Wanna make my car faster...what to do/buy?

[sumone 10+ year member]

how noticeable is an increase of 1 horsepower? 5 mph? 10mph?

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

with 1more hp you wont even notice it at all

 

[rjorunner 10+ year member]

Well I'm not a "malibu expert" but I do know a thing or two about engines. and that your engine has an ECU. So I would agree that air intake and exhaust would could result in more power. but since your ECU will be monitering alot of points along your air flow path changeing all of the piping without getting the ECU reflashed or getting a piggy back system or something could cuase detonation. For example if you were to drop that ram air kit from ebay in your car than due to larger diameter piping you would flow more air to the engine but the air would be traveling past the aire sensor at the same speed as stock. So the computer thinks that the car is getting the same amount of air but in reality it is getting um lets say around 50% more (asuming that the stock intake is about 2" in diameter) so the air fuel ratio is going to be totaly lean (meaning that the ratio of air to fuel is leaning a lot further to the air side than normal). And this could actually lead to a noticible increase in performance. but running an engine lean can cause detonation. So that air intake would be fine if you could remap the ecu to let it know of the increase in air flow to level out the air/fuel ration and get safe relible horse power. Exhaust on the other hand is a lot easier.. the goal is to find a good balance of of back pressure. You definatly want to reduce alot of pressure but not competely(a good full 3" system should be fine). and you probly wont need an ECU reflash for this to work properly but it would be a good idea if you do it at the same time as the intake. hope this helps

 

[the_flatlander 10+ year member]

you don't need 3" piping unless your gonna put out huge numbers 2.25" piping should be fine for you

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

okay I'm back....and ready to divert some money from audio into performance.

findin stuff for this car is pretty hard....but hey, I've got this car and that's that...lol

I'm almost about to order the CAI at the bottom of this page...for about 200 bucks, is that reasonable?

and the only cat-back I've found for my car is the borla cat-back on this page. $680....I've asked around and people seem to think the products Borla makes can be considered elite. but I'm not looking for top of the line...hell, I'm not even interested in racing. And the sound that I want from the muffler, I want it to be barely noticeable that it's not O.E.; e.g., some bass & agressiveness but not so loud & overbearing that while accelerating with the audio system goin, that it sounds like crap. BUT, like I said, I want it to still be noticeable that I don't have an O.E. muffler; just not that noticeable.

headers, not really interested in yet....for now just a CAI & a cat-back. how do you guys feel about the:

1. borla,

2. flowmaster, &

3. magnaflow

exhausts...well I guess just the mufflers. and does anyone have any tips for what to look for in a resonator?

on another note, what does ricer mean? I've seen it used a lot on this board and may have an idea...but what exactly are you guys talking about?

 

[Zerstorer 10+ year member]

on another note, what does ricer mean? I've seen it used a lot on this board and may have an idea...but what exactly are you guys talking about?

A "Ricer" would be an asian import car, typically Honda, with a loud muffler, flashy lights on the interior or underside, blue-ish headlights, and excessive plastic fenders.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

kinda of what I was thinking...but wasn't sure...

but that CAI & cat-back I mentioned, are they too expensive for what they do? can I find alternatives that'll do the same thing for less money?

 

[BDIDDY 10+ year member]

Why buy a cat back system when you can just get a muffler and put it on? Also you could look into a high flow catilytic converter. Whoever said that Nos was 4-5 grand is a complete idiot. Dollar for dollar it is the cheapest HP increase you can do.

 

[Bigrick31 10+ year member]

i think you can get a dry nos kit thatl add around 75hp (i think) for around $500 also the cheapest way to get you some HP tare your car apart. remember its all about power to weight ratio. take out back seats spare tire interior pannels any extra weight you can find. you could also kick out your windshield and get yourself a nice pair of goggles and mouth gaurd for bugs!

 

[AnabolicEli 10+ year member]

yah and whats your budget...you can do anything if you have enough.

Hey bro nice Porsche 944.

I have a late 85' Porsche 944 Red.

I was wondering if you get rattle in the hatch with your system?

I'm planning to take out my little back seats and sell em, and put my box back there..

Do you Have AIM??

I have a few questions //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[swaptrex 10+ year member]

Malibu's can't really be fast unless you put a ton of $$$ into them, sell it and get something based to be a sporty vehicle and not a economy wannabe

 

[saosin 10+ year member]

i heard those new chevy cobalts are suppose to be fast, but i'll keep my money on imports since they are cheaper to find parts for

 

[yz_gt69 10+ year member]

Why buy a cat back system when you can just get a muffler and put it on? Also you could look into a high flow catilytic converter. Whoever said that Nos was 4-5 grand is a complete idiot. Dollar for dollar it is the cheapest HP increase you can do.

that's the most standard ricer wanna-be attitude. i expected by your profile pic your weren't like that...

what's the point of putting a crappy muffler slopped onto a car he's trying to do something nice with...

 

[BDIDDY 10+ year member]

that's the most standard ricer wanna-be attitude. i expected by your profile pic your weren't like that...
what's the point of putting a crappy muffler slopped onto a car he's trying to do something nice with...

Because there is no point in paying 1200 for a kit with just a muffler and some pipes when your local exhaust shop can take care of it for you. I didnt know that when you install a flowmaster muffler that it was crappy, but I guess to each his own...

I mean yeah spend 1200 that why whenever you change your oil you can look at your pipes, or better yet go ahead and spend that money so when you run someone over they can see them..

I am not a ricer, check the avatar.

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=602382

That's my car, so tell me if I do stuff sloppy. If youre gonna waste your time to do it, might as well do it right..

 

[yz_gt69 10+ year member]

I suppose I mistook your comments for the majority of ricers which I am subject to put up with in my daily life. This includes the $40 **** cans that several ppl tack onto their car. Like I said, judging by your pic I expected something better, through your clarification, especially Flowmaster, I could take that back. However, there is certainly benefits to investing in proper diameter headers, pipes and mufflers (of course). With respect to the pipes, I didn't say get them chromed or lookin' show. It just seems that a lot of ppl think a intake is so crucial but get cheap on things such as pipes and proper sizing with regards to exhaust.

Your rather childish in saying I'm wasting my time, that sounded pretty tender, there's nothing wrong with varying opinions. Your car does appear to be very clean.