98 Grand Am GT, First Step? - GM Performance Tuning

Maddogz · #1 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 07:43 PM

Hello everyone

I've got a 98 grand am gt, and was looking for some advice on what to start with performance-wise to give this puppy a little boost. Its a 2.4, 5 speed. My local mechanic has spent the last few days working with me getting the car up to par (put in new sway kits, plat sparks, all kinds of little tuneup stuff, picking up a KN air filter friday), but hes not really a performance guy, and theres not many of those guys around my area.

Now thats she's back to normal, where do I start to go above normal? I want to keep it a 4banger, and I deliver pizza (lol, i know, but believe it or not i make damn good cash), so I dont want it burning gas like theres no tomorrow, however I'd like to do what I can to give it as much pick'up'n'go as possible, and make it ride on rails as well as it can for a grand am. I live in a very rural area, so theres lots of winding roads, and not much room for top speed.

From what I've been reading on here, it seems exhaust is a good place to start. Right now it has that 'fake dual' where it splits from one exhaust into two... Noticed some people saying about dropping that down to one for a little better compression, but I could really use some good starter tips. I'm more of a PC tech than a car tech, so any advice will be quite meaningful. Also wondering how much lowering the car will help, how far I should go, and if theres any recommendations on springs for this particular car. I've been told you can 'cut' them down, but I'd prefer to just get new ones already at the desired length.

Thanks!

jeremy96gase · #2 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 09:10 PM

Welcome to the forum!

Eibach and Sprint both make lowering springs for the 98 Grand Am. With my 96 Grand Am Se I went with KYB shocks/Struts and Eibach springs.
My car handled pretty well, but the Grand Am has a bit of a weight problem. That problem being 60+% of the Weight is up front. So it'll never handle like it's on rails.

For performance, start with an under driven aluminum crank pulley (search for Caviler Pulley). The Cav Z24 has the same engine as your Grand Am.
Going for the Exhaust right away, will make a difference, but it will make the car a lot louder.

As for the Fake dual exhaust, you maybe thinking of the "Camaro" style where it replaces the two mufflers you have now with one muffler in the middle, with two oulets.
This is a good solution, and actually performs better and weighs less than two mufflers.

darkfox · #3 (**permalink**) 08-08-2008, 01:53 AM

unortho underdrive pulley, a good homemade CAI setup that draws air from the fenderwell (they sell aluminum intake piping on the interwebs), a throttle body from an LD2 quad 4, a retrofitted pacesetter header for a 2.4 cavalier (there is a how-to on quad4forums.com, involves some cutting and welding), 2.5" inch exhaust straight back from the header, high flow converter, rk sport motor mounts, a good set of springs, nitto 555r's up front, and some weight reduction. you should be able to cut your weight to 2600 lbs and still look fairly stock. i had my GT down to about 2750, and that was when it was an auto... the 5-speed weighs alot less. with the bolt ons, you should be making 160-170 hp up from the stock 150. with this setup you should at least be able to run a low 15.

this setup should be fairly cheap too.

if you can, get a tune somehow. this will probably net you some additional horse. i think this, and the fact i still had street tires and stock suspension, is the reason i couldn't get any lower than high 15's with my old setup, even with a 5-speed swap.

AmIGrand · #4 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 10:14 PM

Has everyone abandoned the head swaps and secret cams of yesteryear, lol? Granted, I've been out of the J-body/N-body scene for a while, but the cams were a "starting point" before, and the head swap is reletively minor as far as "serious" mods go... :???:

darkfox · #5 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 01:31 AM

i know the "secret" cam swap was fairly common on the 2.4's, but it was rather dubious if it produced any results. i don't know if anyone has done the 086 head swap with no problems.

AmIGrand · #6 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 05:30 PM

You of all people? You were like, one of the most active people in the scene, LOL.

The "secret" cam swap was dyno proven to make 8 to 12 at the wheels IIRC, though I'd be hard pressed to find those threads on the various cavi, n-body, J-body, grand am, and Quad 4 sites, LMAO. The head swap was no big deal - you either got lower compression heads or higher octane fuel, other than the oiling holes needing opened up a bit it's pretty striaghtforward. The cam carriers need to be used from the LD9, and there was something with the lifters IIRC, but plenty of people made it work, especially the J-Body guys. Head swap is probably more than the thread starter eants anyway. Bot-ons and the secret cams are a great start.

darkfox · #7 (**permalink**) 11-12-2008, 02:40 AM

so it was dyno proven? well there you have it. sorry, i never frequented j-body, n-body, and grand am sites because most of those guys were douchenozzles. j-body sites were fully of kiddies and ricebois and the n-body sites were full of 60degree-lovers and ethugs. only site i ever paid attention to was quad4forums. that and i haven't even been on Q4F too much after the grand am died.

crap, i really want to get me another 2.4 now. i wish i hadn't of let mine go. i really wish i would have not let it blow up to begin with!

i don't think this guy is up for cam swaps or a head swap on a quad 4, though. definitely not beginner stuff.