Looking for some modification guideance. Options

[Bluelightning]

Hello everyone,

I'm a newb here so, I apologize if I ask any stupid questions up front.

My wife and I just recntly purchesed her a Bone Stock 1996 AT200 5-speed to use as a daily driver in place of the 2003 Dodge Durango she was driving. Fuel costs where getting to much for us, so we needed something a bit more economical, plus she wanted something fun to drive.

We where supprised at how well the car responds with only 108 HP. Now we are looking at our options for increasing that.

I have been doing a bit of research here on the site and understand that the 3S-GTE swap is the hands down prefered option for all out power, but I also want to keep an eye on overall cost of ownership as well. IE Mantinece cost, and fuel costs after modification. I need to keep these costs reasonable for a daily driver.

What I am looking for is something that will fit the following requirements post modification.

1: Run well on Regular Unleaded gas.
2: Pass Texas emissions testing
3: I can get replacement parts, and normal maintenance items at a reasonable cost.

My understanding is this pretry much rules out a JDM engine swap.

What about a swap for a 5S-FE from a USDM GT? Is this a reasonable option? Will it meet my requirements above?

Would I just be better off sticking with my 7A-FE and working with it?

I would not be opposed to a turbo kit for the existing engine, but I belive that would require me to run a higher grade of gas. Is that correct?

If that is the case what performance mods would be recommended for a NA 7A-FE to get a few more HP out of it? Would I be pretty much limited to an intake upgrade, and exhaust upgrades? Would that net me much HP gain on the 7A-FE?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations you can make.


This post has been edited by Bluelightning: Sep 23, 2005 - 10:24 AM

[95CelicaST]

Swapping a 5S-FE wouldn't be a great option. It requires different engine mounts, as well as wiring. It would cost you almost as much as a 3S-GTE swap, and you would only get 130HP. As far as a turbo goes, I would assume that any turbo car needs to be ran on premium and above. If you decide to swap you can always go with a 4A-GE or 4A-GZE, which I believe use the same engine mounts as the ST.

Basically you are stuck to intake/exhaust mods (Which I have on my ST). If you are going to modify your intake Do Not get a short-ram. They might actually hinder performance, as they would be sucking in hot air. I have a Cold Air Intake on mine, which I'm not sure where the previous owner got it, but I know there are some Intercooler-style intakes for the ST on Ebay. If you are lucky, going downhill with a tailwind, you might be able to hit 115HP with an intake and exhaust, but basically, there is no real way to make a 7A go fast... at all... unless you are Nik and you can pour 4 grand into a turbo kit....

Welcome to the site, the people are nice and helpful with problems. Some adivce though.. People get... frazzled.. when someone posts a question that could have easily been solved with the Search Option. So be sure to research a question if you aren't sure if it has been brought up yet.