Hyundai i20 NStage 1 to Stage 3 tuning guide

What we'd do

We would stop at Stage 2. A Stage 1 remap takes the i20 N from 204 PS to about 220–235 hp, which is a real but small step. Stage 2 adds a bigger intercooler, an intake and turbo inlet with a matching map, and claims 240–251 hp. In Israeli summer heat the intercooler matters more than the headline figure: Forge measured 32°C air into the engine against 44°C with the stock part.

Our pick is Courtenay Sport's Stage 2 package at £1,933.50. It is one shop's intake, Wagner intercooler and map, it states its fuel (99 RON, 97 minimum) and its maker also sells the Stage 3 turbo, so you are not stuck if you go further. Forge parts are cheaper but Forge says it has no plans for more i20 N products and several of its pages show “discontinued”. If you build it yourself, buy in this order: intercooler (£370.83–£839), then intake and inlet (£262.02–£349.50), then the map (£359.99–£595). That is about £993–£1,784 before shipping and tax.

What we would skip: the £1,561.20 HJS downpipe, which costs almost as much as the whole Stage 2 kit for a small gain, and any filter delete or de-cat pipe, which brings on the warning light and fails the test. Plug-in modules (£189.99 Bluespark, €449 RaceChip) are fine if you want something you can remove, but they add less.

The part to watch is the clutch. Hyundai publishes no torque limit for it, Stage 3 files run about 413–420 Nm, and owners put the stock clutch at roughly the same figure. So Stage 3 (280–300 hp) means budgeting for an Xtreme clutch at £1,469.27–£1,836 on top of the £1,797–£2,495 turbo.

Tuning it in Israel

New price in Israel

No longer sold new. Colmobil launched the i20 N at about ₪176,000 and was asking about ₪183,000 when Hyundai stopped European production in February 2024; at that point the importer had a few dozen cars left (Walla, 25 February 2024). An October 2026 check of cmotors lists it as no longer marketed. We found no dated yad-2 price range, so we don't give one.

Parts from abroad

The guide's Stage 2 parts are priced in pounds. At the Bank of Israel representative rate of 26 October 2026 (£1 = ₪4.1098), and with the Tax Authority's combined 40.66% for car parts above $75 (see importing parts):

• K-Tec intercooler £370.83 × 4.1098 = ₪1,524, plus 40.66% = about ₪2,144 (₪620 tax).
• Forge intake £262.02 × 4.1098 = ₪1,077, plus 40.66% = about ₪1,515 (₪438 tax).

Shipping is taxed too, so add it before the 40.66%. An exhaust or downpipe also needs an approval at import.

Fuel

Israel sells 95 and 98. Courtenay Sport's Stage 2 and 3 figures are on 99 RON and it asks for at least 97, so on 98 expect a little less than its numbers and never fill with 95 on those maps. If you can't always find 98, ask the tuner for a 95 file. Our 95 vs 98 comparison shows how much the fuel is worth on other cars.

Regulation 380 and the test

Under Regulation 380 a special exhaust and any accessory the maker didn't design count as a change of structure, so an exhaust, a downpipe or an intercooler needs a part with a lab certificate, a licensed installer and the change recorded in the licence. Remus's i20 N axle-back is EC approved and HJS's downpipe is E-marked, which helps. Filter deletes and de-cat pipes turn on the warning light and won't pass the annual test. The Road Safety Authority says it covers engine software too, so record the tune and tell your insurer in writing.

Where to get it done

Two Holon shops are listed on the dealer pages of brands in this guide: PIT-STOP (Remus) and Top RPM (Milltek). Both are exhaust brands; none of the i20 N tuners lists an Israeli dealer. See the “Tune it in Israel” box on the Hebrew guide.

Prices and rules checked 2026-10-28.

Also useful: tuning shops in Israel, the import tax calculator and the annual test checklist.

What owners ask

Remap or tuning box for Stage 1?

Owners on N-Cars split on this. Several run a plug-in box (DTUK, Bluespark, RaceChip) and say the gain is close to a remap, with nothing permanent to undo. Others say a proper remap does more for the same money. On this engine the difference is small either way, because the stock turbo limits both. A box is the safer choice if your car is still under warranty and you want to remove it before a dealer visit. A remap is the better base if you plan Stage 2, since the map has to change anyway.

Sources: N-Cars: remap suggestions for i20N (Sept 2025), N-Cars: i20N engine and ECU tuning discussion

Why does a tuned i20 N run out of breath above 5,000 rpm?

Owners in the long N-Cars tuning thread put it down to the small stock turbo, which they say can't hold boost in the 5,000–6,500 rpm range. So a remap mainly adds low and mid-range torque, not top-end power. One member estimated the stock turbo's ceiling at about 250–255 hp with a good map. That matches the tuners' Stage 2 claims of 240–251 hp. To go further you need a hybrid turbo, which is what Stage 3 is.

Sources: N-Cars: i20N tuning discussion, Aug 2024, N-Cars: same thread, turbo limit posts

How much torque will the stock clutch hold?

Hyundai doesn't publish a figure. In the N-Cars thread one owner gave the clutch as about 412 Nm (42 kgf·m), and another said a German tuner tested a Stage 2 map at 430 Nm but cut it to 410 Nm for customer cars. Treat those as forum figures. They fit the tuners' numbers: Stage 1 and 2 maps stay below about 410 Nm, while Stage 3 files run 413–420 Nm. That is why every Stage 3 build here includes an uprated clutch.

Sources: N-Cars: i20N tuning discussion, clutch posts (Aug 2024)

Does a remap void the Hyundai warranty?

Hyundai's European terms exclude damage from modification or tampering, and devices fitted by anyone other than Hyundai. They don't name tuning, but a remap falls under that wording. On N-Cars, owners say a modification usually costs you cover on the area it touches and parts linked to it, not the whole car. For a remap that can mean the turbo, injectors and high-pressure fuel pump. In a poll in the same thread, most voters said keep the warranty and wait.

Sources: Hyundai Europe: warranty terms, N-Cars: modifications that invalidate warranty (May 2025)

Will a track day void the warranty?

An i20 N owner on N-Cars reported a dealer refusing a claim after frequent brake changes from track use. The replies are useful. Brakes, pads and tyres are wear items and not covered anyway. Hyundai's European terms exclude racing and timed events, formal or informal. Owners also note that engine logs can be used as evidence. UK owners quote a track-day promise for N models, but others dispute that it covers the i20 N. Check your own warranty booklet before you book a track day.

Sources: N-Cars: i20N trackday warranty denied, Hyundai Europe: warranty terms

Is a bigger intercooler worth it before a turbo?

Yes, and in a hot country it is the first part we would fit. Forge's own test shows the stock intercooler peaking at 44°C intake air against 32°C with its part, with gains of up to 25 bhp at 4,500 rpm. Owners discussing a hybrid turbo in the N-Cars thread list an intercooler, clutch and plugs as must-haves alongside it. Forge now marks its intercooler as discontinued, so look at the Wagner, Airtec and K-Tec versions in the parts list.

Sources: Forge: i20N intercooler test, N-Cars: i20N tuning discussion, hybrid turbo posts