CHEAP HORSEPOWER

[SR20detDRIFTER]

I was wondering if anyone knows any modifications to a 1992 240sx hatch to increase horsepower. i want to know if this is anything that i can remove or replace that is somewhat cheap on my 240. thank you

[180fan]

intake is as cheap as it gets for bang for the buck horsepower. Other stuff is a bunch of gimmick and don't do squat.

[240TweakerNewbee]

intake, but whats your idea of cheap. If you consider a turbo kit for $3k which gives you 150hp. I would consider that cheap too. Thats $20 per HP, not too bad if you ask me. If you bought a new car that had 300hp the cheapest your going to find is about $30k. which is $100 per hp.

Don't get caught up in name hype, and don't buy crap either. If your into performace do some homework to get the best results.

[BlackHat]

More of a question than anything else, but isn't a crank pulley good cheap HP? Or is that indeed gimmicky?

If it's a good upgrade then that's pretty simple and cheap.

[navysnail]

crank pulley frees up HP, it does not create it in any way. it allows the engine to rev up faster due to lower rotating mass.

I am probobly going to move this to 240sx tech in a little bit.

[Alfador]

crank pulley frees up HP, it does not create it in any way. it allows the engine to rev up faster due to lower rotating mass.

I am probobly going to move this to 240sx tech in a little bit.

Sometimes freeing up horsepower can be more benifical than adding a couple, so its something to still consider

With both the intake and that though, the biggest thing you'll notice is not the actual power, but the quicker response, which can feel even better sometimes

[navysnail]

you might also consider upgrading some other stuff too with more than just power in mind, such as brakes or suspention.

[180fan]

general maintainence >>>>> making cheap power. if you want good power without busting the bank, there is no better alternative than getting a tune up. Hands down, reduces cost of operation while getting you power. Best stuff ever.

[240TweakerNewbee]

that too, I just did a dyno tune... cost me $100, I got 20hp and 25ft/lb of torque, and my car is not wasting fuel so I will save that $100 in about 15 tanks of gas. So not only does it make more power but it pays for itself. Oh, and my spark plugs will last longer too.

[9240sx]

I would just buy a K&N panel filter and mod the stock airbox..And run a pipe from the bumper to the bottom of the airbox..Remove PS/And ACSpare tire and jack..Advance timing a few deg's.

[180fan]

realistically I have no idea why anyone would pull their spare tire. Crap happens and when it happens you want to be prepared for it. Nothing is crappier than getting a flat tire. Keep the spare, depending on where you live you might want to keep your AC, and ps will come in handy when you're parallel parking with wide wheels.

[supra brit]

Cone filter & maf adapter = ~$30 at AutoZone

A 2.5" cat-back exhaust will help a little too, you can find some cheap if you know where to look...or have one custom made.

I have all my a/c and p/s components removed, it frees up a lot of extra drag on the motor. I still have yet to do it, but you can also remove the clutch fan and wire up an electric.

Lightweight flywheels are not cheap, but you can have them re-surfaced and lightened for like $30 at a machine shop.

I wouldn't recommend removing the spare or any interior parts...especially if it's a hatch. I had a hatch that I bought with no rear interior and it was loud as hell and reaked of gas all the time. That amount of weight doesn't make all that much of a difference just daily-driving. Save that for the track.

[travisn]

if your car has or had ac you can use the AC fan to cool the engine. look at this...



sorry for the size, idk how to make it click-able to see it in its full glory, just squint to read...lol

These might help with visualization:

ok i suck, this one is supposed to point out the wires comming out of the relay box

and this one is pointing out the thermostat and probe, and the fact that the AC fan bolts to the koyo radiator.


Modified by travis newberry at 10:43 PM 5/14/2006

[BlackHat]

great visualization! I was wondering how to wire that. You put it on the A/C relay... Does this affect current A/C operations? I also saw that you can put it on the ACC relay... (for if you wanted the thermostat to turn fan on/off) Is there anything affected by plugging into ACC relay?

