Light modding of Corolla 1NZ-FE Engine: Advice Wanted

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 13th, 2011, 7:50 pm

Hi. I have a one year old 2009 Corolla GLi with a 1NZ-FE engine.

I want to do some light modding on the engine and generally trying to improve performance of the car. I would like some advice if I can get some.
First of all, I'm a student with a part time job so I don't want anyone flaming me for not buying a turbokit etc etc.

I was looking at doing the following:

- Being more conscious of the tire air pressure
- Getting a synthetic motor oil, possibly AMSOil.
- Getting a new air intake set up, probably something by K&N
- Buying new spark plugs and spark plug wire sets. I was thinking about getting the NGK brand.

Please comment advising on appropriate products and costing for the parts and/or installation.

Also, I was reading about a limiter that comes on the engine. My car currently seems to cap at 170 km/hr but can make it to 180 km/hr if I'm lucky. Is there any way to remove the limiter? If yes, any side effects that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance. Please help me out if you can.

clone101 · Postby **clone101** » January 13th, 2011, 8:24 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4utPiinuAd0[youtube][/youtube]

Big Z · Postby **Big Z** » January 13th, 2011, 8:28 pm

You're already on the right path...

1. Amsoil 10W30 with Royal Purple oil filter. Recommended by myself for 10k km.
2. K&N drop in filter
3. NGK iridium plugs. The 1NZ-FE does not have plug wires. Its four coil packs.
4. Front and Rear strut tower bars

turbohead · Postby **turbohead** » January 13th, 2011, 9:11 pm

firstly any mods will void your warranty, dats a risk you have to take. removing the limiter isnt really neccessary but if you wanna do it i could do it for you, where handing is concerned lowering springs and stabalizer bars will help. no plugs wires have coil pack. there is the drop in k&n filter you could buy for like 500. some lightweight rims and good tyres, brakes is good on those cars.

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 13th, 2011, 10:39 pm

@Big Z
I considered the drop in K&N filter but was thinking that an entirely new air intake might give me a better increase in fuel efficiency and horsepower. I was looking at something like either of the following:

http://thmotorsports.com/kn_/kn_intake_kit_typhoon_system_cold_air/698612tfk/i-228404.aspx?googlebase=69-8612TFK-03&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=shoppingengine

OR

http://www.modyourcar.com.au/kn-apollo-cold-air-intake-system--silver-p5171

But if you don't recommend changing the air intake and simply adding the drop in filter, please let me know.
As for the strut bars, can you give me an approximate price that they would retail for?
I didn't know about the coil packs. Thanks for letting me know. I just read up on them.

EDIT: I would like to purchase the oil and oil filter from you but Princes Town is really far for me. Unless you can schedule a transaction closer to Curepe/Valsayn, even Chaguanas, can you recommend anywhere around that area?

@Turbohead

Can you detail to me the pluses to removing the limiter? How much further past 170/180 would the engine take me and would it have any greater acceleration? Also, as far as safety goes, is it particularly dangerous if the limiter gets removed?

Thanks a lot to the two of you, your posts have been really informative.

Big Z · Postby **Big Z** » January 13th, 2011, 11:13 pm

A quick search of the K&N site shows that they dont have an intake kit for the 1.5/1.6. They have on for the 1.8 though.
Keep checking, they may have one soon.. or not.

Changing the intake is a matter of preference. I am not familiar with your model Corolla, so I cannot advise on the intake.

As for fuel efficiency, that does not exist, so don't even mention it. Fuel efficiency is a state of mind... No wide open throttle, no aggressive acceleration or braking, no speeding, etc.

Expect around $700 per bar for the Ultra Racing Brand. Contact Ignorant Ignis to verify prices and to make an order. In my Corolla I will be doing the front and rear strut tower bars, as well as front and rear anti-sway bars. I'm sticking with the original springs as I love the ride quality, and am not willing to give it up.

Without the limiter, you will probably hit about 240 kmph. Seriously, you dont need to go that fast.
Removing the speed limiter will not affect acceleration.

