So with my increased interest in cars....

[tennis_dog]

i switched from cars i want to the one i actually have....i have an 1994 lexus es300......

so i was riding on the mini highway by my house...mini meaning it isnt really a highway, but its about as busy as one...a Route..whatever....so it was kinda late, so i decided i'd push its limits, see how fast it could go...whatver....so while i cant remember the exact number, i can guess its 0-60 is around 10ish....not great, but its a luxury car, it wasnt meant to go fast...

still, at times it doest get kinda annoying when it kinda crawls out from under a rock when i try to accelerate when the light turns green...it isnt that bad, but still, i want some more power....tell me if this sounds unreasonable, but i wanna get it to around 8ish..or even better, a 7 in the 0-60....

so i now being a 16 year old, i dont have a whole lotta money...the small shit im gonna just ask my parents and see how generous i can get them to be....but nothing over 200...i think even that is pushing the limits with them..

so anyways, let me restate what im asking of al of you....what can i do to basically just get some overall power under the hood???

from what i remember researching online this past weekend was that it was a V6(duh), 32 valve...if that matters...and about 188 hp, but im sure that was back in 94...hp decreases over time doesnt it?? so would i be safe in assuming maybe it being around 160??? so around there.....so i just want some quick power for some acceleration and top speed...help me out peeps...

 

[ARon]

How much money, 200, that is nowhere near enough but whatever.
You can start with the basics which everyone does at first, intake, chip, maybe exhaust, pullies, etc. Just your basic engine component upgrades.
But if you want a faster car and that is all you are looking for you can roughly sell your car for around 9,000ish and you can buy like a 94-96 Eclipse GSX, or Talon TSi, same thing but they are cheap and quick and easy to make faster so if I was only looking for speed I'd do that.

 

[S O F I]

Just stick with it. You got a Lexus, maaaaaayne. Enjoy it and pick up some hoes.

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

I totally agree with Aristotle. For any car, $200 won't get you much, in terms of sheer power... maybe 5 hp at the very most. Your car wasn't really meant for being modified. And like he said, your best bet would be to get a different car that is easier and cheaper to make fast. The Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon that he mentioned is the same car that Paul Walker drove in the beginning of The Fast and the Furious. (For your information, they are essentially the same car, except the Eclipse was rebadged as an Eagle, which was an old brand under Chrysler.) If you can find it in turbo form, its engine is loosely based on the same 4G63 motor that powers the Evo (but obviously with a lot less power, but still plenty of potential). It puts out around 210 hp in stock form, and with a few cheap mods (mainly boost control, which for this car should run you less than $200 while allowing you to push your turbo further) you can have yourself a quick little car. HOWEVER, that car is getting harder and harder to find (at least in Southern California), especially in Eclipse GSX/Talon TSi AWD form (both of which have a simple AWD system). Perhaps an easier find would be the Eclipse GS-T/Talon TSi, both of which are only front-wheel drive, but significantly lighter. (This wouldn't be that much of a step down anyway, since the AWD system in the GSX isn't really that complicated and still very much FWD-biased.)

Simply put, the best way to get a lot of power without spending a lot is to find a car that is equipped from the factory (such as the aforementioned car) and boost the hell out of the turbo. (Some will argue that it's cheaper to just get a Camaro or Mustang V-8, which might be cheaper, but as we all know those cars aren't of highest quality or reliability.)

 

[tennis_dog]

yeah, im not selling a lexus....

i said i didnt want a powerhouse, but i need some pickup...200 isnt enough to shave off a second or two from my 0-60? maybe HP isnt what i need, but some torque to get up and go.....

and im a big guy...i wouldnt look good in an eclipse....

 

[Duke]

200 isn't enough by far to shave seconds off a 0-60 time. If you want to modify a car so it performs notably better, expect to shell out at least a 1000 bucks.

Spending a bit of money wouldnt be worth it.

 

[tennis_dog]

even for a k&n intake system?

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

even for a k&n intake system?

Sorry to break it to you, but a K&N intake system (or any intake system, rather) won't really do much. Basically the most drastic thing it does is make your car sound better while adding a couple hp and a couple lb.-ft, maybe taking a tenth or two off of your 0-60 mph acceleration time. (Don't always believe what they say in their advertisements, just like in weight loss commercials they only post the rare extreme changes). Unless you've got money to burn (and I'm talking about in the thousands), your car isn't worth modding for additional speed. To have the type of improvement in acceleration that you're looking for, you'll need at least an additional 40 hp, which is well beyond your basic intake/headers/exhaust upgrade (which already hovers around $1000).

 

[tennis_dog]

...so the car's fine the way it is?

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Yes and no.

Basically any car is fine the way it is. Even though your car is an older model, it's still a Lexus and probably has a decent interior even by today's standards. (I would assume that the leather seats are probably showing some wear and tear by now though.) However, your car really isn't worth modifying since it's a car that wasn't meant to be upgraded performance-wise. As a result, it will cost you an arm and a leg to make significantly faster, as many of us have already stated.

Just be happy that you have a decent car at 16. Besides, a car with a lot of power and speed isn't a toy, it's easy to make a mistake and crash.

 

[PELLA]

dont put an exhaust on a luxury car...thats just gay. Get the chip and air intake and stick with it. THats what id do personally. Dont turn this car into a RACERRRR

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

dont put an exhaust on a luxury car...thats just gay. Get the chip and air intake and stick with it. THats what id do personally. Dont turn this car into a RACERRRR

I see your point, but the ES is a V-6, and good companies have decent exhausts for it that aren't racer-ish. The exhausts on that don't sound like your run-of-the-mill souped-up Civic anyway. I don't think it's really about putting exhausts on luxury cars, I think it's about putting exhausts on luxury cars that are older that is gay. But like you, I wouldn't recommend an exhaust on his car anyway since it would be expensive and performance gains would be minimal. He'd be better off just getting a whole new car that is more responsive to simple bolt-on mods.

 

[tennis_dog]

ah, fuck getting a new car...i dont think my parents would get me one till college...and thats if im good...you know how it is...