1997 GSX Performance Plan

[i3oca]

Hey guys, this is my first post....

Anyways, this car is for a friend, who is very new to the mechanics to cars. He just bought a 1997 GSX for his birthday with approximately 55k on it. The car is completely stock as of now. I have not done extensive research on eclipses, because I am currently focusing on buying a Supra TT and modding it out. I didnt want to go off and start from scratch with someone elses car, so I would like some input from you guys.

My friend would like to run low 12s and better. How many horse's would it take to achieve this? 450 crank? Thats a number I guessed, but anyhow, the more the better I guess. So far, from my basic knowledge on modding cars, this is the plan I have for him. (Oh, by the way, in case this pops up, he has about 7 grand to put into it as of right now. He wouldnt just dump all of it in right away in a two week period, but he would slowly buy things and add them on). So here is my basic plan, no details to which product we would go with, but please put in your opinion of which brand to go with, because I am not familiar with DSMs.

Exhaust
intake
downpipe
front mount intercooler
bov
wastegate(would we need this with a bigger turbo, or can the stock wastegate hold 450+ hp?)
Turbo (which to go with?)
Air/Fuel Controller
Vein Pressure Converter (Do you guys use these? I know Supra Owners do)
Boost controller (Do you need some kind of device or modification to allow the stock ECU to exceed the normal boost settings? Like a boost cut controller?)
Fuel components such as injectors(size?660?), fuel pump, fuel rail, etc.
Port the head
Forged Pistons and Rods (or will the stock internals hold excessive hp?)
Cams

Anything else I'm missing? I know this is only the performance side. We plan on going performance first (also mixing in handling), and then going for exterior looks. Any help would be great. Thanks. Sorry if I seem like a little unknowledgeable, but its better to plan ahead and follow with the plan than just start throwing things on.

 

[i3oca]

Oops, I forgot to add on the list the exhaust manifold. Would we need to buy a new one? Or would stock work?

 

[IPT]

Here are some answers to your questions:
http://www.dsmtuner.com/tuning-guide/2gturbo/

 

[Violater101]

with 450 at the crank and a good driver, I would think you would be in the 11's. The 2g MAS is actually fairly good and I doubt a vpc would be needed so long as you are using somethign like the dsm link for fuel control. Like IPT said, the link he listed is pretty much what you are going to see anywhere that primarily deals in dsm parts. To answer your WG question, you normally dont need one on a Big16G size turbo, but once you get too say a 20g, its normally recommended. Make sure you know how much power he wants because with awd, skies the limit. Don't make the mistake of getting to small of a turbo, then regret it later.

 

[i3oca]

Hey guys, thanks a lot for your help. You guys are a lot nicer than a lot of the other forums I go to for other cars. Anyways, yea, my friend wants to be as quick as he can (but also have to keep in mind that he will be driving this car as a daily driver). He wants to be really fast, which he says he wants to be able to run 12s, but as I know, once you hit 12s, you wanna go 11s, and once you get to the 11s, you wanna go 10s. So, I want him to be able to hit 12s, and improve upon that without having to go through any real hard troubles and wasting money. That link that you had was great, didnt realize that the site offered that. But basically, his idea that he has is to be able to go fast enough to whip any other cars on the road around town, and then put more money into exterior modifications, and then after that, making his car pump out more horsepower.

Do you guys have any suggestions with a turbo we should go with? to reach 500 hp? Thanks.

 

[rdrkt]

You keep jumping around with what you are looking for. In an awd car a big 16g and an afc with proper suppoting mods and tuning can comfortably get you into the 12s on pump gas and possibly even better with good tuning/driving. I would start their first and then move from there. After you are in the 12s then you can start looking for 500hp. I will tell you this 12s are dirt cheap compared to a reliable low 11s and 10s car.

 

[i3oca]

Sorry, i dont mean to seem like im jumping around. What I mean is, he wants a car that will tear up some rubber on the streets, and then start to put on a bodykit, and do a paint job, and then he wants to be able to build off of his foundation and build up to or exceed 500 hp. A big 16G, how much hp will that give me with all supporting mods? What times, if he has a decent run, would he expect?

 

[Ludachris]

With a Big 16g, it's possible to get into the 11's, but not very easy. I would go with one anyway to start with, as 12's won't be too difficult to achieve. He can always sell it and get a bigger turbo later. 500hp sounds excessive if the goal is low 12's. You'd have to rebuild the head and the block for 500hp, which isn't very necessary to do if you only want to run 12's. These blocks can handle 400hp reliably on stock internals.

Larger turbo options include the 20g, Extreme Turbo's ETA22, MachV's Rocket Delta, Forced Performance's Green Turbo, a Frankenstein Level 1, and alot of other choices... now please, don't ask which one is better, it will only open up a can of worms. Eveyone has their own preference, and you likely won't walk away with a good answer. They're all good choices. Like I said, I'd recommend starting with a Big 16g and upgrade from there.

 

[rdrkt]

Originally posted by rdrkt
In an awd car a big 16g and an afc with proper suppoting mods and tuning can comfortably get you into the 12s on pump gas and possibly even better with good tuning/driving.

 

[Ludachris]

If you want to see all the parts available for the 2G DSMs, check here:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=3

 

[B8SMAN16GSX]

I ran a 12.9 @ 114mph with a 1.7 60ft last weekend with very little tuning. My mods are listed below:
16G Turbo, Alamo Sidemount Intercooler, 2.5" UIP, 2.5" LIP, Aeromotive Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator, Greddy Type S BOV, 2.5" Down Pipe, 2.5" Test Pipe, 3" HKS Cat Back, ACT 2600 CLutch, Fluidyne Radiator, Injen Intake Pipe, Extreme Manual Boost Controller, B&M Short Throw Shifter, HKS Super AFR, Walbro 255lph High Flow, DSMLogger OBDII, KYB AGX Shocks, Magnacor 8.5mm Spark Plug Wires

 

[rdrkt]

Congratulations that’s a really good mph. You ran a 12.9 @ 114 on a 1.7 60ft did you miss a gear or something? Those two numbers don’t match up either something happened in the middle somewhere or that is the heaviest car on earth.

 

[B8SMAN16GSX]

it is a stock weight 99 GSX

 

[rdrkt]

If you have the slip lying around can you post all the numbers later just to satisfy my own curiosity.

 

[candela]

just to add i3oca, a lot of people say they want this number or that amount of power and go to big to start with. Im just sorta reiterating what was said earlier, but its probably better to start of w/ a big16g bacause in most cases its relatively cheap to upgrade to a 20g later. I have seen 11.6 on a big 16g tuned well w/ supporting mods. Anyway my point is don't waste money and go huge if you dont really need it. If your going 500hp then obviously something other than a 16g will be needed, but like violater said awd's haul ass...

 

[B8SMAN16GSX]

i'll try and remember to bring the slip to work tomorrow and post it up here.

 

[i3oca]

ok, thanks guys for all the help. Now this will help give me a different angle to approach this car.

 

[crankbender]

b8sman16gsx---what injectors are you running?