PowerChip

totally agree, at best all they do is waste fuel, at worst they can cause engine damage.

steer well clear

 

dont spend a grand on something like that, it wont do anything.
those are only needed when you have a built motor that needs specific air fuel ratios all that stuff.
if you want some performance upgrades and you have a grand i would go to the closest exhaust shop and see how much it would be for a full headers back 2.25 or 2.5 inch exhaust. my local place said 350 for full 2.5 inch exhaust if i include a cat and muffler. also try to build a nice cold air intake. that would probably end up in a good 15-20 hp or so. if your trying to squeeze all the power out of your motor that you can you can also get rid of all your ac components, and advance your ignition timing(dont do this if you dont know what your doing, you have to use proper octane fuel). if you have more money you can also do some suspension work which is always fun

 

fook me for that price your not far away from a microtech anyway! (if you dont mind a thirsty tune)

 

Agreed, chips can sometimes raise the revband, boost power/torque but the claims are always over-rated and the prices are ridiculous

Exhaust sounds good, you may be able to cut that price with some Hotshot headers,
2nd hand gen2,3 headers. If you decide to fabricate - copy the gen3 header

CAI - Mount the filter INSIDE your existing airbox, just posted pics of an easy extra inlet mod down
low behind the bumper on my page. Cut the hole next to the tow hook in the bumper as well.http://www.st162.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=3828
The filter will be secure, dry, less noisy, cold, and get a LOT more air

 

If your filter is too big you'll need to make another box or find one that fits

 

You can kill all sounds with a good muffler. But it will very often effect your performance in a negative way as it will restrict the flow of the exhaustfumes.

 

but dont some n/a engines need a certain amount of backpressure??

 

2-stroke and rotary motors - yes, or they dump unburned fuel into the exhaust and lose power

4-stroke - no, 4 strokes need the headers arranged in firing order sothat the previous cyl can help
"suck" the following cylinder clean at the correct time, creating a vacumm for the air/fuel mix.
The the lenghts and sizes of the headers need to be tuned to the motor/cams etc.
It's impossible to have a header that is perfect thoughout the rev range, you have to decide
whether to increase bottom, mid or high rev power, most "performance" exhausts concentrate on
improving the mid range power/torque as that is where the power is needed on the street
Race teams will change headers depending on the type of track

On blown and turbo 4-strokes, they are force fed air/fuel and don't need the suction effect
Many blown dragsters & turbo race engines only have enough exhaust to keep the bodywork from burning.
Rail (T/Fuel) dragsters actually use the headers for downforce and stability, watch them weave
when blowing motors or dropping cylinders

 

link to extractors?
i cant find headers for my car anywhere...oh do you have a 3sge or fe

 

unless your lucky enough to score one on ebay thatl be about the average price for the filter

re zaust yep resonators/ hotdogs are there to quitten and thats about it (besides restrict flow unfortunately) mine took 2 for it to be legal haha.
2.5 should be fine in regards to back prassure especially if you have a resinator. As SeanK pointed out back pressure is something you want a little bit of. Exhaust systems is a black art in NA cars especially 4cyl add in extractor/header design and pipe width and its just a gamble. To much flow and the engine will lag to much restriction and the engine will choke.

genie extractors are good there arent may around for ours but there is also obx (iv heard are shit) or hurricanes like on mine. Gen 2/3 manifolds create clearance issues and arent a direct bolt on but worth it

 

hmmmm... so a decent set of headers will make a fair bit of difference to an n/a engine?? but which is the best to go for is the question?? any way of finding out?? and which system works best?? 4-2-1 or a 4-1?