i have a 2000 cavalier z24 2.4L twin cam 4cyl 5 speed within the next 6 months i would like to start putting some power in this vehicle. i have asked what i should do to many people and i got numerous responses:
a crate motor builder told me that putting a v6 was possible but somewhat pointless b/c it weighs more than the 4cyl and i can get just as much out of the 4cyl
ive been told that i can rebuild the engine i have with forged pistons, rods, etc and add a turbo kit and that would put me around 350? is that even possible?
ive been told that i could swap the motor for a 3400 wit little customizing...
ive been told that i can put a 2.4 longblock (built up) and add a turbo and other things i cant member and get around 500...i was in awe but doubted it
i have also been told that i should just sell the car and get something diff (like a civic...ooo yea!!) cuz hookin up a cavy is "pointless and will never b possible to make fast"
ive have been told by all of these ppl that 350HP is easily acheived and im hoping for a minimum of 400 HP maybe
so wat should i do?
if you build it properly i mean all internals and run like 15-18 psi boost and a shot of nitous ya maybe 400hp. but thet mean new injectors and fuel pump and Ecu and everything and a lot of time and money. a swap would still cost alot of money and the weight factor of a 3800 s/c for only 240 hp. i think a 240 hp 2.4 could spool up quicker than the 3800. how fast do you want to go is all in relation to how much you want to spend?
hope this was some help to ya. dont buy a civic and maybe bore it out .
head, port and polish, cams, bored .040, light wieght flywheel , underdrive pulleys, intake manifold and full exhaust , 15 psi boost and a shot of nitrous could get you what you want
hey thanx... but i i understand about the head... but wat is the point of gettin a polished one? wouldnt i get the same out of it if it was black? (ive seen black ones for sale) j/w... and if i bore my motor .040 it wont raise the compression ratio to hi for me to add 15-18 or more psi will it?
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a crate motor builder told me that putting a v6 was possible but somewhat pointless b/c it weighs more than the 4cyl and i can get just as much out of the 4cyl
That's sort of true. Yes, it will weigh more than a 4 cylinder but you'll be putting down some serious power say if you got a S/C 3800 motor (like few have around here). But yes, he is right, you can put the same amount of power as a 6 or 8 cylinder motor with proper work & tuning.
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ive been told that i can rebuild the engine i have with forged pistons, rods, etc and add a turbo kit and that would put me around 350? is that even possible?
Hell yes it's possible. With forced induction like turbo, any power amount is achievable with the proper tuning (like said before). You can only go so far with stock internals, so with forged internals, lowered compression & a high PSI, you can reach that amount of power...but realize it takes alot of money, time & tuning to do it properly and not have your car do 2 runs and break down.
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i have also been told that i should just sell the car and get something diff (like a civic...ooo yea!!) cuz hookin up a cavy is "pointless and will never b possible to make fast"
Anyone who tells you BS like that doesn't know anything about cars and how motors work. You can make any car fast with the right knowledge. There are tons of cars out there that you would least expect to be fast but are because the owners KNOW what they are doing. Also, anyone who says that to you doesn't follow the Pro FWD which are being dominated by Cavaliers, Sunfires and Ions with the ECOTEC motor. Tell them I said kiss my a**.
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ive have been told by all of these ppl that 350HP is easily acheived and im hoping for a minimum of 400 HP maybe
Like said before, it's not easy but it is possible with the right amount of knowledge. Do alot of research, read alot of posts, talk to alot of people about what they did and just basically be patient because it takes time & money to do it correctly. Don't cheap it out and do it right the first time (best suggestions I can give).
Good Luck to you...
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
hey i apprecieate it alot... and i would never get rid of my cavy for a civic that was sarcasim at its best.... i like the fact of havin a sleeper... but i would like to work with the 4cyl cuz it would be easier with wires and other reasons... but with that kinda power it concerns me about keepin my front wheels on the ground... so im think the heavier 6cyl would add more weight to keep the wheels tighter on the ground but then if i have 400 horses in the 6 and 400 in the 4... would that make a difference?
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but wat is the point of gettin a polished one? wouldnt i get the same out of it if it was black?
It's not about the color. The reason people get a ported and polished head and because they are opening up the valves by porting them and by polishing them, it makes the airflow through smoother.
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and if i bore my motor .040 it wont raise the compression ratio to hi for me to add 15-18 or more psi will it?
Honestly, I wouldn't worry about boring out your cylinders. The thinner the cylinder, the worse on forced induction. Boring has to deal with displacement, not compression.
By replacing the stock pistons to a 9:1 compression forged pistons, you should be fine.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
o thats cool... i also have somewhat trouble finding parts for cavys so do u no of a place i could find these?
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but with that kinda power it concerns me about keepin my front wheels on the ground...
Your trouble isn't keeping your wheels on the ground cause your not a RWD car...the trouble is traction. When you reach high horsepower, you have to worry about your axles and traction issues (on top of other things). Depending on the power amount, you have upgrade your axles to handle that amount cause the stock axles can take so much. As far as traction, best thing you can do is get some good tires and put on a LSD (Limited Slip Differential).
If you want to know what a LSD does, just ask and I'll explain...
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
im feelin kinda stupid right now... but hey that is y im here... so if you could that would be great
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im feelin kinda stupid right now... but hey that is y im here... so if you could that would be great
It's ok bro...I'll explain.
The way your car runs, when it puts power down to the wheels...it's actually putting it down to 1 wheel, not both your wheels.
When your running high horsepower, that's alot of power to put to one wheel. A LSD will put the power to both wheels, evening out the power properly and hence giving you better traction. This is very necessary to do when running high horsepower...otherwise you'll try to take off but you'll keep spinning the one tire and not catching any traction and not moving.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
ooo i c... cuz i always thought the whole axel spun or sumthin like that... so does the LSD hoook up to the tranny or what and is it difficult... cuz i work at a dealership washin cars... and im frends with the techs so i get stuff done underthe table cheap... but since this is like the "heart" of MY car i wanna try and do it all myself... plus they are honda certified so im sure they dont know that much bout cavys (yea i no... honda... but hey its actually acura all the same but its money)...
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so does the LSD hoook up to the tranny or what and is it difficult...
I can't remember specifically but it has to do with utilizing something on your tranny cause when you go in reverse power goes to both front wheels, so it somehow unlocks it so it's like that all the time. That's all I remember about how it works...
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
