Jaguar Tuning – Improving on Perfection
Jaguar Tuning – Improving on Perfection. The Jaguar F-Types is an extraordinary vehicle, it’s well built and well designed. It’s a fantastic and rewarding machine to own and drive.
Paramount Performance has been working on tuning and styling Jaguar motor vehicles since 1986. During 2015 with the launch of the latest two wheel and all-wheel drive Jaguar F-Types, Paramount Performance in partnership with VIEZU Technologies Limited under the brand of VIP Design. (VIEZU Incorporating Paramount) aimed to take the Jaguar F-Types to a new level in terms of power, performance, and styling.
Where the Jaguar motor vehicles are concerned Paramount Performance and VIEZU Technologies have a huge combined and very loyal customer base.
THE 650 CLUB
Jaguar owners are loyal to the brand and want the best out of owning their car and the best driving experience. Enter VIEZU Technologies and Paramount Performance, home to the “650 Club”.
In 2016 VIP Design launched the Jaguar F – Type Predator. With many journalists and magazines featuring this vehicle, it gained a global recognition.
In fact, one journalist referred to the Jaguar F-Type Predator conversion as having Lamborghini bothering power and performance! Worthy praise for this well-designed performance package.
WHY DO YOU NEED MORE POWER?
With an already powerful vehicle you may wonder why you would want to make it even more powerful. The members of the 650bhp Club may simply tell you it enhances the driving experience. The engine power feels smoother, and the acceleration is significantly more responsive. In short, the drive is simply improved.
It’s worth noting Paramount Performance has been converting Jaguars for over 36 years. This has involved technical processes like porting and polishing cylinder heads and increasing cooling capability.
ONBOARD COMPUTING
Today, we take look more at the car’s computer software that maintains the vehicles performance. A more modern approach for modern cars with reprogrammable electronic control units or (ECUs) essentially the cars brain. Being adapted to liberate more power and, when combined with mechanical modifications. Such as upper and lower supercharger pulleys – the performance of the car is significantly improved.
VIP Design Team develop these conversions for both V6 and V8 engine variants. And deliver a completely new driving experience for these cars.
In fact, all modern Jaguars are suitable for ECU tuning and Paramount Performance have developed very popular tuning packages for not only Jaguars. But also Range Rovers which typically have the same engine type.
With these engines being available in other marques, like Range Rover. Paramount Performance and VIEZU Technologies have become the go-to tuning house for these automotive enhancements worldwide.
Especially since the duo company have developed their conversion package to be available mail-order. It’s been a real British success story in fact. These conversion packages have been distributed worldwide including the Middle East, Asia, and the USA to name just a few.
THE STAGES OF PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE
Typically, this type of tuning is referred to as having stages:
Stage One: Tuning seems to have come a long way since cars had carburettors. But in fact the principles today are the same as they were in the pre-multi-point fuel injection or ECU era. More air, more spark, more fuel means bigger combustion and hence more power.
Whereas these types of modifications in the past were made by mechanical means, today there are a simple software upload.
MANY ENGINES TO MANY MODELS
Furthermore, car manufacturing has made the job much easier too. Originally car manufacturers produced a range of engine sizes for a particular model. If you think of the humble Ford Escort, the engines fitted would have ranged from the 1100cc, a 1300cc, and a 1600cc, and then later in the case of the RS2000. A 2000cc Pinto engine. All fitted to the same body.
ONE ENGINE TO MANY MODELS/MARQUES
However, making engines is of course an expensive process. And by making vehicle engines electronically controlled manufacturers can move to making one engine and deploying across many models. And even marques because of onboard computers and the control this provides in terms of directing of the power range within software.
For example, the same 5 litre supercharged engine is fitted in the 450bhp “P450” as it is to the 592bhp Project 8. The only difference primarily being a software uploaded.
RELIABILITY
This of course means tuning can be incredibly effective and safe knowing that the engine is already capable of running this type of power. And hence dismisses the myth engine tuning will stress and damage your engine.
ECU tuning is suitable for all modern Jaguars including petrol and diesel engines. In most cases this work can simply be uploaded through the onboard diagnostic port.
POPULARITY
This type of tuning is more popular than you may realise, to date VIEZU Technologies has tuned over 250,000 vehicles across more than 78 different countries. This tuning is also extremely popular with large fleet operators looking to save money on the cost of fuel. Reduce top speeds or increase torque depending on the commercial vehicles use. In fact, VIEZU has tuned some of the largest fleets of vehicles across the EU and UK.
Commercial and fleet tuning, of course, is often not about faster performance and is mostly about fuel consumption efficiency. Fuel economy tuning is specific to diesel vehicles. Where savings of as much as 15% can be achieved. Speed limiters can also be moved as part of the process too.
SUITABILITY
ECU tuning is suitable for both forced induction engines, either turbo or supercharged, as well as normally aspirated engines. Though the latter will see smaller increases in performance.
Stage Two: For those looking for a little more power stage two tuning will include mechanical modifications. Thus, meaning the software tuning can be developed further.