[travisn]

i never said anything about the ACC relay. i was talking about one of the 4 connector spots in the AC relay. one of them is hot all the time, another is hot only when the key is on, another is ground and the last goes to the fan. and that diagram shows how to do it if you are not using ac because you can completely remove the Ac relay and use the empty connectors to put your wires in. i have not figured out how to do it if you use ac. try this... take that fuse out and turn your ac on, if you can hear/feel the ac compressor turn on then we are good so far. the only reason the AC fan is there is so that all the heat being dumped in front of the radiator is pulled somewhere... so im thinking as long as you have a fan wired up then you will be good. idk if i explained that well enough, but hopefully that gave you a headstart so you can figure it out on your own. it always better that way, then you know what is going on with your own car...

[slipnfall]

if your car has or had ac you can use the AC fan to cool the engine. look at this...

Cooling your engine with a tiny A/C fan is nothing but foolish and a really bad idea. Sure it might be fine for the winter/fall months, but will *not* adequatly pull enough air to bring down coolant temps sitting in traffic. That's a recipe for disaster. If you really want to remove the clutch fan(understandably, it can be loud as hell in the summer and cause a real drag on the crank) then do it properly with at *least* a set of Altima cooling fans. At least (one) out of that pair is designed to cool the main radiator.

[travisn]

i had a single flex a lite fan (it was very small maybe a 12' across) on my sr all last summer and it was fine. as long as there is a fan moving air across the radiator it will be fine. the ac fan is not tiny, any bigger and it would be hitting my hood... of course 2 would be good and i reccomend it if you have ac but otherwise it should suffice if you want that drag off of your motor and you cant afford anything at the moment...

[180fan]

Cooling your engine with a tiny A/C fan is nothing but foolish and a really bad idea. Sure it might be fine for the winter/fall months, but will *not* adequatly pull enough air to bring down coolant temps sitting in traffic. That's a recipe for disaster. If you really want to remove the clutch fan(understandably, it can be loud as hell in the summer and cause a real drag on the crank) then do it properly with at *least* a set of Altima cooling fans. At least (one) out of that pair is designed to cool the main radiator.

Agreed with the small AC fan being the source of cooling being a bad idea especially with summer rolling around.

[slipnfall]

A single flex-alite is a whole different story... they probably pull more than 3x the amount of air that an AC fan does. Also it looks like you have a KOYO radiator, which helps your cooling too. I'd just hate for people with 13yr old radiators, crusty coolant passages, and 5yr old fluid to go ripping their clutch fan out.

[travisn]

well then they are just asking for trouble no matter what fan they use...

[dsc4130]

add a leaf blower. it reallly worx, plus you can spray NOS directly into the blower for more power!

not being serious. sry just got done watching a vid on streetfire.net of a civic doing that on a dyno

[Camel]

You are incorrect. The S14 ac fan will cool it sufficiently if it is running full time. I live in Atlanta, it has been through two summers now with no issues.

Chadd

[travisn]

You are incorrect. The S14 ac fan will cool it sufficiently if it is running full time. I live in Atlanta, it has been through two summers now with no issues.

Chadd

thank you.

[Camel]

You are welcome. Always good to share factual information.

[180fan]

What are you guys using to monitor the temps? That ac fan is pretty damn small and the temp gauge at the cluster very inaccurate. I'm still a bit of a skeptic of that fan as I've heard way too many members try that and overheat their engines. Possibly you guys actually bled all the air out of the cooling systems before attempting this that the other guys didnt? Perhaps. lol

[Camel]

You shouldn't have air in your cooling system in the first place.

I used the ECU for temp monitoring for the first 90 degree week. (Hooked to a computer, like using a techtom.)

And I have a few things done to the car (motor): Intake, filter, header, cat-delete, apexi N1 single.

[travisn]

plus one for you...lol