another newb question

[Cyanydem28]

what are "free mods"? please dont say mods that are free

[96LT1355Z28]

I don't know all of them but things like, removing the screen from your MAF, or by passing the coolant in your TB. I doubt any single one would do anything noticable and it's debated if they do anything together. Example: The theroy of descreening the MAF is to allow more air into the engine, but if you remove the screen which isn't that restrictive you now have allowed turbulant air to pass the meter. As air twists and turns though your intake is slows and accelerates depending on it's location, much like water going down a waterslide. This means air in some areas of the MAF is moving faster than others resulting in an inaccutate reading thus making the mod pointless and in some cases hurtfull. You would likley get a headache reading both sides of arguments just like this. I think it all dependes on the power level and other variables of the setup as to what works and what doesn't. Enjoy modding!

P.S. I'm sure there are other free mods out there, that's all I could think of off the top of my head. For the record I have done both of the above mentioned mods with nothing noticed;)!

[Cyanydem28]

waht do u mean bypassing the coolant in the tb? i duno waht the coolant in the throttle body is to begin with

[slowdime]

there are 2 coolant hoses that come off the throttle body.

A couple that I have seen, space the igniton coil off the face of the head a little bit, probably doesnt really add power, but im sure the reduced heat on the coil wouldnt hurt

Another is to cut the long silencer off the air intake elbow and block off where it was

You could also gut the cat, or replace it with a piece of pipe, but it may sound like ass afterwards.

[96LT1355Z28]

There is a steel line on the passenger side of your engine between the intake and the valve cover. On this is a rubber hose that connects to your TB, there is also a same sized hose going from the TB to the radiator. Coolant travels thru this and heats the TB. This is to heat the TB durring cold starts in the winter, I believe it also has some type of emissions purpose as well. Most people bypass the TB and just connect the steel line to the radiator. This means coolant will not heat the TB and in turn not heat the incomming air. This is another mod I'm pertty sure everyone does but likley doesn't net much if any noticable power. However it does seem stupid to spend money on things like a cold air intake to ensure your incomming air is as fresh and cool as possible only to draw it through a TB which is the same temp as the block! For that reason, unless you drive in freezing tempatures all the time, you might as well bypass the TB, it's not gonna make it any slower! ;)

[96LT1355Z28]

there are 2 coolant hoses that come off the throttle body.

A couple that I have seen, space the igniton coil off the face of the head a little bit, probably doesnt really add power, but im sure the reduced heat on the coil wouldnt hurt

Another is to cut the long silencer off the air intake elbow and block off where it was

You could also gut the cat, or replace it with a piece of pipe, but it may sound like ass afterwards.

I forgot about the coil one, I did that too!

[James Montigny]

The TB coolant bypass works well
The "insert resistor inline with sensor" mods are BS (spent the time on the dyno proving it many years ago)

Descreening the MAF and gutting the cat are hotly debated topics.
Personal opinion: use a high-flow cat or remove it all together. Don't half-ass it.

[slowdime]

The TB coolant bypass works well
The "insert resistor inline with sensor" mods are BS (spent the time on the dyno proving it many years ago)

Descreening the MAF and gutting the cat are hotly debated topics.
Personal opinion: use a high-flow cat or remove it all together. Don't half-ass it.

I agree completely on the cat, but he did say "free mods"

[YZF]

I might have to try this TB bypass... the screen removal sounds worthless to me.

[joelster]

The 3900ohm resistor works only in cases where your car is picking up "false" knock due to valvetrain noise. Otherwise don't do it.

Look at the small loom of wires that head down towards your starter on the passenger side of the engine. There are 3 or 4 iirc. The blue one goes to the knock sensor. You splice the wire with a 3900ohm resistor (Radio Shack will have them) and then to a ground. When you turn your ignition on and start the car, the PCM will see that there is 3900ohms of resistance and know that the knock sensor is operating fine, and not detecting any knock, therefore it will never pull timing. If you decide to do this, keep in mind that you must run premium fuel as a fail-safe, because your PCM will not have the ability to detect detonation.

The elbow mod involves getting a cap from a bottle of "Prell" shampoo. It is sort-of oval in shape. Take off your intake elbow, and cut off the resonator tube that extends down towards the ground. Insert the shampoo cap, seal it with some RTV, and then hose clamp it real tight.

Sway bar. Disconnect the front sway bar when heading to the track, or better yet, just take it off.

[96LT1355Z28]

Sway bar. Disconnect the front sway bar when heading to the track, or better yet, just take it off.

This one does make a difference!:D

[19mike84]

you can also remove your interior. and take the bumper supports off.