Most commonly on supercharged Jaguars this would comprise of a smaller upper supercharger pulley for example. This has the effect of changing gear in a similar way as it does on a pedal bike.
By making the upper supercharger pulley smaller. The supercharger will complete more revolutions per minute than with the original larger type. Hence giving a nice increase in boost pressure and performance.
SERVICE INTERVALS
Service and maintenance schedules remain the same and the pulley can be changed in around two hours.
On the 5.0 litre Jaguar F-Type the combination of an ECU tune and an upper pulley upgrade will deliver between 600 and 610bhp.
This modification will often be combined with a pair of upgraded performance air filters. This ensuring the airflow is optimised and the supercharger is allowed freer access to cool air.
Stage three: Welcome to the 650 Club.
The Eaton supercharger fitted to the supercharged Jaguars is rated and proven to 1800 RPM. However, with the standard Jaguar configuration, the supercharger in fact only achieves 1400 RPM at 7000 engine revolutions.
As such the supercharger is capable of much more. With this in mind, in 2016, VIEZU developed the VIP Predator Conversion Package – proven and tested to run 650 bhp.
To achieve this, not only the upper supercharger pulley is changed, but also the lower crank pulley is replaced for one 10% larger.
Combined this takes the Eaton supercharger two 1750 RPM still within its proven tested limits but delivering significant extra boost pressure. This also allows for the software map to be adjusted further delivering a blistering 650- 660bhp and 900Nm of torque.
When this conversion is installed, it is also a requirement to increase the supercharger cooling as this ensures the large metal supercharger does not conduct too much heat. Hence causing heat soak and warming of the air being passed into the combustion chamber.
Failure to keep the supercharger cool can in fact cause a reduction in power. In a similar way Paramount Performance have seen and tested a number of metal cold air induction systems. And in nearly every case these in fact lose engine performance due to the hot metal pipe work conducting heat into the air entering the engine.
CHOOSING YOUR TUNER
A little like Formula One Teams, the UK is the world’s hotbed of tuning professionals. With some of the very best tuners being based in the UK.
However, sadly not all tuners are equal! Or even the same and it is important to do some research before you set about having this type of tuning or conversion work carried out on your precious car!
Tuning the 5.0 supercharged engines is quite a specialist subject. It’s completely different from the 4-cylinder turbo charged engines of so many cars. As such, it will be important your tuner has significant Jaguar experience and operates a rolling road too.
When undertaking tuning and vehicle modifications it’s important the performance and health of the vehicle is checked before any work starts.
You don’t want to build a house on poor foundations. Especially as vehicles become older, they can start to lose power and performance just through normal regular use components can wear. Simply getting an “Engine Remap” whacked on with an updated tune is unlikely to resolve any underlying performance or health issues with your car and may even cause damage.
Look out for ….
As such when choosing your Tuner, ensure they have Jaguar compatible diagnostic equipment. Can provide a vehicle health-check and your car is tested before and after on a rolling road to check current performance levels and health prior to tuning.
The tuning undertaken should be custom and unique to your car. The latest reliable and safe tuning tools should be used (be aware there are clone and fake tuning tools on the market that can damage your vehicles ECU)
The tuning should be insured, don’t be afraid to ask proof of cover for the work being undertaken. Professional Tuners will not be upset by this question, and they will be only too happy to talk you through the tools and software they will be using.
And importantly, the effectiveness of the modifications and tuning should be retested after installation on a rolling road, so a true comparison can be seen before and after.
For your peace of mind, most good Tuners will offer some form of money-back guarantee. And if you are not absolutely delighted with the results, will process this by putting your vehicle back to standard with a no quibble approach to customer service. If your vehicle has mechanical modification installed, expect to pay a fee for deinstallation of those elements.
On the topic of customer service, your professional tuner will be established with a good reputation, this can easily be checked using social media or other online business rating services.
QUALITY MATTERS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY
With the Department of Transport looking closely at tuning being used to install what is fast becoming antisocial or “Pop and Bang” Tuning, (we have all heard them) and emission system removals; the Performance Automotive Aftermarket Association (PAAA) has recently introduced a new quality standard called SMART – short for Safe Modification And Responsible Tuning.
In an industry that is largely unregulated, choosing a professional tuning company who has signed up to the SMART standards ensures your vehicle will be tuned to a level that is safe and will not affect its emissions.
VIEZU is not only a member of the PAAA, but also the only custom tuning provider to achieve ISO 9001:2015 Quality Managed Organisation.
In 2014 VIEZU won The Queens Award for Enterprises in recognition of its research and development for fuel saving products and services and is the unique powerhouse for electronic tuning delivered through Paramount Performance.
To date, VIP Design has over 2000 happy members in its 650 Club around the world!
And with the F-Type coming to the end of its production life during 2024, you can be confident that Paramount and VIEZU can take care of your vehicle and deliver the improved performance you’re looking for no matter where you are in the world.