How to make yr car 2fast2furious...

[GDIzen]

Read and mod at own discretion. Some are not street legal as they say in CAL.

 

Five Fast and Furious Mods

 

By Eric Peters

 

 

If it's stock, it doesn't rock. Why be satisfied with what the factory built? With a couple of bucks and a few hours' work, you can make your street machine better, stronger, and faster than it used to be--just like TV's "Six Million Dollar Man."

 

Here's how:

 

Intake: Factory air cleaners (and stock-type paper air filters) are often quite restrictive, limiting the amount of airflow into the engine. They are designed at least in part to cut down on engine noise--not to maximize power. By switching to an aftermarket high-flow air filter and air-cleaner assembly, you'll gain "instant horsepower"--and be able to hear your engine breathe. K&N is one of the best-known suppliers of aftermarket air filters and air-intake systems.

 

Installing a high-flow air filter and air-cleaner assembly will not in any way harm the driveability--or emissions legality--of your vehicle. Nor will it affect the warranty. And K&N filters are designed to be washable and reusable, so you only have to buy the filter once. Swapping in a new filter and air box is one of the easiest modifications to perform, requiring just basic hand tools (such as a set of screwdrivers) and very little in the way of mechanical knowledge. If you have 15-30 minutes and can follow basic instructions, this one's a can of corn. Expect to pay about $50 for a low-restriction air filter--or $75-$125 for a kit that includes a low-restriction air-cleaner assembly in addition to the filter.

 

Exhaust: Upgrading your car's intake system is only half of the power equation. The next step is to uncork the slo-mo factory exhaust system by installing a high-performance catalytic converter and a low-restriction muffler. This upgrade will deliver substantial power gains (10-20 horsepower is typical), as well as give your car that noticeably not-stock growl when you cruise past the crowds. Since the engine will be operating more efficiently, there's even the potential for fuel-economy gains--if you can keep your foot out of it. Most high-performance exhaust systems include chromed exhaust tips, too--making it clear what you're packing even when the engine isn't running. Borla and Flowmaster are two of the best-known names in aftermarket high-performance exhaust systems. They have complete exhaust kits designed to fit your specific vehicle and help you get the most power out of your engine.

 

While it's possible to install a high-performance exhaust system by yourself, it does require some specialized tools, a bunch of patience, and a good bit of experience to complete the job successfully. If you haven't done much wrenching yourself, this is probably a job best left to the pros. Many muffler shops will do custom exhaust work, and there is almost certainly a shop in your town that specializes in this sort of thing. Expect to pay about $300-$500 for a low-restriction muffler, high-flow catalytic converter, and pre-bent pipes. Before you buy any exhaust system component, be sure it has EPA or CARB (California Air Resources Board) approval for use on emissions-controlled vehicles. It is illegal in most states to install any exhaust-system part that does not have EPA or CARB approval.

 

Nitrous: Nothing short of a JATO rocket strapped to the roof adds as much power for the money as nitrous-oxide injection, also known as "horsepower in a bottle." Gains of 50-150 or more horsepower at the flick of a button are common, all for about $500-$700 installed. Nitrous is not a fuel and does not burn; it's just a temporary means of massively boosting the amount of oxygen inside the engine's combustion chambers. The additional oxygen, combined with increased fuel flow (which is part of the process of fitting a nitrous system to your engine) will result in explosive power increases--but only for a few seconds at a time. Nitrous systems are not full-time power enhancers (one of the few downsides), and you'll have to refill the bottle, which is usually mounted in the trunk, fairly often. But the upside is that nitrous-oxide kits do not affect in any way the factory-stock driveability (or emissions status) of your vehicle, are extremely easy to install, and deliver the biggest bang for the buck. Properly installed, they are also very reliable and won't harm your engine--just make sure you get good advice, pick the right system for your ride, and install it exactly as the manufacturer recommends. A good place to begin your search for a nitrous kit is with Holley's NOS Systems . NOS kits have been around forever, though cars equipped with them tend to disappear pretty quickly.

