So my Holden VF Commodore SSV had been feeling a bit… sleepy lately. Not terrible, but just a bit too normal. You know how it is. I figured it was time to wake it up a little without going totally crazy. Found this list of supposedly easy performance bits online and decided to just dive in headfirst last Saturday. Here’s exactly how it went down:
The Starter Pack: Intake & Exhaust Bits
First things first, I tackled the easiest stuff people always bang on about – getting more air in and out. Grabbed a cheap-ish performance air intake kit off the usual suspects online. Honestly, it was mostly just swapping out the factory airbox for this big plastic pipe with a cone filter stuck on the end. Fitment? Had to wrestle with it for half an hour near the battery tray. Feels like my knuckles are permanently bruised, but it’s on there now. Sounds cool under hard acceleration though.
Then crawled under the back for the exhaust mod. Wanted a nicer growl but my ears aren’t up for constant booming. So, took the coward’s way out. Just hacked off the factory rear mufflers and welded on some slightly bigger, less restrictive ones. Went down to the local exhaust shop, threw some cash at them, and boom – sounds deeper, especially when I put my foot down. No angry neighbours… yet.
Getting Hands Dirty Under the Hood
Feeling cocky after the air filter and exhaust “success,” I aimed under the hood for the spark plugs. Heard colder plugs could help a tiny bit, especially if I ever add more power later. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Getting to the damn plugs on the passenger side was like playing Operation with engine parts. Had to yank off plastic covers, move bits of wiring… swear I aged 5 years trying not to drop anything down the spark plug holes.
Next up was the throttle body spacer. Now, I’ve heard arguments for days about whether these things actually do anything real. Honestly? Probably just snake oil. But it looked cool and was cheap metal spacer that bolts on between the intake manifold and the throttle body. Took off the air intake tube I just wrestled on earlier (joy), unbolted the throttle body – four bolts, loads of cursing because it was sticky – shoved this spacer gasket thing in, bolted it all back together. Feels maybe a tiny bit more responsive? Could be placebo. Looks shiny though.
The Electric Touch: Tuning Box
Saving the most intimidating bit for last: the dreaded “chipping” or tuning. I wasn’t ready to pay for a full professional dyno tune. Found this plug-and-play tuning box thing. Claims to fiddle with the engine computer signals for more power/fuel economy/magic fairy dust. Installation? Surprisingly easy. Found the main engine computer plug near the battery box that the air intake now partly covered. Unplugged it, plugged the magic box into the car’s wiring, then plugged the original computer plug into the magic box. Fired it up. No explosion. Bonus.
The Big Reveal? Meh & Wow
Finished all five “easy” mods over the weekend. Sweaty, greasy, maybe a bit wiser. Took it for a decent drive.
- How’s it feel? Definitely breathes better. More pull when you give it the boot.
- Sound? Throatier growl is awesome. Gets heads turning at lights.
- Throttle response? That spacer might be doing something? Or maybe it’s just my imagination fueled by greasy hands.
- Power increase? Feels peppier, maybe like 10-15 extra horses? Not earth-shattering, but noticeable enough to make me grin.
Is it a supercar killer? Hell no. But for the cash and a weekend messing around, I reckon it woke my SSV up nicely. Neighbour already asked what I did to make it sound tougher. Mission mostly accomplished!