Postby **toyolink** » January 14th, 2011, 8:40 am

If your vehicle is equipted with the following toyota spark plug-90919-01247/FK20HR11,do not replace with any ngk alternative.The spark plug described is an iridium produced by denso and is in fact best in class catergory.The plug refered to here is a long reach type as compared to the short reach plug i am observing many local units being sold with.

Postby **Hook** » January 14th, 2011, 9:28 am

^^^ this is correct

and ummm FYI guys...oil shouldn't be listed as a performance upgrade

symphonia4, your bare basic upgrades if you're not interested in forced induction, or digging up in the internals are intake/head/exhaust (or "i/h/e"), and most people start with intake and exhaust and get to headwork later. A good, free-flowing engine breathes better and works better.

BUT in your case you already have a pretty new engine, which means
1. It have all the fancy bells and whistles in modern engine design, so it's pretty damn efficient as it is.
2. It's still in very good condition, so there are few wear issues (if any at all) that can rob you of any substantial amount of power.

Now, SOME manufacturers like to hold back a little so their performance parts division can make a dollar off those of us who like to squeeze a few extra horses out of our factory econoboxes.
From your wording, you seem like a smart guy so you probably understand that a $400 chrome fart cannon welded onto your stock exhaust piping is more of a noisemaker than a performance upgrade.
Browse the online magazines and see what's available for your model vehicle w.r.t. intakes, exhausts, lightweight pulleys, drive-train upgrades. Save your moolah and go for the good brands.

Now your '09 model Corolla, if I'm not mistaken, is the NZE141 and there IS a turbocharger kit available for it from TRD since their release of the Axio GT in 2009.

So now you have two options; free up some horses by way of intake and exhaust, lightweight pulleys or save up your clams and spring for the turbo conversion later on. One's more fun while your doing it and the other's more fun when your done...your call.

rdeonarine · Postby **rdeonarine** » January 18th, 2011, 6:21 am

I have a 2003 vios with the 1nzfe engine, the most i have pushed it to is 195km/hr and it did so with ease. The following is a short list of stuff I added/changed:
1. Denso IK16 iridium plugs (you could use the NGK BKR5EIX-11...thats the equivalent)
2. K&N drop in filter
3. UltraRacing tower bar (bought directly from Ultra Racing Malaysia) cost $800 landed, definite improvement in handling
4. Sun Auto voltage regulator -type MR (multi -rev)- definitely felt a difference
5. Sun Auto fuel line magnet (suppose to get better mileage)
6. Pro-RS SSBH- bought directly from Malaysia- braking has definitely improved (changed to dot 4 brake fluid as well)
7. 15" lightweight rims, with dz101 195 55r15
8. prosport water temp gauge- tho it does nothing for performance, i added this cause these cars did not come with a temp gauge, just the blue/red light for hot/cold).

Stock exhaust system for the while (there is a direct TRD bolt on i am considering as well)
Have a couple of more things in the future, will update accordingly.

rdeonarine · Postby **rdeonarine** » January 18th, 2011, 6:40 am

Postby **Hook** » January 18th, 2011, 9:23 am

Go on with the list, please.

Postby **toyolink** » January 18th, 2011, 10:22 am

Look at the prices listed for the options presented by rdeonarine which are real.In fact on another thread i remember sharing some numbers for TRD stuff which sent many into a state of disequilibrium.
You can easily get up to numbers in excess of TT $60000 with the US XRS body and wheel upgrade along with some of the recommended items listed previously.Many of the items are sizeable resulting in freight and other charges accounting for some dollars.
The most cost effective approach might be as follows;
K&N drop-in filter,TRD muffler(will req. some creative work),4 iridium s/plugs as previously advised,TRD strut brace(Frt.),TRD spring kit(only springs) and a cost effective 17" wheel package with proper offset (be careful with universals).

