[jamfrank]

Need some sound advice...my budget is a $1,000 can go 100-200 over...I have a 2002 zx3 5sp...so far I have udp, itg filter, exhaust, no cat...Now the car runs fine but I've come to the conclusion on not going FI(funds n the fact that I'm in Jamaica n these cars r rare) but I want more so this is the list i came up with.

1. SVT header kit complete
2. CAI...F2focus
3. 65mm Throttle body
4. mild street cams(which one would u reccomend)
5. Cam gears (which one?) and at wat settings?
6. Xcal II program with all these additions

Realistically wat would the gains be?...I'm running 17's 215-45 series n the SVT suspension, brakes has been upgraded slotted front n steel braided lines on all corners. If i get 150whp n 140-150tq at the wheels I would be satisfied. Is this possible? could it be more?...wat about realibility? will the idle be irratic?

Thanks again for ur advice
PS:..This is the first forum that i really enjoy, I've never did so much research on a vehicle before n i've owned plenty, i reall like this car n would love to be more competitive with the ricers out there(NA)..the handling is jus fantastic

 

[liquid01]

You should just save yourself the headache and give it to me...

 

[jamfrank]

lol...funny..it's not a headache bro...

 

[Poney]

if i was in jamaica, i think i would put some of that money into "extra ciricular " activities

 

[blanezx3]

with $1,000, I'd get a good P&P, Cams, a header, and CAI.

As far as cams go, you have tons of options. Cat, Ford Racing, Crower, etc. are all good cams. I have FR stage 2's which are nice, but once I get a rebuild they're going away for some aggressive Cat or Kent cams.

 

[b16sir1991]

I agree, loan it to me and know that iwas spent very well, lol. Sounds like a good start there on that list.

 

[jamfrank]

Whenever u guys get to Jamaica I have those activities "on lock"...but seriously, i'm really interested in getting this done..n blane..wats a P&P?...wat gains would i see with these additions?

 

[BigRed03]

P&P means a port and polish head. It opens up the holes in the head giving you more room so that more air can flow in. A Ford Racing Stage 2 or 3 would work really well with this. If you get cams, get cam gears so that you can tune them for maximum efficiency on your motor. Also to go hand in hand with all of this would be a tune, but seeing as you are from jamacia, do you guys have OBD-II slots on you cars to check/clear engine lights/codes? Other wise you would need a engine management system and those are mad expensive.

 

[mark2.0]

port and polish, cams , header, 65mm throttle body and exhaust upgrade if you have one already

 

[focusedaddiction]

You should just save yourself the headache and give it to me...

Hey , I was gonna say that[]

 

[Poney]

since you race at the track, have you thought about adding N20 ? cheap hp and should work well with the other mods.

 

[jamfrank]

Great Ideas guys, appreciate it them very much, the car is an American model...with the port n polish, cams, 65mm TB, header n exhaust what gains or approximate gains am i looking at?..whp n tq?

 

[blanezx3]

if you get the head decked to give you 10.8:1 compression you should see somewhere in the neighborhood of 150whp, give or take.

*edit* - that's with dyno tuning.

 

[jamfrank]

Thanks blane...wats the stock compression?, n would the ford racing stage 1 cam suffice?..i dont want a erratic idle, i would still like driveability...n would the xcal2 software suffice for the tuning or i would still have to use a dyno?
thanks again for the replies

 

[old_grendel]

i would go w the fr 2's over the 1's...but i would prolly recommend the crower 2's especially if ur going w a p&p head and exhaust...the xcal would work for a lot, but to get the cam gears dialed in just right a dyno is the easiest way

 

[BigRed03]

get the p&p with FR stage 2. From what ive read around here they are very street able and dont give a lumpy idle. With the cams tuned and then the whole engine tuned you would be somewhere in the 150 whp area. There are some people with higher compression and a larger cam running close to 180 whp, but thats pushing the envelope on a street drive N/A car. Stock compression is somewhere around 9.5 or 9.6. Alittle high for foced induction to me, but still able to boost it.

 

[jamfrank]

Thanks for the info guys..i think my $1,000 budget is shot but the mods seem good n the reliability is still there...maybe i can picj up a few used pieces on the "wats for sale" section, probably save me a few bucks

 

[jamfrank]

My goal is 150whp n 140-150tq...

 

[blanezx3]

Agreed. Stock compression is supposed to be 9.6:1

I'd definitely get dyno tuned, especially if you get cams. That's the only tried and true way to get the most power out of them. While you're at the dyno you can dial-in your Xcal2 tune by using the parameters in the programmer.

The FR2's didn't give me such a bad idle. It was a little lopey, but you can turn the idle up a bit with the Xcal2, which makes it smooth out a bit. Make sure you know how to set the valve lash or get the cams professionally installed. I made a script a while back so if you can get the existing measurements I can tell you what bucket size you need.

There've been a few people on here who've done the milling, which upped the compression to ~10.8:1 and with all bolt-ons got around 150-160whp. I wouldn't expect much more unless you want really aggressive cams and a high revving engine, or forced induction.

 

[jamfrank]

Another question, is changing the final drive ratio to a 4.06...is it worth the investment...wat's the benefits?..pros n cons