Pajero tuning and custom headers

[Jordan Cope]

Hi, I have a SWB 2011 3.5 Pajero and I really want that extra bit of power. I’ve seen a lot of people say getting a tune isn’t worth it and doesn’t make much of a difference and ive also seen a lot of people say getting a tune is definitely worth it and makes a huge difference for Pajeros. Can anyone give me some advice and feedback if they’ve got a tune on a Paj. Have you had any problems after getting the tune? Is tuning an old car worth it? Will i have more problems arise if i tune an old car? Does it really make that much of a difference? What else did you change on the car when getting a tune, or did you keep it stock? 

I’m also thinking of getting custom headers made for my Paj, does anyone know where I can get this done in Dubai for a reasonable price. 

Thanks

[Frederic]

2 minutes ago, Jordan Cope said:

Hi, I have a SWB 2011 3.5 Pajero and I really want that extra bit of power. I’ve seen a lot of people say getting a tune isn’t worth it and doesn’t make much of a difference and ive also seen a lot of people say getting a tune is definitely worth it and makes a huge difference for Pajeros. Can anyone give me some advice and feedback if they’ve got a tune on a Paj. Have you had any problems after getting the tune? Is tuning an old car worth it? Will i have more problems arise if i tune an old car? Does it really make that much of a difference? What else did you change on the car when getting a tune, or did you keep it stock? 

I’m also thinking of getting custom headers made for my Paj, does anyone know where I can get this done in Dubai for a reasonable price. 

Thanks

Hi Jordan,

Engine tuning in the form of chiptuning will indeed bring more power, but personally i would not recommend it if your car has done more than 100k already. Unless the engine has been rebuilt of course.

The 3.5 is indeed borderline underpowered, but with a SWB they are luckily not that very heavy. 

When you want that bit of extra power, where do you feel you are lacking power currently ?

- Climbing big dunes.

- Overall desert driving / dune bashing.

- On the road.

Be aware that big and heavy tyres rob you from a lot of power. 

I would recommend to get the vehicle thoroughly inspected first (injectors, spark plugs, clean air filter), and then take it from there. I've seen many cars underperforming in the desert but when i asked them when they got their spark plugs or injectors serviced the answer was "never.... i only change my oil"..

A cold air intake in combination with a less restrictive exhaust will help a bit too once you have verified if the engine, injectors, plugs etc.. are in optimal condition.

[Jordan Cope]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

My car is currently approaching 160k so thanks for that input. May I ask why you don’t recommend getting a tune after 100k, I know it can cause issues but what are some of those issues?

 The main lack of power i notice is when im trying to climb dunes, I always use my tiptronics to get a little more control but that still doesn’t do much. I have 275 Dunlop tyres as well. 

I need to get my spark plugs and injectors checked, I have a BMC air filter that I clean regularly. 

I just really want some extra power in the car, i think it would preform so much better in the dunes / on road but im not really sure what to get done. As you probably know, being a car enthusiast is an expensive hobby! Thanks

[Frederic]

15 minutes ago, Jordan Cope said:

Hi, thanks for your reply.

My car is currently approaching 160k so thanks for that input. May I ask why you don’t recommend getting a tune after 100k, I know it can cause issues but what are some of those issues?

 The main lack of power i notice is when im trying to climb dunes, I always use my tiptronics to get a little more control but that still doesn’t do much. I have 275 Dunlop tyres as well. 

I need to get my spark plugs and injectors checked, I have a BMC air filter that I clean regularly. 

I just really want some extra power in the car, i think it would preform so much better in the dunes / on road but im not really sure what to get done. As you probably know, being a car enthusiast is an expensive hobby! Thanks

Well, let's say the original 3.5 engine has 177hp as per Mitsubishi. They haved tuned this engine with enough safety margin to keep the engine performing well in extreme terrain, high temperatures, abuse, and sufficient lifetime (250k plus). 

Going for a chip-tune changes the original tune, and will bring the engine probably to around 200hp or a bit more. This means your safety margins are becoming smaller, and your engine will have to work a bit harder. Don't get me wrong the Mitsubishi engines are if well maintained extremely reliable, and can mostprobably take the 200hp but this will also depend if you are pushing the car every day towards that limit, or only occasionally. 

