Grand Am Performance

[demnwhosrideisthat]

p thIm 18 and just traded in my old clunker for an 2004 4 door grand am. Lots of my friends are getting lexsus's and tibrons and i was wondering what i could do performance wise to make my car faster. I would prefer not to put any type of turbo in it because i am on a limited budget but would like to make it faster. Also if anyone knows of any body kits that look good on the grand am let me know

[gravis2000]

Hey @ the top of the main page there is a link to get all kinds of performance stuff. With the stock transmission there is a 250hp limitation.

[xeroinfinity]

actually the transmisions dont hold up much over 200hp, to get 250hp would require a SC or turbo, or NOS but thats dangerous!

[stevesmith215]

hello,

for lowcost performance, my recommendation would be k&n intake and exhaust. Both realtively low cost and not only gain hp but looks and sound good under the hood and out the back.
For the low cost route in mind, no don't go executing me by cutting some corners and saving a ton.
My recommendation is to ebay a wai, not cold air. the wai, just the short pipe and big cone filter to replace the stock crap air box can be done for total 25-30 dollars shipped to your front door. installs easy and simple. looks good, better pickup and sound.

You can do the same with a k&n cone filter, will cost more for relatively minimal gain. and the cold air version in my opinon is a hassel were snow falls.

For exhaust similar route, go ebay a pair of aftermarket mufflers for your car. should cost about 30-40 each. so under a hundred for tow aftermarket exhaust shipped to your front door is not bad. obviously will sound and look better and give more hp. don't forget to sell the old stock muffler, get some money on ebay for it.

lastly, when going to get the exhaust put on, for a couple bucks they'll remove the resinator in your exhaust pipe. basicly it helps quite the exhaust and restricts airflow. gone.

hope this helps.

stay away from the little chip/ resistor for the intake. adjusts fuel ratio and will hurt mpg badly and your car.

[xonelith]

Originally Posted by xeroinfinity

actually the transmisions dont hold up much over 200hp, to get 250hp would require a SC or turbo, or NOS but thats dangerous!

I've got 250 at the crank (203 whp; at least that's what the dyno said when it was 99*F), no Nitrous, no sc, no turbo and my tranny's still holdin' up.

Also, Nitrous is not dangerous, unless it is installed incorrectly.

Check out milzymotorsports.com for some performance upgrades for the LA1. They aren't cheap, but for me, worth it

[xeroinfinity]

Originally Posted by xonelith

I've got 250 at the crank (203 whp; at least that's what the dyno said when it was 99*F), no Nitrous, no sc, no turbo and my tranny's still holdin' up.

Also, Nitrous is not dangerous, unless it is installed incorrectly.

Check out milzymotorsports.com for some performance upgrades for the LA1. They aren't cheap, but for me, worth it

Youre using that DHP chip arnt you?
Hows the gas milage with that thing?

Well I hav seen Nos installed right , and it still damaged the rings & pistons sucked for him!

[xonelith]

The DHP chip is for minor mods. I had to take the tuning into my own hands I'm using HPTuners software.

Nitrous (over 75 shot), sc and turbo can damage rings. In fact, if you're pushing any sort of boost, you're best bet is to fortify the bottom end.

As for the gas mileage, I have adjusted the fueling to run slightly leaner when not in Power Enrichment, so it's not so bad.

[xeroinfinity]

HP Tuners is good software from what I've been told.

Cant get to lean though, right now mines dialed way back too. Still getting 22-24 mpg in the city, who knows on the highways, 34 at least(10gal=350mls).

[xonelith]

The software is a must (plus it's fun to play around with). If I could do it all over again, I would have just bought the software before buying anything else. I would be really interested in seeing what gains could be had on a stock GA.

The help file is available for download from hptuners.com/forums. Show's almost everything available.