As you'll see, I'm a newcomer and have recently acquired a 1999 Jaguar XJ8so I'm sure you guys will see me around for awhile as I try and keep mine "Mint" and tinker around with its performance here and there. That being said: What would be a good place to start on the "Ladder" of performance upgrades for my Jaguar. As is standardit has in-around 300 HPI would love to get it up to 370 HP (Like the XJR) I'm very open to ideasbut I would like to start from lease expensive up and most bang-for-your buck. All the upgrades would be done by the dealer most likely or a well qualified mechanic.

 

I would start with the intake and then the exhaust. You can easily do the intake upgrade yourself.
Hereis alink that will help you with the upgrades.......

http://www.minagallery.com/jagxp/XJ8mainoptionpage2.htm

 

It is possible that the most you can do for the money is to get back what it came with. A usual 10 year old car will be down on power from between 10% and 25% due to wear of systems. A strong tuning and total filter replacement will be a good start. Then replace the O2 sensors and clean the MAF. Then clean and flow-match the fuel injectors, install all synthetic lubricants, change the plugs, flush the tranny, check exhaust backpressure to findclogged catalysts, run a vacuum test to find leaks and other problems and so on.You will get more power from this than anything short of supercharging. The engine is maxed out as it is for dependability, be carfeul messing with it, there is not much to gain that you can really use until you get into individual experimentation.

 

By the way, in the past, I campaigned race cars for years, just H production though (Bugeyes). I did all my own building, driving and tuning though and I've seen what really works and what just sounds good. To get real usable power out of a stock motor, it can't stay stock. If you mess with intake and exhaust, to get usable power, you must retime the ignition/air flowsequencewhich means cams. There are no shortcuts, no matter what the advertisers say. You will hear all kinds of things as there is money to be made by anyone able to convince you of a good shortcut. Be very suspicious and read up on tuning by someone trustworthy before making any moves. My favorite book was "Tuning A series Engines" by David Visard. The info in books like these is very valuable to a tuner. I would never think that any bolt on part will give me that dreamlike ability to smoke Porsches.

 

Great Ideas GuysThe support is very welcome and Thanks Much. I had an idea myself which is: http://myauto.tv/272/cyclone/competition.jpgIt might seem a little over-the-top but techs have done dyno testings on the Tornado Fuel Saver, and its proven to add around 5-10% more horsepower and a small increase to gas mileage. I think its a pretty neat idea, and not very invasive at allas far as installation. Also, I've been pondering the idea of "Supercharging" my engineI know its Naturally Aspirated so I'm unsure what the compatibility would be. [&:]It if it "AT All" Possible however, I would be very interested in pulling it off. I'm sure you guys are much more well versed in these things than a newbie like myself. However, that would be my "Last" of upgrades further on.

 

I just did a little digging and found another powerful tool that might go a long way. It "could" be a gimmick but at the same timeit a has promise to be legit. Its on the same line as that Fuel Saver. I think this is a more refined version of such etc. http://www.turbonator.com/faq.htmlIt also mentions in the FAQ This:

I'm pretty sure that this is a gimmick and is bull, however, I'd like to use you guys as a soundboard. Getting more than a 35 HP increase for only 69 bucks seems really fishy....

Yeah..scratch the hype. Sorry for getting excited. lol http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...or.html?cat=27

 

You can't read ads to get reliable knowledge, you'll have to read books.

 

Ouch......that made me cry inside.

I haven't seen posts asking about the Turbonator for AGES.

It's just like several other things that people sell that have "NO negative effects" but just boost performance/gas mileage. IF THEY WERE REAL, THE AUTOMAKERS WOULD BE INSTALLING THEM. End of story.

 

I sure would not wantto make anyone cry. I apologize if I overstated my opinion. The crying usually happens when one buys a part to make his car do some promised thing that it doesn't even come close to. I hate to see anyone misled by slick advertising, and the performancegimcrack market is full of it, I have been a victim too. Not only is it the money but the idea of being fooled. Real knowledge is the powerthe helps torecognize false claims in ads.

 

you could always sell you xj8, and buy an xjr?? I eventually swapped my 96 vdp for a 98 xjr - mainly because I was like you, searching for more horses. My 96 was more reliable, but the xjr has been much more fun.

 

TURBPNATOR, FINCH, ETC....THOSE HAVE BEEN SELLING FROM COVERED WAGONS FOR AGES, MOTS IS RIGHT, AND THE BEST BANG AFTERWARDS IS AN ECU REPROGRAM FOR BETTER TIMING AND FUEL MAPS

 

To be honest I have to agree with the guy who said that an XJR might be money better spent. You said "Bang for Buck" right? what does an XJR cost? maybe an extra $1500 to $2000? price per horsepower,all the exhaust andintakes in the world on a stock XJ8 wont get you there for less than an XJR not even close.

 

Cant go wrong with what oldmot is saying