra badge couple of months back and kicked it - dent should push out though. going to get mine remapped next year for a bit more oomph. came from a tunned punto GT so the vectra was a bit slow afterwards lol

 

[Keith Fusco]

Just a quick update...

As the old lights were yellow, and crap at night time, I done the headlight adjustment, and also changed the bulbs over to some better one's. Here's some pictures of the old lights. I still need some pictures of the new one's in.

They were yellow, but look white, as I adjusted the WB a bit...

Main beam:

Full beam:

Full beam head on:

 

[Keith Fusco]

Here's another update. I done the Vectra airbox mod the other day, where you take out a bit of plastic, as it's stopping the air running freely. It drives so much better now. Makes all of the difference.

I also got a Richbrook tax disk holder, as the Bristol Street Motors one was terrible.

Washed it on Sunday too, and here's a picture of my Vectra in the drive, with my dad's behind. Obviously mine's newer, and a much higher spec than his!

Here's some of the new lights too. They're not too good though. I'll need to do some long exposure one's to show them off properly. They should be like this...

Here they are on the Veccy:

 

[Keith Fusco]

And my 999.9mpg.

 

[divine`]

Am I the only one that gets oddly angry at overly blue lights? I don't know why, it just really annoys me.