best upgrades

[fletcher sawyer]

hello i am a 16 year old guy with a 99 eclipse gs! i love my car to death and yes it is my first car!! i know i only have a 420a but i noticed they have a lot more option for building then people give them credit for. iwas wondering what the best path would be! i would be very happy to hear your ideas and suggestions/ note this is a daily driver would like to have between 250hp and 300hp. thanks in advance

 

[synthetek]

To get anywhere near 250-300hp you are going to have to completely rebuild the engine with forged internals and you are going to have to install a turbo , fuel mods, etc..

 

[Alucards_blood]

I would make sure all of the routine maintenance has been performed before before trying to add any additional horsepower. Make sure your vacuum hoses, clamps and gaskets are in good and leak-free condition. Check compression and timing. If I had a GS model Eclipse, I would get the GST/GSX side skirts, spoiler, 2 piston AWD calipers, AWD rotors, AWD brake master cylinder, GST/GSX oem wheels or wheels of your choice, wash it all clean and call it a day.

Here's a link to the upgrade path for the 420a:
http://www.eatsleepdsm.com/t40-420a-upgrade-path
(I would avoid the Fram filters that are recommended in the link above)

I couldn't find DSMtuner's upgrade path

 

[synthetek]

If I had a GS model Eclipse, I would get the GST/GSX side skirts, spoiler,

GS already have side skirts and a spoiler

 

[Alucards_blood]

GS already have side skirts and a spoiler

All 1999 Eclipse trims were the same? Including spoiler and side skirts? I've seen 2GB Eclipses with different side skirts than mine and I didn't think they looked as nice. Always assumed it was a lower model trim Eclipse, such as the GS and RS models.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

cool thanks guys! i already am doing the maintenance on it keeping it up to date and planning on a turbo down the road. and the gsx side skirts and spoiler do look much better and will be looking into the side skirts for sure since i dont have any!

 

[nelliott500]

At 16, I would spend your time and money in maintenance and trying not to crash the car into anything.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

yes i know, right now thats what is going on im doing all the standard maintenance .its a totally project car the paint and body are in terrible shape but the engine is running super well and i just want ti give it a little something more.

 

[nelliott500]

Honestly, it's just not worth it. This is (assuming since you're 16) your first car. Treat it well and it will treat you well. Don't waste money on making gutless car slightly faster. Keep this thing reliable so you can use it as a DD. When you have the money, buy a turbo model for your fun car. If it breaks, no worries.

 

[synthetek]

All 1999 Eclipse trims were the same? Including spoiler and side skirts? I've seen 2GB Eclipses with different side skirts than mine and I didn't think they looked as nice. Always assumed it was a lower model trim Eclipse, such as the GS and RS models.

There are no GSX side skirts just 2ga & 2gb and talon 2ga (2gb Talons don't have them) The 2ga GS has the same side skirts and wing as 2ga GSX. The 2gb GS has the same side skirts as the 2gb GSX but the with the low spoiler instead of the high one except some 99 GS had the high spoiler. The base and RS are the ones with no spoiler or side skirts.

the engine is running super well and i just want ti give it a little something more.

That's the problem with the 420a there is no little something more, bolt ons like exhaust, headers, cold air intake aren't going to do much at all except make it sound better. The only way to get any real power out of it is to completely rebuild the motor and turbo it.

 

[tylersevo]

Agree with all of the above. At 16 just focus on not wrapping yourself around a tree (believe me I did that to my first car). Later on down the road you may still decide you want more power, in which case find a clean GS-T/GSX and build that. I know some will argue with me on this..but you'd be better off pissing in a sandstorm then trying to make 300hp on that stock 420a.

 

[o0GuitarKid0o]

Rebuild the 420a

 

[ruloco23]

I agree with what was said above. When I was 16 I had a Chevy Beretta Gt and I spent most of my money and time trying to make that thing fast. In the end I ended up saving up my money and got my 1g. out of the box it was 3 times as fast. The key thing to remember is the more power you make, the more your car will become a money pit. Not to mention general maintenance.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

thanks for all the input im thinking i might just save up for either a 3000gt or a gsx and keep this as a daily down the road

 

[Talyn]

thanks for all the input im thinking i might just save up for either a 3000gt or a gsx and keep this as a daily down the road

As much as I love 3000gts it wouldn't be the best choice, everything costs twice as much and theres more to go wrong, not a good car for someone young and on a budget, and if you plan to work on it yourself you'll be pulling your hair out, the engine bay on a 3000gt is cramped like you wouldn't believe, or at least on the vr4 turbos which are the ones that matter. And even if you pay someone else to work on it, you'll be paying twice as much on labor. I'd stick to something simpler, cheaper, and easier to work on. Even DSMs are a bit of a pain, have to pull the trans out to get the engine out, that said itd still be a much better choice than a 3000gt vr4 for someone new to cars.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

thanks i had no ida about the 3000gts!

