Dumb, unoriginal question. But humour me...

The XU7JP4 is indeed aluminium, with a head design similar/interchangeable with XU10J4R/RS heads. However, it's strangled by the smaller ports. Don't get put off by the additional weight of the XU10. The increase in torque/hp more than makes up for the increase in mass. If in doubt, contact Robert on here, BIGRR. He has an XU10J4R powered GTi, which I was involved in the build of many years ago. He's won many motorkhanas with it. I'm sure he'd take you for a drive.
 
I might be a philistine but on my xu10j4r I have:

Fitted gti6 pistons (same wrist pin, crown height ect, only difference is dish in crown for j4r)
Gti6 extractors exhaust simply shortened / modified, very easy in fact.
Xsara VTS suspension all round.

Going to advance the inlet cam a few degrees, last time I did this the exhaust gave a burble until the ECU took it out. (engine has been out for new bearings, even at 260K km you will be surprised how good it will be inside.

Running factory ecu, it breathes nicely and is some fun, the 306 is a solid nicely behaved motor car, the 205 is another game alltogether. either xu9 or xu10 it will fly.
 
PeterT said:
I think it's a great question. A 306 is too heavy and the XU10J4R too difficult/expensive to turn into anything suitable, to make a 306 exciting. I'd find an Si and use that as a base. You could put your XU10J4R into that and it would be a very rewarding/exciting driving experience. Whether or not you add TB's etc., is another discussion, but that is an easy quick base to start.

The exhaust is very simple on a 205, with just a few bits of straight pipe. Mt preference is 2.25", 12" torpedo type resonator in the middle, and a centre offset muffler at the rear. If still too loud, or you want ultimate sleeper look, change the tailpipe to 2". I've done straight through on the rear muffler as well, but it's a tad noisy if the muffler isn't big enough. ie you can get away with it on a 405, as there's plenty of room.

405 is too heavy, same as 306.
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Peter, regarding the exhaust, do you mean 2.25” from the cat back or the exhaust manifold?
 
Best car I have had in 50 years of driving was 405 SRDT. Gave a mate a 900km lift when the car was 25 years old with 600,000km and he said it drove better and far more comfortable than a new car. Even confessed behind my back had been bagging the car for decades.

Pity they don’t still make them. Yes did look into importing one into Australia from Iran but would have to buying two - one for crashing testing to a get a compliance plate.

Had seen a 405 after it hit a tree at 100km and convinced that a 205 was not for me. Not to mention a review when the 405 came out that claimed the only car that came close to a 405 for handling was its 205 sibling. There was also the brake fade test compared to a Mazda 3 they gave trying to get the 405 brakes to fade well after the Mazda’s brakes had failed.
 
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PeterT said:
The XU7JP4 is indeed aluminium, with a head design similar/interchangeable with XU10J4R/RS heads. However, it's strangled by the smaller ports. Don't get put off by the additional weight of the XU10. The increase in torque/hp more than makes up for the increase in mass. If in doubt, contact Robert on here, BIGRR. He has an XU10J4R powered GTi, which I was involved in the build of many years ago. He's won many motorkhanas with it. I'm sure he'd take you for a drive.
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Makes sense. The only reason I asked is that my first 306 was a 1.8 16v Style and in compared to the GTi6 and the XSi I have had it felt light and "fizzy" and the front end was less doughy. Fast it was not though!
 
BlindFreddie said:
Pity they don’t still make them. Yes did look into importing one into Australia from Iran but would have to buying two - one for crashing testing to a get a compliance plate.
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I thought the modern 405's from Iran were very different. ie live rear axle and rear leaf springs.
 
Jared said:
Peter, regarding the exhaust, do you mean 2.25” from the cat back or the exhaust manifold?
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From the downpipe back. If you want the best, you'd fit a 2.25" cat as well.
 
BlindFreddie said:
You are right they did devolve into something reportedly horrible.
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Only some of them, there was a range of models and specs, even an updated full spec car. The basic ones were Hillman Hunters with 405 bodies.
 
Hillman hunter? Wow, that was the car I was driven home from the hospital in as a baby... In a wicker basket, no seatbelts either¿!
 
As an update to the original thread topic. I was in my mechanics workshop last week and he had a 205 with a xu10j4r fitted. Custom alloy intake and a pod filter... Plus a full motec ecu... That sounded amazing. The intake noise was spot on.
I'm thinking about just fitting something similar to my 306.... The intake manifold, not the ECU. Would the factory ecu cope with a new intake?

Also, Ive noticed quite a burble and cough on overrun. What would cause this?
 
Combustion in the exhaust. Valve timing plus ECU mapping will do that. When you close the throttle especially if yo do it abruptly there's a huge vacuum in the engine, which may fool the ECU for a fraction of a second until it catches up and it still sends a load of fuel, which combined with a retarded ignition (if the ignition responds quicker to the throttle position) will give late combustion events that continue after the exhaust valve has opened. Even with a throttle position input to the ECU that reacts instantly (fuel cut off) you might still get these late combustion events in the exhaust due to the valve timing. The ECU can react very quickly but moving parts and gas flow don't.

