GotToyota? said:I'm mainly doing this to 1) help out people wanting to know how to upgrade their N/A's, and to 2) make it so people do not make the usual "what upgrades should I do to my N/A" threads. Below, I'll state what the reasonable upgrades are, what your routes are, and how you can get these parts. Goes from more simple, to mild, to extreme. Mods can edit this anytime if you'd like to organize/tweak this thread.
excellent work, but i disagree w/some statements.
GotToyota? said:Intake
First, you need to get that engine breathing better. Start giving it more oxygen by adding an upgraded intake to it. The most restrictive part of the stock intake system is the airbox, so buy something like the K&N FIPK to replace the airbox. You can also just get a filter/adapter on Ebay for pretty cheap, I bought mine for $20, works nearly the same.
don't use ebay filters, they suck. buy a cheapo kit, use the adaptor and throw out the filter. get a k&n sized to fit.
you might as well get rid of the intake resonator too, you get that cool NA honking/growl.
GotToyota? said:Exhaust
This is somewhat of a controversial subject as far as exhaust systems go for N/A's. One thing you need to realize before upgrading your exhaust is that backpressure on a naturally aspirated engine is your enemy! An increase in backpressure will result in a loss of power, which is what you wanna stay away from. So you people with your 3" exhausts, you've actually lost power. The most reasonable size to use when doing your exhaust is 2.5". You're upgrading to a bigger size thus adding abit more power, and you don't have to worry about backpressure. And as far as sound goes, it's up to you on the muffler you want to use and if you want to use a test pipe/cat. I personally kept the stock cat and added a resonator so the sound was more deep and not very loud, sounds great. You can also look into getting a test pipe, but that is illegal in some states/counties and I will not go into any depth concerning that.
ummm, no.
you will NEVER lose max power on too large of an exhaust. back pressure as most think of it, is a myth. what you will feel with too large of an exhaust is loss of response in the lower RPM ranges, but again, you will NEVER lose max power.
GotToyota? said:Porting/polishing
This is more of a mild mod, but can be the one of the most expensive mods if you go into more and more detail with the shop you choose to work with. Remember when I said flow was the key? It's the same concept here. The stock y-pipe and the intake manifold are pretty restrictive, take the time to hollow everything out (you can polish it if you want bling, and easy to clean areas), to get the best flow possible from your parts.
don't forget about the head as well....
GotToyota? said:1-piece driveshaft
Everyone has gotten into the situation at one time or another where their carrier bearing has gone bad. Not only does this affect performance, but the weight of the stock driveshaft is unbearable, at nearly 30+ lbs, you have to give alot of effort at times to get what you want out of your car. Get rid of this problem by going with a 1 piece driveshaft, this will put less stress of your effort to accelerate, making the rotation mass less. You can either choose steel or aluminum, but I recommend steel as it's around 15 lbs, aluminum is around 11 lbs, but I personally think it's too extreme if you're staying N/A. Jawsgear is one company that sells these driveshafts, and they're on the forums as well. You can also go to a local welding shop in your area if you want to save some $.
be ready for some more driveline NVH w/a 1 pc shaft.
GotToyota? said:Raise the compression/build the head, aftermarket pistons
Again, this is advanced modding. Time to go with an aftermarket MHG to raise the compression. Thickness for the MHG depends on how much you need to mill off the head, then you go from there. I'd suggest a 1.2MM HG if you have a normal head/block. If you have alot of warping however, 2MM might be the way to go. Also, buy aftermarket pistons that are slightly bored over, you might as well if you want to raise the compression and get the full benefit of your motor.
stock HG thickness squished = 1.2mm.
there is a TON of stuff you can do to the engine, most importantly being upping compression ratio. shaving the head to up CR isn't the best idea as the combustion chamber gets all wacky then. unfortunately, with the amount of $$ you'll spend on custom headwork and pistons, you could have turbo'd the car and been making 2X the power (not trying to start a war, just giving facts.).
GotToyota? said:Fuel and timing
If you have done enough mods, you will know that there is always more that you want. Well, a simple way to benefit more from your mods is to raise the stock timing. The stock timing according to TSRM spec is around 10 degrees. Raise the timing to 12-14, depending on how extreme you wanna go (but be warned, you must go with higher octane fuel if you raise the timing). If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could also get an SAFC to fully tune and take advantage of your powerband.
bumping up the timing does help- makes response better, etc. yup, you need high octane fuel. i ran 16 DBTDC for yrs....
there's little chance the GE will ever need more fuel than the stock 330s.
GotToyota? said:
Ignition
To key is to get better spark. High output capacitive discharge sparks ensure complete combustion of the fuel mixture especially at high rpm. You don't want your system to fail because of your ignition system. MSD along with a few other companies make ignition systems for decent prices.
complete waste of time.
change to new some nice new plugs, try opening the gap as large as possible. might as well get some new wires as well. beware of "racing" wires- some actually hurt perf.
GotToyota? said:Cams
This is a mod for those going the next step. Since you'll be N/A, it's recommended to go with a mild set of cams, too extreme and you won't be running so good unless you have the supporting mods. There is an online website that regrinds your stock cams to around 244 degrees, which is mild enough for an N/A wanting to go the extra mile. http://www.webcamshafts.com/toyota-auto.html
good idea, but cams should be spec'd to work with the rest of your upgrades. again, the same prev. statements re: cost apply....