Good advice here!

The muffler is almost always overlooked! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />




.....The k&n Filter is good for 9-15 Horse Power <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I want to see some dyno charts hydra.........

it is a 4 cylinder , not a v8.

here is my guesstimates on gains, if I am wrong, sorry.

The gains are only going to be at around the engines peak HP spot comparable to where it is stock.

muffler 0-2HP changing the muffler alone will net you barely any gains. most likely the only thing you will gain here, is people looking as you drive by (the ricer effect)

K & N 0 - 2HP the stock duct work is not that restrictive, PLUS unless you made some kind of cold air system, you are now sucking in HOT air from under the hood, this could even COST you horsepower on a hot summer day.

getting HP out of a 4 cylinder is not impossible, but it is expensive. spending $100 on an air filter an muffler is not going to net you 20HP I wish it were that easy!


<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" />

Alas...all true. If intake and exhaust can breathe enough to procure power and torque at high RPM, then these would not be a restriction at low rpm...in fact, free air and exhaust would improve the top end, not the low...

yea and we have to look at the reality, how often are you hitting the high max HP range? if you do every time you drive you are not getting very good mileage!

and for the most part gaining in HP means losing MPG and now is not the time to be losing that! You already lose some by going with larger tires.

so unless you plan on racing it save your money for the fuel tank and not try and gain 3 HP which you will not even notice.

here is one more thing , at least for me, I have put air intakes on cars before, and all it really made me do was mash the pedal more so I could hear that intake sound! so it may SEEM faster, but its cuz you are flooring it every time, and normally you would not do that. and the muffler is going to annoy your neighbors more than anything.

but thats my opinion

..great sound is great joy...yeah <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ..it FEELS like it'S faster
I've enjoyed this years ago...my son still does.. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I can't tell you the HP gains but I can tell you seat-of-the-pants feel of a K&N and exhaust.

When I first did the lift and 30" tires every thing was stock under the hood. I have some good hills to climb on my way to work so this is what I noticed. Stock I lost about 10 to 12 MPH on one of the hills in 5th gear. I did the open K&N first and on the same hill I lost about 8 to 10 MPH. With the 2 1/4" exhaust and a MagnaFlow muffler I lost 6 to 8 MPH. I put a big hole in the MagnaFlow in Moab and went to a Summit Racing Turbo muffler and went back to the 8 to 10 MPH loss. With the 31" tires I shift down to 4th at the bottom of the hill and gain about 2 MPH.

In my opinion the filter or exhaust by them self gives a marginal gain, with them both together you get a better gain (especialy in a V8). Also a good muffler is better than a cheap muffler, I have never gone wrong with a MagnaFlow. Flow Master are good mufflers also but I hate the way they sound and a Ford V8, they sound good on a Chevy though.

Just my thoughts, Dennis

So the opinion of the forum is that this is a normal response of the vehicle? Does anyone know if the torque curves were changed or similar in later models as the 1999 model I've driven definitely responds better with no mods?


Cheers

Iain

I don't think they changed much, It could be how they were broken in when new or the day of the week the engine was put together. I like to brake in an engine a little hard but not hard enough to hurt it. They say Mondays and Fridays are bad days to build a car on, I don't know how true it is but I hat to work on Mondays and Fridays <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />.

Dennis