rdeonarine · Postby **rdeonarine** » January 18th, 2011, 12:13 pm

the following is a pics from a friend's car(from malaysia), mind you this is his 1nfe with a blitz supercharger,

there are other bolt on SC like this one from Greddy, made specifically for the 1nzfe
http://www.rhdjapan.com/trust-greddy-su ... cp31-61176

another item I was seriously considering for the nze was the power enterprise camcon, this is basically a vvt-i controller, see link for futher details...
http://www.powerenterpriseusa.net/produ ... camcon.htm

and the sun hyper force to complete my full line of sun auto products
http://www.racinglab.com/sun-hyper-forc ... b-004.html

these two items have been dyno tested and are direct bol-ons, no mods neccessary

for the OP, you may want to consider lighter body panels in the future...
carbon fiber trunk
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VIS-09-C ... ccessories

carbon fiber hood
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/09-10-11 ... ccessories

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 19th, 2011, 4:22 pm

This thread is getting a lot more attention than I thought it would. I appreciate that.

@Hook I was thinking that I might have to get the turbocharger kit in the long term if I want to get any serious increased power output from my engine. While I was scavenging for information around the net, I found a forum where the posters alluded to a small engine not getting significantly great power returns from increasing airflow to the engine while leaving the engine naturally aspirated as opposed to increasing the airflow to a bigger engine. If this is true, then it makes a lot more sense to me not to do anything significant with the stock air intake [other than get a K&N drop in, which I did and I noticed a difference in performance]. All that being said, the goal of saving for a turbokit will take me well into the next year and then some.

@Toyolink The most recent post you made with the list of cost effective mods sounds exactly like the kind of items that I would be interested in for the short term [within the next month or two]. With regard to the first post you left, I will check the spark plugs as listed in the manual and get back to you.
As for the strut bars, I am strongly interested in purchasing both front and rear bars. BigZ had referred me to Ignorant Ignis to buy them but he hasn't responded to my private messages. Any recommendations for where I can get some for my car?

@rdeonarine This is A LOT of information. Thanks a bunch for it. With respect to the Auto voltage regulator, is this it?

http://www.racinglab.com/sunhyvosytmr2.html

The TRD exhaust you posted is something I am strongly considering purchasing. Do you have any comments as to how loud it might be though? I don't particularly want to think that I have a super-sized vacuum cleaner in the trunk of my car when I'm driving. A friend of mine had mentioned that cars like the EVO10 are designed to be quieter than other sports cars, even if still louder than a standard car. Based on that, I want to ask if you think that the TRD exhaust will be only a bit louder than the stock exhaust or a lot louder?

The cold air intake, as I said above, might not give me much significant boost because the engine is small. If that is the case, I probably won't purchase one. Advise me accordingly if I am wrong though.

Safety is always a top concern so if you can find me a RS-PRO [or maybe other equivalent brand if available] stainless steel braided hose system that will work with the brake system on my car [2009 Corolla Gli] and somewhere I can get it installed I would most likely add it to my vehicle.

I was trying to do some reading on how changing the valves would affect the engine but I wasn't getting it. Do you think that you can give me a layman's breakdown of what would change?

Is the link below the fuel line magnet that you were talking about?

http://www.optionstage.com/sun-hyper-gauss.html

As toyolink said, changing out the body can be pretty expensive and from the prices listed for those carbon fibre parts, I don't think I'll be getting them.

Everyone has been alluding to price so I suppose I'll put it out there. I'd be willing to spend approximately TTD$10,000.00 total in car mods and performance upgrades for this year. Hope this helps put it in perspective.

Thanks to everyone for your input!

rdeonarine · Postby **rdeonarine** » January 20th, 2011, 5:49 am

okay first off, the HVS-type mr...http://www.sigmaautomotive.com/HVS/hvs.php

for the TRD exhaust, it's suppose to be slightly louder than stock, more of an aggresive tone, you could probaly check youtube to see if there are any vids to hear how it sounds.

