Making your car go faster is almost inevitable. Whethes you drop 20$ for something like synthetic oil, or 2000$ for something like a turbo, sooner or later most will try to make their car faster.
*****This is just a GENERAL FAQ on stuff I learned, things that can be referenced and something in a conglomerate that you can reference info from whether you are new or seasoned. If anyone wishes to add on parts or info DEFINITELY do so…*****
What should I do? Where do you start in doing this? What should you mod first?
First things first, many have already posted a lot of things. USE THE SEARCH BUTTON if you want to find general info. Simply set it to ALL DATES and possible search for topics as well a message bodies. A lot of info is posted over and over. Take some initiative and not be lazy and simply use some of the features on the board. That’s why there were put there. If you are a NEWBIE (its not a bad thing) and don’t know where it is--its above where you post in the box. Look above, it you have the whole set of a tool bar to help you.
If you are still at the “what can I do/where do I start” stage, sit down and think about this quote I learned with monster trucks
“Speed costs, how fast do you want to go”
the faster you go the more money there is that WILL be spent. There is no such thing as CHEAP SPEED.
The next thing you should ask yourself, AND NOT US, what should I upgrade? Or what should I do next.
There really is no specific order in ways to do things… for the most part bolt ons are the easiest and can be done within a day for the most part. They can range from free to a few hundred dollars. But do keep in mind that parts that are free or very low price are like that for a reason. Unless you get an intake or throttle body from a friend, parts that seem too good to be true, usually are. Leading to the first main section….
Parts too good to be true
these are the parts that claim MONDO horsepower, but cost less than a universal remote from sears.
EBAY Scams
Ebay resistor mods/intake resistor scam mods: these usually cost around 99 cents up to 20$. All they send you is a 10cents resistor you could have gotten from radio shack. They claim power, but all it does is make the car dump gas in the injectors… it doesn’t advance timing, just makes you run rich and waste gas, cause if you actually put this on your car, you prob are new to the game, don’t have the air or spark to blow it all up when it gets there. Over time it can cause problems. Its not a bad thing to be new, each and EVERY one of us were new at a time, but you can prevent being new and falling for outrageous claims for small amounts of money.
Here is a picture scan of what they look like: <imgsrc=”http://tiger.towson.edu/~apittm1/resscam.JPG”>
Power isn’t cheap. Keep that in mind. If you fall for this, take a flip flop and beat self repeatedly.
Throttle body spacers: granted they do a bit on some carbureted engines, not much of a diff on our 3rd gens. There are PLENTY of posts on then whether you search for “TB spacer” or “throttle body spacer” here are the results:
http://www.j-body.org/forums/search.php?f=2&search=tb+spacer&globalsearch=0&match=1&date=0&fldsubject=1
and
http://www.j-body.org/forums/search.php?f=2&search=throttle+body+spacer&globalsearch=0&match=1&date=0&fldsubject=1
that should cover that.
Jet Chip Performance Control Module (PCM): ok a lot of you believe in it, but it’s the same thing as the TPS TEC and Venom 400. you can also do the same thing with your foot. I wont get TOO in depth on this, but it’s a waste of 100 used, or 200+ dollars new. Karo, dynoed this beast of a faux mod and gained like 1.3 or 1.5 whopping HP. Aka, for the price, you could have done better. But like said above it’s the same as pressing harder on the gas. To read more about it in depth, I’ll refer you to the JBO main library listing for it.
http://www.j-body.org/faq/10/20/
that should also cover the TPS TECs and VENOMS as well.
CHIPS : “I wanna chip my car!” so do the rest of us, but you now can take 1 minute out of your day to thank OBD2 computer that control our cars. On third gens from 96 and up, its OBD2, and OBD2 is as of now, unable to be chipped. There is such thing as a reflash programming, but VERY FEW places can do it. RSMracing.com Mantapart.com stated on their websites that they do it. But its expensive. And to what degree they do things, well I am not sure, if you wanna know, then call them or email them. Go straight to the source so you KNOW from the COMPANY DIRECTLY. 95 and earlier cars that had OBD1 computers however can be chipped. However chips companies that are decent are rare.
ASE chips on the other hand…. Well I will leave you with this.
