hey everyone, just wondering if you guys could post some quick and cheap things that you can do to your car to either increase your cars performance, or (as in my case) get some of the HP lost on the pavement back into your car.

If theres enough feedback maybe we could make a sticky out of it?

 

CAI and dual exhaust at the Y to start, just my opinion..

 

180 degree t stat

 

Depends on if you have the 3100, 3400, or 3800. You should start off with a nice CAI (cold air induction), after that look for a downpipe for your car, it it's the 3800 www.zzperformance.com sells a nice one, otherwise look at getting your U-bend taken out. A good cat-back exhaust will help your car sound better, and might give you a very mild power increase. A 180*T-stat will keep your car cooler and add a bit more power. Also, use synthetic fluids. Check out spark plugs and spark wires, if yours are bad, or if you're in the market for upgrading them you can regain a few lost HP with those.

*CAI (Cold Air Induction)
*Downpie/U-bend delete
*Cat-back exhaust
*180 degree thermostat
*Spark plugs/Spark wires
*Run synthetic motor oil
*Run synthetic transmission fluid
*Looking into getting a PCM tune
*Shift kit

With these mods you can expect a 10-15HP increase, depending on a good PCM tune, maybe more.

 

exactly what will a 180 t stat, i have an 06 3.9? don't know what my thermo is, but what big of a difference is it and will it me do any better for me?? sorry to corrupt the post, i'm also looking into better mods for my car!!

 

No problem. The stock thermostat that most cars come with is 195-200 degrees, and this is fine, but not performance practical, as too much heat causes you to lose performance. I've never driven a 3.9, but I know on my 3.8 when you start the car up and just drive it while the engine is still cool, it feels more "peppy" ready to jump, just accelerates real easily, that's because the Throttle Body is still cool, you're still getting lots of cool air.

A 180*T-stat on a N/A car will yield minimal gains, but it's very important if you S/C your car or T/C your car. A 180*T-stat only costs $10-$15, is easy to install, and can add up to 3HP to your N/A car, that's with a few other supporting mods. Not to mention, you'll be running a cooler engine and that will increase engine life, just be prepared to add coolant a bit more regularly, as you'll be cycling through it faster.

 

Judging by the way that your car looks, it looks like you have a 95-97 Z34 with the 3.4L DOHC v6 in it. It will be difficult to find any aftermarket parts for it, but there is a lot of custom stuff that you can do to it if you are able/willing to. If I'm wrong and you have a 98-99 Z34 with the 3800 v6 in it, then the downpipe that ZZP sells won't fit your car. We have gen 1.5 w-bodies and the downpipes that ZZP sells are designed for 2nd gen w-bodies. Milzy Motorsports does offer a downpipe for our cars though.

Your best bet is to start off with a fwi and go from there. A 180* thermostat will only help keep engine temps cooler, and therefore will lower any KR that you have (if any).

 

x2 on what zipper said. I'll also add that putting a colder thermostat in a nearly stock car would be kind of pointless - you'll just end up losing a bit of heat in the winter.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but I was just wondering what you meant by this. The only reason you would have to add coolant is if it leaks, or if it overflows the bottle from overheating. A cooler t-stat won't cause you to consume coolant and have to add it regularly, unless it was improperly installed and its gasket is leaking

 

my 3.5L has a 185 tstat from the factory (this is what i'm told, please correct me if i'm wrong) so there is a good chance the 3.9 would have that also. if that's the case, i don't think it's worth the time and hassle swap one in that's only 5 degrees cooler. plus, you would have to adjust your fan turn on/off settings to reap the full benefits of a cooler tstat anyways (that goes for any engine).