alright i have already done about an hour of searching and found some useful info but not exactly what i was looking for. i have an 88 gtu that i am looking to get some decent numbers out of...... nothing huge just decent. i am looking for the 160RWHP range. here are my plans as of now. k&n air filter, test pipe in place of cat, better flowing mufflers(not sure which to get yet), already have air pump aux port activation, electric fan swap(done the right way), and maybe a timing adjustment.

would that get me in the general area of 160 to the wheels?? if not then what would be the most cost effective way to get there? wideband + AFC?? header and presilencer? custom cold air intake(a real CAI. i can fabricate most of it myself)??

also i do not want to go any route that would make my car too unreliable because right now it is doing quite well.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/canadian-sale-wanted-classifieds-120/rebuilt-engine-vert-wheels-hood-scoop-etc-926146/

buy this motor lol

or send him a message, but he dyno'd at 158 to the wheels. s5 uim, wideband, headers back exhaust. I can't remember. I test drove the car before he pulled the motor as I was going to purchase the car.

I'm curious to hear more experienced views though, as I'm kind of in the same boat.

 

160 to the wheels = 180 to the flywheel I'm guessing?

Header w/ true dual exhaust
No Cats
KN Air Filter in stock box...not a cone filter getting heat soaked
Rtek

Might get you there.

 

get the true duel exhaust from RB make sure its the one that has one pipe per rotor and it doesn't inter twain. i drive a 88 se with cai and a rb full exhaust. it pulls pretty good but idk how much hp i have. if your going to get a cone filter make sure you make some sort of contraption that would move the cold air over to the filter. if your planning to do a sleepy eye set up you can remove that rubber thing on the hood. what it does is that you will have atleast a 1 inch gap from the tail lights to the hood so you suck cold air in. just make sure to put it back on when its raining. get a lighter fly wheel! lol it will make your car 'feel' faster. ohh yeah do the TB mod! this wont actually make your hp increase but you throttle response will be on the dot. as for the timing i heard something about advancing it by 2 degrees will actually make you gain a little bit of power but idk i havent tried it. i heard it on the nopiston forums.

 

Do you want to gain more HP, or just feel like you have more power?

A lighter flywheel, lighter rims and tires or throttle body mod is not going to gain you power; but it will remove the weight and restrictions so your car feels more responsive when you drive. Losing weight is always a good thing.

Big tires, big brakes, big sway bars won't help a car go faster; that actually slows you down on the road. But on a dyno...it doesn't matter.

So you got to ask yourself; do you want to feel like you have more power while you drive. Or do you want to generate more power for the dyno when you are stationary?

For dyno numbers, look at strapping on the Variable Dynamic Intake (VDI) from a Series 5.

 

On a budget I think you might hit 150-155. Do all scheduled maintenance. Get some kind of cat replacement. A test pipe like your plans with a presilencer is cheaper and quieter than a header for that with nearly equal gains. Or a performance cat will get you through smog tests. Second priority is mufflers. Racing Beat and I think Borla are popular b/c they aren't loud enough to attract cops. You can search the forums and listen to audio files of all kinds. Third priority is a cone intake with a box so it gets cold air, not warm air near the engine. Or a filter in the existing box (with the stock cold air intake) is an easier option. You cmay add an e-fan but there is no e-fan that will add power. Advancing the timing might add a little power but while putting your engine at risk. There is a big safety margin from the factory, especially for the NA, but I wouldn't push it.

Beyond that you need more expensive things like tuning, a street port or a turbo. None are cheap. I hear a cheaper form of tuning is more trouble to tune or costs more to pay someone to tune. Putting on the s5 VDI requires some custom fabrication. It's not easy or straightforward, but there are guides. Weight reduction provides about the same acceleration as 1 HP per ~20 lbs. removed. Double the benefit for wheels, and more than that for the flywheel. Even so you're looking at maybe 20-40 lbs. per thing you remove / lighten, so it's equivalent to a couple here and there unless you go nuts.

 

there is only so much bolt on things you can do to get to 160hp at the wheels. If you have a S4, going with a S5 intake manifold setup will yield some power, getting an exhaust will yield power though it will depend on how long the runners are. The best way to get a lot of midrange power is to run two runners all the way to the rear, and collect into a single muffler.
Racing beat is good, but for the power they make compared to the weight they carry cancels each other.

Best way to make power on a N.a engine is to port the engine.
You can run nitrous also.

 

Save your money for a nice, clean TII. I had every mod for power done to my N/A except nitrous & internal porting. It was still slow. It was faster than when I started, but not by much. Maybe get some rims and suspension, but if you want more power just wait for a turbo, there is nothing like it.

 

^what he said. I did the whole N/A thing for years. Waste of money unless your gonna go with a crazy port/high revving engine.

 

Technically... The E-fan wont gain you any power [Mechanical->Electric->Mechanical energy.... conversions loose a little power each time]