Top 5 mods for an N/A?
Top 5 mods for an N/A?
Thread Starter
rotors, my anti-piston
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Hidden Valley Lake, CA
when i said no budget i meant figuretively more or less...i just wanted to see what you could do. can't you send out your stock ECU as well and have it "tuned" as well, I've heard of people doing that before
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Thread Starter
rotors, my anti-piston
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Hidden Valley Lake, CA
alright well the car is 1600 and im looking to get some more performance out of it, looking to spend maybe 1500-2000, i also definitely want to include suspension somewhere in that budget
If he's concerned about power rather than handling so the top 5 most effective power gains that you can get at the rear wheels in order are:
1: Full exhaust including a header. Obviously there are a few different styles and ways to go about this but your exhaust can free up to 30 hp or more which is huge. different designs free up different amounts of power and have different usable powerbands. One can write a book on the topic.
2: Lightweight flywheel. I quantified this by stating wheel power rather than crank power as it doesn't actually increase engine power. It just decreases loss through the driveline. There are tradeoffs to drivability. I personally like them as light as I can get them. Others don't. It is a very noticable power increase to the wheels though.
3: ecu. Preferably a standalone but don't make the mistake that most do and try to buy and install one without knowing a thing about it, tuning theory, or how to do it. If you don't understand how to tune a car you shouldn't be worrying about the ecu. Just learn to be content with what you've got. I don't recommend the s-afc as it's plain and simple junk. I don't care who's using it or who says otherwise. Opinions vary and lots of people are complete morons. An rtek is kind of a compromise ecu. It still plugs into the factory connection but is programmable. I'd actually favor getting a Power FC for a 3rd gen and then using the Banzai wiring adapter. That would be the easiest with no sacrifices.
These are really the 3 big noticable power gainers. You don't want a turbo or porting. There are other things but by comparison they are very minor in gains. They do something though but the above 3 should always come first in that order.
4: and 5: can be switched around in either order.
Intake. Make sure it's cold air and not just some stupid cone filter sitting in your
hot engine bay sucking hot air in all day.
Ignition box. MSD, Jacobs or otherwise. Small gains but still there.
Anything else you can think of may or may not be effective so I really don't touch anything else. I'm not a fan of "adding lightness" to a street car by removing insulation, a/c, power steering, carpet, etc as on the street creature comforts matter more. I find it plain and simple moronic to do. However if you have a true track car that never ever sees the street then by all means strip away.
If you get real creative you can start playing with custom intake manifolds but that's another topic with a whole bunch of pros and cons to be considered. With completely stock ports it is possible to hit around 175 rwhp or so if you're good. Maybe a little bit more with creativity.
1: Full exhaust including a header. Obviously there are a few different styles and ways to go about this but your exhaust can free up to 30 hp or more which is huge. different designs free up different amounts of power and have different usable powerbands. One can write a book on the topic.
2: Lightweight flywheel. I quantified this by stating wheel power rather than crank power as it doesn't actually increase engine power. It just decreases loss through the driveline. There are tradeoffs to drivability. I personally like them as light as I can get them. Others don't. It is a very noticable power increase to the wheels though.
3: ecu. Preferably a standalone but don't make the mistake that most do and try to buy and install one without knowing a thing about it, tuning theory, or how to do it. If you don't understand how to tune a car you shouldn't be worrying about the ecu. Just learn to be content with what you've got. I don't recommend the s-afc as it's plain and simple junk. I don't care who's using it or who says otherwise. Opinions vary and lots of people are complete morons. An rtek is kind of a compromise ecu. It still plugs into the factory connection but is programmable. I'd actually favor getting a Power FC for a 3rd gen and then using the Banzai wiring adapter. That would be the easiest with no sacrifices.
These are really the 3 big noticable power gainers. You don't want a turbo or porting. There are other things but by comparison they are very minor in gains. They do something though but the above 3 should always come first in that order.
4: and 5: can be switched around in either order.
Intake. Make sure it's cold air and not just some stupid cone filter sitting in your
hot engine bay sucking hot air in all day.
Ignition box. MSD, Jacobs or otherwise. Small gains but still there.
Anything else you can think of may or may not be effective so I really don't touch anything else. I'm not a fan of "adding lightness" to a street car by removing insulation, a/c, power steering, carpet, etc as on the street creature comforts matter more. I find it plain and simple moronic to do. However if you have a true track car that never ever sees the street then by all means strip away.
If you get real creative you can start playing with custom intake manifolds but that's another topic with a whole bunch of pros and cons to be considered. With completely stock ports it is possible to hit around 175 rwhp or so if you're good. Maybe a little bit more with creativity.
electric fan... frees up some hp most of the time, if you get one that draws alot of amperage (almost required), you should upgrade your alternator to make up for this as well...
Thread Starter
rotors, my anti-piston
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Hidden Valley Lake, CA
i'm not trying to be a dick here, but have you taken some time to familiarize yourself with your car, particularly the engine bay? i've seen some of your responses in this thread and your other one about the gauges and i'm not sure if there's a problem with your style of communication or you're simply asking questions in the dark. i don't know which ...
at any rate, i'll give the benefit of the doubt. the car has a mechanical (clutch-operated) fan. he's saying to replace that with an electric one.
at any rate, i'll give the benefit of the doubt. the car has a mechanical (clutch-operated) fan. he's saying to replace that with an electric one.
Thread Starter
rotors, my anti-piston
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Hidden Valley Lake, CA
no man your totally not being a dick, i have yet to pick up the car (i know it sounds so silly that i even be asking all these questions) but a. im trying to put together a budget (im 19 so analyzing what i can and cannot spend is key) and b. im new to the rotary circle so i have a lot of ?'s to ask. i dont mean to waist anyone's time.
you have 1500-2000 to do work, save up a little more and the most mod of them all for the NA.......turbo swap! Or if aaroncake is not just being a tease he has a turbokit coming out for the N.A 6-port, prolly be around 2k, but it would get you 250ish i would guess
no man your totally not being a dick, i have yet to pick up the car (i know it sounds so silly that i even be asking all these questions) but a. im trying to put together a budget (im 19 so analyzing what i can and cannot spend is key) and b. im new to the rotary circle so i have a lot of ?'s to ask. i dont mean to waist anyone's time.
you're not wasting time, it's just that some of your questions and responses struck me as strange, so that was why i figured you hadn't looked at the car before posting. you're here to learn and that's fine - learning is seldom ever a waste of time. you're also in the right place to learn
good luck.
If you decide to use an electric fan and still have working a/c, you need to find a way to have it run for the a/c or have a separate fan for the a/c. If you don't have a/c, disregard this.