Add More Snap to Car?

[bicekid]

Im looking to make my car snappier without dumping my extremly limited bank account on it. im hearing a catback exhaust and a chip. anyone have a site or name for good products of either? best bang for buck?
thx in advance

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

From earlier notes here, a catback exhaust plus a cold-air intake (that actually sucks in cold air!) and a chip that is designed with those two mods in mind will give you good bang for the buck. I remember Conforti being mentioned as a good name associated with the chips. CAIs have been done successfully home-brew style; a search will turn up pics. I don't remember any names for the cat-back.

Other low-buck mods: Learning to drive better. Yes, I know you're already a good driver. But you can be better. (Heck, Michael Schumacher could be better than he is!) Various driving/autoXing/track schools will teach you what your car can do when the roads get twisty, and doing autoX and track events can further that education. Plus they're fun as heck! Drag racing at a sanctioned event that is not held on public roads can train you how to effectively launch your car and can hone your reaction times and such.

Lightening the car can reap benefits in acceleration, handling, and braking. If you're willing to live with extra road noise in the cabin, for instance, you can start getting rid of sound deadening. And so on--if you're willing to live with certain compromises, there are lots of things you can remove from the car!

--DD

[dboyles]

At 200,000+ miles like you are, I'd want to be sure that everything is running as designed before I look into aftermarket solutions. Air filter, fuel filter, oxygen sensor, spark plugs, etc. shouldn't be overdue for replacement. Make sure you're getting the most out of what you have before you look elsewhere. Pelican Parts has some great howto articles (see the Tech Info Center link above) and the parts/tools that you'll need to do routine maintenance.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, but I would strongly suggest not modifying the car unless you have a significant budget and a goal in mind. The typical bolt-ons might get you 10 horsepower, but you'll have to spend probably half what the car's worth to get that. In addition to improving performance and economy, the regular maintenance items that I listed (and there are plenty more) actually increase the value of your car. The same can't really be said for an intake, exhaust, or chip.

And like Dave said, learning to drive better pays huge dividends (and you can take those skills with you when this car is long gone!). I autocrossed this weekend, and there were a couple of 600+ horsepower cars (and a few in the 350-450 range) that got absolutely stomped by cars with closer to 100 horsepower. And I'm talking raw times, not PAX-adjusted. Sure, the cars weren't set up for autocross, but a good driver could have dropped 10 seconds off of their runs. Always be sure you're fixing the weak link in the equation - and for 99% of people on the road (if not more), that weak link is the nut behind the wheel.