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=204484&t=141807#reply_204484
Moderator Edit: Since about 2006, our OBD-2 computers can be reflashed very easily with HPTuners. Your best bet here is to find someone who knows how to tune to tune your car. Please head over to the Tuning forum to discuss tuning.
DISCLAIMER ON THE NEXT TOPIC-
***DAVE AND OTHERS TRY TO KEEP THIS SITE RESPECTABLE AND NOT LITTERED WITH STREET RACING SO THAT WHEN THE PUBLIC OR MEDIA NEEDS A SCAPEGOAT TO BLAME, THIS SITE DOESN’T SHOW UP ON GOOGLE***
Speed Governor – yes there is a way to do it, no I will not tell you. I wont tell cause if you f*ck up and kill yourself or someone else, I don’t want it back on myself. Some of the idiots will do so or their families will, cause they need someone to blame. And as it stands if you are that new that you have to ask about it, its evident you don’t know much about these cars nor prob don’t have a good setup car wise to be under control. THIS ISNT A BASH ON YOUR DRIVING SKILLS OR CAR!!!!!!!!!!! There are only a few that would need this mod on a track, but as it stands most of you def do this on public roads. Even the most deserted roads you can screw up and kill yourself or another. And if the roads are really that deserted you have to watch out for wildlife. However if you are still wanting to do this, read this:
http://www.j-body.org/faq//80/
Yes you can do this on 4 speed autos, not on 3 speeds as of yet I don’t think, and yes for manuals. Doing so can throw a code and cause problems. That’s at your own risk when you HALF-AS-S things… Obviously this isn’t a real reprogramming to do this nor a kit, its simply doing things at your own and cars risk. NO ONE ON JBO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SCREW UPS…. also doing this is odometer tampering, and also leaves your car at 0$ resale value. Yes, by doing this, if its ever found when someone once overs your car, your car will now be worth ZERO DOLLARS. Pretty costly for stupidity in my thoughts. Cause the majority of you, nor myself aren’t the worlds greatest drivers, you aren’t driving the safest cars, so if you mess up that’s your rear.
Someone will undoubtedly catch a hissy fit from me posting what I did, but I really don’t care. Truth hurts sometimes, deal with it. You can call me every name in the book if you think its makes you more of a man or woman, but this mod shouldn’t be used on public roads PERIOD. And the majority of us, with respect to M Karas, Karo, prob J mack, and a few small group of others, will ever need this on a ¼ mile track. However now you know where to get it. Got it? Good.
Bolt Ons
The basic boltons are Intakes and Exhaust. That’s usually the first things that are done with cars. Easiest to do, gains are low to moderate. This pretty much goes for ALL boltons.
Intakes I’ve had quite a few, which are normally called WAI;s and CAI’s (warm air and cold air) but the real names for them are long ram intake aka CAI and short ram intake WAI.
Short rams are usually more abundant, and from proof they run pretty much similar to long rams. A bit more quicker throttle response can be seen due to a shorter path and less bends to travel through.
Long rams are a bit more rare and are usually mounted down in the fender. Also another note, there are people always referring to “true CAI’s”…don’t know where the term came from, but the only difference between a TRUE CAI and a CAI conversion from a WAI, if the fact that parts came with the alleged “TRUE CAI” all in one package. The filters are all mounted in the same exact area, and the pipes travel the same path. Sometimes they charge you more for the name TRUE CAI depending on where you go. J
Now, The reason I am leaving them to long or short rather than Warm or Cold, is that from measuring with a temp sender and gauge. There was a difference between the two of 4 degrees. Also another bit of note, it wa ian lacey or matt teske, one of the two dynoed a WAI at 9 hp, aem just dynoed one of their CAI’s at 8.6 hp. So does that mean WAI;s are better? No. they have just as many downsides as a CAI. Some people think the heat is extremely bad under the car, which is a myth, cause when the car is in motion air circulates under the hood. So basically you get the same air temp as a CAI.
