In the previous part of this series (XR6 Turbo Guide - Part Three) we
looked at the aftermarket power-up kits available to elevate the Ford XR6 Turbo
to around 400kW. That’s an awful lot of power for a street car but, in XR6T
terms, it’s just the tip of the iceberg – in this, the final part of this series, we’ll
look at extreme XR6 Turbo engine builds, upgraded suspension and
brakes...
Extreme Power-ups
When it comes to building full-house XR6 Turbo engines, Nizpro is probably
one of the most respected workshops in Australia. If the 395kW Stage Two Cobra
kit isn’t enough to satisfy your cravings, Nizpro offers two more
off-the-shelf-upgrades that offer simply incredible power
output.
The Stage Three Cobra kit commences with a strip-down and inspection of the
existing engine. It's then rebuilt using Cobra H-beam rods and bolts; a balanced
crank, rod and piston assembly; new rings and bearings; a sonically tested
block; heavy-duty valve springs and a "cleaned up" head. Forged pistons are also
available as an option.
The fully rebuilt engine is installed into your car along with everything
that comes in the Stage Two kit (a NizEdit Flash Tuner, upgrade injectors,
upgrade intercooler, cast alloy intake plenum, rocker cover garnish and a
K&N filter with fibreglass airbox) plus a Remus exhaust and high-flow fuel
pump. Interestingly, Nizpro runs in the engine on their chassis dyno and then
programs the Flash Tuner to give around 18 psi boost and around 450kW (rated at
the flywheel).
Note that, at this level (with around 825Nm of torque!), the early model XR6T
four-speed auto and five-speed manual gearboxes don’t stand a chance. Nizpro
offers a transmission rebuild service which incorporates heavy-duty clutches, a
modified valve body and custom servo. A trans cooler is also available. If your
car has a T5 five-speed ‘box, the most popular upgrade is a Mal Wood T56
six-speed kit. The rear driveshafts are quite strong but when you’re talking
450+ kilowatts at the flywheel and stupendous torque, you will likely break them
if you drag race on slick tyres. Depending on transmission setup and available
traction, Nizpro suggest the Stage Two Cobra kit should be good for mid 11
quarter miles. A high 10 is theoretically possible but is unlikely to be
achieved in a street car.
And do you think you’re brave enough to handle the Stage Four Cobra kit?
With around 550kW at the flywheel, this upgrade is not for the meek. Stage
Four builds on Stage Three by adding an upgrade turbocharger, more aggressive
camshafts, forged pistons and a new oil pump – Simon Gischus from Nizpro says
the standard pump develops a harmonic at 6800 rpm and can fail.
When you’re pushing the engine to this extent there are a number of options
available. Nizpro has available a billet crankshaft, can fabricate a custom
exhaust manifold and have experience fitting and tuning MoTeC management
systems. The company has dyno’d XR6 Turbo engines to well over 1000hp (746kW) so
it’s safe to say they know their stuff...
Air Power Systems (APS) also have some mega horsepower hardware but, at
present, they aren’t available in kit form. The "in development" Phase IV kit
will most likely include everything from the Phase III kit (a UniChip, bigger
multi-hole injectors, a replacement exhaust, upgrade intercooler and a
high-volume blow-off valve) and will add APS’s replacement intake plenum with
six extra injectors, perhaps a larger turbocharger and more. As seen in this
graph, you’re looking at approximately 385kW at the wheels (500kW at the
flywheel) on around 22 psi boost – but this may change before public release.
You may be interested to learn that Vic Elfes of C&V Performance uses the
APS replacement plenum on his orange XR6T sedan and has no problem running 10
second quarters – see XR6T - The New King for the full story.
Suspension and Brake Enhancement
When you’ve tweaked the power output of your XR6 Turbo, it’s likely you’ll
want – and need! - accompanying suspension and brake upgrades.
The standard XR6 Turbo suspension does a remarkable job combining handling,
ride comfort, longevity and low price. However, if you want to fling your XR6T
through corners quicker than a stocker, there are some proven
tricks...