the cold air intake in my opinion does not do very much, it actually sucks in hot air from the engine bay and allows more particles to contaminate your oil

the SSBH from pro-rs is a direct bolt on with no mods required, it is vehicle specific, the local corolla is the equivalent to the altis in the asian markets, check the pro-rs site in the product catalogue for your model, you could email them if you have any queries

the fuel line magnet from sun auto, i'm not sure as yet if there is any benefit to this but since adding it i do get better gas mileage ($125 a week in premium from san-do to pos is not bad)

you could definitely go for the Sun Auto Hyper Force Ignition Tuning System as this is plug and play...http://www.racinglab.com/sun-hyper-forc ... s-001.html
(this is for the 1nzfe engine)

the camcon CC-111B from power enterprises is another item you could consider as well
(http://www.powerenterpriseusa.net/produ ... camcon.htm)

ramishrrr · Postby **ramishrrr** » January 20th, 2011, 5:49 pm

Unfortunately, discussions like these keep returning.
Light modification, ultimately ends up with more and more modification with lots of money being spent. Then one finds out that no more can be done to the motor, within reasonable limits......money & modification.
If you don't know how to change your disc-pads, then the mechanics will soak you everytime.
Embarassment comes in the form of a stock daily driver with a quiet exhaust (and a bigger motor) cutting your arce on the highway.
Then the problem of trying to upgrade by selling. You may have to look for the young fella who is impressed with K&N, Chrome barrel, white headlights, 19" etc. to be the buyer. The average Joe does not want a car that was too tampered with.

But then, that is my opinion. One does not have to agree.

Check this link for previous discussion on the 1NZ-FE.

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=333456

rdeonarine · Postby **rdeonarine** » January 21st, 2011, 7:44 am

^^^^ sad but true, thats the reality of it. See ramishrrr's sig.

tte · Postby **tte** » January 21st, 2011, 1:10 pm

Do your intake, do your exhaust and do yah suspension. You are not going to make big power with the 1nz. If you want power swap a 2zz other than that make it breathe a bit better and sound better and sort yah suspension out. At the end of the day the most fun you can have is in a car that handles very well.

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 21st, 2011, 3:00 pm

ramishrrr definitely makes a splendid point and his signature is one of the truest that I've come across. Having said that though, I'm under 20 right now so the big bucks when I can buy my own stock fast car are several years away.

I just want to do some light-ish modding to make the engine as efficient as it can get so the power output is better. The same thought crossed my mind about getting left in the dust by a stock car.

I think that I'll just do the small things like changing the exhaust and adding in a voltage regulator etc.

Just by the by, how much would a 2ZZ-GE engine cost?

tte · Postby **tte** » January 21st, 2011, 3:06 pm

Voltage regulator?

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 21st, 2011, 3:09 pm

rdeonarine wrote:I have a 2003 vios with the 1nzfe engine, the most i have pushed it to is 195km/hr and it did so with ease. The following is a short list of stuff I added/changed:
1. Denso IK16 iridium plugs (you could use the NGK BKR5EIX-11...thats the equivalent)
2. K&N drop in filter
3. UltraRacing tower bar (bought directly from Ultra Racing Malaysia) cost $800 landed, definite improvement in handling
4. Sun Auto voltage regulator -type MR (multi -rev)- definitely felt a difference
5. Sun Auto fuel line magnet (suppose to get better mileage)
6. Pro-RS SSBH- bought directly from Malaysia- braking has definitely improved (changed to dot 4 brake fluid as well)
7. 15" lightweight rims, with dz101 195 55r15
8. prosport water temp gauge- tho it does nothing for performance, i added this cause these cars did not come with a temp gauge, just the blue/red light for hot/cold).

Stock exhaust system for the while (there is a direct TRD bolt on i am considering as well)
Have a couple of more things in the future, will update accordingly.

#4^

tte · Postby **tte** » January 21st, 2011, 3:45 pm

Sigh. This is why i dont bother posting on trini tuner.

symphonia4 · Postby **symphonia4** » January 21st, 2011, 4:49 pm

I apologise for my ignorance. Please don't kill yourself because you've lost your faith in humanity. :shock:

rrotsmannick · Postby **rrotsmannick** » April 25th, 2016, 11:01 am

Hey, did you ever get through with any of these mods?
I am looking for a cold air intake for the same engine (1NZFE). It is for the 2011 Corolla. Can anyone help with that?