Hey guys I'm new to the forums I've recently purchased my 2001 Pontiac sunfire SE off my dad that is stock except the tints and HID's ...what can I do for roughly $2000 to upgrade its performance...I want to beat my Honda ricer friends in our car crew. Thanks for any help
If i had 2k to upgrade a new car with here is a list of the upgrades I would do in order:
1.Exhaust(header back) - I personally have had good experience with pacesetter headers
2.Intake(ebay will do here, just replace filter after a while)
3.Plugs/wires - Most say stick with ACDelco plats but i have results with NGK Ir
4.Injectors/fuel rail
5.Wheels/Tires - This can be a major or a minor upgrade depending on how much you want to spend
6.Suspension(Lower will increase butt dyno) - recommend coil overs for adjust-ability
7.Other bolt ons like under drive pully and motor mounts
Tahua Ravenous wrote:If i had 2k to upgrade a new car with here is a list of the upgrades I would do in order:
1.Exhaust(header back) - I personally have had good experience with pacesetter headers We only have 1 header so why waste money on the 2nd? Pacesetter Armour coated are the "go to" header for us.
2.Intake(ebay will do here, just replace filter after a while) The only correct info you gave, except that i would replace the filter immediately with either a K&N or AEM Dryflow
3.Plugs/wires - Most say stick with ACDelco plats but i have results with NGK Ir Plugs/wires are not a power adder. Stick with properly stock ACDelcos unless you boost or run a good shot of nitrous.
4.Injectors/fuel rail Waste of money, just like plugs/wires they are not a power adder
5.Wheels/Tires - This can be a major or a minor upgrade depending on how much you want to spend Wider and lighter wheels will help free up alittle lost power and a good summer tire will help the "power" stick
6.Suspension(Lower will increase butt dyno) - recommend coil overs for adjust-ability Very very very very very very important and is the 1st thing i would address. Cheap parts, improper install, and cut corners can cause you to loose control of your car and possible kill you and innocent others.
7.Other bolt ons like under drive pully and motor mounts are not going to get you anywhere
Fixed.
The main problem that you have is that you have an unsupported underpowered engine. The 1st thing i would do is a set of good lowering springs,the proper struts to go with them, and wheels/tires. Upgraded sway bars wouldnt be a bad idea either. After the suspension is taken care of i would rip the 2.2L OHV out and drop in a 2.2L DOHC Ecotec and then save for boost. With an intake and full 2.25" exhaust on the eco i would expect to see a ~40whp gain from your stock OHV.
As Tink said suspension should be the first thing you do since your engine is underpowered and no offense slow a good suspension will make it feel faster and be more fun to drive.
Then ECO swap don't bother putting any money into this engine if your looking to make power save it for the swap then decide what you want from there. However since all 95-05 cat-back systems are the same you could go ahead and do that I suppose
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, October 15, 2012 9:32 AM
Considering i maybe have spent 2k on my car at this point maybe i can help you.
The best thing i can say that has ever been done to the car was the suspension. coilovers are worth the money over lowering springs. i've experienced both on my car and coilovers take the cake. if you like fun driving then do this first.
when it comes to power i wouldn't bother doing too much with that motor. save for a motor swap or just stick to exhaust for sound and nitrous for the drag strip.
motor mounts dropped my et in the 1/4 mile by a tenth of a second. only downside is the vibration when the air con is on at stoplights. but i'm not too sure if the same goes for your car and motor.
http://youtu.be/RXppsUVhJJE
my car ^
Turbo Tech Racing Has a lot of great stuff and has a great reputation. Also Mark over at
O.E.M. can help you out good stuff from him too. Both also can be found on the .ORG
Don't waste your money on "Chips" it's just a gimmik and won't net you any gains. Do a proper tune. But as said start with the basics first and read
this and
this.
Those chips are nothing but a scam. Why? Because the OBD2 ECUs in our cars are impossible to chip.
Also "tricking" the sensors/ecu is just idiotic. The ecu needs the correct imputs so it can make the correct adjustments so it wont blow up.
*a-arm bushings/ aluminum N-body a-arm swap
*coilovers
*sway bars (some older Js never came with sway bars so this could be a huge upgrade for you)
$2000 will be gone by the end of this.
If you have patience those items come up for sale in the classifieds and can make your money go further.
You could also drop a 2.4 DOHC LD9 and build for N/A or boost... this is an alternative to the Eco if you happen to come across one. Both motors are pretty close in reliability and build-ability.
In either case, as Tinkles said, you should actually see 50-60 WHP gain with a motor swap as well as some minor bolt ons. Your motor currently puts about 90 WHP out.
Port the head on the ln2 and turbo it with a good tune andyou'll be rightthere with the eco/ld9 guys. You might have to fab some things but this motor is just as capable as he eco/ld9 most people just don't boost the ln2 ad wastetheir time on bolt on's and cry over the lack of power. I've driven boosted eco's and ln2's.......boosted ln2's are just as much fun as boost on any other motor.
Otherwised I'd go 100% suspension mods for a fun dd.
I'd like to add hhn racecraft made a kit for the 2200, pick up a base kit, add your own intercooler to save some cash and tune your car with hpt on an ld9 blower reflash and you'll be solid.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, October 15, 2012 7:05 PM
Just noticed your profile says chicagoland. I'm in Westmont inside dupage county. Also add a car to your profile to keep track of things and so others can help you out better when you have questions.
