How do I make it go faster...

[JohnJohn]

Im 18, recently bought a 03' gt and kind of embarassingly dont know to much about grand ams, or cars in general for that matter. What kind of modifications can I make to my gt to make it go faster...?

[GrandAmageGT]

There are quite a few. Cold Air Intake and a new exhaust system (Borla, Magnaflow, Flowmaster)....Larger throttle body, new headers, ASE chip. That's just a few.

[MJE95GAGT]

Congratulations! All of those are excellent ideas, you might want to try a search in the modifications section, there has been similar topics there.

[JohnJohn]

Ill check it out, thx.

whats an ASE chip? Ive heard of the jet chip, is that worth the money it costs?

[MJE95GAGT]

The Jet Chip is actually a control module, a plug and play type of gadget, the ASE chip is reprogrammed computer chip and runs around $300. Some say its worth it while others say it isnt. Just dont go by the hp gains they tell you. First, they will always overestimate and its always hp to the flexplate. I believe someone dynoed it before and after the ASE got 7hp to the wheels and similar gains of torque. All of your performance needs are at www.gaupgrades.net

[JohnJohn]

What will cold air intake do to my car?

specifically this one (http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/americanperformance/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f2687afbc1e0&category=Alero%2FGrand+Am+Performance&start=11&total=15&no=38)

[GrandAmageGT]

Originally posted by JohnJohn
What will cold air intake do to my car?

specifically this one (http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/americanperformance/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f2687afbc1e0&category=Alero%2FGrand+Am+Performance&start=11&total=15&no=38)

I couldnt give you absolute numbers. Different setup will give you a variance in HP gains, but that one is expensive. I believe you can get an APOC CAI for $150.00, and that is a choice some people on here go with. There's also ways to make your own, but you'd have to get with someone who has I couldnt help you there.

[TheBigEye]

The CAI will bring more air to your engine, causing the gas to burn better and faster, that is what gives the extra HP

[MJE95GAGT]

Gas wont burn faster, you will actually get better gas mileage. The CAI on that link is an APOC CAI. I dont know if anyone has actually dynoed it, but it will be between 5-9 hp at the wheels

[Danv6]

i heard that the port and polished upper intake lower intake and thottle body give anywhere from 30-40 hp on our cars...
www.streetarsenal.com

thats what im getting this spring its like 525 for those 3 total with the core charges subtracted...

then those heads are pretty nice stage 1 2 or 3 but very pricy...

then theres www.pfyc.com they have headers, borla exhaust( in my opinion is the best sounding exhaust for our cars), and a lot more interior/exterior, and engine mods and stuff you should check it out

and then also there a whole bunch of stuff on www.gaupgrades.net from all sorts of websites...

congrats on the new 03' gagt....

[MJE95GAGT]

P&P intake manifold and bigger TB on our cars wont give you 30-40 hp. Maybe you will see those kind of gains at the wheels with that plus head work. IMO I would reconsider going with SA products. First off, the TB is only P&P and you will see minimal gains with that because you can only port the stock TB 4 mm AT MOST. APOC is coming out with a 65 mm and already has a 62mm. Their port matched UIM is $125, and you can ask them to port your LIM for $150 I believe (its not on their site) or you could go to local shop and have them do the P&P for a lot cheaper.

[WhiteGrandAmGT]

Originally posted by TheBigEye
The CAI will bring more air to your engine, causing the gas to burn better and faster, that is what gives the extra HP

Cold air is more dense than hot air, so theres more air molecules combusting in cold air creating bigger explosions behind the pistons, pushin them with more force, and creating more Hp...

[JohnJohn]

Originally posted by MJE95GAGT
P&P intake manifold and bigger TB on our cars wont give you 30-40 hp. Maybe you will see those kind of gains at the wheels with that plus head work. IMO I would reconsider going with SA products. First off, the TB is only P&P and you will see minimal gains with that because you can only port the stock TB 4 mm AT MOST. APOC is coming out with a 65 mm and already has a 62mm. Their port matched UIM is $125, and you can ask them to port your LIM for $150 I believe (its not on their site) or you could go to local shop and have them do the P&P for a lot cheaper.

Originally posted by JohnJohn
and kind of embarassingly dont know to much about grand ams, or cars in general for that matter.

lol, so many abreviations, I didnt know what half of that mean I just kinda read and nodded.

[MJE95GAGT]

Feel free to ask bud, thats what we are here for, to help other GA owners. I help you with some
P&P-port and polish
TB-throttle body
SA-street arsenal
APOC-american performance of colorado
UIM- upper intake manifold
LIM- lower intake manifold
Feel free to ask more questions, we all did at one point, thats how you learn :bigok:

[JohnJohn]

So with my car this (http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/americanperformance/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f312707f9bfd&category=Alero%2FGrand+Am+Performance&start=1&total=15&no=40) and this (http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/americanperformance/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f312707f9bfd&category=Alero%2FGrand+Am+Performance&start=11&total=15&no=68) would be a good start? Is this even what I should be looking at? I mean thats the right one for my engine...? all of the products say 99-02 :???:

[JohnJohn]

What is the powder coating available on the UIM and LIM?

