If you had 4 grand....., If you had 4 grand what would you buy Options

[cel97ica]

IF you had 4 grand and wanted to make your celi faster/look nicer what would you buy

[cel97ica]

i want headers(cant find them for the 6th gen celi, and yes ive looked. And from what ive read there are no direct bolt-on ones) SP2 catback exhaust(tried to get one of nopi.com they called me back and said greddy stopped making them) i want a throttle body spacer but have only found them for the GT, i really want a turbo system but i dobut i can find a full system for under 4 g's and i dont know if id be worth it with a car that has 152k miles on it

[playr158]

I'd have custom springs made for coilovers and then have custom OHLIN shocks made and dyno(not the kinda dyno you are thinking, its a special dyno for shocks) tuned.

car would handle like a beast

[cel97ica]

i dont need my car to handle like a beast its got like 115 hp lol, its got an injen intake, and tein s-tech lowering springs

[bccentaur3]

i want headers(cant find them for the 6th gen celi, and yes ive looked. And from what ive read there are no direct bolt-on ones) SP2 catback exhaust(tried to get one of nopi.com they called me back and said greddy stopped making them) i want a throttle body spacer but have only found them for the GT, i really want a turbo system but i dobut i can find a full system for under 4 g's and i dont know if id be worth it with a car that has 152k miles on it

Thats why you do a 3s swap. You do it yourself save money and send your wireing harness out to get done up and like emerald lagassi says "BAMN" instant fastness. LOL . The things you listed won't help much with speed.

[playr158]

you realize that HP doesn't matter when it comes to handling?

i know of 200hp BMW race cars that will walk a 400hp porsche around the race track simply because they can out handle them.


take the four grand....invest into a couple of track day/driving schools

you'll learn more there and figure out from experienced drivers more about what you need to do to improve as a driver and ways to improve your car.

not to mention that handling is the single biggest asset of the celica......hp and out right speed not so much

This post has been edited by playr158: Nov 17, 2007 - 11:58 PM

[cel97ica]

i would if i was older thats what i will probably do, im 16 and want to do a swap but dont have the experiance to drop a 3s-gte in my car, nor would 4000 cut it, well i dont think it would

[cel97ica]

i would love a 3s-gte in my car if i could buy it and get it put in for under 4000 grand or 5

[bccentaur3]

you realize that HP doesn't matter when it comes to handling?

i know of 200hp BMW race cars that will walk a 400hp porsche around the race track simply because they can out handle them.


take the four grand....invest into a couple of track day/driving schools

you'll learn more there and figure out from experienced drivers more about what you need to do to improve as a driver and ways to improve your car.

not to mention that handling is the single biggest asset of the celica......hp and out right speed not so much

Okay okay you're right, but what about BOOST? j/k. I've been told by so many people that the only thing about cars they've enjoyed the most working on would be suspension. I'm not going to lie though suspension tuning is fun. Its more fun on the 7th gen civic vs our 6th gen. I want to see a decent driver drive a 7th gen and a 6th gen on the same course with the same mods done to them. Which car would own?

[thespacepanda]

ST's are great track cars. People don't give them enough credit where credit is due. They're light, well balanced, have great low end torque even stock and thus good for quick slowing down and speeding up. If it were me (and I'm working on making my ST a decent track car), here's what I'd do:

-Shocks and springs. Tein, Eibach, Trd, whatever your preferrence.

-Sway bars. Front and back. Found em on modacar.com for 260 for the pair.

-Strut bars. Found the Trd and cusco ones on toysport.com.

-Ram air intake. Not a significant horsepower increase but they're cheap and does help the throttle response. (I noticed it at least)

-Shifter. Trd quickshifter comes in handy when quickly moving back and forth between gears.

-Rims and tires. Get some alloy rims (they look nice and they're lighter than the stock ST rims). Tires are pure preferrence. I've got a set of Cooper Zeons on mine. I like em a lot. Used to have Yokohama ES100s but the shops in my area stopped carrying em for my rim.

-Rear disc brake conversion. Audi proved at LeMans what advantages 4-wheel disc brakes can do versus drums. Plus it looks sweet behind some 17" rims.