With a CAI, the filter is mounted low, and in the summer time or sunny days we all know heat absorbs into the ground, and then…heat rises. The lower you have the filter, its still gonna take in warmer air. And also, COLD AIR, is normally what you read. However, use a bit of logic. The air is cold in the winter time, but in the summer, its hot outside. The air your intake takes in is only relative to the air temp outside. Sure dynos say this and that, but you also have to realize, they are in usually controlled environments, and also what a car gains on one car, can differ with the same part on another car. Meaning, I can dyno an intake on my car and gain 8 hp, take it off and give it to you and you may gain 10hp. Hell dynoeing a car outside and inside can make a differnce. The cooler it is the better the car runs.
There are plenty of companies to buy from. A lot of people swear by this and that, and that’s personal choice. Doesn’t exactly mean something is better, and there DEFINITELY
isn’t a BEST. If any one claims that theirs is the best simply ask have you tried all the other intakes available? 9 times out of 10, prob not. I stopped after the rksport CAI, mantapart CAI, rsm WAI, mantapart WAI, and about 5 other self made intakes… there really wasn’t much difference in temp nor performance. Yea I wasted money, but I wanted to see what was all the hype. Back then intakes were around 200$ now they bump into the 300$ range. Some can justify it, I can’t. it’s a metal pipe with a filter on the end.
Keep in mind every company out there has made a public printed claim that there intake is the best, or gives the most gains
AEM makes this claim: Outperform every comparable intake system on the market
http://aempower.com/product_intake.asp
other companys have made their claims, and while I will publicly say I don’t doubt ANY of them, one persons intake will always produce better results than another. On different cars results will vary. Don’t fall into the ordeal where company X said 10HP, but company Z make 7HP. It is quite and DEF possible, that Z may actually produce more on your car than X does.
For those that will want to make their own, save money and get pretty much the same performance. These sites will help.
http://www.airflowonline.com
http://www.ny-jbodies.org/forum/library/2200/intake.htm
http://members.aol.com/htown2200/intake.html
most of these are for a 2200 2.2 which can be done on a 95-97 2.2 as well, but if you have a 2.4, or 2.3 or ecotec, its really the same process, you just need to substitute different parts. Use the imagination. It’s a really easy job to do.
For those that will want to buy and intake, there are a few JBO locals and companies to check out.
Don’t get mad Chris, putting your registry/name out there.
http://www.j-body.org/members/agentomega/ he has produced some for the 2200. email him for other cars. They are of decent quality and a reasonably low price. Same as ToBoyz intakes.
And a few companies:
http://www.rsmracing.com
http://www.mantapart.com
http://induction-dynamics.com/
http://rksport.com/
http://carcustoms.net/store/
http://highrevmotorsports.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.howellautomotive.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
and even
http://www.ebay.com
those are some sites to get you started. If at worse, check google or WebCrawler, you will find more side shops that have them.
Now onto
EXHAUSTS:
Exhaust help your engine expel the stuff it takes in. imagine eating and well you know what you do after you eat.
There are MANY exhaust systems, from magnaflow, to rksport, to mantapart, to thermal research development, borla, stans/bills, is there a BEST? No, cause as it stands bills only tested on DOHC cars not any OHV cars are posted. There isn’t a BEST exhaust pipe size per car, bills dynos show one thing, others have shown differently and a reputable company such as magnaflow makes theirs in 2.25, not 2.5, turbo benefit from different sizes and people with nitrous will do better with another. There isn’t a BEST EXAHAUST or a BEST SOUND. You simply have to find something that works for you.
Exhaust sound. There’s really not gonna get you far asking about sound. Unless you hear it in person or on tape.
http://tiger.towson.edu/~apittm1/mov00227.mpeg he LOVES his exhaust but many will disagree. I’m not a big fan of super loud exhaust unless in reason, aka your engine can back it up. SOUND is PURELY relative to EACH individuals ear.. Visit
http://www.magnaflow.com let the page load. I consider that to be a decent exhaust. Some will disagree. Some actually like a raspy exhaust. Personally I don’t. its ALL PREFERENCE. So what will XXXXX exhaust sound like? Who knows from person to person. Buy it, and if you don’t like it, change the tone of it, add a resonator. Change the muffler to a longer one or shorter one, there are many things you can do to change the sound of an exhaust. Look at it this way, with the pipes already bought, at least you have the basics already ran.
