VX220 2.2 NA Tuning
By Thorney Motorsport
Thorney Motorsport - VX220 Tuning
We concentrate purely on driveability. The VX220 NA is not an easy car to get large amounts of power out of and the mid engine configuration means that smooth power delivery is essential. We have developed all the different stages of power to increase both the power and enhanced driveabilty for the car.
Thorney Motorsport VX220 NA - Power Pack 1
Engine ECU Re-Map (+10BHP and 15ft/lbs) - £299 Fitted
We attach a Tech2 diagnostic computer to you cars OBD port and drive it on an extensive test route, during this time we log the cars ECU output and check for any irregularities or error codes from the ECU. Once we are happy that the car is performing as it should we re-map the cars ECU with enhanced engine management code via the on board diagnostic port.
Our enhanced engine management code is the result of hundreds of hours of testing on road and track to gain the optimum performance for the car whilst still well within the realms of safety and longevity for the engine.
 Tech 2 Diagnosis |
 VX220 NA Stage 1 |
Specifically for the VX220 NA we have raised the rev limit to 6800 RPM (from 6250) which allows greater use of the wider power band (and you can get to 60mph in 2nd rather than 3rd if you like to measure your car that way). Each gear ratio has been specifically mapped to generate maximum torque throughout the rev range and as linear power delivery as possible. The difference to a standard car is dramatic.
Your car is again connected to a Tech2 and test driven and all the data logged to ensure a perfect upgrade.
Time Required in Workshop - 2 Hours
Thorney Motorsport VX220 NA - Power Pack 2
ECU Re-Map, Thorney Motorsport Exhaust System (+15BHP / 20ft/lbs) - from: £1,550 fitted
We designed and developed the Thorney Motorsport Exhaust System for the VX220 N.A 2.2 design aims were for more power throughout the rev range, lighter weight and much more aggressive sporty noise.
The Thorney Motorsport system comprises a precat replacement pipe, 200 cell high flow cat and a high flow rear silencer. The deletion of the pre-cat and replacement of the 400 cell standard cat with an HJS motorsport specification 200 cell version, along with a more efficient rear silencer means airflow is maximised from the engine generating significant power gains. The addition of the exhaust on its own will add 6-10bhp to the car.
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Tech 2 Diagnosis |
 TMS Sport Exhaust |
 VX220 NA Stage 2 |
 TMS Sport Tail Pipes |
To take full advantage of this power gain we have developed a specific ECU re-map which allows the system to be fully utilised and maximise power output and delivery. Torque especially is increased.
As usual your car is fully tested before and after the modifications with a Tech2 to ensure perfect installation.
Time in Workshop - 1 Full Day
Thorney Motorsport VX220 NA - Power Pack 2 Plus
ECU Re-Map, Thorney Motorsport Exhaust System, Pipercross Viper Induction Kit / ITG Induction Kit (+20BHP / 25ft/lbs) - from: £1,799 fitted
Extensive testing with the Pipercross Viper cold air induction kit did (somewhat unusally for an induction kit) give such good power delivery gains especially in the mid range and top end so it is useful addition. We have adjusted the ECU re-map to take full advantage of these gains.
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Tech 2 Diagnosis |
TMS Sport Exhaust |
 VX220 NA Stage 2+ |
 ITG Induction Kit |
The Thorney Motorsport Exhaust System comprises a precat replacement pipe, 200 cell high flow cat and a high flow rear silencer. The deletion of the pre-cat and replacement of the 400 cell standard cat with an HJS motorsport specification 200 cell version, along with a more efficient rear silencer means airflow is maximised from the engine generating significant power gains. Combined with the Piper Cross Viper and enhanced ECU re-map stage 3 represents the highest level of tune you can obtain on the 2.2 engine before moving to higher stages with extensive engine work.
Time in Workshop - 1 Full Day
Thorney Motorsport VX220 NA - Power Pack 3
ECU Re-Map, Thorney Motorsport Exhaust System, Pipercross/ITG Induction kit, Schrick Racing Camshafts, gas flowed head, lightened flywheel +30 bhp and 35 lbs - £4,450 fitted
Next stage for the NA VX220 is minor engine work. By fitting higher duration/higher lift cams along with a gas flowed head and lightened flywheel the engine is transformed it spins up much, much faster and revs far more easily. The good news that this kind of tuning is still relatively straight forward and is relatively un invasive for the engine and associated parts. Both torque and peak power are increased extensively but not at the loss of engine durability or driveability.
