Hey guys, looking for some advice on a few things.

Currently driving a 98 pontiac sunfire 2200, in hopes doing a 96-99 cav front end swap as well.

I am wanting to put a new header, cat, muffeler, and downpipe on the car. Does anyone have any suggestions on legitimate durable equipment? I am not a performance person, also they need to be 2.25 correct, and the downpipe needs to be mandrel bent? Personally I am low on money so trying to peice these together is my goal but I need a starting point.

Also a CAI, this is supposed to increase gas mileage as well, I have messaged some people about one, but what is the truth behind this- i need a legit one that is durable and isnt too flashly as my car isnt anything special.

3 More random questions: Would Front/Rear Strut bars, and a throttle body help my daily driver anyday?

This car does a lot of long distance, so any help is appreciated

If your low on money don't do it. Save your money then sell your car and get something with either a 2.4 or a 2.2 eco or swap an engine into your car if you can find a very cheap donor car (wreck). The 2200 takes a lot of cash to build a good engine and as you said you have no cash.

Also please fill out your profile.


Whats up people?

^ Don't listen to him, 2.2ohv is a strong easy motor to work with

Read this over and over and over and over again.


http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=215434&t=215434


________________________________________.
Still not low enough for a signature.

1.) I am not a 2200 person... so can't answer the parts question, but the front and rear strut bars do improve the cars handling. I will not say it helps tons for daily driving, but you should notice a little difference.

2.) mandrel bent is better flowing and less restrictive... So yes

3.) An intake does help some with gas mileage. Like I said... Not sure about the 2200, but I bet it does.

I always recommend Turbo Tech Racing. They sell good parts.

Also, OEM has some good prices on exhaust and some other things for ya car.

I will fill out my profile, I registered last night as I was on a role getting @!#$ done.

I do have "some money" I am obviously not going to indulge on the internet about these funds but if Im shopping for an exhaust I have something, I just don't wanna buy a $500 exhaust setup when I see random people selling cat's and mufflers from 30-40 dollars on the classified/ebay from reputable makers.

All thats really needed is the piping, and I have no idea where to find the best deal on getting the correct piping, would I need to decide on the cat/muffler before the piping?


Also on the guy who told me to read the post, I have- thus why I was coming with some simple questions about where to find my supply,

Headers/Cat Back Exhaust, Big Three, Front/Rear Strut Bar, a small bit of audio equipment and doing a cav front end and priming it satin black with a shaved spoiler on black mags is my ONLY plans, so im not going into being a enthusiast I just love my car.

and of course the throttle body if thats viable

I never said it wasn't a good motor. It isn't a cheap motor to build. For what you spend in building it you could swap in another engine with much more potential because your starting at stock.

To the OP a cat or a muffler is a lot different than a $500 exhaust system. When I had my exhaust done it cost me about $500 CDN to get a shop build me a full 2.5" mandrel bent system done which includes a hi flo cat, resonator and camaro style dual exit muffler. How mechanically inclined are you? Can you weld or fabricate? Where do you want to go with your car (performance / visual / audio wise)?

These are questions that should be answered before you start building that way you don't waste money and time in mods that don't get you what you really want.


Whats up people?

Freelancer1988 wrote:1.) I am not a 2200 person... so can't answer the parts question, but the front and rear strut bars do improve the cars handling. I will not say it helps tons for daily driving, but you should notice a little difference.

2.) mandrel bent is better flowing and less restrictive... So yes

3.) An intake does help some with gas mileage. Like I said... Not sure about the 2200, but I bet it does.

I always recommend Turbo Tech Racing. They sell good parts.

Also, OEM has some good prices on exhaust and some other things for ya car.

Thank you!


-Aaron
www.TurboTechRacing.com

Performance Parts For Cavalier, Sunfire, Cobalts and More!!!

All I want is a slightly better than factory exhaust system to optimize gas mileage, sound does NOT matter as long as it doesnt sound like junk.
I have mechanically inclinced friends, but no welder.

I want 2.25 exhaust, mandrel bent piping, cat-back and possible 4-1 headers in the FAR future(last upgrade.

I am wanting to throw just the simple bolt-on's onto the car so that I can keep the engine running better and making it a better daily driver as I drive 60 miles or so a day.

Soo.. CAI, Exhaust, Front/Rear Strut Bars (if I can find them at a decent deal), and a throttle body if the part is viable in this situation, so the overall cost isn't nearly as much as replacing an entire engine.