 

Wheels/tires: One of the easiest ways to add street attitude--as well as improve handling--is to swap up to a larger set of wheels and tires. If your car came from the factory with 15x7-inch rims, it is usually a snap to install "step-up" 16x8-inch rims and the wider tires that go with them. These may even have been offered as factory-available optional equipment (as part of a "sport" package), in which case they should bolt right up. But don't go by looks alone; be absolutely certain that whatever wheels you're considering will fit--and work properly--before you buy them.

 

Be careful to choose from wheels designed specifically to fit your particular car; metric and standard wheels are NOT interchangeable. Use caution when trying to fit wheels built for a different make or model onto your car. It can be extremely dangerous to install rims with the wrong offset or bolt pattern, no matter how cool they may look standing still. Avoid any wheels that require the use of shims or spacers. And be sure to check for any interference (also known as "scrub") when the larger wheels and tires have been installed. It may be necessary to trim the inner fender wells for clearance.

 

The advice of a wheel-and-tire professional is highly recommended, and most aftermarket wheel sellers have technical-support lines to help you pick the right rim for your vehicle. Big names in aftermarket wheels include American Racing, Cragar, and Centerline..

 

Also be aware that your car's ride quality will likely be changed by going to a more-aggressive tire on a wider rim (it'll feel stiffer), and you may have less ground clearance than before.

 

But you'll be stylin'!

 

Ground effects/body kits/cosmetics: A popular way to set your machine apart from the mass-produced herd is by customizing its exterior with aftermarket body parts: bolt-on rear spoilers, hood scoops, fender flares--even full-boogie "ground-effects" kits that give the car the hunkered-down look of an autocross racer. Sometimes these parts are functional (as in hood scoops that actually duct outside air into the engine), but most are just for looks. The key thing is to buy your body parts from a quality supplier to assure proper fit, and find a good body shop to match the new pieces to your car's existing paint. It's a good idea to test-fit the parts before you get them painted, too. If not, you may mess up the paint trying to figure out how to mount them.

 

Other popular cosmetic changes include replacing the boring factory tail and turn-signal covers with clear lenses, adding a new shifter handle or aluminum pedals, or placing accessory gauges inside the cockpit to monitor engine functions such as oil pressure, volts, or turbo boost It's also becoming popular to fit High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting systems that give off a brilliant, blue-tinged beam that's much brighter than ordinary sealed-beam headlights. (see import-racing.net or AutoToyAZ.com, or CarAddons.com, Inc).

 

That's a start. If your need for speed isn't satisfied, there are always supercharger kits, hot cams, or ported and polished cylinder heads. It's all a question of money: How fast do you want to go?

[Duadua2]

wow....did u wrote all these or copy from somewhere?

[Gadgeter]

Thanks for the writeup..

 

It's about time we have this type of articles again.

[Chippz]

nice writeup...

[Ace_t]

very informative and like yr new Avtar too...

[GDIzen]

I 'reprinted' from Netscape website...Thanks to Eric Peters as above mentioned.

[Saaber]

[Wishsing]

hi bro, great info.

since we are on this topic on modding intake and exhaust, can anyone advice me if it's absolutely necessary to upgrade the ECU (throw in a uni-chip), eManage (tuning) etc to set the right fuel:air ratio due to the new mods?

 

 

thanks thanks..

 

so many things to do but know so little..

[Mits_jc]

Five Fast and Furious Mods

 

By Eric Peters

unless his name is eric peters.

[Familymanz]

3 years old thread

[Wishsing]

haha.. i didnt realise it was such a dated thread. i used the Search to avoid "posting a repeated question".. haha..

[Jl1500k]

How to make yr car 2fast2furious?? maybe end up 2jail2hell

[Lorrliew]

Aftermarket ECU or Piggyback is not a must for these minor mods, but by adding it will give more significant gain.