...best/cheapest way to upgrade my Lt1

[nottheliving]

my 92 is totally stock and i've finally paid back the money i had borrowed from my parents for the car, so now i can put some little mods into my baby. i was wondering whats the least expensive and most noticible moddification i could do to my car? im thinkin maybe get rid of my stock air box and put some kind of K&n filter like this one http://www.madvet.com/shop?store=3&category=12&frame=733 would this be a good decission? i'd also like to get my top end speed as high as possible and i understand that i'd need a new chip to achieve this.... please help....im so car stupid, yet so willing to learn..... thanks, james

 

[beamer]

mines a 96 LT1. I had the k&n filter - felt the difference. if you do that also either modify the housing or get the one that already is. I put the triple air filter on mine. that made a great difference. about $250 bucks - but probably close to 20 more hp. lots more stop light power and higher end feeling.
I also switched the LT1 knock module - thats in the ecm for a LT4 knoeck module. that helps a lot. this way your ignition doesn't retard as much. but use 93 octane. that was $56 bucks at the chevey dealers parts counter. the LT4 module is less sensitive than the LT1 so it doesn't retard it. and thus your spark happens before tdc and your fuel/air mixture burns longer.
headers are good - but a lot of trouble to install - go with a less restrictive cat and back from there.
and make sure you have good brakes for all that power.

 

[vader86]

that SLP intake did not give you 20 more hp

more like 5-10

 

[beamer]

feels like 20, but i also relocated the air temp sensor to the slp intake

 

[Edmond]

Get a catback system so you can hear the car roar! It will give you a few hp and the rumble will bring a smile to your face!:L

 

[c4cruiser]

Stay away from the little bolt-on thingies that advertise 5HP for less than $50-100. They are all snake oil and a waste of your money. Things like the airfoil in front of the TB, relocating the MAF sensor, throttle position sensor, or just a chip without other other mods. Larger throttle bodies don't really work unless you add displacement (bore engine), bigger cam and long tube headers.

You can gain some power with a good cat-back exhaust system like Corsa, B&B TriFlo's or Borla but expect to spend upwards of $800 plus installation if you don't have the tools or ability to do it yourself. I added a replacement K&N filter and cut a bigger hole in the stock cover, but I think the main benefit of the K&N is being able to clean and reuse it over and over again. Buy 3 replacement filters, and that's the cost of one K&N and a cleaning kit.

If you add something to get more air in, you have to have a way to get it out, so think of an air intake and exhaust as a package deal to get the best increase in power. However, IMHO, if the air intake says 20HP gain and the exhaust is a 10HP gain, you will just not see a 30HP gain from the motor. That represents a 10% gain over the factory 300HP and it would take much more than those two items to realize 30HP. Remember the 96 LT4 motor is rated at 330HP over the LT1 300HP and all of the difference is in internal engine components, not an air filter and exhaust system!

Your 92 should be capable of 160MPH speeds (my 92 vert is!) so that should be enough usable top-end unless you want to do open road racing or go to Bonneville! Swapping gears in the rear will be the best SOTP feeling of more horsepower. Something like a 3.73 gearset will provide a substantial increase in acceleration but you may lose about 25MPH on the top end. Gas mileage may only drop a couple MPG, but that would be well worth it.

Cars that go fast also have to stop. Make sure you budget enough money for good brakes. You can upgrade to the later J55 13" brake package found or ZR-1's or 95 and later cars. Performance pads like Performance Friction "Z" or Hawk HPS or HP+ pads are an inexpensive upgrade to your stock brakes. Don't forget a brake fluid flush with a DOT4 (DO NOT use DOT5!!) fluid and inspect the rotors for wear and calipers for any leaks. New brake hoses, too!

 

[*89x2*]

Supercharger

or if you are looking for basics... Chip, exhaust, and a good solid tune up

 

[Gman]

I'd go with a K&N to start, but go with gears for a real kick in the pants. Unless you have plans to run in the Silver State or some other top speed events, you'll probably never see top speed. If you're planning on running down the 1/4 mile, the gears will get you there quicker. Speed costs, how fast do you want to go?

 

[nottheliving]

there's a very long open street where i live called "Lancaster Road"....and i've gotten my vette up to 130 on it.....and i could have pushed it further, but i was afraid to hurt it........ im not much into the quarter mile.....i just want a even better passing gear........so you guys think that the K&n filter thats in the link above would be a good bet?

 

[Gman]

The K&N helps it's breathing, but if what you describe is what you're looking for, I have one word for you...gears! It doesn't add anything powerwise, but it's probably the best bang for the buck. As far as ratio in your LT1 goes, I'm sure there are many on the board who could help.

 

[Micke]

Hi!

I did those "easy" mods on my -92 last year: Open airfilter lid, TPis airfilter, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, new sparkplugs , TPiS chip...but the diffgerence was barely noticeable. Then i changed my exhaust to a cat back system, and i noticed a little difference...BUT it was not until i changed my gears from 2.59 to 3.73 that i noticed a real difference!
Now i´m totally happy, the car is much quicker.
I regret i didn´t change the gears before i did all the other mods.


Micke

 

[sothpaw]

I recommend the coolant bypass for the throttle body(can do it yourself for $5.00), a new fuel filter and tune up if you haven't done one in the last 50 kmi (both basic maintenance items).

As for exhaust, that will buy you 10 hp, and make the car louder. If that's what you want, the cheapest way to get it is to cut the mufflers off and replace them with a straight pipe.

K/N with open lid or SLP seems to help a little, but add a 160 stat and a fan switch first.

 

[MagikDraggin]

Swapping gears in the rear will be the best SOTP feeling of more horsepower. Something like a 3.73 gearset will provide a substantial increase in acceleration but you may lose about 25MPH on the top end. Gas mileage may only drop a couple MPG, but that would be well worth it.

I just love it when people say you'll "only" lose a couple MPG with 3.54 or 3.73 gears over the stock 2.59's. That's a lot of bull. This is the second car I've done this sort of gear change in, and the mileage has suffered more like 5 to 6 mpg with my 3.54's and worse around town. Where I was getting 28 and 29 mpg at 70, now I can't do any better than 23.5 at 70.

But like the man said, you want some cheap seat-of-the-pants acceleration, go with the gears. At least 3.36 minimum (if you can find them), otherwise 3.45 or 3.54, or 3.73. Just be prepared to watch the bottom fall out of your fuel economy. Then again, anyone looking for performance is usually not too concerned with fuel economy, right? heh, heh, heh.