I basically plan on doing those upgrades along with basic speaker replacement as their blown, along with a cav front end swap/shaved spoiler and sanding it down and Satin Black priming it.

ok so i read all the posts on here and i think u and me are in the same boat. My GF's car is a 98 that had had some work done prior to the purchase and i have been backtracing the mods to see if they messed something up. only bc the check engine light comes on once and a while and it sometimes dies when its cold out. ANYWAY.... it has a 4 into 2 into 1 header ( also called tri-Y i think) it is hooked up to a regular exhaust pipe back through the catalytic converter and straight out the back. the muffler was removed and test pipe put on. it rattles a bit due to it resting on the back axle and only gets loud when i get on it. (which is often) it also has a CAI of unknown origin along with unknown engine internals. but it gets about 20-25 mpg city as a guess since there is no trip meter its hard to gauge actual mileage. i do recommend going with one that put the air filter into front bumper since it gets cooler air there. it gets better mileage with plus gas instead of regular so i dont mind the price difference. look for info on summit racing or jegs bc the info even for v-8's can be used to choose between 4 into 1 or tri y design,. it has to do with where it pushes the powerband. the guy mentioning the mandrel being a good idea is right but it can get expensive. i would recommend a header that mounts to factory piping(downtube) also known as a shorty header. the muffler idea is overated in my opinion bc it only changes the exhaust sound when putting a "fartcan" exhaust on. the regular tailpipe can flow air pretty well if the header is used in conjunction with a opened cat(not legal as far as i know) but it will help the engine breathe better ie. better mileage and performance without breaking the bank. oh and usually u can find a muffler shop that will weld the parts together as long as u have it all ready. PS. u can drive with the factory exhaust manifold only but its loud as hell but loosen the bolts beforehand so the guy doesnt have to cuss uu out. after all time is money.
my research into strut bars is based on my camaro days and all i know is they help cornering mostly but i heard somewhere that if u use poly bushings and stiff springs and strut bars and weld the frame seams and such it helps the engine not work to overcome flex and puts power to the ground better ie. better mileage.
as for speaker systems i recommend shopping around first due to varied pricing. wally world had a set of 4x6's for about 30 bucks which is same price for factory replacement speakers that dont handle same power. i have seen some fronts priced at 20 bucks in pawn shops and flea markets. the rears i recomend pioneer bc i love mine. i also recomend matching them to the fronts not the other way around unless money is still an option. i highly recomend using as much dynamat as possible on the door since i put it on my ranger i havent touched my pioneer 6x8's in 4 years and they still sound great and the door closes like a newer truck. the reart speakers are a pain in the butt bc they are free air and not easily boxed (but im working on some ideas). the head unit is still factory for now since my gf is picky about her music and my old pioneer faceplate screen is broke and wont display anything. so she wont use it even tho its a 300dollar flip down model with really cool graphics that change. ( i miss that thing) oh and if u want more sound and add an amp i wouldnt go too powerful since the rear deck vibrates like a harley lmao.
im swapping the 98 front end to a 2000-02 model and i plan on adding the brickyard Z24 spolier and body kit. rims are probably gonna be the solid 5 spoke if i can get them but im not picky. either way i plan on painting them and the entire car black along with removeable headlight covers painted over for when i park it at shows. my gf is giving me free reign over the outside and stereo department(exception is the head unit) and i get to drive it whenever i want.


"hey meg ya 18 yet? alright""so meg hows it feel to be 18?""im only 16" "so hows it feel to be 18?"

95LsCoupe wrote:^ Don't listen to him, 2.2ohv is a strong easy motor to work with

No, He was right. The motor takes money to make it fast. It comes with about 95-100 whp stock and does not respond well to simple bolt-ons. You need serious parts and an even better tune. But when they are built, They can be very respectable.

dont waist your time with the 2200 I own one as well as the 14 second z, and had a 3400 cav, and 3100 cav and 2.2 from a 91 hell just toss a 3400, buy a new cavy, and/or give up completely, look at the quarter times 2200 will not run side by side with a 2.4 buck for buck 2.4 will eat the 2200, seeing as how I own both I can comment

"As I lay rubber down the street, I pray for traction I can keep, but if I spin and begin to slide, please dear God protect my ride." -Amen

oh havent dynoed it yet but then again it wasnt stock to start so i dont really have a baseline. also i am gonna be takin pics of it tommorrow of all the pieces. it will be with my cell camera but i can get it into tight spots like trying to see what bolts i missed when doin the water pump. so expect some detailed pics and some more name info on the parts as well as pics of the rest of the car as is. oh and as for how good a motor i fell if it runs and gets good mileage and doesnt need any major repairs its a good thing. more power tends to make me us eit ie. bad mileage . lol gotta love those on ramps.


"hey meg ya 18 yet? alright""so meg hows it feel to be 18?""im only 16" "so hows it feel to be 18?"

Anyone know where to get some 2.25 mandrel bent piping, front/rear street bars, or a CAI for a 98 sunfire, since your all derailing my topic i thought Id throw that out there

search button is your friend USE IT

"As I lay rubber down the street, I pray for traction I can keep, but if I spin and begin to slide, please dear God protect my ride." -Amen

Also Im not looking for this car to be fast, if I can find some cheap strut bars and get some good handling, godspeed.

I'm looking to increase gas mileage, thus CAI, throttle body, headers, and the cat-back exhaust are my only performance upgrades.

If anyone can point me towards some cost effective @!#$ i'd love it