That's my 2 cents. Since none of these things are giving you a whole lot of power (if any at all) I doubt you'd need racing seats or harnesses or any of that stuff. You're not cornering at 110, a roll cage is not that critical. But its your car, do what makes you smile, and make sure you have fun doing it.

[jdg371]

Why wait till your older? I started when I was 17, Autocrossing is a great way to start. I had a 97 ST as well, Handling is what the Celica is for. For some added 'umph' get a custom catback exhaust, 2.25 or 2.5 inch piping with a Magnaflow muffler. Throttle body spacers will do Jack Nothing to your car. As for header there really isn't a OTS product for the 7AFE.

I will agree with playr, play with your suspension. A custom set of Ground Control and adjustable struts will make your Celica more fun to drive. Power isnt everything especially if your starting platform is the ST.

[cel97ica]

i would love to race on a track but right now while im young i just want to make my car a little bit faster and handle a little bit better i mean i guess i got a little start with the intake and springs, but not really that helpful, and i just wanna know what to buy to improve these things with 4-5 grand


jdg about how much was the custom catback?

[cel97ica]

would it be less then 5000 to drop a 3s-gte and all the parts needed ?

[bccentaur3]

dude with 4-5 grand you can make your car into a handeling king. new wheels and tires will help a lot too.

[cel97ica]

centaur your all about the handling arent you, i need a little more hp if im going to drop 4-5 grand into handling, thats why i want the 3s-gte then ill focus on the handling

i already know what rims i want for the rims and tires i want its 800, found replacement front bumper because mine has a hole so thats 150 so new rims new front bumper 950 alone

so far ive spent 136 for intake i think 240 for tein s-tech springs paid 100 for install so thats 476 plus replacement tire 80 so 556, thats how much ive spent so far on my ST

i want a 3s-gte so so bad but i know it wont be around 5 grand to buy and drop it in, i also want brake conversion to disc, and new suspension set-up

[bccentaur3]

ASK yourself this. Do you want looks, Go or handling? If looks go with the jdm SS-III look or the majorities fav gt4 front end. but all of that will take a lot of the 4-5 g to do. You want suspension you're half way there. Since you have springs get some good struts, sway bars, front and rear strut bars, some sweet ass gram lights (which I wished I could afford) and some grip ass tires. You want power, 3s swap.

[cel97ica]

ill eventually want looks but right now id rather have a mix of go and handling, but id wanna start with go...i heard that a full tein suspension set up is wicked good but i wouldnt know, and i dont know if 4-5 grand would cut it for the 3s-gte does anyone?

[bccentaur3]

if you're going to take it to the shop probably not. unless you can sort out the motor and all the stuff you need that normally comes with a front clip. Unless you can get a front clip for dirt cheap. Then again you will have to get your wiring harness done.

[playr158]

a) you are 16 you can't handle a 3sgte celica
b) you have MINIMAL driving experience you DO NOT need a faster car
c) several people have told you HANDLING is a great start.
d) if you can handle BETTER you can go FASTER

you start with the driver then you move to the car...
learn how to drive, get a good solid suspension setup, good brake setup

then when you are older more experienced and more mature...upgrade the power..

steps for a great celica

a) GC coilovers
b) ST sway bars & GT4 rear strut bar
c) good slotted rotors and quality pads
d) 17" light weight wheels with QUALITY tires
e) stock airbox with k&N drop in filter removed air box resonators
f) 2.25" catback custom made
g) ebay headers
h) TWM short shifter

^get that and you'll have more than enough car for you + some money in the bank earning interest

This post has been edited by playr158: Nov 18, 2007 - 12:41 AM

[bccentaur3]

a) you are 16 you can't handle a 3sgte celica
b) you have MINIMAL driving experience you DO NOT need a faster car
c) several people have told you HANDLING is a great start.
d) if you can handle BETTER you can go FASTER

you start with the driver then you move to the car...
learn how to drive, get a good solid suspension setup, good brake setup

then when you are older more experienced and more mature...upgrade the power..

Well put. Some wise advice for your bro. Stick to it and stop wanting more power. I can just imagine, remember that one kid who jumped into his dads shelby 500 and crashed it LOL. way to much power.