BlackZenki82

so i was gonna get some sport max, now XXR wheels... the 962's, but my budget wouldn't allow. so instead i went a got a test pipe, a 4-2-1 header, and a strut tower brace..... i think it'll be nice Although all of em are eBay brands, i'm sure it'll all work out fine... anyways, if anyone can give me an estimated power number for my car, with the mods included in my sig, it'd be really nice to have... as is I'm guesstimating around 165, give or take, hell I'm running 16.2 at the track with crappy tires... after the install of the header, test pipe, and my existing AEM intake and 2 1/4 cat back, my personal guesstimate is around 180? 185? lemme know if I'm wrong, now to go read BigVinnie's post again, and probably once ore after that....

NiSmO Knight

iTrader: (1)

I think it was either Superstreet or Sport Compact Car that did a test on the straight pipes vs cats.

You only get 1 hp gain out of the test pipe and for what you pay, I'd rather spend on something else. I hope you didnt buy it yet, a high flow cat would be better if youre staying NA. You need to have some back pressure or scavanging so that all of the exhaust gases are pulled out and clear out of the pipes.

The header I would only recommend DC since it has the correct sizing and bends for the KA. Plus welding on ebay brand header will break so fast...

Strut braces from ebay help out a little, but not as much as a genuine Cusco or anything of that sort, but I'd still pick up the ebay strut bar for the price.

BlackZenki82

already paid, test pipe total... 30.... header total...88.... strut tower total ...27



remember.... serious budget build, and i can't afford the good stuff..... all plumbing anyways...

NiSmO Knight

iTrader: (1)

Pluming is a very important part of any car build. Its like saying your wind pipe is not all that important when u exhale.

But I can honestly say, I wouldnt use the test pipe on an NA motor, its causing more damage than helping.

Plus one big major thing many people do is spend on the cheap stuff, I recommend just saving up for the good stuff rather than wasting cash up front for things that provide minimal gains for short periods of time.

Kaiser

I have heard a lot of people who buy ebay stuff usually made in China having problems. Specifically after just a short period the sound gets raspy and the life span of the part is very short as cracks develop. Also they are made with thinner metal so heat becomes a problem as the parts heat up much faster and transmit that to everything around them. Thats been the main problem BMW owners have had anyway with the crap from Ebay and China. Just what I have seen on the forums I am a part of, I myself haven't bought anything from Ebay ever lol.

k_wakasugi

Lotsa good advice in this thread. ebay strut bars are fine for the price. unless you'll be heavily tracking the car, you probably won't notice the difference. Amen to the test pipe hurting more than helping, and ebay headers only lasting a short while.

then again, anything on ebay is kind of a crap shoot, but why not save up and place the odds in your favor?

BlackZenki82

i know you guys really don't like the eBay stuff and some have had problems in the past.... as far as the test pipe goes, what would the negative effects be on my car? 1hp is fine with me as long as it doesn't tear my 240 up, and i have a fairly small silencer on my cat back, like a 1 /14 opening, should add some back pressure there..... as far as the header goes, my buddy around the corner had one, HAD because he's now KA-T... but he had his on for 3 years with no problems... and he got it from the same eBay store i got mine from, heck, he recommended it, and he knows way more about these cars than i do. so i figured it'd be okay.... either way, I'm planning a KA-T build myself, yet not in the near future, maybe a year or two. So if the header only lasts 2-3 years, fine, better than spending $2-400 on a brand name thats also made in some oriental country, that i'm not gonna need when i go blown...

either way, anyone have any honest BHP estimates for me? please no sarcasm, I'm never sarcastic with anyone with my posts on here... thanks again for the help guys and your opinions, when i go with my KA T build i'll def be looking up to you guys to give me a list of the good stuff cause when i do that, I'm not gonna be cheaping out

EDIT/ADD: also the cheap o strut brace is more for under hood looks anyways, i don't see a whole lot of track time, no road courses around here, but would still be nice to have a bit of extra stiffness when i do see track time....

Kaiser

I don't know too much about the headers or test pipe but I would guess 15bhp gain for the headers, short-ram, and exhaust. Best idea is to dyno it though, or look for a posted dyno from a similar setup car and give or take 10 horses for differences in how the cars have been kept up over the years.

Rotary_tech

well I don't know much about you, but I do know a lot about budget builds. Be glad you have a 240, with a lot of aftermarket background. I started building my old truck back when I was 16, fending for my own gas/food on a min. wage. I wanted to be able to build the car myself since I didn't want to have to pay buttloads on $$$ to have someone else do it. So I went into Auto shop in high-school and got a job as a lube jockey for my local repair shop. I MADE my own cat-back, and intake. Everything I bought off eBay had problems. I learned that when it came to engine performance, eBay was not the place to go. LOTS of fitment issues!