Going custom and having a local shop do you your exhaust is also another option. They can do pretty much the same thing. It isn’t necessarily needed to have a mandrel bent exhaust. The majority of the people who mod their cars on here will even mod their car to the point where it will make a difference. Compression bent pipe is an alternative. Crush bent pipe I would avoid as it leaves bumps/ridges in the metal. Compression doesn’t nor does mandrel.
Another good article to read on getting started with building your own exhaust is here:
http://magnaflow.com/05news/magazine/05sportc.htm its easy to do and sometimes can be cheaper depending on where you go. Also if you go somewhere and ask for mandrel pipe bending, do realize mandrel machines are EXPENSIVE. Not every tom dick and Harvey shop has one. Most places use a compression bender (not crush, compression) which is a close second to mandrel. It keeps things smooth inner and outer but it distorts the pipe a SMALL bit, if the person knows what they are doing. The pipe will still keep around 98% of the opening, but it may be in a slight oval shape. Still the same amount of flow however. Crush bend however does the same thing as the wrinkling of skin on a sharpei dog. The ridges will cause turbulence.
Low and behold WHATEVER exhaust you choose, it IS tuneable. Also dual exhausts are more show than anything. You have one exhaust manifold, and single exhaust gets the job done effectively. Adding duals is just extra pipe, extra weight, and extra noise for the most part. Nothing wrong with it if you like it, but duals aren’t really needed. Just for looks really.
A few companies to look for are
http://www.magnaflow.com
http://www.thermalrd.com/about.htm
http://www.borla.com
http://www.rsmracing.com
http://www.mantapart.com
http://carcustoms.net/store/
http://highrevmotorsports.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.howellautomotive.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
and even
http://www.ebay.com
for other main companies where you can buy parts from like mufflers, the article posted above gives you roughly an how to as well as another list of muffler companies.
***NOTE*** ebay mufflers have “Apexi Style” mufflers, but they normally aren’t apexi N1 mufflers and such. Make sure you get quality parts. Cheap knockoffs are of a lower quality, and the muffling material inside can be on low quality sound absorbing stuff. It wont last and long sound as consistent or sound like a quality muffler. When going on ebay, make sure the part is of quality and the actual piece, not a “XXXXXX STYLE” part. You get what you pay for.
Throttle Bodies
this is basically the mouth of the engine taking in air, it opens and closes allows you to idle, peel out, or pull on someone like mad dentist. TB;s are interchangeable and you can accomplish this in 3 ways… 1)find other throttle bodies from other cars, 2) get your stock one bored and make a plate that will fit the new boring, or 3) buy one which will be the easiest and use your stock one for the core charge.
If you find another one from another car, that will be trial and error. Supposedly the 2.3TB fits a 2200 with no mods. The 2.2 from 95-97 is a harder to find and most likely will have to use option 2 or 3. 2.4’s can get them from the same places as well and the same options.
Some places to get em:
http://www.rsmracing.com
http://www.mantapart.com
http://rksport.com/
http://carcustoms.net/store/
http://highrevmotorsports.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.howellautomotive.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
Engine Mounts:
upper and lower are good to do. This decreases the engine movement and make sure no power is lost through motion of the engine rocking back and forth upon acceleration. There are a few companies that sell these, but heres the deal.
The upper engine mount causes a little bit of vibes, the lower mounts cause a bit more vibes, but only depending on which lower one you get. Some bushings have a lower durometer (I think that’s the word, but I means stiffness) and the harder the stiffness, the less movement which means more power to the ground, but the lesser stiff bushings def do a lot better than the stock rubber stuff. But less vibes than the super stiff.
Places to get em:
http://www.rsmracing.com
http://www.mantapart.com
http://rksport.com/
http://carcustoms.net/store/
http://highrevmotorsports.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.howellautomotive.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
Header: be careful what you ask for you might get it. Most people say HEADERS, we only have ONE HEADER, saying HEADERS with the S means dual or two. Just clarifying that cause I have had friends order HEADERS and get charged and shipped two of them.
But on this subject, there are actually quite a few for the 2.2, 2200, 2.4, and Ecotec engines.
