What would be your first mod ????
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 77
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From: South River NJ
What would be your first mod ????
For all those with tons of mods. If you had another chance what would your first mod be? I'm talking about engine and drivetrain (air breather, exhaust, gears, pullies, cam, etc.). Limited money $800 and no mods yet. Have an 4 speed auto with the 2.73 gears. Thanks.
Last edited by Rushkiboy; May 15, 2006 at 03:40 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2006
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Man great minds think alike. I'd do the exhaust also. When I got B&B bullets not only did it wake the car up but it woke ME up. It completely changed my attitude when driving the car, made it far more enjoyable and it actually made me feel more comfortable driving my car. The car sounded like it was healthy and actually enjoyed the high rpms. When my car was stock the car just didn't give me the energetic feeling that let me know exactly what I was driving. That all changed with my bullets 
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Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,253
Likes: 134
From: Short Hills, NJ
Originally Posted by Rushkiboy
Have an 4 speed auto with the 283(2 something) gears.
With only $800.00 to spend I would get a 160 degree thermostat with the appropriate fan settings/programming and a good track proven (ie: Vararam) cold air intake set up.
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 303
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From: Long Beach California
1.CAI 2.Exhoust 3. Headers, X-pipe & Hi-Flow cats 4.NOS 5.Tune This is the order I went except I had a tune before any mods then one after i was done moding. I'm at about 510 520rwhp with a 150shot and 468 w/100 shot. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 973
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St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by k-line
1.CAI 2.Exhoust 3. Headers, X-pipe & Hi-Flow cats 4.NOS 5.Tune This is the order I went except I had a tune before any mods then one after i was done moding. I'm at about 510 520rwhp with a 150shot and 468 w/100 shot.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,514
Likes: 1
From: Orwigsburg Pa.
Originally Posted by LS1LT1
2.73 gears are likely what you're talking about.
With only $800.00 to spend I would get a 160 degree thermostat with the appropriate fan settings/programming and a good track proven (ie: Vararam) cold air intake set up.
With only $800.00 to spend I would get a 160 degree thermostat with the appropriate fan settings/programming and a good track proven (ie: Vararam) cold air intake set up.
Anything else puts you way over budget.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 5,529
Likes: 1,943
From: Austin Texas
The most important Mod and the one that should be applied first is "High Performance Drivers Education" or HPDEs. Here you teach the driver to use as much car as he has. This typically takes about 5-10 track events. At the end of this procedure, you WILL be a better driver, and you will have an understanding as to what aspects of your car needs to advance to your current driving level.
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Race Director
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 11,298
Likes: 957
From: Carlsbad Ca
Originally Posted by Rushkiboy
Please explain what CAGS and CAI are. Thanks. CARTEK is pretty close maybe I'll pay them a visit.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 13,592
Likes: 187
From: Hudson WI
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Originally Posted by black05c6z51
i did exhaust...it was not a vette until i go them. do some research as they all sound diffrent. i have b&b bullets and love them. they make me smile everytime i start the car
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 125
From: laguna niguel ca
I would save your money
You don't have to be in a hurry. Be patient. When you get around $2000
Get a set of headers. I have and like the kooks system. Never set a code bolted them up and drove away. I also like the magnflow's cat back. Great sound and you can drive down the freeway and have no drone or cabin noise. Be careful when selecting an exhaust. Loud doesn't mean powerful. It just means loud. Leave that for the guys who want to be fast but aren't. There the one's that pull up to a good sounding sleeper and get there doors blown back in face. Don't be one of them. Next up might be a stinger intake. It's a good system, quality made. Now you should think about a tune (reprogram) don't forget to get a 160 stat at that time. Makes a lot of difference. At this point you should be making about 375RWHP/370RWTQ. From there if you want to run with the big dogs it's cam, heads, FAST intake manifold, etc. I did mine in stages. I'm up to 461RWHP/435RWTQ. It's my daily driver, idles smooth gets 29.4mpg on the highway. And yes it's a sleeper.
Get a set of headers. I have and like the kooks system. Never set a code bolted them up and drove away. I also like the magnflow's cat back. Great sound and you can drive down the freeway and have no drone or cabin noise. Be careful when selecting an exhaust. Loud doesn't mean powerful. It just means loud. Leave that for the guys who want to be fast but aren't. There the one's that pull up to a good sounding sleeper and get there doors blown back in face. Don't be one of them. Next up might be a stinger intake. It's a good system, quality made. Now you should think about a tune (reprogram) don't forget to get a 160 stat at that time. Makes a lot of difference. At this point you should be making about 375RWHP/370RWTQ. From there if you want to run with the big dogs it's cam, heads, FAST intake manifold, etc. I did mine in stages. I'm up to 461RWHP/435RWTQ. It's my daily driver, idles smooth gets 29.4mpg on the highway. And yes it's a sleeper.
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Rancho Santa Margarita CA
Originally Posted by LS1LT1
2.73 gears are likely what you're talking about.
With only $800.00 to spend I would get a 160 degree thermostat with the appropriate fan settings/programming and a good track proven (ie: Vararam) cold air intake set up.
With only $800.00 to spend I would get a 160 degree thermostat with the appropriate fan settings/programming and a good track proven (ie: Vararam) cold air intake set up.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 53,282
Likes: 3
From: God Bless America
you can do the intake, stat, and exhaust if you are creative with the exhaust system. Replacing the stock mufflers and intake are probably going to give you the biggest bang for the buck until you can get the headers. However, as others have stated, you could also spend on just a single nice exhaust system to start with or a nice intake. Saving for some really nice add on's is the hardest but the most rewarding when they are finally on the car. just my 1 cent worth.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Gears. Find a guy (like me) who's going to replace his 3:42's with some 3:90's and work a double swap with your shop. You will think your car lost 500 lbs. It's a great mod.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Get a CAI and ECM tune. The combination of the two will give you 22-25 rwhp and better acceleration response with the torque management minimized through the tune. I would recommend getting the Callaway Honker for the CAI. The build quality is very good and performance is good as well. Both can be done for around the $800 that you have to spend. I agree with buying long tube headers later once you get the money. Don't waste your time with a cat-back exhaust. No real performance gain...just for looks and sound. Not worth the money IMO.