The reason i would not recommend chiptuning on a 160k engine is that your engine will have some wear and tear already and the chiptuning MIGHT accelerate the wear even faster. But this is not proven of course and is just my personal opinion.

275 tyres are quite big. Going back to 265 tyres with a not-too-agressive thread profile will definitely help for climbing.

If your BMC filter is a cone-type sport air filter, it will suck in the hot air from the engine bay and will even get you less power than the original OEM filter. I decided to keep my original air filter setup and tried with K&N drop-in filter but eventually went back to a full-stock OEM filter.

Changing the headers should be looked at by a professional. Based on their length either the top-end horsepower or low-end horsepower will be affected. 

PS the 3.5 Pajero lacks a bit in top-end horsepower, but has excellent torque. 

Going the tuning route or selling the car and going for a 3.8 is worth thinking of what suits you best. It could be that the second option will end up being cheaper.

 

[Jordan Cope]

Im going to see what i can do about the headers - haven’t thought too far ahead with that just yet. 

Regarding the air filter, I have a rectangular BMC similar style to the original air filter, interesting to know that though. 

I’ve kept my Paj pretty well maintained since I first bought it, im gonna go to my guy once i hit 160k on the dash and see if there’s any major issues I need to fix, and also check everything else and get his opinion on chip tuning.

I plan on keeping this Paj until it runs into the ground, I love it too much to sell it to be honest. 

Thanks for the advice! 

[Gaurav]

Welcome @Jordan Cope to Carnity and it's off-road club, where we promote how to drive, manage and "EXCEL" with stock cars.

There is no end to car mods especially power mods (been there, done that), but instead if you work on learning the right skills then you can surely understand if additional hp or torque is really needed or not.

May I know your total off-roading experience?

We have been getting these questions every time on every drive and you can still install chip, filters, exhaust, headers, suspension, tires based on tall claims and still not be satisfied - overtime.

Every modification you do on your car will compromise it's reliability and leave you with huge learning curve where you will still keep wondering why I have installed a supercharger and still not able to climb as it still upshift at wrong time. Car manufacturers design vehicle based on years of research and data, which you and I don't have time and money to invest to find the clear winner.

Second point, every vehicle has certain limitations based on gravity and physics - at least in offroading. With right skills and experience you can learn how to safely negotiate with these limitations to a greater extent. Example: Learn to choose a path with least resistance, Use gravity as your friend to climb higher than fighting with gravity - head on (which nobody wins), Correcting your lines of attack and riding by flattening the path when loosing momentum.

Third, super modified cars are a huge risk to catch fire in extreme pushing and that's why RTA controls that to a greater extent. And even if you get away with RTA safe passable limits, then visiting your mechanic every week and leaving car for 6 days with mechanic for 1 day fun is not an ideal situation.

Genuinely there is too little you can bump (10%-15%) in power without breaking many rules and wallet, so instead master your off-road skills and learn overtime to work your way up with existing hp and torque you got. Not only this will make you an awesome off-roader but you will go home with a great sense of achievement after every drive. Plus without any risk of reliability or additional expenses for tall claims that hardly delivers.

Btw, I do drive stock Pajero, 3.5 with just a modified exhaust, that I installed after 2 years of driving. No chip, no filter, no headers.

[Jordan Cope]

Hi Gaurav, 

Thanks a lot for the message, I've been off roading for the last 2 years, but started to take it more seriously over the last 12-18 months. My car is pretty much stock, all I have done to it is a 2" lift, new oval muffler and added a throttle response. I agree that I don't really need the extra power as I am sure I can always learn new techniques to help when off-roading, its more about the wanting to have it and the fun haha, I'd say i'm pretty confident in the desert and I've learnt a lot over the last 2 years. But with that being said, I could definitely learn a lot more techniques to aid me when trying to climb dunes or get out of sticky situations. 

Once again thanks for the message and advice, I'm always open to learning more.