I have a '96 ST, and it's just slow. 105hp.. I mean c'mon. On top of that, I think she was mishandled before I owned her (some college chick had her before I did), so she's a little more sluggish than pure-stock, and the wheel shakes at high speeds. I'm going to be getting one helluva big maintenance in about a week though ($700+), and assuming nothing is broken or needs repair, I'll be spending more on stereo, wheels, paint, and of course, speed.

My goal is to safely get to 150-160hp without shortening the life of the engine TOO MUCH. I currently have 65xxx miles, and this car will be my daily driver (I'm 16...) for several years, so I'm not interested in killing her off faster than expected, so it needs to still be reliable until 200k hopefully. If not, what do you think would be the first thing to go?

I'm thinking intake/exhause will give what, a combined total of +20-25? What brands do you suggest, Injen for the intake and GReddy for the exhaust? How about headers? What exactly are they and how much will they help? What other options are there and where can I find them? What brands do you recommend?

Note: I don't want a super/turbo-charger, no nitro, and no engine swaps.. those are pretty much my limits.

Thanks,
-Brian

I'm sorry for you, but if you want over than 150 hp without swap or turbo or Nitro..

Take 20 to 25 hp with exhaust and header from 105 hp?? c'mon! I Think you will take max 10 to 12 HP. The ST is an economical motors. So, is a lttle bit fragile....

But it's possible, if you spend a lot of money, but for half the cost of doing all you could to have 200hp, you got an 200HP 3SGTE....

Im sure after a good tune up, intake, and exhaust will make your car seem a little faster, your not gonna be getting up to 150hp without a lot of engine modifications, no big deal anyways your only 16 good to learn the limits of a slow car first than with a fast one.

Safest way to speed? Uh... Isn't that like an oxymoron?

But seriously, I'm sure you're asking how to make your car faster while still maintaining its life-span... Basically, don't count on this happening RELIABLY with your 7A motor. Cost-effective-wise, it's not really worth dumping money into that motor...

-kuya1284+Oct 8, 2003 - 7:09 PM

I have not heard of an N/A 7A. But you will need to spend some money to get it..alot of it. Good Luck

all 7A's are N/A stock hehe

this is going to be a waste on such a meagerly powered engine

but you can

advance your timing
pulley
custom header (not headers)
exhaust (greddy sp isnt in production anymore)
apexi s-afc
high compression pistons
lightened flywheel
cold air intake (not the injen or weapon r) try www.evilspeed.com and get the Dr. CAI best one out there for your money.

get the whole engine ported and polished.

after all that and a few hours of dyno time when tuning the safc you would be at about the same cost as a engine swap

the engine swap would be more reliable and more cost effective.

-5sfeTurbo+Oct 8, 2003 - 8:57 PM

-kuya1284+Oct 9, 2003 - 12:19 AM

-GT2GT4+Oct 8, 2003 - 9:06 PM

Thanks guys for your opinions. Definitely taking things into consideration.

-Brian

-kuya1284+Oct 8, 2003 - 10:19 PM

just swap and get a 4age if u want like 150 hp...why bother about getting all those parts for a turbo when you only want 150 hp