Just put a RSM pulley on my 2200.. what a world of difference. It's like the horsepower gain i got from doing intake and exhaust but it's all across the power band so you feel it more.. freakin' awesome.. and fairly easy because i didn't even need a pulley puller.

But of course a true car tweaker never stops there. I don't want to do headers just yet, and i want to stay naturally aspirated for now. I am thinking of doing the upper motor mount but i hear there are many disadvantages such as the car's body absorbing the vibration rather than the rubber. Anyone have any ideas what i should do next?

And.. what would be better for performance.. doing the lower or upper engine mount? i don't want to do both because i don't want full on heavy rattling. I get enough things rattling in my car as it is.. what a noisy auto the 2000 cavalier is.

Sadly, no more..

you can go ahead and do the upper without it really shaking, i mean, you'll notice it a lil.
the lower mount is the one that has a little hoot n holler to it. and both together is like a damn womans vibrator for the first couple of weeks before they soften up.

you seem to really like how the car responded to the pulley, well, the mount will help compliment it. the mount is always there, therefore it is throughout the entire powerband. not saying it's as noticable a gain as the pully, but it def. will help>

as for next mods.....lower the car, (thats a performance and exterior mod) mabye a little weight reduction if your bored one day and feel like messin with your car

David Silva wrote:Just put a RSM pulley on my 2200.. what a world of difference. It's like the horsepower gain i got from doing intake and exhaust but it's all across the power band so you feel it more.. freakin' awesome.. and fairly easy because i didn't even need a pulley puller.

But of course a true car tweaker never stops there. I don't want to do headers just yet, and i want to stay naturally aspirated for now. I am thinking of doing the upper motor mount but i hear there are many disadvantages such as the car's body absorbing the vibration rather than the rubber. Anyone have any ideas what i should do next?

And.. what would be better for performance.. doing the lower or upper engine mount? i don't want to do both because i don't want full on heavy rattling. I get enough things rattling in my car as it is.. what a noisy auto the 2000 cavalier is.

As far as the mounts go, I just did both on my Z24 and there is a bit of feedback and vibration, especially if you lug the engine and run it at LOW RPM's, but I promise it's not bad at all. I don't even notice them while cruising and most normal driving, only when shifting and starting out from a dead stop. The upper mount will NOT cause the largest vibration, but you will notice that power delivery to the wheels is more deliberate when your trans. switches gears, it's the lower mount that will cause the obvious vibes, so you may want to stay away from that. They are excellent "bang for the buck" items, and are of course fairly cheap, so if you want some simple, cheap, bolt-on fun, the upper mount alone will do well.

As far as where to go from here, you do have many options. I would suggest doing the header some time soon, since It will give you performance by itself, but will also help all your other mods be used to their potential. If you do plan to be Supercharged, a header is a must, but if you plan to be turbocharged (recommended) then don't bother with it at all since you'll just have to get rid of it anyway. One easy bolt-on I'd suggest is a larger throttle body. Great easy horsepower.

I don't have a 2200, but it seems obvious that an excellent and effective way to unlock some good N/A horsepower from the 2200 is to upgrade the valvetrain. Camshaft, rocker arms, lifters, valves, valve springs, pushrods, retainers, valve guides, and a nice Port & Polish job. That'll get you some sweet power, but it's not exactly an easy bolt-on job... all internal work. Little scarry...

Still, If you're looking for some real balls-out power from that motor, you're looking at turbocharging. There's several members around here who have Turbo'd 2200's and they're 14, 13, and some 12-ish second cars. Of course, that's a huge investment if you plan to do it correctly.

I have poly mounts on my ECO, and the extra vibes aren't bad, and I did feel improved acceleration


Some times the best way to get that tailgater off your but is to light a fart.

yea i didn't really explain all that to well, now that i read it again,....

like ld9 fury said, you only feel the mounts when you are at a stop light or lug your transmission between swifts. but it's really not bad especially after the first 2weeks allowing them to break in.
i guess the only other thing i have to say in reference to performance i quess is look into finding a manual tranny. and boost

Matt wrote:i guess the only other thing i have to say in reference to performance i quess is look into finding a manual tranny. and boost

Turbochargers are your friend

how about header, bigger Cat, 2.3 Ho t/b, and the 56mm intake manifolds. That should cost you around 700-800 depending on what you get, but it can go higher than that though.

Thanks. i am totally ordering the rksport upper mount now.
I have a better muffler/pipes but i'm hesitant to get a header and lose any more low-end power since my engine barely has any... that's why i'm looking at either low-rpm or wideband mods before i do any more exhaust type stuff.

Can you really put the 2.3 throttle body on the 2200?
My camaro obsessed friend says i should polish my throttle body and smooth out it's rough edge(s) for some horsepower. I take it that wouldn't be too effective considering the small size of the intake manifold.. but @!#$ those are so expensive..

Hope the MSD coil packs help when they come.