My best advice to you is take the money, and put it towards the best mod you can possibly buy for your car. GAS, lots and LOTS of gas, because your gonna be using a ton of it learning to be a better driver. No mod list in the world will ever measure up to the things a great driver can do.

My truck might not have been the fastest or best looking thing on the road, but I'll tell you what it WAS, and that was RESPECTED!

can I get a AMEN!

k_wakasugi

AMEN! to the learning to be a better driver being the best mod anyone can do to help their car's performance.

NiSmO Knight

iTrader: (1)

Couldnt have said it any better. You could have a Bugatti Veyron and be the worlds worst driver and lose to the worlds most skilled driver in a geo metro hatchback... now how embarassing can THAT be...

Never mind, the bad driver might not even make it past turn 1 on lap 1...

BlackZenki82

drive time is what i already have, back when, i had a 94 prelude Si... don't laugh, which i saw much track time in. I had over 7k in the engine and little over 3 in the suspension... that car was gonna be my ticket into the SCCA, of which i still have dreams of pursuing. i saw a lot of track and wheel time in that car, so i know the importance of a car build... but like i said, in a year, maybe two, I'll be doing a full build on either my stock motor, or the one my neighbor has sitting in his carport... either way, my STOCK 256K KA24DE does not need the best money can buy.... hell a 25 shot would blow it to hell... as long as it lasts me a while longer.... that many miles and i run 16.2's on crap tires.... not too bad i don't think... anyways....i respect all of your opinions, and Rotory_tech... thanks for your input, as much as i love this site, thats got to be one of the most informative things I've heard anyone say about actual driving on this site.. and I've looked... no replacement for seat time. my stock 07 mustang GT/CS with me driving and a passenger, whooped a highly modded BMW 330I AND and 1998 supercharged M3 solely cause the opposing driver didn't know how to drive it... so yes AMEN to you and thanks...

i know you guys may look down on me for my crappy cheap o buys, and my Raceonusa kit, of which all of you has advised against, sorely, after i made the purchases. but like i said when i first joined this site, even of the many other 240 forums this is the ONLY one I've joined, that this is my first 240. It's a Zenki, which happens to be my favorite model (97-98 front end look funny on the smooth body lines). and once i truly start building my car the way i want, and not to what i can afford at the current time, i want to share it with you guys and no one else. I joined this site cause it seemed more "family" oriented, a 240 family... so please guys, bear with me while i learn from my mistakes, be headstrong and ignore advice from people who know better than me, but the way i see it, we're all in it together, as fellow 240 owners, S13's and S14's alike....


now can i please get a reasonable CHP estimate or what!!!! hahah have a good one guys and looking forward to hearing from ya...

Kaiser

Around 160-170BHP?Educated guess and really don't know what you got but for the upgrades mentioned in the first post on a 256K KA24DE that is what I would generously guess. BTW no one here looks down on you, at least I hope not, and if they do they need to get an attitude adjustment.

BlackZenki82

cool deal.... i was guessing a little higher than that...BUT that may be the case... as far as my 256k miles... the motor runs surprisingly well.. it was a one owner car since new. regularly maintained, motor wise, and still pulls pretty strong... stronger than i would expect from a motor A: that old and B: that high mileage.... so it i honestly think that my high mileage engine may run better than some of the RAGGED out low mileage engines.... who ever had this car before me, did not dog it out... wish you guys could drive it an see... anyways, man, i figured I'd pull a bit more HP than that.... intake, full exhaust, upgraded ignition.... slightly advanced timing... according to BigVinnies write up, i was guessing around 180CHP, he said it was like 195CHP with a tune, of which i don't have..... well we'll see when i get it all installed, and my EGR system removed... off to they dyno... only one in town is at a muscle car shop... so that may kinda laugh at me and my under 200hp import but oh well, i think i've brought it a long way from what it was...

NiSmO Knight

iTrader: (1)

Nah, no one is here to look down on you bro, I kinda see why you went this route since the engine has that high of mileage.

My friend's old S13 had over 300K and smoked my other buddies civic.

I'd say source a newer KA when the time comes and check out Vinnie's write ups in the NA section, he has a 200 hp NA KA and just put in cams, so numbers should be higher, but he can actually keep up with my homies SR S13... thats nuts LOL