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We only use the full Schrick top engine kit which includes racing cams, double valve springs, caps and collets as the performance gains are a clear improvement over a simple cam swap (which we used to do). The addition of the double valve springs and complete re-build allows us to run a higher rev limit without fear of buzzing the engine (which we found to happen with just cam upgrades). Whilst the addition of the full top end does increase the cost it also increases the longevity and reliability of the conversion. We can still do this conversion without this kit but would advise against it. Time in workshop – 4 Days.
Thorney Motorsport VX220 NA - Power Pack 4
Stage 3+ Lightened Flywheel, Individual Throttle Bbodies, Replacement ECU and Wiring Loom (+45BHP and 50ft/lbs) - £POA
This is the daddy for the NA. There is no way 200bhp can be had out of the engine in this chassis without major changes to the way the engine breathes, you can supercharge it but that provides forced induction power which some people do not like. By moving to a throttle body set up (which requires complete replacement of the ECU and wiring loom) real power can be achieved.
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Time in workshop - TBA (At Least 1 Week)
All prices include VAT
The Thorney Motorsport Exhaust is available separately by mail order, click here to shop online.
The VX220 is 150kg’s heavier than the original S2 Elise but yet it still has the same 2 pot front and single pot rear calipers – mad, no wonder the most common complaint on the car is the lack of brakes! Choices on brake upgrades fall into three; road, road and occasional track and road and track.
Thorney Motorsport VX220 Brake Upgrade Stage 1
Road/Fast Road/Track Pad Upgrades
Change the pads - simple. Stock pads are poor and expecially so when you consider they’re being asked to make up for calipers which aren’t up to the job so a simple change to a better pad will transform the cars brakes. The choices are pretty varied but we recommend the Mintex 1144.
The Mintex is a road based pad but can cope extremely well with occasional track work and doesn’t need lots of warming up to get the best from them. They’re also pretty cost effective and can happily use the standard disks.
Mintex 1144 Front - £59.00
Mintex 1144 Rear - £76.00
Full set, Fitted - £200
Thorney Motorsport VX220 - Stage 2 Brake Upgrade
Pagid RS14 Brake Pads
Whilst the Mintex pads are perfectly able to cope with occasional track work the move to a track specific pad is a significant step up and recommended for those people who regularly track their car, for this we recommend the Pagid RS14.
Braking power and feel is much improved and resistance to fade much better. The downside is that they squeak like stuck pigs – ignore any advice that this can be avoided because it can’t – live with it, however its a small price to pay for the extra feel. The Pagid is specifically supplied with the VXR220, however it is a track only pad and (in theory) should not be used on the road, however many do and all without issue (including us). The Pagid's also can take a little time to warm up (a couple of applications should do it) but its not a major issue.
The higher temperature resistance from using a track specific pad means brakes tend to lock up less and you get more feel through corners (a VX Achilles heel).
Pagid RS14 Front - £130
Pagid RS14 Rear - £140
Full Set, Fitted - £375
Thorney Motorsport VX220 - Stage 3 Braking Upgrades
AP Racing Big Brake Kit
No-one had developed a brake kit for the VX220 (or as it turns out, the Elise) so we approached AP Racing to come up with a kit for the car. We worked with AP for over 5 months developing what we consider the ultimate brake set up for the cars.
Normally brake upgrades should be done in pairs (front and back) however the front brakes are so woefully under powered compared to the rears on a stock car that a front only kit was the desired option (the torque balance was that bad).
Kit Contents
AP Racing Kit
AP Racing 4-Pot Kit
Compared to Standard
These brakes have been designed purely for the VX220 (although they will also fit the Elise S2) using a custom designed caliper and set up and took over 5 months of development. They provide a whole new meaning to the concept of brake feel (an achilles heel of the VX compared to the Elise) and work perfectly with either the VXR or the VX220 ABS set up. The kit comprises:
- 4 Pot lightweight caliper (upgraded from stock single piston)
- 307mm/26mm grooved disk fitted on separate alloy bells (upgrade from 297mm/24mm stock disk bit integrated bell)
- Braided hoses
- Dot 5.1 fluid
- Ferodo DS2500 pads (Pads can be upgraded to Pagid RS14's front and rear - ultimate stopping power, add another £300)
We recommend an upgrade to the rear pads to Mintex or Pagid at the same time as purchasing the AP kit.
The calipers will fit standard NA and VXT wheels, Speedlines, the new Oz and VXR wheels without the need for spacers and bolt straight onto the standard Vauxhall hub.
Available in red or black.
