'02 Firebird Mods!!! Help please.

[Georghino]

I'm gonna start doing some mods to my '02 firebird V6 (i know it is not a V8 but this is a good start). Of course i am gonna start with the air intake, air filter, and airbox lid. I will need some help deciding what to buy because i am new doing this things, so any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Which one is better? Fast Toys Ram Air, SSRA Super Sucker, or SLP CAI.
SSRA is plastic, and the other ones are metal. does that make a difference?
which is the best air filter out there?
Anyways, thanks beforehand.

Georghino

p.s. This is my first project so bare with me if i seem to ask too many questions. It won't be the last one though. Next will be the exhaust system.

[FAPhoenix]

Now I don't know much about new engines but isn't the 3.8L in there shared with the Grand Prix?

From what I've found as it sits your car makes:

200hp@5200
225fp@4000

The Supercharged Grand Prix from 2002 made:
240hp@5200
280fp@3600

Since I havn't done the research on it but maybe you can swap the pistons and try to make your engine to match that Grand Prix's specs then supercharge it but knock up the boost a bit.

I'd find a GTP forum and start asking how they made boost on the 3.8L N/A engine.

You could always research the old fashioned ways of making more power:

1) Headers & Exhaust
2) Porting the Heads & Cam Shaft

Competition Cams makes 3 camshafts for the 3.8L engine.

I played around with Desktop Dyno and although I don't have the real headflows or any of the other specs besides the cam and compression and block it looks like:

Headers, Pocket Porting and the Comp Cams Xtreme Energy Roller Cam for N/A (78-801-9) put your engine at:

240hp@5000
298fp@3500

This program isn't that close to a real build, but it gives you an idea on where you will find the power increase, it seems a lot more low end torque which is nice.

If you're going to attempt this I would suggest finding someone to help who definatly knows his stuff.

I'm hoping someone else posts here too, but maybe a chip? They seem to be popular and help.

If you're car is an auto, a good torque convertor is probably the best performance mod you can do to your car.

As for air filter, I have both a K&N open elelement and a "Ukranian Supercharger" filter with a paper filter and there was no noticable difference on my car. The K&N does look nicer though, but gives the impression your car is fast, and I like to be as much as a sleeper as I can so I stuck to my paper filter and stock looking engine.

(Ukranian Supercharger is taking the lid and flipping it upside down making the paper filter an open element.

[Georghino]

Come on people. I am going to need more help than just one reply. I would like to get as much information as possible before i go out and start buying the wrong stuff for my car. Please any advice would be appreciated.
CAI? which one?
Exhaust system? which one?
Any other mods? Please help me.
My goal is to take the power up to 300 hp. Is that possible? or am i talking s**t here.
Thanks again.

p.s. I have a 2002 firebird V6 200hp, automatic, sport appearance package w/dual exhaust.

[pre]

The fast toys one sounds the best to me from looking at the SLP and Fast Toys website. KN amkes the best air filter. After you do the air mods I would suggest doing headers and a cat-back.

[BlkCamaroSS]

As for slapping a GP supercharger on it, not possible. I know of several people that have looked into it. They're the same motor but too dissimilar in the applications. You'd have to find another aftermarket manufacturer that makes one for the 3.8 Series II...

[Entreri33]

OK my '01 was putting 218hp to the ground add 15% for the 5 speed and thats 250 hp roughly and I was walking all over the SC grand prixs and many mustang GT's.

I had a 3" exhaust, off road pipe, O2 sim, Air temp sim, smoothed and flowed the stock lid (whisper lid might have been a bit better but never found out) 3" PVC pipe to replace the baffles, removed air screen at the intake, "free ram air mod" from LS1.com, K&n filter (the holley is just as good).

I was going to get the pacesetter headers they seem to be the best ones out there for now. I was also going to do a 2" X pipe with out cats and a pair of twister mufflers dumping infront of the rear axle.

If you have an auto get a converter ASAP and an aluminum driveshaft. And since your starting with a V6 remove anything that you dont need wieght is a big enemy.