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

[Hooter 10+ year member]

put a big block chevy into it, just make sure you have a stolen gas card

 

[dustinr 10+ year member]

Ummm... Unless you have a ridiculous budget, forget turbocharging or doing Nos. Those installs are $4-$5k+ just in parts, and the labor is ridiculous, and it's probably not something you want to do yourself.

LMFAO.. Nos is like 400-600$ for a kit.. but I wouldn't recommend it on your engine..Nos is like a really good bang for the buck, the fastest/easiest way to get HP, but also very dangerous and could damage your engine. As for a turbokit, I'm not sure they have any for the Malibu. If your looking for some performance mods, I would go Intake/Exhaust/Headers. These are probally some of the most major mods you will beable to do to your car since Malibus don't have much of a aftermarket.. Although you could gain a good 30-45hp of them.. I will look around and see if I can find a turbo kit for your car. If you are wanting a car with more aftermarket options, I suggest selling it and looking into a Honda/Acura.. but thats my opinon.. then again.. everyone has a honda/acura..

 

[dustinr 10+ year member]

http://www.andysautosport.com/chevy/97_01malibusuperchargers.html

check that out, its a supercharger for a malibu.. looks pricey though

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

An extra 250hp @ 6psi doesn't sound too bad though ... looks pretty much like a full kit too.

- Steve

 

[dustinr 10+ year member]

Sorry, I've been really busy lately with work and everything.. I'll PM you

 

[Zerstorer 10+ year member]

The exhaust is the muffler(s), and the pipes and headers from your engine to the back of your car.As far as the first 1500, i'd personaly get a nice air intake and a new dual exhaust kit, it will sound clean and 'hollow' and if you want better mpg, just use plus gas, you can really tell the difference, at least in a '98 xplorer //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I'll vouch for the gas increase... 5mpg gain for a 98 escort.

20 bucks @ regular to fill the tank ($2 a gallon)

22 bucks @ premium to fiill the tank (2.2 a gallon)

10% increase in price.

Now, 25mpg on regular, to 30 mpg on premium... 5 mpg gain.

20% increase in mpg.

On performance: Have you considered getting your engine bored out to a higher displacement? Labor + new parts might run 2-4 grand, depending on how complex that chevy is.

My friend with a maliu fed it the right gas, octane booster, and let it breath (intake/exhaust) and it had "go" juice when he needed!

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

ram air intake works wonders with that car, friends of mine dropped one in and it made a pretty good difference in acceleration

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

ok,so I guess supercharging is outta the question...almost 5 Gs...

engine bored out to a higher displacement

newb alert! unknown term

1. rip out the a/c, the compressor all the guts, that extra pulley ***** away power even when off2. lighten everything, all the useless interior stuff, body panels seats, whatever you want out

...I'm not that worried about going fatser

look for a shift kit

newb alert! unknown term

OK, basically I guess I'm just looking for someone to tell me what to do...like "buy _this_ specific air intake, _this_, and _this_". I still have a lot more learning to do since I'm not able to discern between what criteria would help me out in making a selection. Maybe I should ask again in about a year or so?

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

something along the lines of this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7917488789&category=38634&sspagename=WDVW

this was done with a quick search, ill see if i can find a better one for u

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Your current engine has a Bore of 3.5" and a stroke of 3.3" ... This means the piston is 3.5" in diameter and it moves up and down 3.3" ... This is comparable to a subwoofer, where bore is diameter of the subwoofer and stroke is the amount of excursion ...

ahh, nice way to put it. I'm a numbers person so that really helped. so does that mean that the 3.1L spec of the engine is the displacement? cause I thought 3.1L was the volume that the 6 cylinders take up (3.1/6 per cylinder). so does the bore & stroke of the piston take up the full volume of the cylinder?

one thing I don't get is if the bore & stroke are higher, then doesn't that mean it takes more fuel & air to push the piston since it's trying to push a larger area of space?

wow, that ram intake air thing...20 bucks...now you're talking...any bad things about it?

 

[VOA_NIGHTMARE 10+ year member]

Save the money your thinking about putting into, then sell your car. Thats the best bet for you. Then take that money and look for a older, 94-96 integra, honda, 3000gt, etc, parts are much cheaper and you will have many more options to play around with. Why dump alot of money into something like that when you wont have the resale. At least you could sell one of the other cars modded up and get some cash back.

 

[Zerstorer 10+ year member]

one thing I don't get is if the bore & stroke are higher, then doesn't that mean it takes more fuel & air to push the piston since it's trying to push a larger area of space?

Yes... you will have to replace all of your valves, maybe the rocker arms, and the heads. This will allow for the extra fuel/air intake. "Overhaul" or "Big Bore" kits should come with all the needed parts (except maybe the heads).

4 valves or perhaps 2 oversized valves would be best.

Keep in mind, this isn't something that you and a couple friends can do in your garage (unless you have a motherf!cking good drill press and 2 ton crane) with hand tools.

It will, however, give you much better and solid gains (no maybe about it!) over any bolt on accessory. (not that they aren't important)

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

changing those things would make your computer go wonky.

 

[LoudCrownVic 5,000+ posts]

I know a guy who makes a few trips a year to Dubai in the UAE (United Arab Eramites) and they, according to him anyway sell stock supercharged Luminas/Malibus. You might look for such an item torn off of one of these... Another thing he's quite fond of is the twin turbo Toyota Camry. And the Nissan Skyline.

 

[packerfan 10+ year member]

For the 3100 ( i have same engine) you can buy The underdrive pully which would add ~5-10hp, cold air intake, ~5hp, exhaust ~10hp All that would cost about $500. A 3400 top end swap would add about 8-10hp and cost about $500 or so. Then get some decent rubber.