- AP Racing VX220 Brake kit (Black) - £1,699 supplied £1,749 fitted
- AP Racing VX220 Brake kit (Red) - £1,699 supplied £1,749 fitted
The standard suspension is very good, it can be a little firm on the road but is still very good for a stock car. We can use the string and weight method but prefer to use our complete laser wheel alignment ramp and state of the art laser alignment equipment to give a 100% accurate set up.
Thorney Motorsport VX220 - Stage 1 Handling Upgrade
Fast Road Geometry Setup - from: £120
We can make tremendous changes to the way the car handles both on road and track just by adjusting the geometry settings. By changing the camber and toe front and rear we can make the car understeer less and be more sure footed whan driving hard, it really does transform the car. A range of settings is possible from benign and safe to complete race set ups so the choice is yours. We sit down with you to discuss your handling needs and the use for the car and adjust the set up accordingly.
For those with adjustable suspension (this can either be done at the time of fitting or any time afterwards) we can fully set up your car for the track, this includes full corner weighting and enhanced geometry set up. Obvioulsy we need you in the car for corner weighting and the process takes up to 4 hours. We can make tremendous improvements to the handling with just this geometry alignment but for the track the standard road suspension is simply too soft so we developed the Nitron suspension kits on all the cars with a view to offering as wide a range of options as possible for road and track.
To aid the process of setting up adjustable suspension we have written a comprehensive guide on how to set it up. It covers all the necessary ideas behind the process and gives helpful tips on how to adjust the suspension to your own requirements and an easy to follow process to rectify handling problems. To download the guide in PDF format click HERE.
Also available is a simple flow diagram on how to fix handling issues. We can't claim any credit for its creation and its been written specifically for the E36 M3 as it's one of those documents that have been created from the minds of a few senior people within the World of suspension manaufacture but its a useful guide so worth looking at. To download these guides (one is for sorting oversteer the other for sorting understeer) click the thumbnails below.
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Obviously on all the suspension we fit we provide you with recommended settings and advise on set up specifically for your needs.
Thorney Motorsport VX220 - Stage 2 Handling Upgrade
Nitron NTR 1-Way Adjustable Coilover Suspension - £1,145 Supplied, £1,499 Fitted
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Using uprated springs and dampers these allow fine tuning of the cars handling for road or track. Adjustment is made via a single gnurled knob at the bottom of the shock - easily accessible with the wheels on the car so can be adjusted in a matter of seconds: + to make the shock harder, - to make it softer. The car is lowered by up to 40mm which improves both handling and the aesthetics. Different spring rates are used on the NA and the VXT/VXR.
Nitron NTR Race 2 Way Adjustable Suspension
£1,775 supplied, £2,100 fitted (includes complete geometry alignment to your requirements)
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Utilising a remote reservoir these are a significant step up in terms of adjustability and performance. By separating compression and rebound adjustment a far greater level of adjustability in handling is created both for road and track.
Nitron NTR Race 3 Way Adjustable Suspension
£2,250, £2,599 fitted (includes complete geometry alignment to your requirements)
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The daddy. Separate fast bump, slow bump and rebound adjustment mean the level of adjustment is unsurpassed. These are really only recommended for track or competition use and to get the best out them you really need to have a good idea on how to set these up......we can of course help in this regard.
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Power- Brakes- Handling - Aerodynamics - Wheels & Tyres
Aerodynamics
Whilst we love the shape of the VX220 aerodynamically its a bit of a screw up. The very bluff front end is very successful in generating good downforce (19kg's at 100mph) the upswept rear clam does an excellent job of generating almost 40kg's of lift at 100mph - not good. Utilising extensive testing on the road and track (and use of a wind tunnel) we have developed a range of aerodynamic modifications to enhance the good bits and eradicate the bad bits of the VX220's shape. All of these aerodynamic modifications are designed for performance, whilst we think they also look great on the car this is secondary, performance is everything in our minds.
Carbon Fibre Rear Diffusers - Full Set - £350
The VX220 benefits from a flat floor design which helps ease airflow under the car, however all the benefit of this design is wasted as the rear clam sweeps up from the flat floor thus generating lift at the back. It is this effect (partly) which people complain about on track when they lock the rear brakes in cornering.
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Rear diffusers will never generate high levels of downforce (unless they're enormous like on a DTM car) but they can be designed to direct underbody airflow and help reduce lift. Constructed entirely from pre-preg carbon fibre; they are strong, durable and look great on the car. Rear ground clearance is barely affected and they adhere to MOT rules on size. They are a DIY fit as they use existing holes drilled in the clam for the undertray.
