Ive been saving up and i got about $500 to spend! I was looking to upgrade my car on horsepower gain? Whats the best things to buy?? thnxz

 

honestly...save it. anything you buy would just provide a marginal gain in power. but if you really want buy something, then your choices are either a cold air intake, or a quality cat back exhaust. either would provide about the same gain, but it will largely just be in your head because of how the car will sound afterwards.

other choices are a set of lightweight pulleys. but the best upgrade you can make to a car if you already haven't done it is suspension. lowering spring and sway bar(s).

 

IMO after doing bolt-ons H-I-E you won't feel much gains but you will hear your car go fast lol. Other than H-I-E you can do Underdrive crank pulley.

but like Drax said I think you will notice the most out of doing lowering Springs and rear sway bar (if you want buy the set from hotchkis and get front and rear sway bar)

 

Do NOT do an Underdrive crank pulley. Lightweights I'd even stay away from.

But I would save for a turbo, or start building a kit if you really want hp.

 

i got an automatic i think im leaning on in intake. But dont really know which one is best?

 

they are all the same.. if you search intake on the forum.. they have injen, weapon r, raceland and etc. as long as it does not throw a CEL and you install properly, its all the same. BRAND and PRICE is the only deciding factor

 

For $500, get a new intake manifold, then save up another couple hundred for an intake. Should get some noticable gains with that

 

Just buy a cheap intake. Its not worth to lay $3-400 bucks on.

 

Most people would disagree but like you I wanted a little boost from my car so the first thing i threw on when i bought my tC was a Nitrous kit. Just a suggestion.

 

i ran a 75 wet shot for a looooong time. extremely easy install, very cheap, and its never caused a single problem for me. just as long as you buy a BRAND NAME kit, cause knock-off brands are extremely risky. and you will definately feel where the money went.

 

^Totally agree. I'm saving up for a nitrous kit next. Take a look at the Zex safe shot:http://www.atlanticspeed.com/product...&idcategory=98
also look at this site for all the other safety features like WOT and TPS switches:http://www.dynotunenitrous.com/store...ts/default.asp

 

Same here. I ran a 75 wet shot on a Universal NOS Sniper Nitrous kit. Picked it up New for about $350 shipped and bought an external Nitrous Pressure gauge for another $100. Filled the bottle for $45. Best way to gain ~75hp for $500. Easy install and never had a problem. You just need to know how to use it and your good to go.

 

best bet would be to save up some $ and put a snail (turbo) on it. just make sure u do it right. but if ur lookin to do a header i got one for sale. its a strup racing header. pm me if ur interested.

 

you have an automatic too? yeah dude, just save your money and use it for something better.

 

Won't notice a change in power but go for:

-lowering springs/coilovers if you can save up for 'em.
-Rear sway bar, I went with Progress, makes a very noticeable difference in turning.
-Axle-back exhaust (if you need to stay CARB legal) for better sound.

Those are just a couple small things to change up how your ride feels/sounds. Like the others said already though, you won't notice a HP difference from just a CAI or headers, just the sound.

 

Intake/Exhaust provide marginal gains, and honestly I bet you could only see them on a dyno.

Myself I just picked up and installed the TRD rear sway bar..WHAT a difference. I am joining the bandwagon on suspension mods being the most bang for your buck! I am saving up for lowering springs\coilovers next. I am leaning towards springs myself.

 

yea if your auto i wouldnt do nitrous. it would probably cause problems considering most kits are TPS and when you hit WOT it would spray before it has time to downshift. might be a concern for your trans....unless you were to just downshift manually then gun it. but idk, dont know anybody with a auto running nitrous. id look into it. but its a pretty fun time!

 

~$125 - Strut Bar... you will absolutly love the handling difference on cornering
~$110 - Lightweight crank pulley... improved acceleration and less take off lag
~$350 - Lowering Springs... drastically improves the cars look and handling
~$100 to $300 - Intake... gives you a bit of boost in MPG and HP
~$150 - Exhaust Down Pipe... increased hp, more rasp (increases emissions a bit)