Vauxhall Astra, 2.0L XE
Letter received from Andy in October 2005:
It started life as a 1.6 16v sport which I paid £150 for, due to engine damage. I had a 2.0 litre 16v in the car we were selling with the SBD 208 kit fitted, so I swapped it into the sport. It stayed like this for around 12 months needing a bit of TLC. I ordered 87 mm pistons along with the 225 upgrade from yourselves. With the engine in bits I had the bottom end lightened and balanced and the head was ported and polished. The suspension was changed and the brakes upgraded and the 17″ alloys were fitted. After running the engine in, it was put on the rolling road and was made 242 bhp. The difference the 225 kit made is unbelievable and the engine comes to life at 4500 rpm and pulls right up to the rev limit, it has brought the car to life.
Over the 3 years since I first brought the 208 kit the car has always been spot on and has never let us down and still returns 25 mpg. I would recommend SBD Motorsport to anyone.
Many thanks, Andy
Andy’s Astra was featured in Total Vauxhall September 2005
The article has been reproduced by kind permission of Total Vauxhall.
‘Another 2.0 Sport but this one’s firmly the ‘sleeper’ category. Purchased by Andrew Hill of Stoke on Trent for just £150 due to engine problems, he promptly levered the stricken Ecotec engine out and set about fitting a XE motor with full complement of SBD modifications. The engine spec is impressive: SBD 87mm pistons, lightened and balanced bottom end, ARP bolts, ported and polished head, reshaped valve seats, ARP head studs, uprated head gasket, SBD cams, verniers and 48mm throttle bodies. Keeping that lot in check is MBE management that lets it scream to 8500rpm. Max power is a thumping 241 bhp at the flywheel.
Cav Turbo callipers with Courtenay discs and EBC pads and a MkII GTE 16-valve rear axle perform the braking duties, while Bilstein Group N shocks, 60mm springs and 17 inch League wheels keep the car planted firmly on the road. Andrew carried out all the work himself apart from the mapping and machine work. Looks like an absolute blast to drive, well done!’
