best mod at this point...suggestions?

[1fstramand1slovibe]

hey all im new here just found this place a few days ago and already you all have helped me tremendously, THANKS ALL. anyway my question is what does everyone think would most compliment the level of mods i have right now as far as performance gains to cost ratio and overall ease of use. right now i have an ARE stage 2 Short Ram with full heat sheild, custom piping from the cat back with the resonators cut off and a silverline canister. Ive already replaced the battery with a stronger unit and put new NGK iridium plugs in, run full synthetic fluids, and premium fuel all the time. any recommedations im not exactly made of money so im looking for the most bang for the buck. once agian thanks everyone you all have been great so far

[VforVIBE]

I'm not sure how cold it gets there, but a Throttle Body Coolant Bypass is good for a horse or two, and if you have an 05 or 06 the DBW reset is free.

[GrayFox]

You're pretty much going all performance aren't you?header & downpipe to finish out your exhaust (tho a header is kinda high)

[drunkenmaxx]

what kind of vibe do you have? if it's a base or AWD, and underdrive pulley would free up some more for ya.

[1fstramand1slovibe]

yeah i mean i am modding the suspension and brakes also but i know the route im going with them, i already have ebc slotted rotors and green stuff pads up front and braided brake lines all the way around and i have a vibrant strut bar and plan on getting the progress rearsway bar. but my biggest concern is power its an 2004 base auto( had to get it so the wife could drive) but now we moved to eastern kentucky with my work and these hills are killing me so i eventually plan on modifying about everything i can get my hands on. but i would just like to get an idea from people who have tried different combinations on what might be the best most cost effecient mod for me at this point. i was thinking about some underdrive pulleys, or a header, and high flow cat. which would realize the biggerst gains on the 1zz

[Mavrik]

UNICHIP is my suggestion.

[1fstramand1slovibe]

i plan on getting the Unichip but for 520 bucks even at neverenoughauto i could get a set of underdrive pulleys and a header or high flow cat all for that price. thats my dilemma which would give the greatest gains?

[drunkenmaxx]

go with the header, pulleys, and cat, you will get more gains from those. after all that, save up and get the unichip and have it tuned for all that good crap you already have!

[Raven]

I live in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec and my best mod so far for driving in hilly conditions has been my DC Sports header. I've got a CAI and Magnaflow exhaust but as far as hill climbing, the header has made the most difference. I can use one gear higher in most cases.

[1fstramand1slovibe]

great. thanks guys. well one more question can you tune the unichip for a higher rev limiter on the base vibe. Im sure that with all the mods i plan on doing that it should be able to handle 7k rpm at least. i mean my small block dodge truck(ok ok i do have about 4 grand in the engine, 385hp@5500rpm, 435pdft@3000rpm,at the wheels) revs to 6300rpm. also can you program the unichip to run on premium since that it what i feed both my babies all the time anyway.

[satur9]

unichip wont raise the limiter but you can set a more aggresive map to run on premium.

[BlueCrush]

Do all of your mods first then get the Unichip preprogrammed for those mods. If you have an Authorized Unichip Tuner in your area, you will be able to maximize the Unichip gains.

[Lancer]

I have my car set to shift gears 300rpms higher then before. It was done when I had the tranny rebuilt. Honestly I want to undo it. Before, my car hit peak power just before redline on the tach. Now, I hit the peak power band, then it just levels off until it shifts. Shifting from 1st to 2nd, even drops off a little. I'm planing on getting stage 2 cams (w/stronger valve springs) after paint next year. (Which is another power option no one has mentioned yet.) I'm hoping that will give me a little more power in the upper rpm's. If not, then I still have the one retune available to me from my tranny guy.You've gotten good advice already and I've done everything that's been mentioned. You WILL NOT be disappointed with the results! The only other thing I can think of is to lighten your car up as much as you can. A stroker kit or higher compression pistons will also give you more n/a power. After that you'll have to start looking into boosting your car with turbo, nitrous, or supercharger.