Couple Engine Mod Questions

Hey all. By the summer, I want my ESi to have 210hp w/o a turbo. So, I have some questions...

1) Is buying an underdrive pulley a good thing? I see all these upgrades, but what will replacing it actually do? Is it worth while? And easy?

2) Im looking to replace the DOHC cams. I heard that the car can sound like a beast with replacing them with certain ones. Which ones are good? Is there a performance increase? Links? Tips?

3) Would replacing the cam gears be worth while? What kind of increase can I get from some AEM gears?

4) Engine mount upgrades. I cant find a link for some better mounts. I have massive wheel hop, and that needs to stop. Struts didnt help at all!

5) Can the talon have a dual cat-back? I've never seen it done, and I want to do it when I get my exhaust. Would this be good, or actually drop performance?


THANKS!!!

1. underdrive pully's will decrease the rotating mass. i have heard it's a good buy for N/T cars

2. cams will eventualy make a difference in the engine. but you need to think about other things first. when you get to the point of needing cams you will know enough to do it.

3. cam gears will only serve to increase the timing outside of the ECU. this is some deep dyno tuning stuff.

4. there are a couple of things you can do. one is to fill in the existing motor mounts with some stuff. look in the VFAQ to find that link. otherwise give RRE a call and see what they can do. [i got some there, but for a 4g63]

5. i suppose you could do it, i have seen it done. it's just a little bit of fabrication. it may cause a bit of backpressure though. you want as straight a pipe as can be.


i have HKS cams and AEM gears. the cams make the idle sound like a dragster, and the top end is definitly kicked up a notch or two. while i'm sure that they may make some difference in your car, i'm not sure it will make a noticable difference. now changing the cams on a VTEC or VVI [or whatever] will make a difference because of the variable valve tech out there now. but i'm not a NT guy... so...

oh and cam gears can be a bitch. Roy of RRE [royzgsx] has them locked on 0 for a pro reference. by adding timing advance you can increase your chances for knock, and the ECU may trim it out anyways... but they sure do look nice :)

but i'm just a lowly turbo guy. try www.2gnt.com (http://www.2gnt.com)

i think RiceRocket18 has dual ehaust, might want to ask him about the pros and cons....

1) So the pulley would be good to get? How's the installation?

2) When will I know for cams? I want it to sound bigger. Adding them now will do nothing?

3) I have no dyno, so this would be useless for cam gears?

4) Looking into.

5) I thought backpressure was good for a NT car? straightpipe for Turbo, backpressure for NT. That's what I heard.

Thanks!!

Backpressure is good until a point. With a turbo the turbo its self creates back pressure.

backpressure is always bad. the "nt's need backpressure" thing is a misconception almost everybody believes. they dont need backpressure what they need is exhaust velocity (speed). this helps to suck the spent exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber. smaller piping doesnt make much difference for backpressure but it does increase the velocity of the exhaust gases. turbos dont need this as much but it does help low end torque. however, biging piping is neccesary for high rpm/high boost so most people with turbos put on bigger piping

OK, Im going to pick up a underdrive pulley. Is there anything that I need to know before buying it? I read on ebay that I need a newbelt when installing... true? Are they all the same widths? like Im not going to have problems with the belt sliding off or anything? Is there anything else I should know? Like somehow aluminum breaks or something... Tell what I need to know! lol Thanks.

For installation, I think Ill have my mechanic install it. Probably best... right? Prob needs to be torqued to the right specs and all.

Thanks guys.

yes, you need a shorter belt, some pulley kits come with a belt, they're all the same width, you just have to make sure you get a flat belt rather than a V-belt if thats what you have

cam gears are essentialy useless. and if you want bigger sound get a larger exhaust. simgle will be loud enough to get ya pulled over. i don't even think that a dual would be louder, it should baffel it even more [more pipe]

1) Get the AFX UDP. Installation link: http://seangordon1.tripod.com/UDPinstall.html
2/3) Read up on 2gnt
4) Get some window-weld and fill the motor mounts (http://www.raktron.com/misc/mt.htm)
5) It is not worth it, it won't help on a NT at all except that it will look good. Just get a regular 2.5" exhaust.

Nice. This is exactly the information im looking for. That link for the underdrive didnt work.

So, Im going to pass on the dual exhaust. Still need to decide on headers yet. Any ideas for those?

The pully Im going to get installed. I need someother work done to my car anyway. Got a weird wheel-whobble sound coming from the back, and i need brakes.

HEADER not headers you have a inline 4 cylinder which has 1 header not 2 headers like a v8 or v6

I know. Thats what I meant. Its easier saying headers thatn header. You know how it is.

I know. Thats what I meant. Its easier saying headers thatn header. You know how it is.


get DC Sorts Ceramic. The stainless steel ones look great for a while but after a few thousand miles will rust nasty style./ The ceramic coating repels rust

So with the pulley, how much hp would I get out of it? I read that the AEM pulleys get "10 hp". But we all know the companies make up numbers. "This cold air intake adds 40+ hp..." You know the bull. What kinda increase are we talking here?

"The stainless steel ones look great for a while but after a few thousand miles will rust nasty style./ The ceramic coating repels rust"

Stainless steel does not rust hense the part stainless.
For a header.. i would go with the cheapest one you can find.. paint it with ceramic high heat paint and then wrap it with exhaust wrap. I got a OBX header and painted and wraped it for under 200.

As for the UDP.. That link works for me.. try it again it might of just been down. They should give you ~7 hp at the wheels. You will see a nice increase expecially in the lowend.

Good luck