400 - 500$

[MasterMan]

alright guys.. im gonna have like 400 - 500$ to spend on my car.. what should i get? my car is almost all stock.. i just have air intake.. so im thinkin maby headers? any input would be gr8.. thanks

[PalmerWMD]

I knowI may get flamed but:..

-How is your interior?It's your living room after all.If there are any tears in sseats/dash/headliner I would get that first.

-How are your tires?

-A really good throttle body cleaning can do wonders for cars performance that havent had one in a while.

Fred....

[Zebrahead]

I'd go for an exhaust. I love exhaust. It makes the car run so much smooth, better throttle response, good sound, its all worth it. A header won't do much w/o exhaust. If you can get both at the same time you'll see a nice gain.

If you haven't lowered it so far, please do so. It makes your car look about 10x better.

Nick.

[NiSilS14]

An really huge aluminum wing!!! kidding if it was me i probably save up for an SR20DET and i this in mind before magazines started this trend.

[Jusepi97sx]

exhust.. i'd recommend apiex.. either N1 or dual.. your choice.. those will set you back about what you have saved up., and will set you in the right path....

[APEXi240]

LSD

[MasterMan]

yeah i was thinkin LSD but man its so dry here i would have to drive up to north FL to buy some.. (and car wise my car has a LSD) im thinkin more along the lines of buyin a hell of alot of oxycotin.. nah but really ehter i upgrade my sound system or lower it like Zebrahead said.. on exhaust all i could afford with that money would be cat back and without headers i think it just sounds like sh1t.. i dunno tho what do ya think?

[AZhitman]

Here's a novel idea - Maintenance. Period.

Why the hell would you mod a car that is 5-10 years old when you can achieve significant gains just by returning it to "as-new" running condition?

I'm thinking all synthetic fluids (oil, transaxle, brake, etc) an alignment, wheels balanced, (maybe new tires), bushings, radiator flush, injector flush, TB and intake cleaning, etc.

I like Kcar's idea too.

[MasterMan]

i have all all synthetic fluids... no alignment needed.. i can take my hands off the wheel and it will go straight doesnt pull at all... just got new tires about 3000 miles ago.. putting in a new radiator this weekend so it will be flushed then.. i could go get the injectors cleaned for like 50$.. cleaned the intake about a month ago.. however i would like to rebild the engen so maby i could go with turbo KA but i dont know how to rebuild an engen..

[ninjak84]

Exhaust

[AZhitman]

Gotcha - Sounds like you're on the right track, MM.

In that case, I agree with the exhaust recommendation. Most bang for the buck there. Skip the intake as the K&N or an aftermarket under-hood intake will do more harm than good over the long haul.

[Kristen_S14]

He said he already has an intake.

How will an aftermarket intake do more harm than good over the long haul? I don't wanna hear this ****, I just got an AEM short ram

[deesolballs]

All that stuff (K&N filters etc) allows more dust/dirt into your engine than a stock filter would. Even if it's just a "tad bit" less effcient at filtering dust than stock it's not worth it to me. They sell like hot cakes nevertheless.

[RyojiKaji]

I would go with either a new exhaust or a brake tune (new pads, lines, and rotors). Having reliable brakes with good stopping power is IMO the most important.

[AZhitman]

Remember you're pulling HOT underhood air into your engine, as opposed to cooler outside air, which offsets any hp gains you get from better "flow"..

Also the oil in the K&N can coat the MAF sensor, thus impairing its functionality.

K&N runs their tests on a dyno with the hood open and a big-a$$ fan pointing at the engine. Close the hood and put it on the street and you'll see most of the hp gain go bye-bye.

Also, several owners have done tests to measure the cleaning efficiency. There's no way around it - The Nissan replacement filter is the best. I know - I used to run a K&N on my other car. Oil would be black in 3 weeks. Now I go 3 months and the oil is as clear as the day it was put in.

[Jusepi97sx]

about just regular maitanece.. that is a given.. you should first maintaine your car.. not spend all your money one say an exhust and not change the transmition fluids for example.. i think most people forget about that... as soon as they have a few bucks they are buying cosmetic items or intakes and such and don't take care of the car itself..

but it seems you got your priorities staight... id still go for the exhust...

[MasterMan]

alright thanks for the input what do u think would be more worth my money.. headers first or cat-back first? i know i know, cat-back looks cool and sounds good.. but i want HP not looks and sound..

[Structure240sx]

i already had injen cold air and custom exhaust didnt fell a big difference in power but did take a couple tenths off 1/4. Just got my hotshot headers on friday did it that night with a friend. very noticeable difference. much more than intake or exhuast or combined and they sound great louder but good. pulls very strong and fast from 4-6 g's. goin to thte track in 2 days to see the difference. before i ran 16.0 with my auto injen cold air custom exhaust and passenger seat and spare removed. they cost me 319 free shippin from enkuju racing so with the extra money u have do basic manitnece on car

[FrEaK]

Structure what year 240 you own?

[topless@vabeach]

Buy stickers, Lots of them. The small ones will get you 1hp per sticker and the large ones give you 2-5 depending what they have printed on them.

I have about the same amount saved up and I am getting my exhaust done. From there I am working my way back up to the engine.

[Jusepi97sx]

having I/H/E mostly like will result in not passing emissions in most states... right?

[Structure240sx]

95 SE every option excpet leather its got 116,800 mi full bomex kit Eibach prokit KYB GR-2 yea the header got rid of the real cat between the header adn the exhaust is a cat looking thing its nothing so im goin to have to know someone to pass shouldnt be to hard my uncle owns a machine shop and knows everyone

[FrEaK]

To help pass emmisions without a cat all you nned to do is pour for every 10 litres of fuel 1 litre of high grade alchohol (99.9%)

you can keep a cat with a header im pretty sure...

[Structure240sx]

you could probably find a cat to go right after the header liek random technology cat maybe but the hotshot or prob any header gets rid of the factory cat but this is gettin off topic from the thread on how to spend 400-500

[wingzero]

I'd put all the money into suspension components. Power is nice and everything, but I'd get everything ELSE done to my car before I start on the motor.

[MasterMan]

STICKERS! now why dident i think of that.. thanks man.. ill get a big N on the back.. its gonna be sweet

[wingzero]

dude is there ANYTHING you don't know? not trying to kiss *** or anything, just seems like there's never something you don't know the answer for.......

[Nebraska240sx]

how about a clutch, if you add more power you need a clutch to handle it, if not you will eventually burn it up, my suggestions, http://www. nopi.com go to the online store and look at a stage two clutch kit or the whold clutch, good for any bolt on power and a small turbo built to handle moderate abuse, (DRIFTING)!!!!

[FrEaK]

Originally posted by FrEaK To help pass emmisions without a cat all you nned to do is pour for every 10 litres of fuel 1 litre of high grade alchohol (99.9%)

That's a myth.

In a carburated engine, adding an oxygenate like alcohol will produce a more complete combustion, and lower the emissions at the tailpipe. However, in a fuel injected car, the O2 sensor will simply detect the additional oxygen and add more fuel to the mixture. Emissions output will be unaffected.

Serious? True true, so my shop teachers a moron, what else is new... he tried to tell us at the beginning of the year that the more viscous a fluid was, the thinner it was...

K you wanna come down and be our shop teacher?

[AZhitman]

CLASSIC post yesterday, K-car... LMAO.