I like my car a lot, but it's such a pussy on the road (130hp :| ). How can I add muscle to my car without spending enough cash to buy another used car? I want to increase my car's max horsepower, but nothing overboard like something out of Fast and the Furious (or anything unnecessarily expensive). What are my options?
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Car mod question
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Nonturbo R33 Skyline GTS. I want it to run like a GTS4 (190hp), or close to that.
I could just sell the car to a friend and buy a GTS4, but like I said I like the car, and I already modded the audio and added rims, so I don't want to buy another car and go back to square one, remodding everything.
I could just sell the car to a friend and buy a GTS4, but like I said I like the car, and I already modded the audio and added rims, so I don't want to buy another car and go back to square one, remodding everything.
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Without a turbo your options are limited. You can add things like a freer-flowing exhaust system and air filter, and that'll help. There are also performance chips you can have installed that'll boost things somewhat, but without a turbo they can only do so much.
Your best bet without buying another car is to have a supercharger or turbo installed. It's going to cost you, though, and will undoubtedly void your powertrain warranty.
As Outlaw said, go to a Skyline forum & see what others do. But they'll likely tell you the same things.
Your best bet without buying another car is to have a supercharger or turbo installed. It's going to cost you, though, and will undoubtedly void your powertrain warranty.
As Outlaw said, go to a Skyline forum & see what others do. But they'll likely tell you the same things.
Not even close. The hp an ad on tells you you'll gain is an "up to" meaning you'll probably end up somewhere in between. Unless you add a whole lot of stuff maximizing its function. But if your car is stock you'll only gain about half the HP it tells you you'll gain.
Trust me, its better you buy a new car and it'll be a lot easier. That's what I did. I was planning on modding my 96GT but even after I finish adding stuff It'll still not be enough to go against the Machs and Cobras so I just bought a Mach 1
Trust me, its better you buy a new car and it'll be a lot easier. That's what I did. I was planning on modding my 96GT but even after I finish adding stuff It'll still not be enough to go against the Machs and Cobras so I just bought a Mach 1
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Yep. Get a car with a turbocharger. Performance chip upgrades can add very significant amounts of power and torque by adjusting the boost & fuel management. Without the turbo, all they can do is help out with fuel management. You'd be lucky to get 20hp by combining air intake mods, exhaust, and a chip upgrade without a turbo.
Tommie Hu$tle
Member
SteveMeister said:
Of course chipping and superchargers are the best option BUT, those cost and cost big time. Have you thought about weight reduction?
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
XS+ said:
Costs too much. Weight reduction is a process where certain metallic parts of your car and removed and replaced with lightweight parts.
Also, if you want a decent kick, look into getting a new exhaust, set of headers (your best bet), and a cold air intake. You won't be able to reach 190hp without supercharging or turbocharging your engine.
BigJonsson
Member
All you have to do is go on steroids, bulk up, wear tight shirts, shave your head and say things like "I live my life at a mile a minute" then you'll have all the horsepower you need
HP = IMAGE ONLY!
Oh and get weird neon lights for your car and an exhaust system that is unexplicably loud as fuck
Don't forget the GIGANTOR spoiler too! And headlights that are so bright they blind oncoming traffic
HP = IMAGE ONLY!
Oh and get weird neon lights for your car and an exhaust system that is unexplicably loud as fuck
Don't forget the GIGANTOR spoiler too! And headlights that are so bright they blind oncoming traffic
there's really no way you can get 60 extra hp without doing something drastic. intake, header, exhaust are the simplest things to do gain power, but results may vary depending on how badly designed the stock ones are. tires are important because they enhance acceleration, braking and handling.
but skyline gt-turbo sounds hella nice. or whatever the hell it's called, that 2.5L turbo. don't need no stinkin' 4wd. i'd go for that instead.
but skyline gt-turbo sounds hella nice. or whatever the hell it's called, that 2.5L turbo. don't need no stinkin' 4wd. i'd go for that instead.
XS+ said:
K&N Air Filter - $50 bucks, will ad 8-12hp to your car
Not sure what brand your car is, but a computer chip upgrade...basically reprogrammed for higher output can boost your car another 10-20hp. If you have a Japanese car with VVTi technology (valve timing tech) the chip upgrade can do even more than that. The cost of a chip, however, is around $400, depending on make/model of car.
After that, you can mod your exhaust system, but you're talking about big bucks then. $1,000 and up...
Let me recommend a website for you to check out. They talk about modding Skylines all the time in there.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=1
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Doth Togo said:
An air filter will most certainly NOT add 8-12hp. Air filters average an extra 2HP gain. The most expensive exhaust unit will barely grab you 6hp and a decent exhaust is about $300; no $50 item will do anything more than what it costs.