A lowered set of springs will successfully give a sportier feel and reduce
body roll but the biggest bang for buck handling improvement is a pair of
upgrade swaybars and an adjustable front camber/caster kit; these are the parts
supplied in Whiteline’s Handling Pack. Of course, for maximum effectiveness, you
should combine these modifications with tyre pressure, toe and camber settings
that suit your tastes and requirements.
Beyond this, you’ll need to address the XR6T’s spring and damper
relationship. Jim Gurief from Whiteline explains the XR6 is a heavy car and
there's no avoiding the fact that you need good dampers to control its
suspension movement. As a result, the Whiteline Works Pack adds lowered springs
teamed with adjustable dampers. However, for the ultimate XR6 Turbo suspension
set-up, you can opt for the optional Group 4 adjustable coil-overs. See Whiteline Worked XR6T for our road test of a Whiteline-enhanced XR6 Turbo.
Herrod Motorsport offers lowering packages for the XR6T using 25 – 30mm
lowered progressive rate springs teamed with a camber/castor adjustment kit. If
you want to step up, the Herrod Ultimate Package adds adjustable Koni dampers.
Pedders (one of Australia’s largest suspension companies) has Sports
Ryder dampers and lowered springs, urethane control arm and swaybar bushes, and a
camber/caster kit. These are available separately or as a kit.
And the big Ford’s brakes?
Well, if you have the standard pre-BF Falcon XR6 brake set-up, it’s highly
probable you’ll want an upgrade. The stock brakes are pretty marginal with
boosted engine output and the discs are relatively short-lived. We’ve heard that
switching to slotted and drilled replacement discs improves durability and
typically improves braking performance, but let’s focus on the substantial brake upgrades...
Probably the most cost-effective improvement is the PBR brake upgrade which
is essentially the same as Ford’s optional Premium Brakes package and as found
in FPVs. The PBR upgrade for BAs gives 325 x 32mm grooved and ventilated front
discs with twin-pot calipers. The rears are also replaced with slotted discs
with single potters. Braided lines are also included in the kit which is readily
available from go-fast workshops such as Jim Mock Motorsport and Herrod
Motorsport. See BA Brake Upgrade for further details.
For even greater braking performance, you can look to the hardware fitted to
the current FPV Typhoon and Tornado. Standard on these vehicles are 355 x 32mm
cross drilled and slotted discs with four-pot calipers and 328 x 26mm drilled
rear discs with single pot calipers. But the most exotic set-up is the optional
FPV upgrade which boasts Brembo six-pot front calipers with the rears are
upgraded to 330 x 28mm cross drilled discs with four-pot Brembo calipers.
As discussed in the first part of this series, the current BF Falcon XR6
Turbo is upgraded with a Performance Brakes combo comprising 322 x 28mm front
discs (up 24mm over the previous discs) and the rears are upsized to 328 x 26mm
(up 25mm). Both ends are also "pillar vented" and the latest ABS system is
employed. These new Performance Brakes replace both the standard XR6T and
Premium Brake arrangements and we believe they perform quite well.
Autotech Engineering has some tasty AP Racing and Brembo brake kits to choose
from. The base AP Racing kit brings four-pot front calipers, big DBA slotted
rotors and braided lines while the top-line AP upgrade gives you giant six-pot
front calipers. In the Brembo range you can grab some four-pot calipers, DBA
discs and braided lines for the front-end and you can add four-potters to the
rear for the ultimate setup.
Nizpro also offers CSC brake upgrades in a variety of sizes. A disc diameter
of up to 365mm is available (using bigger diameter wheels) and you can get six
or four-pot calipers. The CSC brakes are a fully floating design and are
available with braided steel lines. Speak to Nizpro for a suitable set-up for
your car.
So there you have it – the full XR6 Turbo story! If you’re contemplating the
purchase of a second-hand XR6T, you now have all the information you need!
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