[MJE95GAGT]

Yup that would be a good start and it would help your engine to breathe better. However to get the TB you would need to get the port matched upper intake manifold they have or else have a machine shop do it for you or else you wont be able to use it. Powder coating is basically when they spray paint the intake manifold with a certain type of paint to prevent heat from being attracted to the normal metal finish and also make the engine look neater from the outside. I believe they have several colors to match your car.

[JohnJohn]

this (http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/americanperformance/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f3128211b75&category=Alero%2FGrand+Am+Performance&start=11&total=15&no=69) is the UIM I need right? Whats the differance between an upper and lower intake manifold?

[JohnJohn]

...and thanks for helpin me out :)

[MJE95GAGT]

Yup thats the one you would need. Well first off the air basically comes from the CAI thru the TB then into the upper intake manifold thru the lower intake manifold and to the heads. Upper intake manifold is the part that says 3400 SFI in your engine bay and the lower is underneath. No prob man :bigok:

[Jason Lesbirel]

There is also a fairly comprehensive listing of aftermarket sites in the Automotive Links forum, under Aftermarket Parts - Links.

Including S&S Headers and Borla - S&S has a header setup, and Borla has a bolt-on cat-back exhaust for 99+ GAs.

The ASE chip isn't as important for the power gains, as the fact that it DOES remove the speed governor, raises the rev limiters and increases hydraulic line pressure to firm up shifts. But it will get you at least 10-15hp - a local fella has the mod on his 3400 GT and has seen a decent improvement in acceleration.

[99GrandAMSE]

... I have driven in the car that Jason is referring to BEFORE and AFTER the chip and there certainly is a noticable improvement :bigok:

[klc317]

just imagine an engine as a big air pump...the more air and out, the more power you will have. I would start with an exhaust (such as Borla, or a custom setup) and maybe a K&N air filter as a first step. Beyond that, the ported upper and lower intake will help alot. Its not necessary to have a the better intake with a 62mm (or 65 as they are coming out with) throttle body, but it helps....kind of a bottle neck. Also, a larger mass air meter (such as Granatelli, look at gaupgrades.net) will help too. A cold air intake as opposed to a stock intake will also help. If i had the money to blow, my '02 GT would have ported upper and lower manifolds, stage 2 heads, a 65mm TB, a Granatelli mass air meter, cold air intake with a K&N filter, a Borla exhaust, headers, and a low restriction catylitic converter. Its all just about how much money you want to spend. Every part will help some. If I really had plenty of money, a supercharger in addition to all these parts would be great. Anything to help the engine breath will help. I havent seen much as far as fuel delivery upgrades for a GA and that would be nice, but the air in and out is a good place to start. Personally, I have a K&N drop in filter for right now, and a Borla exhaust on order (tax refund, baby!!!) I'm just taking one step at a time as the extra money comes around. I hear alot of people talk about expensive plugs and plug wires too, but they dont provide alot of power increase on todays cars. Dont expect 100 horsepower gains from any of these mods. Just a few here and there will be noticeable to you as you add the mods. I've heard alot of good things about the chip too, but it involves sending in your computer from your car, rendering it useless for a week or two....I personally cant do that.

[gamse26708]

You could always put a few stickers on your car and get a system, that always ads about 50-100 hp to your car, then get some side graphics and pump it up another 20-50. That way you can keep up with all the rice burners that are pumpin the streets like a cheap hooker these days. :D But thats jus my two cents!

Sorry had to add some comic relief, but really the advice you have gotten so far is right on the money..

Peace

[debbyt]

I am glad I found you guys over here in this thread.

My questions were redundant to this and I too am going to get the 'this and that' (LOL) as a start.

It's a good cost effective way to get my hands dirty - at least in theory.

Cold air intake.......never heard of it but quite sensible to me. Heavier denser molecules. See I learned something already today.

Thanks, God I wish I found this board a long time ago.

[logicman49]

'03? I wouldn't do anyting while under warranty. It would become void. I havve an '03 an will wait 3 years. Besides they'll come out with more for this car...

[MJE95GAGT]

See http://www.gaownersclub.com//forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2898
and read Jasons second to last post

[AlDiaz2331]

If you buy both the throttle body and the upper IM, do you need to get your Lower IM matched to the Upper IM, if so, what kinda machine shop would i bring that to, just a place that works on engines, or a dealership? Thanks!

[MJE95GAGT]

No you wouldnt have to get the LIM too. IMO just get the TB and bring it to a performance shop that does p&p work (most performance shops do) and have them port match it and give the intake manifolds a good porting job (ports and runners). Some engine shops may do it, probably not tho if they are just restoration and no dealership can/would do it

[THE PHEONOX]

I sugest that you buy the redline power chip on EBAY it only costs around 40$ and it gives you 35 horsepower gain underneath the hood.

[GrandAmGTTT]

BOOST!!!! otherwise your not going to be fast

[coupe]

Are you guys retarded? This thread is over 4 years old

[Hawkeye65]

lol i noticed that too i was thinking ok why are people commenting on this post no ones going to read this

[Shadow-D]

I actualy found it and got a couple of ideas from it LOL

[slowbird]

Originally posted by coupe
Are you guys retarded? This thread is over 4 years old

LOL :lol: