advice,upgrade,'99 TA
wawazat99
03-21-2004, 10:40 AM
Hi, just got my dream ride, and I'm looking for advice on upgrading. Are there inexpensive was to up the power on my '99 trans am. This is my first time driving this much muscle and I want more! I'm thinking of replacing stock muffler with somthing louder. what about cpu chips?Any and all advice welcomed. My tech knowledge is limited I guess i should pick up some books. thanks
JoeJoe231455
03-21-2004, 02:03 PM
Hey wawa,
I have an LT1 car, but I've heard a good upgrade for the LS1 is an aftermarket ram air "lid". It helps the engine take a bigger gulp of air and actually builds some significant power. A higher stall converter is also an awesome upgrade for an f-body. You can drop some serious et with them.
I have an LT1 car, but I've heard a good upgrade for the LS1 is an aftermarket ram air "lid". It helps the engine take a bigger gulp of air and actually builds some significant power. A higher stall converter is also an awesome upgrade for an f-body. You can drop some serious et with them.
wawazat99
03-22-2004, 09:04 AM
hey joejoe, Thanks for the info. to further demontrate my ignorance what is a stall converter? how much $ and when you say "lid" are we talking about the air housing under the hood? Also what s LT1 and LS1? Also I am going to replace my stock muffler I want this car to growl
YAYbirds
03-22-2004, 11:27 AM
whats up man
...if you want it to growl, heres a few mods that definitely help
1) headders (e.g. hookers/BBK/etc) ~$350-ish
2) high-flow catalytic converters
3) different muffler (might i suggest flowmasters)
4) you can also have built a 3" Y-pipe to suck the exhaust out of the headders, through the high-flow cat, and to the new muffler ~$500-ish
5-6) mass airflow sensor/throttle body also help the engine breathe better ~$650-ish
7) K&N air filter ~$60-ish
...personally i wouldnt mess with the chips (i have limited knowledge of them) but if you make these mods your car will sound super mean. plus i bet it would add a good 40hp. id estimate all this plus instalation would run near $3,000. another thing you could do to increase power (but not necessarily quality of sound) is get different gears ~$600-ish. id say these would probably be the safest first modifications to do... after this it gets a bit expensive. hope this helps.
-Yb
...if you want it to growl, heres a few mods that definitely help
1) headders (e.g. hookers/BBK/etc) ~$350-ish
2) high-flow catalytic converters
3) different muffler (might i suggest flowmasters)
4) you can also have built a 3" Y-pipe to suck the exhaust out of the headders, through the high-flow cat, and to the new muffler ~$500-ish
5-6) mass airflow sensor/throttle body also help the engine breathe better ~$650-ish
7) K&N air filter ~$60-ish
...personally i wouldnt mess with the chips (i have limited knowledge of them) but if you make these mods your car will sound super mean. plus i bet it would add a good 40hp. id estimate all this plus instalation would run near $3,000. another thing you could do to increase power (but not necessarily quality of sound) is get different gears ~$600-ish. id say these would probably be the safest first modifications to do... after this it gets a bit expensive. hope this helps.
-Yb
JoeJoe231455
03-22-2004, 05:04 PM
hey joejoe, Thanks for the info. to further demontrate my ignorance what is a stall converter? how much $ and when you say "lid" are we talking about the air housing under the hood? Also what s LT1 and LS1? Also I am going to replace my stock muffler I want this car to growl
Hey wawa,
Here is some good info on stall converters -
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/torque-converter.htm
Going to a higher stall converter allows you to launch the car at a higher rpm (if you have an automatic transmission). This helps you get off the line faster because your closer to your torque peak as you launch.
The aftermarket lid is in fact a larger air lid for the stock T\A ram air setup. It increases maximum airflow and is good for some power. (Not sure how much, not that familiar with LS1 mods).
LS1 is the engine code for the 5.7L 1998+ Trans Am\Camaro engines. LT1 is the engine code for the 5.7L 93-97 year engines for these cars. The LS1 is a more modern engine design and makes a good bit more power from the factory.
I would suggest a full catback if I were you. I love the B&B system on my 94 Formula but they are pretty expensive. Check out the aftermarket stuff.
www.thunderracing.com
www.summitracing.com
Hey wawa,
Here is some good info on stall converters -
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/torque-converter.htm
Going to a higher stall converter allows you to launch the car at a higher rpm (if you have an automatic transmission). This helps you get off the line faster because your closer to your torque peak as you launch.
The aftermarket lid is in fact a larger air lid for the stock T\A ram air setup. It increases maximum airflow and is good for some power. (Not sure how much, not that familiar with LS1 mods).
LS1 is the engine code for the 5.7L 1998+ Trans Am\Camaro engines. LT1 is the engine code for the 5.7L 93-97 year engines for these cars. The LS1 is a more modern engine design and makes a good bit more power from the factory.
I would suggest a full catback if I were you. I love the B&B system on my 94 Formula but they are pretty expensive. Check out the aftermarket stuff.
www.thunderracing.com
www.summitracing.com
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2026