OBX
RSMracing
Mantapart
Rksport
Isuzuperformance/Stans/Bills (they have been called all three)
Pacesetter
These are all decent header companies. When adding one make sure you have either motor mounts or possibly a flex pipe. The mounts like stated above keep the motor from rocking which can break flanges on the header causing leaks, or a flex pipe which comes stock on most cars allows the engine to rock if you don’t have mounts, but the pipe flexes so the stress isn’t put on the flanges or pipe.
Inner Goodies
these are things that are inside the engine. Its different on both engines, some are more internal than others. But there is a lot you can do in this area.
Cams, this is often a big question asked. Where can I get em? A lot of places.
http://www.RSMracing.com
http://www.Mantapart.com
http://www.Cranecams.com
http://www.Rksport.com
http://www.Jbodyperformance.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
Are all places that offer cams. Also there is a “secret swap cam from a certain older 95 and before cavalier 2.3 engine. Here is the link to that info with 319 posts:
http://www.j-body.org/forums/search.php?f=2&search=secret+cam&globalsearch=0&match=1&date=0&fldsubject=1
Cams can raise or lower the lift of the valves and also lengthen or shorten duration (the mount of time a valve stays open in a cycle). Cams grinds can either come in the form of a regrind of the stock one, a grind from a cam blank, or a completely new billet ground cam from a completely stock piece of steel. The pictures of that process is here:
http://cranecams.com/camstory.htm
Valves are another area to improve engine efficiency. Stainless steel ones are usually the upgrade choice, although if “your pockets aint empty cuz!” you can get titanium if you are looking to build a high revving engine. But keep in mind the price on titanium rises significantly.
For this (hig revving engines), stiffer springs will def be needed. There aren’t many choices, but mantapart.com has em as well as rsmracing.com and jbodyperformance.com. howell automotive is working on the springs for a 2200 so there should be some options.
Rocker arms for the 2200 2.2 and 2.2 can be upgraded to roller tip ones. The dohc engines don’t deal with rocker arms I believe. But for the 2.2-ohv engines:
If you have a 95-97 engine (may work on the older 2.2ohv from 93 or 94 as well) go here:
http://www.ny-jbodies.org/forum/library/How2/2.2rockerarm.htm
If you have a 98-02 2.2 ohv or more commonly known as the 2200, go here:
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=215049&t=209576#reply_215049
Pushrods are another upgrade and crane will be working with Howell automotive for those I suspect. I donated 4 of them so they have some to work with. Hopefully like the rocker arms a good turnout will occur. If you need a custom set made for other engines, you can try getting custom made ones from crane or crower, crane is the company as right now I prefer, but preference is up to the individual and how fast or long it will take to make em.
Pistons and Connecting Rods are two of the main 3 major moving parts of the lower end/bottom end.
With rods you can get them from a variety of places such as:
http://www.Crower.com
http://www.JEpistons.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
http://www.RSMracing.com
http://www.Mantapart.com
http://www.Rksport.com
http://www.Jbodyperformance.com
http://www.cavalierconnection.com
when ordering pistons you are usually able to choose the compression that you will want them it. Keep in mind you can get anything in a custom order.
Another option to new pistons is to get a set of used or new ones from a stock engine and cryotreat em. Its cost effective, but not many go that route.
“THE AREA BEYOND BOLT ONS… J”
This is the area that will give you power, but It will cost. Its not all plug and play and I HIGHLY suggest you do a lot of research before you run out trying to do it. Its gives speed and its like a drug. Ok in moderation, but if you try to do TOO MUCH at one time, it can be disasterous.
Nitrous (n2o) –NOT NAWWZ or NOS
http://www.j-body.org/forums/list.php?f=39
Turbo or Supercharged
http://www.j-body.org/forums/list.php?f=40
Under each one I listed the correct forum to address these in. the Boost forum now has an FAQ written by Aasyranth. He is one to talk to along with a few others are running with turbo. Mike Karas, Johnny Mack and Karo M are def 3 people to talk to as well a Mike Clements of Cavalier Connection. Mack n Karo sell systems along with Mike Clements and all three are well known and have impressive records and vehicles to back their products. Along with good reps.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, November 22, 2011 6:35 AM
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