After market parts

[MrBlack]

I have the 1.8L and I was wondering what are some easy/cheap parts I can put on to increase hp and mpg. Maybe a cat back, glass pack, k&n or a cai? or will those not make a difference at all since I don't have a turbo?

 

[RockTheShazbot]

I have the 1.8L and I was wondering what are some easy/cheap parts I can put on to increase hp and mpg. Maybe a cat back, glass pack, k&n or a cai? or will those not make a difference at all since I don't have a turbo?

Not much of a difference. The main reason I got a short ram intake on my Celica was because the one that I came with the car fell apart and it was cheaper to go aftermarket than stock OEM. With cat back and intake, maybe 5-7HP. as far as CAI vs SRI, it depends on the area you live in. Wet does not go well with CAI. My buddy hydro locked his Civic SI when he had a CAI, he uses SRI now and no issues. And I would never trust those hydro guard things they sell either because the only way to find out if they work is too much of a risk for me to take.

 

[Screamer4]

Biggest bang/buck would be a header-back exhaust and a tune to go with it, though I'm not sure how much you'll actually gain on the 1.8.

Depending on the efficiency of the stock unit, you may get a bit of power with a CAI. If the stock unit flows well enough I would just drop in a K&N and leave it at that.

 

[Sonic]

Screamer, this will wind up like over on Nasioc where the n/a impreza owners ask what they can do to make their car faster and everyone tells them to sell it and buy a wrx. Same thing here, there will be very minimal gains from mods on the 1.8. If you want any real gains, you should have bought the 1.4 in the first place.

 

[BNRacing]

Look at getting a tune to start with, that will be your biggest hp gain. On the N/A cobalts we tend to pick up around 18-20whp and .5-.6 seconds off the 1/4 ET. Most of that isn't actually adding power, but getting rid of the PE delay and things like that.

 

[old guy]

Screamer, this will wind up like over on Nasioc where the n/a impreza owners ask what they can do to make their car faster and everyone tells them to sell it and buy a wrx. Same thing here, there will be very minimal gains from mods on the 1.8. If you want any real gains, you should have bought the 1.4 in the first place.

Why do you say that? The 1.8 has no performance potential? Why is that? Has it been tried and failed or are you just guessing? I do not know and am curious and not trying to start anything. Thanks for any input.

 

[RichieRocket]

Why do you say that? The 1.8 has no performance potential? Why is that? Has it been tried and failed or are you just guessing? I do not know and am curious and not trying to start anything. Thanks for any input.

Hey old guy, I believe his point was cost and "ease" of performance upgrades. To get serious gains in the 1.8L, you'd need stuff like high-compression pistons, high lift cam shafts, porting and polishing, etc. These mods require tearing into the engine and high cost. A free-flowing exhaust and intake will only give ~5% hp increase and cost a good bit.

With the turbo, you can pay $300 for the tune, run super-gasoline and get a >30% increase in hp and torque without hurting durability. AND actually get 2-3 better mpg on the highway (as discussed on other threads)

 

[Sonic]

Yeah, basically what Richie said. Although one of the tuning guys on here said that even the 1.8 benefits from their tune. I forget which one said that though. But in my opinion, beyond a tune, it would be cost prohibitive to do anything further to a 1.8.