 

[Talyn]

They're awesome cars and I've always wanted one(and if money was no object I'd definitely own one), but for the above reasons I got a DSM instead, they are harder to find parts for too. And I know if I got a 3000gt something would break probably sooner than later, and that is a car that I don't want to have to fix. Plus you already have a DSM, so you'll be somewhat familiar with it already, the devil you know and what not.

 

[Alucards_blood]

There are no GSX side skirts just 2ga & 2gb and talon 2ga (2gb Talons don't have them) The 2ga GS has the same side skirts and wing as 2ga GSX. The 2gb GS has the same side skirts as the 2gb GSX but the with the low spoiler instead of the high one except some 99 GS had the high spoiler. The base and RS are the ones with no spoiler or side skirts.

Thank you so much for clearing all that up.

 

[90gsxProjectCruiser]

you could build the car up a little. get some good learning in on it, and make it quick. I really don't know what the potential of that 420a is. if you really have your heart set to get to the 250+ hp, spending lots of money on the 420a for new bottom end components, upgraded cam, intake/exhaust work could all be in vein.
(the early dodge stealth rt/tt has rear steer! how cool is that! too bad they are such a pain to work on..)

 

[90gsxProjectCruiser]

I had an n/a Celica and all I wanted was more potential power! it didn't have any, and it was only fwd (not hating) bottom line is I wasn't happy so I switched to turbo awd. huge reward was playing in the snow.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

yeah i would have really liked to get an awd or rwd but i couldnt turn down a 1500 dsm haha i do want to save up and get a second true project car that i can pull apart but thats not in the cards right now

 

[nelliott500]

Well, don't worry about it for now. Enjoy what you have, keep it running, and learn everything you can. My first car was $500 '90 Cavalier and I loved it.

 

[Rs AWD]

agree with everything above, your young, go to macco have them shoot the car one color and enjoy it for as long as you can. keep it as a dd for a while and maybe pass on the love to some other 16 year old kid for a good deal to get him to love the DSM world the way you and so many of us do.

i have a friend who used to have a 275hp 420a, he spent more money building the motor then it would have cost to buy a good running GSX with a 16g on it. 275hp isn't a lot by any standards now a days and starting with an inferior platform like the 420a is going to require deep pockets. now thats just talking motor. the suspension, trans, brakes, tires and possibly rims depending on your current ones all need to be upgraded heavly. whats the point of having 275hp if you can't get traction, use the power through a corner and most important what good is it if you can't stop.. smartest move is save for a GSX or TSi AWD do the proper maintenance and with a few small upgrades you will be at your goal with tons of room to grow in the future, if you so desire. keep the GS as a reliable, safe DD that you don't have to constantly check on.

also my first car was a 600$ chrysler lebaron, but i ruined that before i had a license. then i got my license and bought a 800$ chevy corsica with 60k miles on it. drove it forever as a DD while my 92 TealSi AWD was being built.

 

[lasershark]

I agree with everybody else, keep the gs as a daily and save any extra money you get for a 4g63 dsm. Many of us on here have found bargains on cars so if your patient and have a little cash, something will come your way. Then when you are working on the 4g63 you can really take your time to learn and do everything right since you will have the daily driver.
My first car was a 84 firebird s/e with the LG4 305. I think it's rated at 150 crank hp. I added headers, exhaust (no cat), and a nice muffler. It probably brought it up to 155 crank power . It's not always about speed/power, for me I was proud because I bought it myself and did everything myself.

 

[fletcher sawyer]

thanks you so much! i am quite proud of my car!! since i bought it with my own money. i didnt realize everything you had to do ti get the car safe at more hp. i guess ill just keep my eyes open for a decent priced gsx or tsi awd! and in the mean time just get my gs looking good and finish sanding so i can paint it.