All Stock Eclipse, First Car looking for some advice

[Jayo]

I recently got a 97 Eclipse GS 2.0L 2WD non-turbo as my first car. I've always had a thing for tuners, now i own one i dont know where to start. Im looking to improve performance, as well as some basic advice on the car itself. I recently bought and installed a new radiator and intake, but aside from the that the engine is all stock with no running issues. Any opinions, advice and suggestions would be greatly appericated

 

[agentorange313]

Welcome

When you reach the number of post you need to be removed from the newb list, I believe thirty, you will find more help posting and searching through the 420a section of the forum.

If you plan on keep you car non-turbo this is where to start:
Tech Guide: 2G 420A Power Upgrades - DSMtuners

If you plan on turbo-ing your 420a:
420A DSM Tech - DSM Forums

get ready to read a lot

goodluck

 

[H4G64T]

Where are you looking to go performance wise, what are your goals really?

Let's get it out of the way before it turns into a thread about nothing but people telling you to sell and get a GST/GSX. The 420A isn't a lame duck, it can be fun and quick, but it's never going to really get you to the performance points that most people associate with a DSM, because those vehicles are going to be GSTs and more likely than not GSXs.

Now that, that is out of the way, and you know where you stand...out of this particular car, what do you want to accomplish?

 

[my dreamt dsm]

Maintenance and then intake, exhaust, header. There isn't much to do for a n/t but if you don't plan on turbo and going faster then 14sec in a 1/4. Your pretty much limited.

 

[Jayo]

Im not looking to push my car past 200 HP, and im not currently looking to add a turbo until i already have at least 160HP. I dont want to be pulling in any crazy races, nor do i want to buy a new car. With a budget of around $1000 dollars over the next 6 months, what in your opinions in the best things to do to it? I am also looking to replace the stock speakers, but the engine def comes first.

 

[josh1095]

keep it stock and you have an EXCELLENT vehicle. very reliable and pain free. just make sure you address all coolant leaks, check timing belt frequentlly, ball joints and tie rod ends prob need replaced. other than that, dont beat on it, its not going to be fast by any means its just not a gst. ive been real nice to mine and it just rolled over 203k miles. everything is stock aside from regular maintenance things.
just save money and buy a gst or gsx one day as your "fast car". enjoy your first dsm!! dont give em a bad name, treat her good and she'll return the favor

 

[H4G64T]

Well first thing you need to be aware of is that 200 HP on a N/T 420A is a pipe dream. Can it be done? Yes. It has been done, current N/T 420A record is 218 WHP, and no one is even close to matching that number. This means to get you to your goal, you are going to have to go turbo, heck it's going to be a ball buster to get 140 to 150 whp out of that thing without some ingenuity and money, but not impossible.

Your first step is going to be maintenance, the car is getting up there in years, proper maintenance can help you retrieve a few of the ponies you are losing right now.

From there you can start with the basics:

- Cold Air Intake
- Catback Exhaust System
- Underdriven Pulley
- Basic Weight Reduction
- SS Headers
- High Flow Cat (Or cat delete if you can get away with it.)

 

[Jayo]

Maintenance is always a priority, it already has 90k miles on it yet still runs like a dream. I've just ordered in a new timing belt, as it was replaced about 5k miles ago i decided to play it safe. Every week i give it a general check and i havent had any problems yet. with that said, i have only owned the car for just over 2 months so i am still learning about it and have a long way to go. With those basics, what kind of shape would my car be in? I took it up to a track a week ago and was pushing around 115-118MPH.

 

[H4G64T]

Maintenance is always a priority, it already has 90k miles on it yet still runs like a dream. I've just ordered in a new timing belt, as it was replaced about 5k miles ago i decided to play it safe. Every week i give it a general check and i havent had any problems yet. with that said, i have only owned the car for just over 2 months so i am still learning about it and have a long way to go. With those basics, what kind of shape would my car be in? I took it up to a track a week ago and was pushing around 115-118MPH.

It's really hard to say to be honest, you can't predict a reliable number. You have 140 HP to the crank stock, you may grab an extra 10 to 15, 20 if you are lucky off those modifications. So I will give you 160 HP to the crank, use a standard 15% drivetrain reduction for FWD (it can vary though, some dynos put it at 18%) and you will have around 135~ to the wheel at max?

 

[Jayo]

It's really hard to say to be honest, you can't predict a reliable number. You have 140 HP to the crank stock, you may grab an extra 10 to 15, 20 if you are lucky off those modifications. So I will give you 160 HP to the crank, use a standard 15% drivetrain reduction for FWD (it can vary though, some dynos put it at 18%) and you will have around 135~ to the wheel at max?

thanks, i get my paycheck in tomorrow and i hope to start working on these before the end of this weekend. thanks for the help, i'll post some pictures when i get round to it.

 

[poonman]

You need to just do the basics with these cars.

Change Suspension Components.
Bushings, Tie Rods, Wheel Bearings if needed,

Then Intake
Standard Intake.

Then Exhaust
Header, I run the OBX header and its nice.
Your in Florida so cut that CAT out of the Exhaust and get a new NON Fart can Muffler.
EGR Block off
Remove Secondary Injection system if was not Recalled.

Then Electrical
Have Fun , Stereo, Alarm Blah Blah Blah