Sadly, no more..

get a 4-2-1 header. itll give you good gains in the low- mid range. a 4-1 will give you the high end. so dont worry about getting a header thinking it will only be a high end investment. if you think you are ever gonna get boost, then maybe you might not want to even bother with it

Yup, if you have the 2200, the 2.3 HO manifold will fit in it. Ask around or search for it. Event or someone had posted with solutions to make it as perfect as it can.

2.3HO intake manifold fit a 2200!? not a chance. you can put a 2.3HO throttle body on a 2200. theres almost no way an HO manifold would work on that engine without some massive customization.

The only "better flowing" manifold options us unlucky 2200 guys have (as far as I know) is to get a ported one from rsm or manta. or do your own porting.

you can seriously put the 2.3 tb on a 2200? wow. i haven't heard of this.
I had the chance to test drive an ecotec cavy after i got out of my cavy today.. omg.. honestly i'm beginning to think all this 2200 modification is pretty useless because stock, the ecotec runs circles around my @!#$.. grrr. I hear swapping my 3 speed to a 4 speed automatic means a big difference too. But i don't think it's worth the money. I think i'm gonna stop the modding for now and save for a camaro.. :\

Sadly, no more..

firewolf23 (Kevin) wrote:Yup, if you have the 2200, the 2.3 HO manifold will fit in it. Ask around or search for it. Event or someone had posted with solutions to make it as perfect as it can.

The 2.3 HO (and lo) manifold will not fit the 2200. The 2.3L intake manifold will fit the 2.4L motor though. The 2.3L throttle body can fit the 2200, but needs a line added to it.

Forgot to add... I would go with both the upper and lower mounts. They would help alot in getting back power that is lost through the motor "rocking." For low end power a 4-2-1 header would also be a good bet. I'm going to install mine when the weather warms up abit. (No garage, and snow on the ground.)

Glad to hear that you had a good experience with the pulley. I'm thinking about getting one myself. How difficult was it to install?

David Silva wrote:you can seriously put the 2.3 tb on a 2200? wow. i haven't heard of this.
I had the chance to test drive an ecotec cavy after i got out of my cavy today.. omg.. honestly i'm beginning to think all this 2200 modification is pretty useless because stock, the ecotec runs circles around my @!#$.. grrr. I hear swapping my 3 speed to a 4 speed automatic means a big difference too. But i don't think it's worth the money. I think i'm gonna stop the modding for now and save for a camaro.. :\

That would be f**kin sweet. I once felt the same way you do right now about the whole "modding my cavalier" thing, but it's do-able. Then again... it's easier for us 2.4L and Ecotec guys to keep a positive attitude than you 2200 guys for the exact reason you said. Maybe you're more interested in a 2000-2002 Cavalier Z24 or Sunfire GT? or maybe an 03+ Ecotec? Breaks my heart to hear someone not want to mod their car anymore cuz they think it's hopeless, but hey, you gotta do whatever makes you happy, that's what it's all about. Just remember that there are plenty turbo'd 2200's on this site, who would gladly help you turn that thing into a beast like they did theirs

Get a flywheel and a smaller diameter clutch. Lightening the mass and centering most of it closer to the point of rotation will free up even more power. It won't make power per say, but you will notice the engine revs easier and smoother. Invest in the fuliexhaust and possibly a cam and porting.


Opfer benotigt. Keine Erfahrung notwendig.

Victims needed. No experience necessary.

Okay a few replies to a few people.
Now i'm seriously thinking of getting the 4-2-1 header, as long as it's legal in california. I just need to figure out where to find such a beast. Other than that, got the upper motor mount today but haven't had the time to install it. grr.

I will definetely not be doing turbo. I know that doing a proper, reliable turbo setup would run me $2000-$3000. I want this car to last, so i'm just doing bolt-ons for now. This car just isn't worth that kind of investment - i mean, i could pick up a used camaro for that price.. and what a tuning project that would be ^_^..

And i don't see why more people aren't doing 3400/3800 v6 swaps instead of turbo. it seems like you'd be getting WAY more of a kick in the pants per dollar that way.

As for the pulley, it wasn't too hard, but then again it was me and another guy doing it. You can do it with standard tools and you don't need a pulley puller. The only hard thing was making sure the accessory belt was routed correctly! thank god there was a belt tensioner. I think all in all it was easier than putting my cold air intake in. definetely worth the effort though. I'm wondering if i should do the lightened alternator pulley as well now. But it's a small pulley as is, so do i really want to spend $60 for like.. ONE horsepower? then again i may just get that crazy..

Sadly, no more..

boost can be reliable, lots of people are running around here in daily drivin boosted cars. just make sure you invest in a wideband and some other gauges to know exactly whats going on.
as for the alternator pully, i don't know. never really looked into it. actually i kinda forgot the thing but im interested to hear if someone wants to go ahead and make a comment on it.

Quote:

And i don't see why more people aren't doing 3400/3800 v6 swaps instead of turbo. it seems like you'd be getting WAY more of a kick in the pants per dollar that way.

thats a lot of money and time. probally too much for some. probaly get as much power and more from a turbo set up



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