Upgrade Ideas?

[SeanC]

Hey guys,

Not long after buying my car I had a ton of problems with it...There is still a good amount of stuff that I need to fix, but I really miss actually ENJOYING my car. My parents asked me for a Christmas list for this year and I figured it was a perfect time to maybe upgrade a bit and regain the fun of having an F-body.

What are some upgrades that are probably around $200 (or less)? I was maybe thinking a set of nice shocks. Any suggestions?

[Joshu]

Headers? Long tubes?

[SeanC]

I have wanted to get headers for a long time now. Unfortunatly, I live in New Jersey and emissions prevents you from getting long tubes. I was looking at mids a while ago but it doesn't seem like anyone makes a mid header setup for a dual cat car (that is a somewhat reasonable price).....enless someone knows any differently?

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

I also live in NJ. I did what many others have...ditched the dual cat setup and gone to a single high-flow cat. It's a gamble, but I doubt NJ will know the difference. So long as you have a cat and don't have any trouble codes showing, I can't see them knowing the difference.


Converting to a single cat opens up a lot of options. I went to the AS&M/RK Sport mid length headers. I'm about a week away from having it complete, as I had to purchase an intermediate pipe from a single cat car to adapt the new location of the cat to my Borla cat-back system.

Back on subject - forget about shocks. For $200, you're not going to be able to get much. I'm all for Koni, but if cost is prohibitive, you can get away with Strano modified Bilstein, the regular Bilsteins stink.

Have you thought about suspension upgrades? You can do sway bars, lower control arms, and panhard bar yourself. 1LE components are a vast improvement over standard parts. I also know where you can get a complete setup at a great price... (hint, hint, I removed mine last year to go to an all out autocross setup).

[SeanC]

I would definitly consider converting to a single cat system, but I really don't have the money for that...I'm a poor college kid haha. Do you think aftermarket suspension components from companies like UMI are better than the 1LE options?

[SeanC]

Do you guys have any preferences of suspension companies? I'm looking at the UMI rear non-adjustable panhard bar and lower control arms, and wanted to see if anybody has ever used these. Thank you!

[Injuneer]

If you have problems with the car, fix the problems before you start modding it. If you have engine problems, buy some scanning software and a cable. If you have mechanical problems, get a shop manual and some tools. Modding a car that has "problems" is not the right way to go. $200 doesn't go far, so you need to spend it wisely.

[SeanC]

You're right injuneer....I just get so frustrated sometimes because I just want to enjoy my car instead of worrying about it breaking down on me everytime I go out.

I've been getting a "Low MAP sensor reading" code pop up every once in a while. I get normal readings and then all of a sudden it goes below 3 mmHg and the code reappears. I replaced the wiring harness end because it was extremely corroded and the clip was broken, but its still happening. Is there a way to test the actual sensor itself? I dont really want to go out and buy a $50 sensor if my current one is fine...

[ConElite]

Fred is right, Even if you have all those modes whats the point of you cant even drive your car.


Ill answer your question about brands. When i did my suspension, I went with all UMI pieces, and their quatily is awesome. The only downside of UMI is it does take some time for you to get your products. Usually 1-2 weeks until they ship.

Also for about $200 you can get lowering springs.

[Injuneer]

As far as the MAP sensor is concerned, if it puts out the correct signal most of the time, its most likely a wiring problem. Did the corrosion possibly damage the pins on the sensor? I know the harness connectors dry out and crumble, producing intermittent contact, but it appears you've already addressed that. The internals of the sensor is a thin metal diaphragm that changes resistance proportional to pressure - its like a "strain gauge". They are usually very reliable. You might want to check the soft rubber "gasket" that seals the sensor to the manifold.

Don't overlook the Spohn Perfromance parts. Unfortunately, "others" have directly copied Steve's parts and they look very similar. But the quality of the Spohn parts is the best there is. I've worked with Steve to help with dimensions, used my car as prototype to develop the install procedures, and observed his manufacturing processes. He cuts no corners.

[SeanC]

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it! I was looking at the panhard bars on Spohn's website...What would you recommend? Is there a big improvement with poly bushings and spherical rod ends? Is it worth getting an adjustable one?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying really hard to learn as much as possible. I'm going to go get the suspension book that you suggested on your website injuneer. I'm in my freshman year of engineering hoping to go into the automotive field, so I guess I better start studying!

[FTA1995]

Check out the hardware hookups here.

This is here I got my data log equipment from, works excellent and I highly recommend it; Craig Moates seems to know his stuff!

You'd want the CABL2 and ALDU1. It'll come to about 96 bucks shipped.
I have a handful of great applications to go with it to (sorry, can't share my full software licenses!).

Great for diagnosing issues with anything involving the control harness on and OBD vehicle.

Injuneer's suggestion still sounds great though, that's going to be next for me!

[ConElite]

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it! I was looking at the panhard bars on Spohn's website...What would you recommend? Is there a big improvement with poly bushings and spherical rod ends? Is it worth getting an adjustable one?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying really hard to learn as much as possible. I'm going to go get the suspension book that you suggested on your website injuneer. I'm in my freshman year of engineering hoping to go into the automotive field, so I guess I better start studying!

I would recommend the Poly bushing ends with a dual adjust. Thats what I have. If you get the rod ends, I heard that it clunks a lot. If course its best for performance but if iuts a DD then I would not recommend it.
This one is awesome! On car adjustment.

[SeanC]

Thanks for the responses FTA and ConElite. I actually have a OBD-II scanner (fairly simply, but it does its job), so I think I have that covered.

Conelite, that definitly looks like a good set up. Thanks for the suggestion! I think im going to try it out. I drove my car the past couple of days when I got home from school for Thanksgiving, and it really seems to be running well. I put a new MAP sensor in yesterday because I really felt like it wasnt reading right, and I havnt gotten a low reading yet. Hopefully that fixed it. Now I just have to deal with my starting issue with my fuel pump (spring project I guess). Other than that, the car is running better than ever.

It feels so good to have my car running well, and i'm really excited to get some new goodies to improve its performance a bit. I'm hoping I will be able to get SLP bolt-on subframe connectors too after the holidays, but we'll see. Sorry I keep rambling on I'm just really excited because the enjoyment of driving my car is back!

[ConElite]

I hear that the SLP bolt-ons people have issues with fitment. Either way weather u go with SLP or UMI or anything, I recommend the Weld ins. There really is no need to remove them. If you plan to do any auto-x in the future or like to hit corners i recommend you get the double diamond design.