Hello everyone,

I just traded in my 95 Z34 for a 02 Z28 w/m6, monsoon system, asr and t-tops. Paid 18,500 for it with 41,000 miles.

What should be my first mods? (ie. power or suspension)

 

Figure out what you where you want to go, what you want to do with the car first, and what you can realisticly accomplish.

Then do a search thru this board.. This question comes up tons of times.

Good luck.

(I'd start looking into shocks.. They are probably on their way out(mine were dead in my 99 z28 about that time).. However, I bet I'm in the minority in this suggestion)

 

I would first get some sub frame connectors, then get a lid, set of headers and catback system, gears would also be nice. It all depends on what your goals are with the car. Goodluck.

 

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you might have gotten ripped a little. My '02 Z (similar options, but with A4) had 20K on the clock and the sticker dropped to $16,500 before I bought it. Maybe I was just lucky.

By far, 1st mod = subframe connectors ($180). The free ram air mod will help throttle response a little (see www.installuniversity.com). High flow lids ($100) and cat-backs ($400) are good for 20-25hp and are usually the next step. That should get you started.

Mods to avoid...
- K&N Filters, Holley Filters and other "performance" filters (yes, like the one in my sig). A clean paper filter is just as good because of its overall size. It is not the bottleneck in your intake system.
- Don't descreen/port the MAF. The screen is there to straighten the airflow and maintain accurate readings. Doing this tends to lean the car out and provide less than accurate readings to the PCM. The stock MAF works just fine.
- Aftermarket throttle bodies. Get yours ported or do it yourself if you must.

Those are just a few and there are typically mixed feelings about why or why not to do them. But, you'd be lucky to see 5hp from doing those mods. The gains would probably be due to the lean condition created by porting/descreening the MAF. Save your money and get some tuning software and learn how to do it yourself. 15hp from a good tune is not unheard of.

Just my $.02.

 

I'm pretty much in agreement with post above.

#1) Skip-shift eliminator (car doesn't allow you to engage 2nd gear while in 1st between certain rpm range). $25.00

#2) Cold Air Intake Lid - $100-120 Noticeable HP difference (7-10HP)

#3) Catback Exhaust (10-15 HP)

#4) Headers (12-20 HP)

With the lid, catback, and headers you will easily dyno at 335-345 RWHP, with a good tune add another 10HP.

 

Wow, there's a multitude of paths you can take. I would first determine what you want to do with the car. Is it a daily driver? Do you want more handling than power and vice versa? I would be happy to help you choose the right path and the mods for that path. Drop me an email and I'll be happy to help. eric@dynamicmotorsports.com

 

i think they have the power mods covered.

i'll go a different route...

as mentioned subframe connectors make a nice improvement, particularly with ttops. they will keep body flex to a minimum and allow the suspension to do it's job.

if you like nice tight corners i would look into some sway bars. BMR sells the front and rear kits, with bushings and endlinks, 32mm and 21mm (front/back) for a little over $300. they make a DRAMATIC improvement in the feel of the car in the curves.

another good mod to keep the suspension in check is a set of lower control arms. these will help eliminate flex in the rear under load (launching and corners) and will aid traction.

and depending on what your car came with, you should look into a good shifter. you may already have the Hurst factory unit, which is a decent unit for the time being. all you should do is look for a short stick like a "lou's short stick" or check Ebay. it will eliminate alot of flex in the shifter, shorten the throws and make you a better shifter. another nice thing to add is a shift light. Proform makes a stand-alone unit that fits in the air vent by the drivers door. that way you will know when to shift without looking at the tach. not to mention the stock tach is WELL KNOWN to be slow and inaccurate.

i'd suggest reading the first 10 pages of this forum, alot of your questions will be answered.

some helpfull sites:
www.installuniversity.com
www.ls1howto.com
www.ls1sounds.com

 

Good post except for the proform shift light suggestion. LS1 PCMs send out a 5V square signal to the tach. The proform shift light doesn't recognize this signal very well as it is meant for higher voltage outputs. The harlan shift light and the raptor shift light work very well on LS1s. The proform light is hit and miss. Check out www.raptorperformance.com.

 

been working for 2yrs on my LS1.

but info to consider i guess, i took it off my old car so i already had it.

never seen the raptor but i know the harlan is nice.

 

Yeah, it's worked for some people, but a most people have problems with the proform. They work great on LT1s, just not very well on LS1s. Do a search on LS1tech.com for the proform light and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

Thanks