• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

Idea's on how to make my car sound better for cheap?

D

dirtbikeryzz

New member
Hey guys I need some advice. I no when I was a teen I would just throw a $50 fart cannon on my little Cavalier, and go about my day. But now that I have a Grand Prix, I'm clueless as to what I have to do. I've googled it, and keep getting like $1,000+ exhaust systems. So whats the cheap way of doing it? I'm not looking for a fill kit to gain hp, and what not. Thanks in advanced.

2001 GTP Coup.
 


Honestly leave it stock. I have magnaflow mufflers. While I like them they also have terrible drone at certain rpm's. Mainly 1500rpm to 1800. Terrible.

If you want just a little bit more throatyness you could replace the resonator with a glasspack. But do like a 24 or 32" I'd leave the mufflers alone if your on a budget.

A good muffler for non drone and good WOT noise is Dynamax VT. But they are pricey.
 
Hmm ok maybe I'll just leave it stock. One more question, I'm reading the how to safely mod your 3800 thread right now. But my car has 161k on it, 150k when I bought it. Is that to much to start modding, and adding HP? The guy I got it from was some old guy who took care of the car he had it all written down. It is on its 3rd tranny though, all replaced by him, which is weird to me. Also is a 3.4 pulley setup even a noticeable gain in power? Because I don't plan on going any lower.
 
Last edited:
161k isn't too much to start modding. Just make sure you take care of all the maintenance items listen in that thread before you mod.

And with the transmissions, they are weak and break parts often. He either sucked at rebuilding them or put all used transmissions in and didn't treat it any better.
 
Link in signature.

Read, research, get at it broham.

This was my car with Flowmasters, catless headers, factory resonator, 3" piping, and an XP cam: GTP Exhaust - YouTube

This was my next setup with catless headers, a long glasspack for a resonator, then a bullet style proflo muffler before the "Y" with 3" piping to 4" tips and a much larger cam and ported heads: GTP Big Cam Idle/Rev - YouTube

Then before that out the back, I had it dumped without the proflo muffler: Big Cam GTP Idle & Rev - YouTube

It was fun-ish. Still sounded like crap because it's a FWD, 90* V6, 3800.
 


dirtbikeryzz said:
Hmm ok maybe I'll just leave it stock. One more question, I'm reading the how to safely mod your 3800 thread right now. But my car has 161k on it, 150k when I bought it. Is that to much to start modding, and adding HP? The guy I got it from was some old guy who took care of the car he had it all written down. It is on its 3rd tranny though, all replaced by him, which is weird to me. Also is a 3.4 pulley setup even a noticeable gain in power? Because I don't plan on going any lower.
Click to expand...

No amount of mileage is to high to mod. I started modding mine with 190 ish on it. A 3.4 is a noticable gain. I noticed a lot with just headers.
 
From what I've read overkills pcm's for 3800 are way better. He's slow at returning emails and takes a little time to ship but their supposed to be the best

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
marines542 said:
From what I've read overkills pcm's for 3800 are way better. He's slow at returning emails and takes a little time to ship but their supposed to be the best

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

I can just buy one of these PCM's instead of tuning the stock one right?
 


Think this thread died but maybe someone will see this. Few more questions, the cone filter on the end of the throttle body idea from the mod thread, seems odd to me wouldn't that just lower torque with all that hot air?

2nd, Lower thermostat, spark plugs, are all easy to grab offline but when it comes to headers I'm lost. The thread says around 200+ for them, and all I'm finding is $500 plus deals online, could someone please link me to the best bang for buck purchase? Along with the ZZP manifold I'm suppose to get, the site looks like spanish to me. Once again sorry for the extreme noob questions, I just need some links so I can buy the stuff, and have more experienced people put it together for me :).
 
Watch for Speed Daddy's to come back in stock. They're ~200 shipped.

FWI > Overpriced CAI > HAI > stock air box.

Little gains are to be had over an expensive CAI vs a cheap cone mod. I have $20 invested into mine and it functions fine.
 


Its been debated and debated about open cone intakes. Take a look under where the throttle body is. It's a exhaust crossover. Heats the air in the throttle body no matter the intake system you go with. Its been proven on a dyno that open cone vs cai there isn't hardly a difference.

Sent from my iPhail
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top