Check your car at the roof seam above the C-pillar. If you see a hairline split in the paint, that's the bodyshell coming apart from enthusiastic driving. These cars are not really built to handle high power and G-forces some 30 years after they came out of the factory. Even a stock engine will achieve that over that lifespan. Check also the plastic trim below the wipers at the corner fasteners. If they're broken, that may be a sign of the shock towers moving about. It may also be the plastic shrinking, but you can verify that if you put some washers a bit larger and take the car for a spirited drive on a twisty road. A shock tower brace can help with that but the rear of the shell will still move unless you strengthen it somehow.
 
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schlitzaugen said:
Combustion in the exhaust. Valve timing plus ECU mapping will do that. When you close the throttle especially if yo do it abruptly there's a huge vacuum in the engine, which may fool the ECU for a fraction of a second until it catches up and it still sends a load of fuel, which combined with a retarded ignition (if the ignition responds quicker to the throttle position) will give late combustion events that continue after the exhaust valve has opened. Even with a throttle position input to the ECU that reacts instantly (fuel cut off) you might still get these late combustion events in the exhaust due to the valve timing. The ECU can react very quickly but moving parts and gas flow don't.

Check your car at the roof seam above the C-pillar. If you see a hairline split in the paint, that's the bodyshell coming apart from enthusiastic driving. These cars are not really built to handle high power and G-forces some 30 years after they came out of the factory. Even a stock engine will achieve that over that lifespan. Check also the plastic trim below the wipers at the corner fasteners. If they're broken, that may be a sign of the shock towers moving about. It may also be the plastic shrinking, but you can verify that if you put some washers a bit larger and take the car for a spirited drive on a twisty road. A shock tower brace can help with that but the rear of the shell will still move unless you strengthen it somehow.
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Ah, too late sadly. Dropped the clutch today trying to beat a Camry at the lights and then this happened
 

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lowpugV2 said:
As an update to the original thread topic. I was in my mechanics workshop last week and he had a 205 with a xu10j4r fitted. Custom alloy intake and a pod filter... Plus a full motec ecu... That sounded amazing. The intake noise was spot on.
I'm thinking about just fitting something similar to my 306.... The intake manifold, not the ECU. Would the factory ecu cope with a new intake?
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Assuming this intake still has a plenum and single throttle body then the factory ECU will still work but is likely to stumble, and if the intake runners are more efficient than stock will possibly run lean at WOT. Any ECU that uses the Intake Air Temp and MAP sensor to determine the amount of air that is about to be combusted (referred to as Speed Density) will be adversely affected by any improvement or restriction to the intake air flow and also by any increase or decrease in exhaust back pressure.


lowpugV2 said:
Also, Ive noticed quite a burble and cough on overrun. What would cause this?
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Quite a few things. Non genuine MAP sensor, TPS sensor not detecting closed throttle, even slugish Idle stepper motor are all possible culprits for the combustion in the exhaust as described by schlitzaugen.
 
lowpugV2 said:
As an update to the original thread topic. I was in my mechanics workshop last week and he had a 205 with a xu10j4r fitted. Custom alloy intake and a pod filter... Plus a full motec ecu... That sounded amazing. The intake noise was spot on.
I'm thinking about just fitting something similar to my 306.... The intake manifold, not the ECU. Would the factory ecu cope with a new intake?

Also, Ive noticed quite a burble and cough on overrun. What would cause this?
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I know that car well. Its actually an Xu10j4 with custom intake, peterT cam and Motec. The intake was more of an indulgence of the fabricator showing off and really does not do anything more than look good and obviously help with space. A Gti6 manifold would have made more sense.
Just put a pod filter on your intake and the volume will turn right up. That intake on your car is actually really good. Its long and provides high velocity air at lower rpm which provides torque. Short of fitting ITBs and an Ecu (4k to do properly at least) the pod filter will give you lots of intake noise. If you dont like it you can always revert back.
 
cam85 said:
I know that car well. Its actually an Xu10j4 with custom intake, peterT cam and Motec. The intake was more of an indulgence of the fabricator showing off and really does not do anything more than look good and obviously help with space. A Gti6 manifold would have made more sense.
Just put a pod filter on your intake and the volume will turn right up. That intake on your car is actually really good. Its long and provides high velocity air at lower rpm which provides torque. Short of fitting ITBs and an Ecu (4k to do properly at least) the pod filter will give you lots of intake noise. If you dont like it you can always revert back.
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Might give that a go, thanks. It's funny cause I've always avoided pod filters, even as a p-plater... Now I'm 42 I'm all into pointless modification!
 
You could also probably fit a Gti6 inlet manifold and throttle body etc. If you can get the sensors to line up Im sure it would work.
 
cam85 said:
You could also probably fit a Gti6 inlet manifold and throttle body etc. If you can get the sensors to line up Im sure it would work.
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Or just throw a complete rs engine in!
 
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