Carbon Fibre Rear Wing - £799
To really address the VX220's rear lift issues you need a wing....and this really is a wing! We were lucky to adopt a wing that was actually tested in a wind tunnel on the VX220 chassis so we know this works (60kg's of downforce at 100mph) so it really does affect the handling of the car). When testing at Brands Hatch we found grip entering Paddock Hill bend was significantly improved.
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The rear clam isn't strong enough on its own to withstand the downforcegenerated by the wing so it is actually attached to the rear subframe though brackets in the boot space, available boot space is not significantly adversely affected though. Fitting needs just 4 holes drilled into the clam and the whole lot can be removed in minutes (not that you'd want to). The kit includes all the fitting brackets, uprights, wing and wing tips. The wing itself is constructed of pre-preg carbon fibre and the whole assembly only weights 3kg's.
The uprights are actually powder coated black not silver as in the pictures.
Carbon Fibre/Dynema Front Splitter - £250
The VX220 already has good downforce so the design of our front splitter is more about controlling the airflow rather than generating an airdam effect. Constructed of carbon fibre with an integral weave of Dynema this allows the splitter to 'grind' if it hits the road rather than shatter which a pure carbon fibre construction would suffer from.
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The splitter bolts directly to the front clam (which does not need to be removed to fit) and comes pre-drilled for easy fitting. Ground clearance at the front is only reduced by 8mm.
Power - Brakes - Handling - Aerodynamics - Wheels & Tyres
Wheels Tyres
Standard OEM wheels severely restrict tyre choice and overall handling upgrade routes. The standard front wheel is only 5.5" wide which means that the maximum safe tyre width is only 175mm. Opel also only specced the 17" front rim for aesthetic purposes, the VX220 (like the Elise) was designed around a 16" front wheel for optimum performance - all of our recommended wheel and tyre upgrades reflect this - the VX simply handles better on 16" front wheels.
Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2
£729
Developed directly between TMS and Rimstock these are the only wheels in the World custom designed for the VX220 and Speedster. The front wheel has been designed with a 20mm offset to widen the front track a little and give better front end grip and also provides ample clearance for the AP brake kits. Weighing in at only 7.3kg's the front wheel saves over 3kg's in weight over standard so turn in is far better. The 16" size means a wider choice of tyres can be used including track tyres such as the Toyo R888 and the Yokohama AO48.
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Lotus designed these cars to run on 16" front rims (they were changed on the VX220 and Speedster for cosmetic reasons) so handling is improved massively. They simply bolt straight onto the standard hub with no requirement for spacers, wobbly bolts or adjustment.
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The rear wheel weighs just under 8kg's (a 2.8kg saving over standard) and is slightly wider (7.5) so are perfectly set up for the car. These wheels are exclusive to TMS. Available in white, black and silver from stock.
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Speedline Super Turismo
Full Set Incl Lotus Hubs - £999
The Lotus S2 hubs are almost 1/2kg lighter than the Vectra based hubs the VX220 uses so for keen track dayer/racer these are an excellent choice. The Speedline Turini wheels are also as light as the Oz wheels saving over 3kg's and 2kg's per wheel respectively. You will also need to swap brake disks (we will soon be offering a package in this area).
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Toyo R888 Tyres
Full Set - £550
| The latest track specific tyre for the VX220 and one which TMS has been involved in testing. Designed by Toyo specifically to compete against the Yokohama AO48 the R888 is a road legal track day tyre with emphasis on outright grip rather than overall road use. We run these all year round on our cars however their grip in standing water is a bit limited they represent the ultimate tyre for the car. This comes with a price though and that is a limited life of around 4-5,000 miles per set (rears). |
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Yokohama AO48 Tyres
Full Set - £599
| Before the R888 came the along the only choice for the VX220 for track work and fitted as OEM on the VXR220. Compared to the R888 we prefer the Toyo for its slightly better wet performance, longer life and price. As with the R888 grip in standing water is rather limited and life is around 4k miles (rears). |
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Toyo T1-R Tyres
Full Set - £369
| Another Toyo tyre TMS has been involved in testing the T1-R is an excellent all round road tyre. We also use the T1-R as a wet track day/race tyre. Grip in the wet and dry is excellent and whilst the tyres get a little hot on the track the T1-R is by far the better all round choice for the car if trackdays are of limited appeal, they also offer more reasonable longevity of around 10k miles per set (rears) |
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Power - Brakes - Handling - Aerodynamics - Wheels & Tyres
