So, I have 1K that I can apply to my 96 GSR. The car is well maintained (new belts, radiator, water pump, transmission, clutch), has 103K miles and is my daily driver so must remain street legal.

I have installed a CAI and a header (I had to replace the rattling exhuast pipe)

What should I upgrade next?

I am thinking about Cam gears and a piggy back fuel computer.

I don't think I can go FI for 1K.

A few people in the local shops have suggested ignition upgrades like Hyper Voltage, Hyper Ground, Nology HotWires but I am just not convinced that would really give me any appreciable gains in HP...am I wrong on that?

I have also thought about getting a hi-flow cat and cat back exhaust on the cheap (universal muffler with piping done at a muffler shop $130).

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

for your mods cam gears and a piggy back are a waste of money...

ignition system waste of money no need to upgrade

stock cat will be fine, no real reason to upgrade

i would say do suspension if you don't have it on the car already, suspension is a lot of fun..

 

^ I second that...

cam gears would do next to nothing with everything else stock, and piggy-backs are not the best idea...

I've heard of B-series motors putting out over 400whp on the stock ignition (just new plugs...), so all that stuff those ppl are recommending is purely for their own (monetary) benefit. Also, Nology HotWires are one of the biggest rip-offs I've ever seen...they do next to nothing. I actually heard a story of a guy with a Cooper S who put them on and started having mis-firing problems...took em off, replaced them with OEMs, and the problems instantly went away...weird.

you would see a little gain from a high-flow cat and cat-back, but if you have $1k to drop on the car, do some research and look around for a nice suspension setup that would fit your needs and preferences...it'll make a much bigger difference than an exhaust will.

 

homemadeturbo.com you can do a cheap turbo kit for under 1g

 

^ yeah it can be done, but in the long run it's really not a good idea to skimp on those areas...like, for 1k, you just won't be able to have a custom dyno-tuned setup, which is not good for longevity. One of those setups also will not last as long as a properly-done, more thorough, more expensive setup.

cliché phrase, i know, but you get what you pay for...

 

I have been to homemadeturbo.com but I don't feel I am technical enough to pull that off properly. I would rather save up for a greddy kit.

Sounds like I need to do the suspension.

thanks eveyone for your input, it is really great that I can bounce the bunk I get at the local shops here so that I don't watse time and money on crap.

 

Imo, if your not techinical enough (as in understanding each and every part of the system) to customize your turbo set-up. I don't think you'd be ready for a greddy turbo kit for there are more things beyond what the kit offers that you will need to get.

 

you can pick up a set of used itr or ctr cams for ~$400. then get crome for literally free and have it tuned. you'll feel a nice bump in power from this. and it lays the ground work for whenever you feel like getting more power.

 

Or you could get a nice suspension setup like you said, spend the rest on a programmable ECU. Research and learn how to tune. Then you might be ready for that greddy turbo setup.

 

Suspension and brakes first. No sense making the car go faster if you cannot handle the speed or stop.

A decent, adjustable suspension and stainless steel brake lines will make a huge difference. If there is $$ left over look to get some adjustable upper control arms so your tires do not wear on the inside.