Christmas is coming up soon, and even though I'm 20 years old, my parents insist on getting me an actual gift. Not just money.... So I thought about it, and I can't really think about anything besides buying parts for my computer or car. Just upgraded my computer, so car it is! I'm under the assumption that I have anywhere from $200 to $300 to spend. My car is very well maintained, and runs great; so aside from maintenance my mind shifts towards cosmetic or performance mods. Now I know it isn't a lot, and I'm certainly not expecting a huge gain in performance, but I can't help but wonder about a few things that I can get for my car to be a little bit more peppy.
I have an 02 Z24 with the 2.4L LD9 (5-Speed), AEM WAI, and that's it for engine mods. Suspension wise, I have an addco 25.6mm rear sway bar, and a J-body Convertible Front Strut bar in the engine bay. That's about it. The first thing that crossed my mind would either be KYB GR2 Struts (although my current ones ride and handle fine, so meh) or maybe Motor Mounts? As i'm reading though, people seem to be split on whether those even make a difference. Can anyone confirm whether they help or not?
Any other ideas? I'm not really too fond of exhausts, They're loud, drone, and just piss people off. I like how my car sounds as it is anyways.
Any input is appreciated guys,
thanks in advance.
tint, rims, lip kit, drop springs or struts to start suspension
Modding my j since I found the org
first off, id like to say you have a nice, clean car.
next, if ur me...id look at ANYTHING that needs replaced, fixed, maintenance, etc to get the car into 100% tip top shape, THEN start doing subtle changes here and there. maybe do one thing every few months if you can afford it. enjoy each mod as you do them and ultimately you'll end up liking what you do more.
Come join us over on the Olds Quad 4 and Twin Cam Facebook group!
You cant really go wrong with motor mounts, upper and lower can easily be had for under 200 if you watch the classifieds and buy em used. Even if you buy them brand new you can get them for around 200.
Dave
Invest in your childrens' futures.
I'd go for tints, or depending on mileage, new ball joints.
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:first off, id like to say you have a nice, clean car.
next, if ur me...id look at ANYTHING that needs replaced, fixed, maintenance, etc to get the car into 100% tip top shape, THEN start doing subtle changes here and there. maybe do one thing every few months if you can afford it. enjoy each mod as you do them and ultimately you'll end up liking what you do more.
Thanks man. I'm not sure what to do maintenance wise. As you can see from my "Preventative Maintenance" thread, I've done more than just an average owner, and yet, there's so much more that can be done.
Your text to link here.... Thanks for the comment about my car too, I try hard to keep it clean and in working condition
JUCNBST wrote:I'd go for tints, or depending on mileage, new ball joints.
Already got tints, great investment, never a bother from the police, looks about 1000x better haha. Ball joints isn't something that crossed my mind. Actually, I must confess, I'm not sure what they do exactly, or what would be improved if I were to replace them.
Engine Mounts and Magnaflow cat back.
-Aaron
www.TurboTechRacing.com
Performance Parts For Cavalier, Sunfire, Cobalts and More!!!
the ball joints are definitely a wear item. they are riveted to you're control arms on the ends and are what connect the control arm to the knuckle.
if ur going to do them i suggest picking up a set of n-body aluminum control arms (modding for perfect fit up to you, check out suspension and brake for more info), get them cleaned up and powdercoated, install prothane bushings ($40 shipped in most cases), and new moog ball joints.
doing the aluminum control arms will cut down on you're unsprung weight which means quite a bit in the car world (think forged wheels vs cast) and you'd also be getting a much more solid control arm vs the stock stamped steel pieces, not to mention poly. bushings and you'd have a very nice and GREASABLE ball joint to boot.
Come join us over on the Olds Quad 4 and Twin Cam Facebook group!
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:the ball joints are definitely a wear item. they are riveted to you're control arms on the ends and are what connect the control arm to the knuckle.
if ur going to do them i suggest picking up a set of n-body aluminum control arms (modding for perfect fit up to you, check out suspension and brake for more info), get them cleaned up and powdercoated, install prothane bushings ($40 shipped in most cases), and new moog ball joints.
doing the aluminum control arms will cut down on you're unsprung weight which means quite a bit in the car world (think forged wheels vs cast) and you'd also be getting a much more solid control arm vs the stock stamped steel pieces, not to mention poly. bushings and you'd have a very nice and GREASABLE ball joint to boot.
Hmm.. You really think that's my best option? Remember I still gotta get the parts installed. I have family owned mechanic shop, but it sounds like a lot of work, idk if they'd let this one go for free? And what kinda improvements am I lookin at here? Better ride quality?
best things can be done to start, lower, remove the moldings, as Aaron said a catback (not commenting on the brand that was said lol), engine mounts for sure, tranny mounts if you choose, a header (can be bought cheap in the right places), hi-flow cat( or stock GA), thats a start, then you deside what to do from there
"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
AJ B wrote:best things can be done to start, lower, remove the moldings, as Aaron said a catback (not commenting on the brand that was said lol), engine mounts for sure, tranny mounts if you choose, a header (can be bought cheap in the right places), hi-flow cat( or stock GA), thats a start, then you deside what to do from there
Guess you didn't read the part where I said I don't want an exhaust. Lowering wouldn't be too bad of an idea, although I think it'd cost more than $200-$300 wouldnt it? Engine mounts still sound good, but I'm not sure if they're worth it. After all my searching I can't find dynos that prove that engine mounts actually get more power to the wheels.. Can anyone confirm or deny this?
meh, get some control arm bushings, what are the shape of the strut mounts? might look into those.
for your car, i wouldnt mess with changing the control arms out,I would just swap ball joints to moog ball joints.
