commonmanthemes said:
Reagrding what you mentioned XR7, with the mid-lengths causing a loss in horsepower. I was kind of worried about that, so thanks for letting me know. What do you think of "S" porting the supercharger in addition to the above mods and then going for mid-lengths without EGR, 2 1/2" Magnaflow cats, to a 3" Magnaflow resonator, back out to the 2 1/2" Flow HushPowers? I had this same setup in my 35th except for with Turbo Mufflers instead and it wasn't too bad. Only thing was the engine idling weakly, like it need the idle speed retuned. Sounded like it was camming. But yeah, I want to not have that problem in this next car and get a little more refined sound than the Turbos gave me.
I should mention that I already have the mid-length headers.
Well, if you already HAVE the headers you might just as well use them. As for loosing power with the headers.... I am not sure about that. That comment was pure speculation based on past experience with other vehicles. You may loose a bit down low and gain a bit up in higher RPMs, but like I said I can't say FOR SURE.
As for pipe size... what size are the collectors on the headers? I would recommend dual 2-1/4" to single 3" back to dual 2-1/4". 2-1/2" MAY be overkill and there again could reduce exhaust gas velocities at you power levels. To be quite realistic, even dual 2-1/4" is more than necessary on our cars at mild performance levels but seems to be a pretty popular size. Not only that but the 2-1/4" pipe will be cheaper than the 2-1/2" and if you don't NEED the larger size, why waste money on it???
Porting the supercharger (or having someone do it if you don't have the knowhow or tools) is definately a good idea. That, along with the exhaust upgrades and a larger MAF sensor (76 mm with proper sample tube to match your injectors) and at least a fan on the intercooler (double IC or front mount would be better) would get you headed in the right direction for sure. Larger throttle body is probably not necessary. Others have reported no noticable gains with a larger TB at lower power levels. Quite honestly, unless you are looking to go BIG with the power, the stock TB is fine. I would hold on TB upgrades until you decide to put on a larger blower and do some heads and cam work.
Do some SERIOUS searching and reading around here on all the topics you are interested in and see what others have experienced from the same upgrades you are thinking about. Get as much info as you can before throwing a bunch of money into your car and ending up with a LOT less performance than you expected. Many others here have already been down that road and it only makes sense to learn from their past trials and/or mistakes.
Search through the FAQ forums (general AND members only) and you wil be sure to find some great info. Just beware that SOME of the info in the Member's only FAQ forum is from several years ago and a LOT has changed in the way people are making power and how much power people expect to see from certain upgrades.
It is always tempting to run right out and buy all the expensive goodies right away. But when you find they did not give you the returns you expected you will be frustrated and end up going back to research it in the end anyways. Might as well do the research first and find out what works best. Listen to what others tell you in terms of personal experience and such with these cars. That alone could save you $$$$$$$$ and headches.
Good luck with it and don't be afraid to ask more questions, just TRY to use the search function first. The search on these forums don'e always give you what you are looking for though so then you may HAVE to ask. MOST here are more than happy to help out any way they can.
OK... I am done babbling on now.