A chip will give him 5hp at most.
Headers w/ y-pipe will likely give him about 15-18hp total
Best quiet exhaust is Frankencar. I don't know if they make one for Skylines (since it isn't a domestic), but you should check. A good exhaust will give you an additional 3-4hp gain.
Buying lighter rims helps a lot! (For every pound one rim weighs, think of it as an additional 4lbs in the car. 1lb on rim = 4lbs in the car). Average rim weighs 25lbs and that's about 400lbs of weight that the car has to pull. Buying new set of rims where each rim weighs around 18-19lbs will knock off a little over 100lbs from the car, that's a lot! Lighter car = faster car.
Buying super slick tires is also a fantastic way to increase performance. I'd go for a set of Pirelli's P Zero Nero.
An underdrive pulley, while it won't really add a large amount of HP to your car, is a great and cheap mod, as well. Buying a pulley is sort of like reducing weight on your rims. You're relieving stress from the engine.
Rule of thumb: If a manufacturer says their product will add 15hp to your vehicle, substract 10. If they said 40hp, substract 25 or so. Performance mod manfufactuers are full of shit, more or less.
Dammit I'm torn between a GTS25 or paying for the mods.
I already bought 18" tires for my car too, it runs so much better than it did with the stock 14s. The car isn't slow at all actually (I kept up with a pair of street racers the other night, as a matter of fact), I just hate getting completely smoked on the highway by a real sports car, in all honesty.
Thx for the info Alpha, Doth.
I already bought 18" tires for my car too, it runs so much better than it did with the stock 14s. The car isn't slow at all actually (I kept up with a pair of street racers the other night, as a matter of fact), I just hate getting completely smoked on the highway by a real sports car, in all honesty.
Thx for the info Alpha, Doth.
Call your Nissan dealer. They'll be able to tell you.
In my layman's opinion, 17s with a W rating will be better for you. Just as much sticky with less wheel travel.
FYI... here's a thread on the Skyline R32. This may give you a place to start...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1479999
In my layman's opinion, 17s with a W rating will be better for you. Just as much sticky with less wheel travel.
FYI... here's a thread on the Skyline R32. This may give you a place to start...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1479999
XS+ said:
First of all, your speedometer reading is going to be off. So if you're driving at 35 you're actually going faster than that due to your bigger wheels.
When I meant "slow your car down" I meant in terms of acceleration. Your car just doesn't have enough torque to turn those big ass wheels. For your car I'd go with 16s. Now, if you're for all looks then, 18 are the way to go.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Going from 14s to 18 is a dumb move. It'll take away sooooooooooo much performance from the car. If I were you, I'd settle with a set of lightweight 16s, since your car is originally built to run on smaller rims. Buying 18s is a terrible move if you're looking for performance.
buck naked
Member
As long as the rest of the car is in good shape (big/good enough brakes, suspension, gearbox, etc), then go an engine swap for a turbo or twin turbo Skyline engine. I prefer 4cyl, but your whole problem is that the car is too big/heavy, so the 6 is the way to go.
If your car isn't up to the extra pressure/wear that the more powerful engine is going to put on, then just get theGTSt.
Add an intercooler, an full exhaust, good filters, and crank the stock turbo up. The stock ceramic turbo isn't worth much so just thrash it and buy a better one later. I don't think you can do better for hp/$$$ ratio =)
If your car isn't up to the extra pressure/wear that the more powerful engine is going to put on, then just get theGTSt.
Add an intercooler, an full exhaust, good filters, and crank the stock turbo up. The stock ceramic turbo isn't worth much so just thrash it and buy a better one later. I don't think you can do better for hp/$$$ ratio =)
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Outlaw said:
Well, as long as the total diameter of the TIRES is the same, the speedometer should be correct. It's calibrated based on that. So as long as you maintain the overall tire diameter, you can change WHEEL diameters without adversely affecting the speedometer's accuracy. Check the tire's designation: XXX/YY-ZZ. XXX is the tire's diameter in millimeters, YY is the aspect ratio of the height to the width, and ZZ is the diameter of the rim.
But yeah, larger diameter wheels have the mass further out from the center and require more force to get spinning, so they'll slow acceleration. A really good example of this is the Chrysler Crossfire. It's mechanically identical to the Mercedes SLK, but it is slower 0-60 because its rear wheels are HUGE: 19" in the rear (18" front, but it's RWD), while the SLK has 16" rims front & back standard. In addition, larger diameter rims require more metal and are generally heavier. However, they allow the installation of lower profile tires, which can improve handling. So it's really a balancing act.
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