V8 Vantage upgrade

[Ray Portilla]

Hi guys im new here, and i just bought a 06 vantage and i was considering on buying some upgrades (unexpensve) like ECU remaps from paramount or something OEM from AM.,
Since im taking my car for service in Dallas and they are ofering me the AM intake etc etc package, wich i think is to expensive ( 5k aprox )for what i get compared to the paramount ECU $1,200 . Anyways i would like somebody here to share his views on waranty and bang for the buck for these upgrades.
I also like to say that i like the original exhaust on my car , do you guys think by just changing the cats it would make my car much louder?

Thankyou!

[DaveGee]

If you want to improve the sound of the stock exhaust remove fuse #22.

I agree that the AM intake mod is overpriced.

DaveGee

[Ray Portilla]

Well , this past weekend I said what the hell and went and install the AM Power Upgrade in Dallas , I did feel some deference , so far I like it.
I think I saw somebody sugesting not to remove fuse 22, do you know any disadvantage?

Thank you for answering Dave.

[rickdms]

Have a look here about fuse 22 http://www.derbymotorservices.com/faq/

[Ray Portilla]

thank you that was very helpfull . I'm going to leave the fuse since it doesn't make any gains in Hp/torque , actualy it is the oposite .

[Maccattack]

Ray,

Exactly which power upgrade did you have done?
How much and what was the result?
Cheers

[Ray Portilla]

Maccattac,
I did the computer remap or new computer that allows more rpm's and some other stuff, they change the intake manifold and new air filter boxes .
I paid arround 5k .
They said it will add 20hp and I don't remember how many pounds of torque .
My car really goes faster all around the rpm range , especialy at low rpm , overall I think anyone would notice the change with this AM power upgrade.
(there's more information about it in the Aston Martin web page)
If you need more info let me know
Cheers.

[Maccattack]

Thanks Ray,

I had been looking at whether you feel the difference and if it is worth the money. Still in two minds to go with this option or not.

Thnaks again.

Peter

[Ray Portilla]

Also the 0-60 is improved and the top speed is 177mph in some web pages says that the induction system is now similar to the DBS , wich it has valves in the intake , like the new power upgrade that they open at 5000rpm.

[Ray Portilla]

Go to www.zercustoms.com and search for Aston martin vantage there's a lot of news including the power upgrade and videos of aston martin , including a vantage crash in goodwood festival.

[Maccattack]

Just wondering if anyone has undertaken the type of upgrade offered by someone like Paramount Performance - ie: exhaust and ecu?
If so, what sort of power increases are gained as opposed to the factory upgrade which would appear to provide only limited increase for reasonably (comparitively) large cost.

I know Paramounts site boasts a 24bhp gain for exhaust alone - excluding ecu re-mapping.

[Ray Portilla]

go to 6speedonline.com forum for Aston martin I'm a member there . You should be able to find lots of threads regarding that subject .
I think if you want to keep your waranty you can't go wrong with the Aston martin power upgrade and the quicksilver exhaust . Both upgrades will get you close to the 4.7L in Hp (or equal) but torque is another story , it's a little less. Also keep in mind that the transmision on the 09 it was also improved .

[Ben@RSC]

There is a lot of mods you can do to your Vantage to increase the power and imporve the already great driving experience. To name a few, ECU re-map, TCU re-map, sports cats, sports exhaust, upgraded brakes, brake cooling kits, air filters, suspension, aerodynamic enhancements. We have done all the above and more to our 4.3 demo car with some great results.

To answer the above post about the sound increase when adding sports cats and keeping the OE exhaust, yes it will be a bit louder but in no way OTT our sports cats are 200cell making them alot more free flowing than the OE 600 cell cats making them an ideal addition to the Aston power package.

[Ben@RSC]

A quick word of advice to the guys that are considering sports cats is do your research as a lot of companies out there are using cheap low quality cats that bring up check engine lights.

[Maccattack]

Ben,

Do you have any figure on the ECU re-map. What sort of gains are had and have they been dyno tested?
I know I have read alot about re-mappings that boast amazing power and torque increases but no engine dyno testing to verify.

And pardon my ignorance, but what is a TCU re-map?

[Ben@RSC]

We are very honest with the gains acheived with our re-maps, we cannot work miracles on the V8 Vantage especially as it is a normally aspirated engine but on the dyno we have seen gains of around 15 bhp with our ECU re-map and 35-40bhp with our ECU re-map sports cat and sports exhaust. We have had customers tell us they have achieved gains of over 60bhp with our package but these gains have not been confirmed by us as we where not present at the time the dynoes where completed.

Sorry I should of been more clear when I say TCU re-map I mean the Sport Shift re-map.

Thanks,

Ben

[Maccattack]

Thanks Ben,

I have certainly been thinking of an ECU re-map but have found it hard to find any definitive gain figure. Everyone says you get an increase but I could never find how much that gain is. Appreciated.
Unfortunately for me I came from a very big horsepower car to the Aston and whilst I should not be comparing them, the lust for horsepower is a hard one to shake.

I started looking around for the "non invasive" gains but I know down deep that if I wan't substantial gains I am going to have to make some mods.
The sensible side of me says leave it alone - and following that line is porbably what I will do beacuse it will never emulate the power of my other car - nor should I want it to.

Thanks again for the info.

[Ben@RSC]

No problem, if you need anything in the future then feel free to get in contact.

Something you may want to consider when making you decision is that we do offer to put your ECU back to its original state free of charge if you decide you want to put your car back to standard, all we ask is that you pay the shipping cost of the ECU. The sports exhaust and cats are also totally reversable so you would not be making any mods that cant be put back to standard.

On the warranty front the ECU re-map is almost totally invisable to the dealer and they would have to know what they are looking for to find the difference (one number change on one of the many codes). It is also illegal for a dealer ship to refuse warranty work on a car if the mod (e.g exhaust) is not related directly to the problem.

Thanks,

Ben