Duncan’s Alfa 155 tuning guide

Posted on 10. Oct, 2008 by Duncan in Alfa Romeo, Spec Sheets, Your Store

As you would probably expect there aren’t that many mods available for Alfa 155 tuning, compared to maybe an Escort or a Civic, but there are enough to make improvement where they are needed and add a personal touch. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favourites for the Twin Spark version:

1. Wheels! – 17″ for looks, 16″ for handling and 15″ for track. I love the 17″ OZ Superturismo, it’s a true design classic and you can’t go wrong with a touring car style wheel on one of the greatest cars the BTCC has ever seen. I’ve gone for Alfa Speedlines in 16″ on my car but I also have a set of 15″ Rota Slipstreams wrapped in sticky Toyo R888 tyres for track use. No matter what size wheel you use I’d always pay the extra for good tyres.

2. Eibach Pro kit springs – Offering the perfect balance between looks and handling these are a must. They are progressively wound so they aren’t ultra stiff and uncomfortable around town but when you feel like a blast round some twisty B-roads the improvements to the handling are huge! Plus 155s look fantastic when they’re a bit lower.

3. Koni sport dampers – Even the newest 155s will now be over 10 years old so it’s pretty much guaranteed that the original dampers have seen better days and will need replacing. I went for adjustable Konis all round as I’ve used them before and found them to be fantastic. They have been making shock absorbers for years and have been involved in pretty much every motorsport you can think of. The adjustability of the dampers makes them perfect for track use as well.

4. Eibach anti roll kit- 155s tend to have a bit of body roll compared to more modern cars and slapping a set of Eibach anti roll bars on the car will really sort this out. There are cheaper alternatives available but every Eibach product I’ve ever had has always impressed me with the quality. Works especially well with Eibach springs.

5. EBC Redstuff- While the Greenstuff pads do a fantastic job of slowing the car down, I fancied something a little extra. Redstuff pads offer a great bit from cold and can handle much higher temps so they are less prone to brake fade.

6. Brembo Sport brake discs- If you are uprating the pads you might as well uprate the discs at the same time. Brembo Sport discs come in either drilled or slotted flavours and as a bonus they look great and they’re Italian!

7. Goodridge brake hoses- There is nothing worse than a spongey brake pedal and sticking a full set of Goodbridge hoses on with a quality brake fluid will put a stop to this. They aren’t really expensive but they make a huge difference to the way the car performs.

8. BMC CDA – The godfather of all filters! They don’t make an off the shelf kit for my car but you can use Viper silicone hoses to create a nice under bonnet setup. The filter is top quality and is enclosed in a sexy carbon fibre heat shield. BMC filters have been fitted to countless Le Mans winners and F1 champions so I’m more than happy to fit one to my car. If you’re on a tighter budget then a good quality panel filter with a big cold air feed will do. I’d personally go for a Pipercross filter.

9. Momo model 78 racing wheel - Most Alfas come with a Momo wheel as standard but to add to that touring car feel a smaller race style wheel is always a good idea.

10. Squadra Tuning chip- Finally, not a part we sell but I’d still highly recommended. Squadra Tuning are a small but helpful Alfa ECU tuner based in Holland. Their chips are highly respected in the Alfa world and offer decent gains without costing a fortune. I recently fitted one and there is a noticeable improvement in grunt when overtaking especially when matched to a decent filter and exhaust. Check them out here: http://www.squadra-tuning.com

My 155!

The BTCC 155

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15 Responses to “Duncan’s Alfa 155 tuning guide”

  1. Russ

    10. Oct, 2008

    Looking good, mate, got love the Alfa even if it does drink oill like 7-up

  2. supra steve

    10. Oct, 2008

    Alfas are regal cars, you must give them respect. I have seen yours around town

  3. ACE

    10. Oct, 2008

    Alfa’s Rule different car to mod and i can only imagine the fun!!

  4. Rossi

    14. Oct, 2008

    I love the mods Duncan, its an awesome car!

  5. Humour

    23. Oct, 2008

    Nicely summarized article Duncan, no doubt the result of your direct experience in modifying your Twinny.

