Best abng for the buck?

[TTA89]

Re: downpipe

Originally posted by mrtransam3
I have a TTA and the biggest bang for my buck was the terry houston head with the 3 inch mandrel bent down pipe and removing the convertor. I also help my friend with his 87 GN and BOTH of the stock downpipes are extremely restrictive. The one that came off my TTA was crushed almost in half where it passed the frame rail. That was GM's solution to elimanating exhaust rattles! If you think it's not holding you back, but you fingers over your nose and try breathing through a straw and then you will know how your engine feels. After all an engine is just one big air pump. The more air you get through the more power you make!

Ill go after this one...

The only reason you felt improvement was you took off the Cat at the same time. If You would have spent $30 bucks on a Testpipe instead of $500 on a downpipe you would have gained the same performance.

Your analogy with the straw is correct, only you need more air than a straw can provide, in the 12 second Range a TTA doesnt need anything bigger than a stock crushed downpipe. Its not hurting performance. The downpipe sure looks like a restriction but you what, Its really not. The engine just doesnt seem to flow enough air to really care about that.

But the pipe looks impressive and people at the track go "Oooooo look at that downpipe"

 

[Roc87]

Razor, your combo looks pretty much identical to mine on the Iroc with the exception of the Injectors. I sure hope I can come close to your time! Was that time with the alcohol, or with race gas? I agree that alky is the best bang for $ with a bigger turbo, (With it on my stock turbo I don't like it!)

 

[Razor]

I ran 11.802 with the alky 3 weeks ago..and 11.74x this past saturday on race gas..I still have some tuning..well lots of tuning..

Hey TTA89..the THDP does work...hell I spent 600 bucks on a pipe.. you better believe it works..

Mark I totally disagree on the alky deal..It will save your butt if you ever have a fuel system problem..those that have never run it..will never understand..until you've used it..

My tank lasts me a real long time..I can get a day at the track for 3 bucks in alky..I get 2 months to a gallon..depends how much your on it..low Alky lite tells me when to refill...

Its proven..will never come off my car..just my humble opinion..

All you do is turn down fuel pressure bout 2 lbs and turn the boost up..easy..can run 25lbs on a low timing chip no problemo.Probably more...

 

[TTA89]

Originally posted by Razor

Hey TTA89..the THDP does work...hell I spent 600 bucks on a pipe.. you better believe it works..

Thank you for your help in keeping the vendors in buisness in case I ever need anything

 

[mark b]

Razor - I'm definitely not here to debate you

I think that the community has to respect the fact some people don't want to modify their cars and there are some people who simply don't want to know anything other than adding some basic mods like a K&N and a chip.

I know people running alky - they were doing it long before the SMC and other kits were even thought about. Their systems have been thought out and tested for years and are well advanced over any commercially available product that I have seen. I've seen it save motors, I've seen it run some incredible boost numbers.

But if alky, or any other mod for that matter were the only way to meet a goal, we would be living in China or some other place where there is no freedom of choice. Everyone would have the same setup, whatever the state deemed appropriate.

I, nor anyone that I have seen here debates the value of an alky setup. It is proven....and it's great to think outside the standard upgrade turbo/IC/injectors box!

 

[1badTTA]

All I have to say is that my car has run a best of 12.4 @110 with only the cheap mods, I was told it wasn't on racegas either (who knows, an old street racer owned the car before me) but it was done driven to a track 150 miles from here. I do know I have backed up the MPH having problems (see sig) with about 104 octane mix.

That said, once you get the most out of your current setup is when you need to look into the high dollar items like turbos and IC's. Don't just buy a bigger turbo cause you want to go faster. If your turbo goes out on you, then it is time, but not before then.

 

[turbov6joe]

Personally I like the alky injection myself. I went 119.89 MPH on a TE44, OE injectors, 2.5" ATR DP w/ test pipe using the OE exhaust elbow, stock exhaust (turbo back), Walbro 340, stretch IC, and a 19* street chip with 24 psi of boost....everything else factory stock! I ran this MPH with Nitto DR's and a 1.91 short time on a 60/40 pump gas/race gas combo.

 

[mrtransam3]

to TTA 89

Mr TTA 89 , I wanted to let you know that the cat came off my car a week after I had it and was replaced with a dump tube. It wasn't until 8 monhts later when I saved my pennies that I put my 3 inch down pipe and houston head on. Also at that time I replaced the 2 1/2 dump tube with a 3 inch dump tube. That pipe and head were the only mods I did and it dropped .4 tenths off the car at the track. The other benefit is a lot faster spool up which will definitely help you when one of those pesky mustangs come up beside you on a Sat. night while cruising!