Strategy for cost-effective Mo-Power. This is written for a Gen II V6
automatic but most tips apply to all.
The first place to start is removing parasitic drag.
The following tips will work on anything and give you more performance and
gas mileage if they've been neglected. I've seen a performance loss
equating to 10 HP from one slightly sticking caliper.
Synthetic wheel bearing grease with bearings properly adjusted per FSM.
Anti-seize compound on the caliper ramps and pad ears where they make metal
to metal contact.
Silicone grease on the caliper pins where they go through the rubber
bushings.
Anti-seize compound on the rear brake backing plates where there is any
metal to metal contact. Also on the self adjusters.
Verify the parking brake is not dragging and the brakes are not over
adjusted.
Lube any u-joint fittings.
Synthetic oil in the engine. (I've had great success with 10w30 Mobil
1)(heavier weight oils will rob some horsepower)
Synthetic rear end lube (with LSD additive if so equipped).
[Avoid overfilling either.]
Proper tire inflation and alignment.
Use a tonneau cover.
Don't carry around unnecessary weight.
note - use anti-seize sparingly. a THIN film will do fine.
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Next, your basic tune up.
180 degree Robertshaw thermostat. Proper mix of anti-freeze and water.
A good brass terminal cap and rotor, good quality wires (i like MSD 8.5),
and 3924 Autolite plugs gapped at .035 (if most of your driving is in town.
Otherwise .040 would be ok). I would only recommend the 3923's if you
experience any pinging with good quality 87 or 89 octane gas. A stock coil
in good condition is all you need.
The type of air cleaner that came on most Gen II's is plenty adequate.
(round canister directly on top of throttle body with a single snorkel.
Takes a circular air filter.) A clean Fram, or equivalent, filter works
just as good as a drop-in K&N. Avoid the open-element 14x3 type!!
Now the cheap performance mods...
Use the stock plastic hose from the air cleaner to the grille. Sliding some
silver dryer ducting over it will reflect heat better. Remove the plastic
splash shield in front of the air hose at the grille. You can then trim off
the flat part of the shield and attach it to the back of your horizontal
grille bars with a couple zip ties. You'll then be able to slide it from
side to side depending on whether you want a direct shot of air to the inlet
or want to cover it from bugs and rain. Performance is about the same
either way on a 318.
For a little fuel enrichment, assuming you need it or are experiencing
pinging, get another IAT sensor, drill a hole for it in the air cleaner
snorkel, screw it in and attach the original connector to it. It reached
fine on mine. This gives you two IAT locations to experiment with.
For your transmission, adjust the throttle valve (TV) cable per the FSM.
What you want to achieve is at WOT, the kickdown lever on the side of the
transmission is at full travel rearward. Change the fluid and filter and
adjust the bands if it hasn't been done for awhile. You can also increase
the line pressure more while the pan is off. See FSM.
Or, you can add a transmission shift kit. I like TransGo. Take your pick.
By now you should be noticing an improvement in performance and gas mileage.
This stuff so far may seem very basic but it's worth the performance
equivalent of several hundred dollars in additional bolt-ons.
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Now you can spend more money. :-)
note - a 2.5" exhaust system is plenty for a naturally aspirated V6. (good
all-around torque and perf.)(3" for V8's) If you already have 3" it's fine
too.
If your stock cat is 3" in and out it will be fine. Otherwise, a high flow
cat might be in order.
If your muffler is stock, I'd recommend either a Gibson replacement or the
Gibson cat-bak. They're tuned for good low and mid-range torque and hp
gains but still work fine on my 318 at 6000.
A single tailpipe is best for performance. Choose dual exit if you like but
know there's a small loss.
A stock V8 throttle body would be plenty or if you score a deal on a ported
V6 it would be fine also. A ported V8 one could be too much. With either
of these you might need to tweak the TPS a little. Wait and see. There's
no performance gain in the TPS mod but it can make up for some drivability
issues.
The next most cost effective mod is underdrive pulleys. I've used March
Performance pulleys in both the power and "power and amp" versions.
Performance gain was essentially the same (1.5 tenths and 1.5 mph) but the
power & amp version gives better charging at idle (although not quite as
good as stock). It that's an issue with your type of driving, then find
some other brand that doesn't slow down the alternator.
Then a MP PCM if available. Be prepared to us premium fuel.
Now, if you still have money left, :-) I'd recommend a 3.90 LSD. It will
give you better acceleration and can actually improve your gas mileage in
city driving without hurting much at all on the highway.
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I can assure you if you've followed this recipe up to here you will easily
outrun any equivalent Dak, even if it has a few more bolt-on goodies. And
you'll get better mileage. :-)
To go beyond this will require much more expensive mods that are not as cost
effective. If you want more anyway, go with headers, 1.7 RR's or a mild cam
with 1.6 RR, minor head porting, or nitrous or a blower. A super charger
would give you the most gain for the money but they're not for everyone.
To anyone who follows this recipe....let us know how it worked for you. My
results are in the link in my sig.
RayB
http://www.dragtruk.com/ENTRIES/20KM1FD2KWBP.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:46:05 EST