Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You will use a little more fuel, but if you have a rear wheel drive it's fairly cheap to change out the gears, and it makes a big difference depending on what gears you have and the ones you put in. ie 2.73 to 3.73 loses about 4 mpg but makes a huge difference in acceleration.
I know you said without affecting mpg too much but just thought I would put it out there.
The first two items aren't going to add any HP in an otherwise well maintained modern car.
Alloy rims may save some unsprung weight, but the performance increase is neglible.
If your car will accept a performance tuning chip, then that may add HP; depending upon the chip and how you drive the car, you may see a small difference in fuel economy ... or a significant one. Only you will know from actual experience in your driving situation the results, despite claims from the chip manufacturers.
Your best investment in getting more HP would be found in buying a more powerful vehicle.
The Iridium plugs are a gimmick... even those multi-electrode platinums are not necessary. For your typical wedge style head all you need is a good single platinum orientated the right way.
type of car is key here, but for $500, i would also look at some sort of computer flash / chip / handheld tuner as your best 'bang for the buck' when it comes to more HP. in stock trim, this may free up a few ponies, but when used with other goodies like intake/exhaust/etc, you really start to get your money's worth.
however, when it comes to the most satisfying modifications from a driving performance standpoint, my list goes as follows:
1) better tires. the stickier, the better. of course, the trade-off is tire wear, but that's when you have to be realistic about what you want from the car.
2) better suspension. most cars come too soft from the factory for my tastes. it becomes obvious when you really start pushing it.
3) better brakes. most cars could use 'em, but not all. it makes no sense to have a car that can haul ass if you can't bring it to a halt when you get too 'adventurous'.
4) intake. i won't lie, i just like the sound. HP gains are just an added bonus.
Lightweight wheels (which means they can't bee too big or too cheap, as cheap ones are made with poor materials and don't offer much weight savings over a steel one. Think O.Z, Buddy Club, Volk (Rays Engineering) etc.
Better brakes, the later you can get on the stoppers the longer you can accelerate.
ECU mods, given it's the right vehicle. At your cost level you'd only get a cheap piggyback module though, and they're not to be trusted.
As it goes, any proper performance gain will cost money, sad but true, only exception is diesel powered vehicles, which will often times have plenty room for optimizing the ECU, and gain anywhere from 10 to 35hp in a 2.0L engine with an original 150hp.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
