cheap performance mods

[lowrider2962]

hey
im looking for some cheap modifications i can make to my GA to make it get up and go a little faster. if u know any tricks or little things i can do to recover lost horsepower or maybe even gain some please share them.also what kind of cheap things can i buy to do the same thing. ive heard better spark plugs can give more horsepower. is this true? anything thati can do for power improvement please let me know. thanks in advance

[dangerranger]

You could do a tuneup, plugs, wires, filters, etc. Depending on how bad that stuff is now, it could help a lot. Next i would look at an intake, and maybe exaust work if it's not too expensive.

Just stay away from ebay "performance chips" and stuff like the turbonator, they don't help.

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by lowrider2962
ive heard better spark plugs can give more horsepower. is this true?

Nope. The only gain to be had from changing plugs is when your old ones are worn to the point they are degrading engine performance.


"Cheap performance" is an oxymoron. An intake or exhaust system is a good starting point.

[Xeiros]

An ebay WAI is about the only 'cheap' performance upgrade I can really think of. That will run you around $50, and you'll get just enough extra power to help in lane changing situations.

Other than that, thats about it. Performance options are cat-back exhaust systems, CAI, headers, ect, and they are all likely to cost you $200+ each (unless you fab it all yourself).

[Shad0wguy]

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/big_search.gif<----this is your friend.

[04alyGT]

oh wow i thought this was another thread that has the exact title
yeah check out the wai from chromeintakes on ebay if you want something cheap/easy

[RickHigginsHtbr]

to gain any lost power back in your eco, do the following:
- search how to use Seafoam, and use it
- right after that, swap out your plugs. my eco, atleast, didn't like the stock ones...
- start changing your oil with full synthetic, i use the big Q, didn't like how my car felt with Mobil 1 even though others swear by it.
- mileage dependant, do a drop + fill on your tranny

all of this will give you a greater 'butt dyno' feel than it did brand new, is good for the longetivity of your engine, and is reasonable in price. Then it's time for the money-mods :D

[lowrider2962]

hey thanks a lot RickHigginsHtbr, thats exactly the kind stuff i was wanting to hear. i think im gonna go ahead and get new plugs. mine are the 4yrd originals and if u say ur ecotec didnt like the originals, then im sure mine proly doesnt either. by the way what brand and model of plugs did u get. if u noticed improvment ill proly buy the same thing with comfidence that there will be a difference. oh, and, ummmm, whats seafoam? ive never heard of it. and please explain the drop and fill for the trany thing.thanks for all the help everyone. ill let ya no how things go.

[RickHigginsHtbr]

i'm runnin NGK Iridiums right now, i forget the exact model, check in the ecotec engine forum, i know i posted it there before. Yea I swapped out my stock plugs before 20K miles, they were toast then. I really liked the bosch platinum +4's, but they only really lasted about 25 - 30K miles too, with me cleaning them every other oil change.

Seafoam, like I said, do a search, tons of info on it on this board... don't know if anyone discussed it yet, but they have it in a spray bottle now, a lot easier to work with IMO.

Drop + fill would be dropping your tranny pan, letting all the fluid come out, clean the pan, change the filter, and refill. I went full synthetic with mine and definately noticed a difference in idle temps. It really made me realize that my tranny was what was heating up my engine, not the engine itself. Do a search for a how-to on it.

[lowrider2962]

ok sounds like a plan. ill do the reseach and get busy right away. thanks for all your help. ill keep you posted on my progress.

[sleeper_se]

right now i have a k&n drop in filter and thats about it parents wont let me hack my exhaust off for a new one til i move out or get my grades up(prolly movin out before those come up) but still i wanna find some stuff i can do to get a lil more throttle response and torque that is pretty much un noticable if u didnt know i put it in

[Rockfan1815]

like everyone else said change the plugs and wires, maybe even ignition coils, it will all help in increasing power and economy. If you have the extra money replace some sensors to, mainly the o2 sensor because that tells the computer how to adjust the fuel/air ratio. I did a full tune up on my 94 blazer and was getting really good gas mileage and power until my egr valve went south. Change the oil, filters(oil,air,fuel), plugs, wires, coil and even try cleaning your throttle body out with a trottle body cleaner and also using a fuel system cleaner like lucas fuel treatment will help in power and economy, at least it helped me. Get the cold air in quickly, Get a hot spark, and Get the heat out quickly and away from the engine/trans. Isn't that what it is all about.

[Colin]

Plugs, wires and coils aren't gonna give you any power gains on a stock engine . The only time those will benefit you is if the existing parts were in need of replacement to begin with .

[lowrider2962]

i just replaced my plugs yesterday and i was amazed at how much power i got back. the engine just simply ran better. before i had no idea that my crapy old pulgs were robbing me of all that power. granted its not gonna add power but they deffinetly do regain lost power. now when im goin 60 and try to pass the guy in front of me i dont have to wait 3 years for the engine to gain enoguh rpms and power to accerate. it just does it right away now. so im happy with my buy. point is unless u rember how it felt when it was brand new u might try new plugs. u cant tell when ur being robbed of power u never knew about. thats my case. i think if it doesnt give u any better performance, or response or make it more sensitive to throttle adjustments u might be able to just take the new ones back and get money back. i dont know about that tho it proly depends on the place and how long u test the new ones. anyways good luck.

[lowrider2962]

i forgot to add that when i put Gum-Out fuel injector cleaner thru my engine i instantly noticed a CONSIDERABLY large increase in performance. my engine was beat up so bad when i got it and now it runs like never before main because it has been pampered so much. Gum-Out fuel injector cleaner damn near felt like a weak shot of nos that didnt go away till the next gas fill. get some its worth it. its only like $4 anyway. wat is there to lose.

[Colin]

Jeff . you are absolutely correct about regaining lost power , you don't really feel a gradual loss of power over a period of time untill it becomes a problem . Most places won't take returns on electrical componants unless they're clearly defective , so be sure to get the right parts the first time ... ;)

[lowrider2962]

hey thanks. well that ansrews the question about returning stuff. o well. im hoping to do some other stuff to regain lost power. like maybe a lighter pully for my alternator. and if im really good i might by some chance manage to make a nice crank pully too. that would be very nice. but hard to do. i think i can do it tho. the problem is the crank position sensor thingy ive heard about. that and holes and rings and shit like that. my idea would be to make a basecopy of the stock pully and go from there on a lathe. just copy every part of the stock part except for the belt grove. id make the belt grove on a lathe and it can be set to what ever ratio i want it to be. so id be almost like adding a spacer on the stock pully or just removing material from it. i dunno. if i decide to do it ill make a new thread about it sometime. thanks for the help everyone.