Non-PI needs your help! (lengthy)

[281cubes]

After a pair of disappointing trips to the track, I'm seriously considering my performance options. I've finally come to realize that my little pre-PI GT just ain't all that fast now that I know what she really runs; I had myself convinced that it was a decently quick car, but now the numbers do all the talking. :nonono: I would like nothing more than to sell it and get into a Terminator, but I am only 20 and there is plently of time for "big boy" toys. ha ha Though I could certainly afford one, I'd rather not donate 75% of my monthly earnings to a car that sees service half of the year (damn winter). Also, I just got a sweet deal on my car insurance (no cliche intended) and an '03/4 Cobra would essentially erase that. So, do I dive head first into big debt on a Terminator or do I make the best of what I have? I'm leaning toward the second option...

So, how does this sound? A pair of Stage II Patriot heads with mild cams teamed with that new 2v Typhoon intake manifold? :idea: Standard PI heads are great, but if I'm gonna spend the money, I may as well go for the gold, even though it is a more expensive route. Typical gains with PI heads are supposed to be around 60rwhp due to the increase in compression and overall flow, right? Make those some ported Patriot heads, cams, and that intake manifold and we gotta be talkin' 80+rwhp? :rockon: I'm definitely no expert on this and can't do the work myself, so I guess I'm just looking for input from people who know this stuff and/or have first-hand experience with these heads. The car is not a daily driver, but I would like it to be reliable enough where it could be. Thoughts, concerns...what do you say? :shrug:

 

[Burnout Billy]

Well, you seem to be headed in the right direction with what you wanna do with your engine. However, I personally do not have any experience with Patriot heads, but I will say this. I have been around the modular boards for a long time now and have read lots of feedback on them and, IMHO, I would not buy Patriot heads. When patriot first came about, they had alot of problems with their valves, guides & seals. It has been rumored/said that they have resolved alot of their problems and produce better heads now but I still wouldn't take the chance if it were me. Sure the price is tempting and the flow numbers are high, but overall flow isnt the key factor you need to look at, it's flow across the powerband. I say spend the little extra $$ and get some heads from VTengines or Modularpowerhouse (I personally have VT stage 2 heads on my car and I love em). Both of those companies have proven themselves with their products over and over. As for the intake manifold, the typhoon IMO would be a waste of $$. Dollar for Dollar the PI intake is actually one of the better 2v manifolds you can have. Not many people give the PI manifold that much credit, but it does actually perform very well and it doesnt cost you $1000+ ( i dont think the typhoon is that much but it's still around 5-600? for an extra 8hp over PI)

Here would be my list....
VT stage 2 heads
VT stage 2 cams
75mm T.B. with plenum
UDP's
LT's
Cold air
Good tune

With this you should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 rwhp which you nail you some solid high 11/low 12 sec 1/4 times (depending on driving)

 

[281cubes]

Well, you seem to be headed in the right direction with what you wanna do with your engine. However, I personally do not have any experience with Patriot heads, but I will say this. I have been around the modular boards for a long time now and have read lots of feedback on them and, IMHO, I would not buy Patriot heads. When patriot first came about, they had alot of problems with their valves, guides & seals. It has been rumored/said that they have resolved alot of their problems and produce better heads now but I still wouldn't take the chance if it were me. Sure the price is tempting and the flow numbers are high, but overall flow isnt the key factor you need to look at, it's flow across the powerband. I say spend the little extra $$ and get some heads from VTengines or Modularpowerhouse (I personally have VT stage 2 heads on my car and I love em). Both of those companies have proven themselves with their products over and over. As for the intake manifold, the typhoon IMO would be a waste of $$. Dollar for Dollar the PI intake is actually one of the better 2v manifolds you can have. Not many people give the PI manifold that much credit, but it does actually perform very well and it doesnt cost you $1000+ ( i dont think the typhoon is that much but it's still around 5-600? for an extra 8hp over PI)

Here would be my list....
VT stage 2 heads
VT stage 2 cams
75mm T.B. with plenum
UDP's
LT's
Cold air
Good tune

With this you should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 rwhp which you nail you some solid high 11/low 12 sec 1/4 times (depending on driving)

Oooo, that sounds nice. They advertise the Typhoon intake at about a 21hp increase for just under $600 if you opt to go with the satin finish. Would I need to swap out my gears -- stock 3.27's for say, 3.73's -- if I go with a Stage 2 cam? Thanx for the input, by the way. :thumbsup:

 

[Burnout Billy]

That's just the thing with the typhoon, it's advertised hp gains. I have yet to see one person actually buy that intake and get real world results. Magazine articles and the manufacturers themselves always like to hype up the gain results to make their product sound better, yet when someone goes out and buys them, they maybe see half those gains. If you really are interested in an intake manifold
1) wait until there has been several people buy the typhoon and see what the actual gains can be or 2) get a used bullit from ebay or the classifieds

As for the gears, yes 3.73's or better would be needed for stage 2 cams. I would personally go 4.10's (they're alot more fun).

 

[P49Y-CY]

just curious what times you did run at the track?

i had a 96 gt vert before this car and i was in the same place you are as my car was all paid off and i needed to decide whether to upgrade it or buy new. but the big difference for me was that mine is a daily driver and my only car.

so yeah if you like the car you can do all sorts of things to make it faster!

best of luck :beer:

 

[281cubes]

Yeah, I suppose I may as well go with 4.10's if I'm gonna do gears.

I've made two passes and the better of the two was 15.010 @ 92mph.

 

[NMRARACER]

I can't tell you what is best for you or your car.I can only tell you what I did and what kind of results I got. I did the PI swap heads/intake, VT Stage 1 cams. I put 4:10's in, Accufab 75TB/Plenum, Flowtech Longtube headers, O/R X, Flows dumped, pullies, K/N filter, 3800 Stall converter, slicks and skinnies, full PA RAcing front susp (K, A-arms, co's) The car ran 12.61@109 weighing 3270lbs...in not so good of air. It would easily run 12.50's...is this fast? For a 98 automatic thats all motor its really fast, but it took a lot of money and time and testing to go this fast. I don't know that I would recommend that route, staying NA is expensive. I think if I had to do it all over again I would have put some good pistons/rods in($1100) and sprayed it. probably would have had $2000 invested and be running just as fast. It all depends on what you want to do.

Adam