I think that you would gain the most by converting to a manual transmission. I don't have any numbers to back this up, but my butt dyno tells me that there is at least a 10% difference in the amount of power that is transferred to the rear wheels. IMO, the M46 (never had the pleasure of driving a late model 240 w/M47) also has gear ratios that are better suited to a low-compression motor with a narrow power band such as the B23F/B230F. The AW-71 was used primarily in Japanese sedans with larger and torquier (is that a word?) engines. Once you have your shift points down (I installed a large tach in place of the clock), you will be amazed at how potent this little 114hp 4-banger really is.

I, like several others here at the BB, have the VX in my 1990 240 b230/AW. Also, my head has been gasket matched on both sides, mildly ported, and polished. The cam performs great and the added pep is worth every dime... note the word "pep" and let us not confuse it w/ "power". Still, I am thinking about advancing the cam 4 degrees (she runs straight up) but after my body & interior work. I have thought about custom exhaust work (2.5, high flow cat, & no resonator). That is the next logical step I will take... after some careful research.

As fine posters suggest, speed costs money! For example, my close friend put a built 2.1 in his VW Sirocco, after $3000 of motor work (he already had custom cams and a modified 16 valve head, just bottom end) the car barely runs mid 14s. A very informed guy on T-Bricks, Doug, has a super-phat 242 with ALL the bells & wistles. The tremendous cash he spent, with the junk he talks, has netted a 13.6 second run. You could eat an egg salad sandwich in that time. Slow, in my opinion.

If your idea of comptetion is rice burners and the like, all you need to do is throw on a crappy sounding muffler and a wing... !viola!... you're flying.

With the same money and effort in a small or big block Chevy, serious power and massive torque (most important on the street) will get you substantial gains. A 4cyl can only put out so much power & torque w/o serious modifications... the only real option for a 240 Volvo is the addition of a turbo (b230f + t), the transplant of a turbo motor (b230ft), or drop in a Ford 302 or Chevy 350. Any way you choose, time & money are never funny.

The idea of manipulating gear ratio is interesting and affordable, but that has nothing to do with raw power...

A manual tranny is a great 240 upgrade and many have done it. If I were you, tighten up that suspension & basic mechanical issues before any mods.

Peace, Jon

I don't see any cheap way to get more power, it's only a 2.3 litre motor, you'd need some expensive mods to turn it into a serious quarter mile beast. The other problem is that 240's corner like jetliners, so any extra power would be unusable where it really counts anyway.

I've got a '77 B21E in my 245 and it's plenty powerful enough for the car's understeer and body roll to become a problem, there's no point trying to make it faster until I can screw it to the ground a bit harder.

So if I were to try and get some more performance out of the 245 (and once I've made it a bit more reliable I will try some of this) I'd start with the cars handling, rather than its straight line acceleration. It's already got more speed than I can safely use, so I'd invest in some lowering springs, heavier swaybars, harder shocks, lots of extra bracing, and lower profile tires. Maybe do some work on the brakes while you're I'm at it.

The car won't actually go any faster, but it would allow me to brake later and corner harder without having to invest too much money or sacrifice any fuel economy on my daily driving.

Just my two cents.

I would definately go for the M46 conversion, but that's just because I hate driving auto shift.
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Drive it like you hate it

Some hotrodders' adages... full of truth:

Speed costs money... how fast do you want to go?

Theres no substitute for cubic dollars!

Seriously... a VX cam and a good tuneup and t-belt will set you back under $300 if you do it yourself. The automatic is not a death sentence. Recognize that either a turbo motor or a V8 are the only common options if you want *real* pep. Possibly nitrous oxide, but I plead ignorance on available systems.

hi there maybe change rear diff gears. or go to turbobricks website they can probably help you.