1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
You do not need a 3" exhaust. Without any increase in boost levels, a new exhaust does not make too much sense right now. (If you were to get a new exhaust system, the Saab Sports exhaust would take you to some very substantial HP levels. Many find the Sports exhaust an easy DIY.)
That is a SAS -type- sway bar. It is only an SAS sway bar if you purchase from SAS. This will really help handling and is very good cost benefit choice for your project. This is an easy DIY! Get some penetrating oil on the old swaybar fasteners (4) a couple of days ahead of time. Especially the exposed threads at the nuts on the top side. And have some loctite blue (242) on hand, which you should have on hand for the DI screws anyways.
You need to get a K&N air filter. That will help the turbo spool up faster and will improve torque at high RPMs. You clean once a year and in the long run, less cost than the paper elements. Easy to install. You need to pull the existing filter and get the P/N from it. Search that on this BB and you should find the K&N cross reference. There are two air boxes and filters in that model year, which is very silly, but there it is. Also measure the old filter L&W incase you need that.
A SMBC costs very little and will make the turbo spool up faster and allows the K&N to do its thing. You will get better responsiveness and more torque in 1st and 2nd gear. Just don't get carried away with it. The max boost levels should not be increased... the T7 will fight it and will start to close the throttle to limit the boost and that will increase your intake temps and reduce torque. Easy to install! Cheap too.
Try the above and hold back with the surplus and see what comes up next. You might be needing that when you do brakes or tires to get better performance with those replacement parts. Do your own brakes, that can liberate a lot of $$$ which can be used for performance stuff or better performing replacement parts.
You braking and handling (wet and dry) is limited by tire contact patch performance. So you cannot expect the best with tires that have high wear ratings. Tires are where you can sink a lot of money when seeking better performance.
I think that the rack+brace, swaybar, K&N and SMBC would be a very good start and will fit well within your budget. Inspect your brakes and tires and make a judgement about which will wear out first.
You cannot be serious about performance and cheap out on fuel. Use premium fuel and avoid any fuel that is identified as having higher ethanol levels. You plugs need to be in good shape and properly gapped. Use Tecrhon Concentrate 3x/year or every 8K or so. Not knowing the vehicle history, I would do the Techron now. Use Mobil 1 0W40 or M1 Truck and SUV 5W40. Plugs = NGK BPCR6ES11's gapped to .035-.037", not .039 as you may see on a sticker or owner's manual. You do not need patinum plug$.
Purolator PureOne PL10241 oil filter is very very good.
Check your battery. If is has removable caps, you need to add distilled water 2 or 3 times a year... varies with temperatures etc. Dry cell tops can lead to explosions and acid everywhere.
Get B&B to provide you with a printout of maintenance history etc. Note if the DI cassette has been replaced. You did not state your miles. DI's do fail, and the cost of a tow to the dealer, dealer diagnostics and labor charges + taxes, dealer cost of the DI can be very expensive and getting a tow late at night or out of town can be a big PIA. Remove your DI and read the date code and other markings. Date code is of value in determing how old the DI is. You can get a spare DI for a little over $300, delivered and no tax. A lot of money to tie up, but a big payoff down the road. I could install one blindfolded in a few minutes. Do have some shop cloths in the back, it will be hot.
If you can DIY your oil changes, you can save some more money for other things. Use a 6 point socket to do the drain plugs as a 12 point socket will strip the hex.
posted by 65.68.100...
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