Ok so you're into modding cars ? Congratulations that's the first step and the hardest one to overcome, I think once you've got the bug and come to terms with it you can commit the cash and time needed. A half hearted effort to maybe try in a vain way to keep up with your mates is never going to see you cruising in a totally sorted motor....end of story !
If you don't already have the project underway you may be considering many different models of car. There is at this stage a temptation to go with the flow and buy a car that you know to have many modding parts available or you've seen nice examples of, for example the Evos ? Now this is great in that you have phenomenal choice available but will you get noticed ? I don't think so ! You could paint it an outrageous colour perhaps ? You'd get noticed yes, but for all the wrong reasons. What I'm saying here is that to get noticed, get respect and to feel really good about what you've achieved you have to go where nobody has been before. Be original, after all that's what it's all about surely ? Creating something unique, tailored, customised to how YOU want it, it's like art, don't laugh it, get easy,it's your statement, it's an expression, that's why we do it ! Choose a car that has potential, one that YOU like, don't listen to others, a Proton Tiara estate may not be cool from the factory but you will be cool when you create a cool one like nothing ever seen before. Just because a car doesn't have a huge selection of aftermarket tuning/styling parts doesn't mean it should be condemned to the dungeons of standard factory boringdom oh no.you can make parts, fit parts from other cars, re-shape parts, paint parts..if you like the look of it, that's all that counts !

WARNING!!Don't be a fashion victim ! Following the above then the first thing you'll do is go straight out and buy a set of TSW Venoms right ? Or shopping at any car accesories to collect those stupid stickers - Sparco, West, Tuned by Razo, those stickers at the fenders....Wrong !!!! They may look cool, and all your mates may have them but they are fashion and with all forms of fashion it WILL go out of date, think about it, if everyone is doing the same thing it stands to reason that everyone will get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again and pretty soon someone will come up with something different and preferred. Everyone will then start doing that and that's the new fashion trend. Set trends, don't start them, again be different, be bold, if you like it, others may do to. Remember 3 spokes/ Viper ?

Turbocharged VS Supercharged
Do you want more power? Faster Times? Turbos and Superchargers are the way to go.

Many Import enthusiasts want to know what is the difference between turbos and superchargers, but when you ask you always end up with two or more different answers. So we have done some research on the two units and we have found the differences and even the similarities.

Turbochargers can fit on any engine type, given the right exhaust manifold. However, the turbo must be sized properly according to the application. Small sized turbos mean faster boost responses, but limited amounts of boost. Larger sized turbos take up more time to build up boost, but more boost can be obtained. Turbochargers rely on the exhaust gas velocity of the vehicle and are directly proportional to the temperature of the engine. Turbos feed on fresh oil constantly, so good quality oil must be used in the vehicle.

Superchargers use the same concept as turbochargers in the effect that it also compresses air. Superchargers can also be made to fit on any type of engine, and only comes in two types of kits. Both are pulley driven units. When it comes to horsepower and torque, superchargers can gain as much as 40 percent in horsepower and 50 percent in torque with the use of just a base kit.

The positive side of turbocharging is the ability to increase power using boost controllers and swapping turbo units. Turbos give you more power using a pulling effect type of forced induction. However, on the down side, turbos tend to produce more heat as the boost increases, therefore intake temperatures increase causing dense air that can not be compressed. This usually happens after 5 psi. To solve this setback, an intercooler may be added to eliminate the problem and also help prevent detonation. The other problem with turbo charging is that it requires more maintenance because the amount of heat associated with the boost means the turbo must cool down after aggressive driving for about 2 to 3 minutes at idle. Obtaining a turbo timer will help. Turbos must also be allowed to heat up before aggressive driving.

Unlike the turbochargers that require cool down time, or warm up time, the supercharger is ready to go when you are. At 2000rpm, boost is already available with a supercharger. When it comes to fuel efficiency, superchargers actually kind of help to improve your MPG. The reason for better mileage is the fact that you do not have to drive the engine at full throttle due to available boost. However, anytime that you drive aggressively, fuel efficiency will suffer.

However, due to the fact that the supercharger is pulley driven, there is some strain put on the engine. Also, where as with the use of an intercooler with the turbo setup, you have the use of practically unlimited boost, you are limited to what the supercharger has to offer.

Installation of a supercharger usually takes about 6 to 8 hours, if you are mechanically inclined and there is no cutting or welding required. Superchargers also tend to last longer than turbo chargers due to the fact that they do not require much maintenance and have a self contained oil supply.