    There are however a number of additional mods for the Twinspark engine that are worth considering, these are:

    a) supersprint stainless steel manifold and downpipe section, in conjunction with the CDA, Squadra and a free flow s/s cat back system (three silencers to maintain back pressure) can actually improve the initial torque of the Twinspark engine before the camshaft phase variator kicks in as well as add more top end to the overall performance of the engine.

    b) Colombo & Bariani stage 1 or 2 high profile cam shafts, top quality and top price to boot, which really liven up the Twinspark engine. Kent cams also offer a re-profiled high lift versions, albeit the cam phase variator may require removal to use those items.

    c) One could also consider an FSE fuel regulator, which coincidently I purchased from POTN ;) but in reality to get the most out of all of the engine with such modifications, a rolling road tune up will be required.

    d) Lastly, and this is one I consider most worthwhile and very much on the shopping list in due time, is a Quaife Torsen Differential, which is very pricey but available for the Twinspark engine (QDH2K) and the one modification which will provide noticeable improvement in the drive train and overall grip from an already well capable chassis.

    there is an e) too but I’m keeping this one quiet for a while yet :P

    I do believe Squadra do offer an off the shelf chip for C&B S1 and S2 camshafts, but this is only worth utilizing if no additional modifications apply to the engine.

    Hum

    P.S. Any discounts available on that Momo racing steering wheel for .org members….hmm, hmmmm? :P

  6. dave

    24. Apr, 2009

    i,ve strapped a bolt universal supercharger from vortech in the states to my alfa gave it a enough grunt to to kick a chipped FTO,S backside last night or it could have been
    the crap driver behind the wheel fault

  7. Kenneth

    27. Jun, 2009

    Your car looks absolutely stunning! I’m going to buy a 155 8v next month. BTW where you get your rear spoiler? Is it a silverstone or zender spoiler?

  8. duncan

    06. Jul, 2009

    Hi Kenneth,

    Thanks, although that particular 155 is now dead :-(

    I’ve got a red one now that’s in the process of becoming a full on track car.

    It’s a genuine Silverstone spoiler, I’ll be getting the jacking kit soon.

  9. Chee Wan Ng

    26. Sep, 2009

    Hi! I’m one of the 2 remaining owners of the alfa 155 in Singapore. Nice reading your article. By the way, have you heard of Simota air intake filter? Hope to see you posting your new red 155 soon. Cheers.

  10. Peter

    11. Oct, 2009

    Hi All Alfa Lover,

    I’m Alfa 155 owner in Hong Kong, nice too me you all. I am looking the set of BTCC body kit for my Alfa 155, did anyone have it for sell? Or do you have any on-line shop introduce? Because hard to find in my country now.

    Thanks
    Peter

  11. Duncan

    23. Oct, 2009

    Hi Peter,

    The parts are hard to find over here as well!

    As far as I’m aware nobody outside of Japan makes a 1995 BTCC style kit for the widebody.

    If you are after the skinny 1994 look, then a member on the 155.org forum can supply front splitters. The road going version of the rear spoilers come up for sale every now and then and jacking kits are still available brand new.

    I’ve just managed to get hold a genuine 1994 style carbon fibre touring spoiler!

  12. Duncan

    23. Oct, 2009

    Hi Chee Wan Ng,

    Thanks for your comments! It must be hard finding parts if there are two on the road?

    I have heard of Simota, looks like a good product although I’ve never used them myself.

    The red 155 is to be replaced soon due to rust :-( but I will still be building a 155 track car so more details soon!

  13. cesaree

    14. Nov, 2009

    hi i own alfa 155 ts super and i love alfa every day and 155 is not dead is still alive and kicking

  14. bazzard

    28. Feb, 2010

    hello all my 155 is now of road and for sale on ebay it’s a silverstone 1.8 – 8 valve. Was going to rebuild but need space for my xj so shes got to go. Lovely car to drive and loads of fun leaving BM’s at the lights LOL.
    Hope you boys keep them running.

  15. Nik

    27. Mar, 2010

    Hi Duncan, just spotted your site. Do you have pics of your car and of your rear spoiler. I have been looking at spoilers. Recently made a new DTM style fibre glass front for my wide body V6. Its not finished yet but hoping to get car done, sprayed and back on the road for the big shows in the summer.

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