I am so lost when it comes to performance parts.. please help

I am trying to squeeze some extra performance out of my 98 intrigue in the way of HP/gas mileage. However I am just trying to do easy to do upgrades. Example distributor caps, but looking on ebay I can't seem to find one that matches the ones on intrigues. Closests I found was this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-MSD-8224-GM-DIS-2-tower-coil-pack_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33689QQihZ019QQite mZ8071784434

Is that the right one? Also what other things can I do to my engine, I just bought a Short ram inductor.

This one looks right too! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Engine-Works-Megafire-HEI-45-000-volt-Coil-GM-DIS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33689QQihZ019QQitem Z8077487199

upgrading the coils probably wont help your gas mileage out at all, and will have very little effect on the performance of a stock engine.

The best place to start for better gas mileage is of course a good tune-up. What kind of mileage are you getting now?

Things to consider replacing in a tune up would be:
Spark plugs/wires
PCV valve
Air Filter
O2 Sensor

The O2 sensor can have a huge effect on gas mileage, but its also somewhat expensive.

You have the 3.8 engine, so Theoretically...notice I say theoretically, any of the pre-fabbed intake setups for the Grand Prix, Regal, Monte Carlo, Impala...any any other W-body I forgot, should fit, as the all have basically the same setup under the hood....The 3.5 is a diferent story, although ive never personally compared a W-body 3.8 to my 3.5...it might be very similar.

But some places to check out for pre-made intakes would be http://www.pfyc.com www.3800performance.com and I believe www.intense-racing.com may have some as well.

Since you have the 3.8 you also have a lot in common with the Grand Prix guys, you should check out www.clubgp.com Im sure they could also help you in building your own cold-air intake, which would be cheaper than buying a pre-fabbed one, and should have about the same effect if not better when done right.

You also have several exhaust options due to the engine you have, if the setup is similar to the GP which im pretty sure it is, you should be able to get headers, or at least ported exhaust manifolds, a larger downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter, and get rid of the u-bend in your exhaust..

Theres quite a bit of stuff you can do, but you will be hard-pressed to find anything that will say "fits the 98-02 Intrigue" because everyone including GM seems to have forgotten its existence...

The biggest improvements in gas mileage will come from the intake, followed by exaust, that is unless you arent over-enjoying your newfound performance as well:naughty: there are also several braking and suspension upgrades that make the car a lot more fun to drive.

If youve ever been dissattisfied with the way your car stops I highly recommend at least going to 12 inch rotors up front with the stock calipers, you can also go to 12 inch rotors up front and use F-body calipers. If you want more info on either one of these let me know, I went with 12 inch rotors and stock calipers and I love it!

I was planning to upgrade the brakes. As for performance, right now my car runs like shit because it needs a new exhaust BAD, just waiting for a friend to have time to squeeze me in, I am also having him do my front struts. I got lucky on this car and snagged it for 500. I just bought an intake just waiting for it to get here. I will most likely change out the wires, and plugs. What is the best way to go for both?

$500 is the cheapest I have seen for an Intrigue. A damn good car for $500. How many more of the $500 Intrigues do you have sitting around?

For mileage I would put serious air in the tires. I put 36+psi in my BFG Control Plus tired Intrigue and my dad will even go over that with ~40 psi, but he is super cheap about gas. He will also drive at 55mph or less and that was before it ever became popular. He swears the Intrigue 3.5L is capable of 35+mph (37mpg??) at those type of speeds also. I get my 30+mpg and I am happy with that. For the larger 3.8L engine I would expect mpg to be less than the 3.5L.

Buy highway 80,000 mile warranty tires with the hard sidewalls. (Yes, he thinks I am nutz for only putting in 36psi in the tires.) A new air filter would help. Change out the oil and tranny fluid and filter. I would just run the normal engine oil in the 3.8L, but for the 3.5L I run mobile 1 synthetic. Change out the old radiator fluid if you have not done that yet before the older dexcool turn acidic and eats the radiator and whatever else.

A good set of ~80K mile tires for the Intrigue is a great upgrade from those stock tires. = Best upgrade I ever did on my Intrigue.

you wont notice much difference with that Short Ram from Ebay, you need to get the filter farther away from the hot exhaust manifold area, it needs to be right behind the headlight, or in the fenderwell, with a heatshield built around it before its a true cold-air intake, it might be a little better because of the better flow and whatnot, but chances are the filter that comes with it is also worthless, and would probably hold water if given the chance(a good filter should repel water).

All the things stated about tires are good pieces of advice, but realize that you can overinflate a tire so I would be careful.

As for spark plugs and wires, the only advice I have is stay away from Bosch, AC Delco and NGK are usually good stuff, as well as Autolite.

I know a lot of people have had good look using Belden spark plugs wires from NAPA, they have a lifetime warranty and are pretty cheap in comparison.

The 3.8 and 3.5 are both capable of getting excellent gas mileage for engine of their size and performance....i know of a person with a 3.5 Aurora that got over 40mpg on one trip, and ive heard several accounts of high 30s and low 40s from people with a good intake/exhaust setup and just an overall good running car.

A bad O2 sensor will kill your gas mileage, and just because it isnt setting the check engine light doesnt mean it doesnt need replaced, they fail very slowly most of the time, and start to get sluggish in their readings.

Older dexcool can cause problems for sure, so you might want to change it out. You also have the 3800 series II which is notorious for its upper intake failure, so if you car about your car you should read up on it.

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/kb.php?mode=article&k=38

Read over the information in that link, its golden stuff, and tough to find that much info in one place anywhere else, I know it says Bonneville, but you have the exact same engine, its also a really good club, Im a member there as well, and I guarantee youll get alot of help over there with your mechanical problems, its a good bunch of folks that I highly recommend...I recommend them a lot more than ClubGP, but the info on ClubGP can be more relevant at times.

Also while youre replacing the exhaust, you might as well get rid of the stupid u-bend...its just after the catalytic converter, the piping takes a sharp vertical turn(you should see what im talking about if youre under there) the O2 sensor is at the top of that turn though, so you will need to put it back in the piping somewhere, using an 02 bung in the pipe, or you can get a cat converter with an 02 bung, but if you leave it out you will get a check engine light that will never go off, and thats bad, because if something else goes wrong you wont know about it...you can get an 02 simulator box for about 30-40 bucks at several of the sites I linked you too earlier if youd rather do that as well.

I may not be the most mechanically inclined member on here, but Ive spent A LOT of time looking for upgrades and such for my car, I know whats out there, so if you have any questions just post back on here, or hit me up on e-mail or aim or something