Turbochargers and Superchargers two of the best ways to accomplish your goals by producing more power and faster times. Both have great sounds, the superchargers with their aggressive whistling sound, and the turbos with their jet engine type sound.



Turbochargers are efficient and flexible, allowing a wide range of swaps and upgrades to acquire the desired power output. They are not noisy and do not steal power from the engine, however require a little more attention than superchargers. This setup is ideal for Front wheel drive and lightweight cars, due to the lack of traction when you launch from a dead stop; the lag in boost is actually an advantage. You don't want your boost to kick in before you catch traction.

Superchargers give you instant boost on demand and require very low maintenance. With boost available at 2000rpm, you don't have to watch the other guy start to pass you up for long. This setup is ideal if you have a rear wheel drive car with lots and lots of horse power to spare such as the domestics do, then the petty power it steals from the engine is well compensated for.



Shoe selection........itu rim mau pilih macam manala?

Alloy mag what ? Racewheels are made from magnesium and titanium but we have to settle for alloy wheels. Racewheels are about 50% lighter than alloy wheels so you can understand why they use them. Our alloy wheels are only 80% aluminium. The remaining 20% consists of other metals such as magnesium, silicium and copper. Enough theory, what's the deal when you buy a new set then ?

Offset - The most important bit is the offset of the wheel (also called ET). The offset of a wheel determines how much a wheel sticks out when installed. To put it simple you'd have to cut your wheel in half mid-width. ET is the distance from the mounting face to the middle of the wheel in millimetres. For example for a Wira/Satria/Putra you need an offset of 15, which means that the distance between the mounting face and the middle of the wheel is 15mm. The Pug 405 uses an ET of around 35, which means that it sits a lot deeper in the arch.

Spacers - Nowadays more and more wheelmakes produce a wheel with only one offset. I had a look recently at OZ and Enkei wheels. OZ could sell me a 17 inch wheel with an ET of 37, Enkei could offer me one with an ET of 35. Pretty useless for a ZX or are they ? Enkei could sell me 20mm spacers so that I'd get ET 15, suitable for my car. I don't know about you but I'm not into spacers. The thought of a metal piece sitting between the wheel and hub scares me. Well, I'm not scared anymore because you have to screw the Enkei wheel spacers into the wheel before you mount the wheel. Very handy in case you have a flat tyre.

OZ does a similar system. They had wheels with an ET of 37 but 21mm spacers turned them into ET16, which I think will fit the ZX. OZ uses a system with which the spacers click into the wheels, instead of a screwing system like Enkei. Both are pukka solutions. These spacers aren't free of course and you can expect an extra 100 pounds or so for the spacers and longer bolts. It's not cheap but it is quality stuff. It's worth remembering though that if your arch space is really at a premium you can run a different offset back to front using spacers. You can also adjust the offset for clearance *after* you have bought the wheels if you need to, for example if you go that bit lower

Stud pattern - Another problem is the distance between the mounting holes. The holes are drilled equally spaces around a circle of a certain diameter eg 108mm in diameter for a Pug wheel. For Volkswagens, this diameter is 100mm. This is know as PCD - Pitch Circle Diameter and is an engineering term for describing holes around circles

Decision time - Then it's up to you to decide what size of wheel you're gonna fit. Are you going German and fit 13 or 14 inch wheels ? Or are you going the UK tour and will you try to fit 18's ? For the least amount of problems choose something between these extremes like 15's or 16's. These will give the least problems. Keep in mind that the price of rubber increases with size. A 195-45-16 tyre costs almost twice as much as the common 195-50-15 size.

Pulling power - You'll also notice that your cars pulls slower if you fit big wheels. My suggestion is not to fit 17inch wheels if you only have an 1100cc engine. It might look good but acceleration and torque will suffer on little engines...even 'tangkap' driveshafts!!

Contact sport ? Another issue to avoid contact between tyre and arch is the width of the wheel. German nutters place 8 or 9 inch wide wheels on their motors, impossible to tuck away in the arches. If you're going for the touring car look (Shawal's/Sharil's/Ijan's car) you'd better keep things between 6.5 and 7.5 inch wide, depending on your type of car. As you can see there's more to it than just choosing a shape of wheel. You'd best ask for advice at your wheel suppliers. They'll be happy to tell you what wheels are suited for your car.

Styleee - That leaves the look. Are you going for a classic five spoke or do you want a six spoke, which are popping up more and more ? Are you gonna have the wheels polished or are you going American/Australian and have them chromed ? mahal gila!!

Whatever you choose, try to be ORIGINAL and don't go for what everyone else has got. Originality is the keyword here. Have fun.

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