Got some cash, looking for not-too-expensive mod input
 

Good afternoon fellow Pelicans!

I've got a few pennies I can allocate to some changes to the Carrera.

Right now the car has SW chip and aftermarket exhaust (B&B?), 3" 1-in 1-out. Suspension had been redone before I purchased the car last August. I'm also trying to keep in mind future power upgrades (supercharged!!!).

Bursch steel cat bypass... Not as good as a full header upgrade but offers an improvement over using a cat. $213ish shipped.

Mallory Hyfire VI A MSD system. Offers upgradability in the future for boost-retard through the unit, a bit better operation overall with better spark than the stock CDI system. $209ish shipped (with coil).

Split Second MAF conversion. Now, this is the E-ticket upgrade imho, but nearly cost prohibitive. I would go with the programmable unit of course. In the future it could be setup to work swimmingly with a supercharger setup. It also eliminates all the problems with a shoddy Air Flow sensor. Price reigns in around $899ish shipped.

These are the three upgrades I could think of. I'm open to suggestions and input within reason (no suggestions for engine swaps please).

Thanks!

You ABSOLUTELY need the Cat Bypass!!! And while you are at it, throw in a cone air filter and get rid of that factory air box. Those two combined will be a nice bang for the buck project.

How about larger front and rear sway bars and new bushings....

How about a driving school.....lots of fun and learn to drive what you have now.

Just a couple thoughts....

lighten it up and add some suspension mods.

The cat bypass will give you some extra hp, but as has been discussed on here numerous times the factory air box can flow more air than the engine can use so no need to "upgrade."

Catbypass w/ B&B = loud, good, but loud. Cat bypass + B&B + SW = :)) I also picked up a Maxspeed s/s cat bypass on Ebay cheap and am happy with it.

Lighten it. Costs nothing & works

I have no idea where the poster above got the idea that "get[ting] rid of that factory air box" would do anything at all. The data I have seen indicates it is of no value.

I don't think a cat bypass is legal, so be sure to save up so you can pay that multi-thousand dollar fine.

The truth is that there is very little you can for small bucks to improve on your motor. Save up and drop in a 3.6L motor - that will give a real nice kick.

Historic tags means no emmissions testing hence cat bypass is "legal" in MD. California on the other hand might suck in that scenario.

Cat bypass it os! Donct worry, smog is not an issue for my vehicle, besides i may be in AZ sooner than later.

As for the airbox, i'm using stock but I drilled three 1" holes in the outer cover of the box (where the snorkel goes). First thing I did was rip out the cone filter the PO installed.

As for driving classes, I've done many DE events with my past PCA, i may revisit them in the future :)

no exit ramp sniffers in AZ?

As far as I know, AZ does not require emissions testing on vehicles made in the year od 1987... Not sure what the cutoff year for emissions testing is in AZ.

+1 on the driving school. I'd put my money there before I did any horsepower mods. Another plus - the skill and experience stay with you. If you sell the car you keep the "upgrade." You can't beat that.

[QUOTE=RWebb;5163729]Lighten it. Costs nothing & works

I have no idea where the poster above got the idea that "get[ting] rid of that factory air box" would do anything at all. The data I have seen indicates it is of no value.

I will stand by my reccomendation. Even if there is not a significant gain, the room afforded by the airbox removal makes woking on the engine so much easier. But then again, just my opinion.

It will give more room - that's for sure.

The question is what the basis for the opinion is - was a statistically valid series of runs done on engine dynos? - was a single comparison done on a road dyno? or is just a "feeling" from the person who paid some $$ for somthing & thus is also subject to a pretty strong placebo effect? or, worse, is it nothing more than an advertising claim?

These things were tested and IIRC the cones hurt hp. Don't recall who posted the test, sample sizes, or if they really did reduce hp, but the motivated can use the search button.

Removing an older, possibly clogged, cat will enable a more free flowing exhaust. If I were going to do that, I might replace the whole system and then re-tune the engine (chip).

Enough discussion about the air filters...

I'm looking around and seeing Split Second PSC1-004 kits for cheaper than I initially thought -- so I'm considering one of them as well.

Should I go with the 3" or 3.5" MAF unit? The converter box is the same.

Thanks!