OZ Tuned 2014 Cruze CTD - RLI Biosyn Xtra HD 10w40 CJ-4 - 12,000 Miles UOA

[CleverUserName]

2014 Cruze CTD. First UOA, purchased bone stock about 1.5 years ago w/ 50K miles. The CTD has the German Made Opel Multijet 2.0 CR Turbo Diesel AKA 2.0 CDTI. This car did not sell well in the USA, and they aren't that common. It needed a new timing belt because the water pump was leaking and some other work, but it was cheap at $8K from a friend at work. It now has 68K miles.

OZ Crzrace tuned = 185 whp and 300 lb/ft. Top Speed limiter removed and speedo/SC/TC calibrated for 225/50R18 tires ( +2% Diameter). Engine is stock otherwise. This car handled like a Buick and had an irritating suspension squeak, so I replaced the whole suspension with the following components:

• Bilstein B12 Pro Kit
• Whiteline Front Control Arm Bushings
• Whiteline Rear Sway Bar
• Every suspension mount, bushing or link was replaced with upgraded parts by Mevotech Supreme, KYB, or Sachs.
• American Racing AR928 Wheels w/ Michelin Pilot Sport S3+ tires in 225/50R18
• Camber bolts up front and rear shims allow -1.5 deg camber on all 4 corners

With the stock 17" wheels and LRR 215/55R17 tires, this car could easily get 58-60+ MPGs at 65 Mph and 38-40 MPGs at 90 Mph. However, with the suspension mods and big rear sway bar the car was squirrely, many times the Stability control corrected the car because I took a turn to fast and the rear stepped out.

The 18" wheels and taller, wider and stickier S3+ tires dropped the MPGs by about 10%, but it's much more stable now. The stability control has never corrected the car since.

Oil is 75% RLI Biosyn HD 10w30 and 25% 15w40. Manganese is from fuel additive TDR-FL which likely contains MMT. I ran it almost 2x the normal factory interval of 7500 miles. The oil filter on this engine is small, and I pushed it as far as I felt comfortable.

 

[daves87rs]

Nice!

Good looks great as well....wheels set it off nicely!

 

[wpod]

185 whp and 300 lb/ft. Yikes !!!

 

[CleverUserName]

185 whp and 300 lb/ft. Yikes !!!

I think it’s actually closer to 320 lb/ft. Unlike the VW 2.0 TDI, there is no aftermarket support for these cars except for custom made stuff.

I was told the stock garret turbocharger can handle another 20 HP but the stock injectors don’t flow enough fuel to support it without increasing duration, which makes it smoky.

This car was sold as the Opel astra and vauxhall insignia in Europe which has more support for increasing power, but getting enough fuel to make over 200 hp without paying $3k for custom made injectors is the challenge. I reached out to a German company which sells Bosch injectors for CDTIs and asked if there were any factory piezoelectric options available that flowed better and recieved no reply. Haven’t pursued it any further.

It’s just one of my daily’s, I drive it to work, the store and stuff. It averages 38 MPGs combined since I started tracking mileage on Fuelly.

 

[wpod]

I'll bet the roll on power on the highway is wonderful !

 

[CleverUserName]

I'll bet the roll on power on the highway is wonderful !

It's alright. The transmission is an Aisin AF40 and it needs to be tuned to match the engine, however OZ never offered any transmission tunes. Trifecta offers a transmission tune but only if you run their software. They will not sell it separately.

So the transmission needs to be tuned but not really an option due to the lack of support for this platform. I use the auto-manual function frequently if I need to pass someone or driving in the hills.

 

[Jetronic]

Same engine but different injectors and transmission as my Alfa Romeo. I have a dual clutch as used in some Dodge darts. I run similar power aswell. The transmission didn't get tuned, but has responded to the engine tune, I gained most power in the 4k-4.5k range and the DCT in sports mode makes full use of that. Shifting at 4.5k drops rpms to about 3k in the next gear. The power stays above 160 HP in the 3k-4.5k range at all times, except if the EGT goes too high. I guess the transmission and engine are more integrated, the transmission ecu runs the engine during shifts for instance.

Fuel consumption is in the same ballpark aswell.

I can confirm the injector troubles though, takes a lot to get over 200 HP though the engines can handle it without issues.

 

[CleverUserName]

Same engine but different injectors and transmission as my Alfa Romeo. I have a dual clutch as used in some Dodge darts. I run similar power aswell. The transmission didn't get tuned, but has responded to the engine tune, I gained most power in the 4k-4.5k range and the DCT in sports mode makes full use of that. Shifting at 4.5k drops rpms to about 3k in the next gear. The power stays above 160 HP in the 3k-4.5k range at all times, except if the EGT goes too high. I guess the transmission and engine are more integrated, the transmission ecu runs the engine during shifts for instance.

Fuel consumption is in the same ballpark aswell.

I can confirm the injector troubles though, takes a lot to get over 200 HP though the engines can handle it without issues.

I think mine feels strongest in the midrange, 2000-3500 RPM before the torque falls off. I like the 2.0 Multijet better than the 2.0 VW TDI of the same era, the JTD is more refined, efficient and tunable in it's stock form than the CJAA.

I have a co-worker that has a Dart limited multiair with the DCT. Those are kinda rare here, I've only seen one other one besides his. I'm surprised it can handle that much torque as that engine is just a 1.4 gas turbo.

Did you replace the oil pump pickup seal? I'm getting mine done soon, going with the aftermarket machined sleeve w/ viton o-rings made in Poland. This seal is a major design flaw with the 2.0 CDTI, OPEL really screwed up. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall...-Pump-Sump-Seal-oil-pick-up-seal/184350399982

 

[Jetronic]

No, haven't touched anything mechanical yet to be fair, only 90k miles yet though. Stronger clutch packs are available for the dct aswell, if needed.

The torque comes on sooner and lasts longer on mine, I have full boost at 1400 rpm for example and near full torque at 4k. I'm looking into extending the power beyond 4k a bit more, especially since I have the short gears and the DCT adapts to the new power curve after a few k. If I can make it beneficial to rev to 4.8k I can increase the average power by over 10% (rev band would be 3.2-4.8k ish then) and stay in the lower gears even longer.

I'll look into the oil seal though maybe that part is different between engines.

 

[CleverUserName]

No, haven't touched anything mechanical yet to be fair, only 90k miles yet though. Stronger clutch packs are available for the dct aswell, if needed.

The torque comes on sooner and lasts longer on mine, I have full boost at 1400 rpm for example and near full torque at 4k. I'm looking into extending the power beyond 4k a bit more, especially since I have the short gears and the DCT adapts to the new power curve after a few k. If I can make it beneficial to rev to 4.8k I can increase the average power by over 10% (rev band would be 3.2-4.8k ish then) and stay in the lower gears even longer.

I'll look into the oil seal though maybe that part is different between engines.

I believe its the same seal from both engines. Bad design by GM or planned obsolescence. I'm going with the aftermarket sleeve from Poland.







Aftermarket o-ringed sleeve shown in video: https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/14011081305

 

[Jetronic]

Thanks, my engine has variable displacement oil pump and 2 pressure switches, the high one being 2 bar (30 psi). If high pressure is required and not achieved that will set an alarm. Normal oil pressure setting is 1 bar.

I'll have a look at this and if there's an o-ring I'll deal with it this summer