Having sold my 12.04 Buick GN to get a rag top (07' GT/CS) I am looking for advise on where to start. I ran car at last event of the year in November right off the street (942 km) I was impressed with 14.11/97.85 (bone stock). BGN first pass was a 13.98/99.54, so the GT got potential!!!!
I just installed 4.10's (woke up low end) and have done nothing else, but I just received Cervini's ram air hood and was wondering about tuners (Prediter/SCT-3) and other proven items to get rolling into the high 12's and would appreciate any feedback.

 

There are lots of threads that will give you good ideas.......but..... I am still learning to drive a stick, in stock for I ran best 14.4@102. Then I added a JLT CAI, SCT3 from Bamachips with the 93 octane race tune and Summitracing UDP, with that setup I ran a 13.6@108 and a 13.4@105. My 108 mph should be good for a 12.9 or 12.8 if I had more experience driving a stick. I will install my LT's soon and will be looking for 12's next track visit. This is a coupe with a 5 speed and factory 3.55's.

Good luck!

 

Best mod for the $$$ is probably FI... but for those of us that don't have 5-6 grand to toss around (or don't want to) I'm going to have to say a CAI + a good tune is the best bang for the buck

Mine with nothing more then a C&L Street, canned SCT tune, and GT500 rims/tires ripped a 13.4 @ 105. I'm expecting 13.2~13.3's on my next trip down the 1/4.

 

How much do you want to spend????

 

Get a cold air kit and tune from a reputable tuner like Brenspeed.

After that, save your $$ for a blower and skip the 12s all together!

 

I wish I woiuld have thought about it a little harder. I definitely agree with the cold air kit and tune, especially from Brenspeed, but if I had all the **** money I sunk into wheels, tires, headers, stereos, amplifiers, speakers, spoilers, hood scoop, shifter, gears, shocks/struts, springs, etc. I could have a kick as blower by now!!!

 

Hahhahaa, I hear ya!

 

Here you go: http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co...rts/index.html

MM&FF got into the mid 12s (12.50) with a CAI, tune, BMR rad support, alum D/S, bogarts, and DRs... Everything else was bone stock and they even saw sulight under the front tires.

 

I remember the GN's when I had my 87 Mustang GT, they ruled the street in the straights. Krown is giving one away, you can enter here...

http://dreamcargarage.com/dreamcarga...me=KROWN-BUICK

LJS

 

Cold air intake and custom tune, for sure. Give us a call, we have some great tunes available! Plenty of references!

CR
Tillman Speed, Inc.
www.TillmanSpeed.com

 

Best bang for the buck is nitrous oxide, anyone that tells you different, just doesnt understand.

 

I completely disagree with that statement. If it wasn't a consumable powersource it would be but 2 summers of nos and you could have paid for a s/c or turbo. (the way I drive anyway)

Without a doubt IMO best bang for your buck is a good cai/tuner/tune combo from a company such as www.brenspeed.com , then longtube headers and an offroad x or h-pipe (no cats), then a gear swap such as 4:10's, and then if you're after straightline performance some sticky tires and if needed some lower control arms for wheel hop.

 

For N/A, 4.10 gears, CAI, good tune, and free flowing exhaust. For F/I, there are many superchargers out there that are reasonably priced that'll put the car easily into the 12's with no other mods.

I'm on a budget and feared the cost of a blower for years, but recently pulled the trigger. Total cost of all parts, labor, sales tax, etc. was $4,616. Assuming that was worth about 120hp (minimum), then it is less than $40 per hp. Most N/A mods are closer to $100 per hp gained, so a blower is much better bang for the buck.

 

Sorry, I have to.

Nitrous Oxide kit, 150hp, $399.99. + shipping.

150 hp / $400 = $2.66 / hp

Afterall, we are talking about best bang for the buck, not the "best solution for horsepower over a long term investment."

***

That being said, Five O Brian, have you had it to the track with the new blower? Curious what kind of times you are putting up. (I have been eyeing the Paxton and Vortech kits, just cant seem to make myself plop down $5k for it.)

 

I would have to agree with most of the responses, and add my two bits for a CAI with a tune. I use a brenspeed.com tune, and have been nothing but happy with both the performance AND the support.

Something else to throw into the mix would be underdrive pullies. From what I've heard and felt from my buddies car (SOP), it's a fairly straight forward install that gains another 10 HP. Also, sometimes you can get a deal from a CAI, UDP's, and tune all together if you shop/ask around.

 

NOS does not count, it is not always on. I think we are talking about HP that you can always have when the gas pedal is pressed.

 

Waiting to install a driveshaft loop to be legal at the track (BMR 2-piece on order), and I want to get the car dyno-tuned this month to make sure the a/f ratio is safe before I hit the track.

However, if this blower makes the power that Vortech advertises (with their ultra conservative 50-state smog legal tune), then I've calculated that it should easily pull a 12.30 @ 111 mph 1/4 mph pass on drag radials. With a good dyno tune (and the 4.10's & converter), it wouldn't be unreasonable to see a bit more out of this combination. I'll be sure to post timeslips ASAP, though.

Took me several years to just buckle down and spend the money for a blower. Glad I did as the car is just so much faster now! Problem is, now I need better brakes as speed happens way too quickly now and the stock brakes are lacking!

 

I'm sure that Nitrous is entertaining and can yield big numbers. However, how much does it cost to fill the bottle? And how often would you need to refill the bottle over the life of the vehicle to enjoy the juice every day? Total that up and tell me with a straight face that it's still the best bang for the buck.

 

So yeah, 2quik4u, the general consensus is either forced induction if you can afford it or a CAI+tune. I only have the CAI+tune so that's all I can speak to.

So here's a couple things to know: The mail-order tune will be good and you'll see a big difference over stock...but a dyno tune will blow your mind. Just an intake with no other mods brought me to 289rwhp. We didn't do a baseline but most people see about 255rwhp stock, or so I'm told. so 44rwhp ain't bad for 1 mod and i can swap back to stock in literally 5 min if I have to take it back to the dealer.

The other thing...you're going to realize how inadequate your stock tires are with any kind of extra power...and the epiphany will be pretty quick.

 

A pound of nitrous is usually cheaper than a gallon of gas at this point lol.

It's usually like 35-40 to fill a bottle. You think you would be filling up your bottle all the time but you would be surprised, it lasts longer than you think.