How to make your Caldina GT-Four a Monster
Installment #1: A'pexi AFC Neo
With this brand new Power Pages section, we follow the trials and tribulations of tuning a Toyota Caldina GT-Four. This month, we start with the basics and install an A'pexi AFC Neo at N1 Racing. Here's what the owner of this fine car has to say.

It's funny how the tides turn in perpetuity. Stocks rise and fall, luck comes and goes, hopes given and dashed, sun rises and sets, oh you get the picture. The apparent humor is when cars are put in the same context. What we deem as cool and innovative today becomes staid and out-of-date in no time at all. But once in a rare while, along comes a car so freshly original that it just knocks you over every single time you set your sights on it. I'm sure you can relate. Personally, for anyone reading this, it might invoke images of an Evo, WRX, Skyline and the like, but for yours truly, the latest 3rd Gen Caldina body from Toyota personifies, no….embodies the sleek and slippery mantra of modern car design. A traditional Mitsubishi fan, the first time I set sights on it, my heart was set too. Tides perpetually turning? Check.

Sourcing for a car through grey importers can prove a mess but turned out relatively easy for this particular unit. The specs were 2003 JDM Caldina GT-Four in Silver Mica Metallic (sounds exotic innit?) with 7000kms on the clock. The 2nd generation Caldina shared the same platform with the Toyota Allion and Premio, and is basically the Japanese version of Toyota Avensis Wagon. However, the all-new Caldina of September 2002 is a pure sports wagon and does not share body panels with other Toyotas at all. The engine line-up is either a 1.8 liter 1ZZ-FE, 2.0 liter 1AZ-FE and the legendary 2.0 liter turbo 3S-GTE, which powers my unit, codenamed LA-ST246W-DWPZZ. Sick. The Japanese and their serial codes. The car came to me standard and untouched. Oh how the tides were going to turn. Check again. But hopefully it won't be perpetual, as the target's been set at a modest 250 horses on wheel.

On the days after taking delivery I was in seventh heaven. The car came equipped with a full time 4WD system with a 30 front 70 rear drive bias, which gives off a driving on rails feeling and obviously the stock 17 inch wheels with a wide 215 contact patch helped it maintain true and steady paths. Unfortunately the body roll was quite evident, which is expected for a car of its girth, weight and wheelbase. The interior is finished with a quality synonymous with the Toyota name, the dash arrangement neat, cockpit and cabin exudes an air of racy spaciousness and jam-packed with latest Nippon gizmos I can't even pronounce. Reverse camera, height-adjustable Xenon lights, Multi AV Station…the list goes on. Power-wise, the initial impression I got was Whoa! So much power waannn!! In standard trim, the power unit delivered 260 ps (191.23 kw) @ 6200 rpm of power and 33.0 kg/m (323.62 Nm) @ 4400 rpm of torque. The engine had a mid-range capability that just blitzed my senses, helped on by the fact that it was driven by a smart and relatively quick auto transmission with semi auto sequential shifting. This rare contentment with the power and drive inevitably lasted for two whole weeks. What can I say? I'm fickle. Wry smile.

My main issue, or excuse, mind you was that it lacked high end grunt, wheezing and simmering down slightly at higher revs. The fact that it's hooked up to an auto tranny doesn't help much either. This was a predicament so life shaking as it had inevitably meant that I would have gotten my little bottom spanked by the other boy racers currently running around town. And so the quest begins. Cue music.

With the constant consultation of my inherently handsome and profoundly wise, piston-head friend, (I'm forced to say that with a wrench pointed at my head) who also happens to be the resident Tech Talk geek, we began formulating a plan on our power upgrade path. These discussions were held in secret, dark and obscure meeting places, mainly to avoid it reaching my wife's ear.

Behold, the plan: Stage 1

Before I delve further, I'd like to note that unlike all our other undertakings in life, we have chosen to approach this project with careful planning and the utmost care so as to avoid useless or harmful upgrades. And stay within the fine lines of sanity. Seems like an oxymoron, but do I hear anyone complaining?

We both agreed that a piggy-back ECU was an early necessity, as a base to provide options when retuning fuel maps. This will accommodate all fuel tuning needs for Stage 1. From previous experiences, we decided on the A'pexi AFC Neo, a user proven unit that possesses nice form, a plethora of functions and a brilliant full-color display. Off to N1 Racing we go. The N1 Racing tuning house is located in Sunway and has been identified for their great workmanship, facilities and technical know-how. They've been in the business since before the boom of the tuning industry here and have been known to be highly competent. Desmond from N1 was kind enough to talk me through the process, and talk me into spending some serious dough. Besides the AFC Neo, items purchased include a HKS Super SQV blow-off valve and an A'pexi Turbo timer for engine cool-down duties. N1 Racing's brand spanking new workshop located close to the retail outlet was clean as a whistle, reflecting on their immaculate professionalism. A row of souped-up, race specced Mitsubishi Evos on

stands greeted us upon arrival. Drool. Think photos of Jap workshops in pics and mags. Yeah, you get it. The installation was done neatly and swiftly by one of their trained technicians, who's obviously done this a boring many times before. He was also very informative on said product, ‘racun-ing' me into spending more. What a shining example of a salesman. After installation they immediately strapped up the Caldina to the four wheel drive dyno. Meticulous was how they went about their tasks, where even the blower fan stood at attention. During the first run, the fuel maps were left at standard. We were quite astonished to see a forcefully restrained Caldina on the dyno screaming out 180bhp. This base dyno run had proved our initial suspicions.

At higher RPM ranges, the stock motor was tuned overtly rich at a tuning-unfriendly 10:5:1 Air to Fuel ratio. This was provisioned as a fail safe mechanism by the manufacturers in case the owner was too enthusiastic with a heavy right foot, which evidently was or IS the case with me. Damn you Toyota psychics!! In the experienced hands of Desmond, the fuel maps at the higher engine revolutions were leaned out to an exact 11:5:1 Air to Fuel ratio. By doing so we gained a healthy 10BHP, on wheels. Awesome stuff!

Although the torque figure drops towards the end of the rev range, power does come in a little earlier than before, making the car more responsive. In essence, with the AFC Neo, we have shifted the torque band's sweet spot a little earlier in the rev range, right where we want it. Peak torque isn't everything. With torque, you want it as down low the power band as possible. That's the conundrum solved for this episode. Mystery shrouds our next step. Stay tuned (pun intended) for the next upgrade! P/s. My wife says there'll be no other upgrades.

Product: Apex'i AFC Neo
Price: RM1200 + original Apex'i stand
Contact: N1 Racing, Tel: 603-5636 5559

Power (on wheels):
Before: 163.46bhp
After: 173.52bhp

Torque(on wheels):
Before: 22.13 kg/m
After: 21.08 kg/m

Part 2