Hey i have about $500 to spend and i wanna get some upgrades for my GXL. I'm replacing a fender and installing new suspension so the car is gonna be in the shop for a bit, so i was thinking of doing something for a tad more performance while im at it.

Heres what ive done so far.
Bonez superflo + Racing Beat
Upgraded clutch
K&N Cone intake with a box to isolate it from warm air.
Removed A/C
Tuned up and all general maintenance from the haynes manual.

Would it be worth getting a SAFCII or a Megasquirt? I'm not looking for seriously aggresive performance just some extra go for my daily driver. Would tuning the A/F ratio help me out much with my car as is?

 

First, I would say that you should put your own shocks, springs, and fenders on for the experience - esp since it's somewhat simple.

You should probably get a test pipe made to replace your cat with for going to the track and such.

What tires are you running? That's around a $500 performance upgrade.

I would say the S-afc - you probably don't want to make the wiringharness and such for the megasquirt.

 

s5 intake manifold conversion with two rpm switch to make it work?

 

mazda miata shortshifter (cheaper than rx7 short shifters and match up perfectly...ebay...), drilled brake rotors, new pads. all of this can be found on ebay for pretty cheap, and its good stuff

 

Yeah i do everything on my cars myself. Including paint.
Tires are brand new yokohama AVS DBS2 205s V-rated on all 4.
I'm fairly competent with electrical type stuff, but i have never actually tuned a EMS before. I do have access to a dyno but the guy that owns it is a volkswagon man and doesnt know much about rotarys. Would i be over my head with a megasquirt? Is there any significant advantages to a megasquirt over a SAFC with my car like it is, stock ports?

Would i see noticable gains with the s5 intake manifold?

I dont want to build a race car or anything i just want to know if there is anything left i could upgrade semi-cheaply and feel the difference, while maintaining reliability and driveability? Or am i at the point where NA is not good for much more without serious involved work.

 

The SAFC and Megasquirt are the last thing you need. If you want gains at an affordable price your talking Intake, and exhaust. If you have any money left over get some pineapple racing ramped actuators. Forget the s5 manifold it does nothing. Aside from all that there are really no other methods of decent gains in HP unless you get into porting.

 

New shocks and springs, you won't regret it. I'd recommend Tien spring with KYB's adjustable.. have it on my daily driver and love it. Road race it a bit and sticks well.

 

Ive seen tunes do amazing things on almost any engine... and megasquirt is $400 for a full standalone (when assembled) that uses a MAP, and can now drive basically any ignition you want.

Best of all, you can tune it to run lean for cruise and still be as rich as you need for max power (and safety under high loads) anyway. Considering the price and the gain in MPG, I dont see why you wouldnt want to do it - unless its beyond your ability to commit the time to it to wire it all up and tune it that is :P

It aint easy but it pays off in the long run. And, if you are a TOTAL DIY type of guy, order it in parts and assemble it yourself! You save even MORE money.