Fuel filter if you havnt done that one since i read it was rusted on a while ago
like they said, do more maintenance to it since you arent too concerned about going fast.
5 speed?? id say look for a b&m short throw
DOPER.
no I didnt miss the part of you not wanting exhaust Im saying base outline lol, and you dont want for the wrong reasons, exhaust is ONLY as loud as you make 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
You almost have enough for an ebay turbo kit! (just joking)
Ball joints have been mentioned. I've had one fail before as I was driving. Not cool. I'd definitely spend some of it on something cool though...not just maintenance stuff ya know.
2004 Cavalier Sedan
what year n model are the control arms from?
boostedz24
What about brakes? Pads/rotors should be well within your budget.
2010 Honda Fit LX
Things I Can't / Won't do:
- Exhaust Mods
- Fuel Filter (Completely rusted on, otherwise, trust me, I would have changed it by now)
- Forced Induction (lol)
- Brakes (Thought about it, but they're relatively new still, and stop / feel great)
- Short Throw Shifter (Doesn't interest me, I like the stock shifter, and I can shift fast enough anyways)
Thing's I'm considering:
- Ball Joints - Are these something that a mechanic can visually inspect? I like the idea of preventative maintenance, but I want something that I can feel and enjoy the difference from.
- Control Arms / Suspension Bushings - The bushings under there didn't look to awesome, and If they're in any kinda shape like my sway bar bushings were then, I'll probably get them replaced anyways.
- Motor Mounts - Willing to take the risk, and leaves me with money left over for other parts / gifts. TTR mounts seem to be my best bet, and with more power actually reaching the wheels, I'd say its moderately worth the money for some extra quickness.
Any other suggestions? The ball's still in the air at this point. I should also mention that I'll be working this winter, so aside for beer money and what not when I go back to college after winter break, I'll be replacing my strut mounts and hopefully some suspension bushings as a precaution around then.
engine/transmission mounts are deffinately worth it, i bought the TTR upper engine mount for my sunfire and i love it
dxdean3 wrote:engine/transmission mounts are deffinately worth it, i bought the TTR upper engine mount for my sunfire and i love it
They're definitely what I'm leaning towards right now. The Ball joints sound like a good idea, and I'll probably do them anyways with my own money. Anyways, what have you noticed about your car since you got the TTR Upper engine mount? Will this increase any kinda power getting to the wheels as well? I'm having a hard time finding posts confirming that their cars feel a little peppier. Although I have found posts stating that poly tranny mounts have made shifting feel nicer.
Alcolawl wrote:dxdean3 wrote:engine/transmission mounts are deffinately worth it, i bought the TTR upper engine mount for my sunfire and i love it
They're definitely what I'm leaning towards right now. The Ball joints sound like a good idea, and I'll probably do them anyways with my own money. Anyways, what have you noticed about your car since you got the TTR Upper engine mount? Will this increase any kinda power getting to the wheels as well? I'm having a hard time finding posts confirming that their cars feel a little peppier. Although I have found posts stating that poly tranny mounts have made shifting feel nicer.
Since you like the way your car rides and handles now instead of getting mounts im going to say just get some tint and maybe a front lip. Drop springs on stock struts will eventually blow them and make the car very bouncy, motor mounts will cause vibrations at idle, exhausts are usually stupid loud (kudos for wanting to keep it quiet), but a few small things for cosmetics go a long way.
Eat my shift
M2 wrote:Alcolawl wrote:dxdean3 wrote:engine/transmission mounts are deffinately worth it, i bought the TTR upper engine mount for my sunfire and i love it
They're definitely what I'm leaning towards right now. The Ball joints sound like a good idea, and I'll probably do them anyways with my own money. Anyways, what have you noticed about your car since you got the TTR Upper engine mount? Will this increase any kinda power getting to the wheels as well? I'm having a hard time finding posts confirming that their cars feel a little peppier. Although I have found posts stating that poly tranny mounts have made shifting feel nicer.
Since you like the way your car rides and handles now instead of getting mounts im going to say just get some tint and maybe a front lip. Drop springs on stock struts will eventually blow them and make the car very bouncy, motor mounts will cause vibrations at idle, exhausts are usually stupid loud (kudos for wanting to keep it quiet), but a few small things for cosmetics go a long way.
Yeah I already have 35% tints and I love them. Made my car look way better. I've heard good things about the TTR mounts and how they don't vibrate the car too much though, So I'm still not sure. And a front lip? Links? Because for $300, I'm not sure what I could get painted and ready to install :/
