[mvandale]

I know that many others here have already posted their Stage I results, but I thought I'd give a little more info after I received and installed my Stage I on my 5-speed, otherwise stock (one silencer removed) GT:

First of all, it only took 1 hour to complete the job and was moving very slowly & methodically (admittedly, working on mechanicals is second nature to me). The instructions seemed rather long, but were more detailed than I felt necessary.

After installation, drove it around the backroads at approximatly 9:30 p.m. My first impression is that 1st gear is totally useless at full throttle. There was NEVER an occasion when wheelspin wouldn't take over & just spin the tires through to redline. Standing start, rolling start, hitting it midway up the powerband--didn't matter. On one hand, I like this because it indicates that the car is DEFINITELY making a lot more power than before (at least in the lower gears); but on the other hand, the traction control kept jerking in & out until I decided to shut it off completely (it should make even slow 1st gear starts in the rain practically an art);

Redline:

The "soft" rev limiter is a godsend. No longer do I have to anticipate shifting as the tach swings past 5500 knowing that in just a moment the engine will hit the limiter and feel like it just slammed into a brick wall. Definitely a no-fun time. The car now just revs up (& slightly past) the old rev limiter cutoff and stays there, without any harsh cutting-out; just no further progress either.

Second gear-- Shifting into second was much more fun (with the soft rev limter keeping power up), with wheelspin galore (keeping traction control off) & very hard acceleration, noticeably quicker than the before the Stage I (but not extremely quicker);

Third - on:

The car just pulls & pulls. Upper gears are obviously not going to show a huge improvement, as it takes much more horsepower to give dramatic results in improvement, but it was fun nonetheless.

Overall, I can't think of a better "bang for the buck" with this upgrade. I know a lot of people are worried about warranty issues, but I am not. I have owned only Mopars and have always upgraded them (with that same disclaimer for "racing use only" & "not warranted" being on the items since before I can remember--in the '80s when they were "Direct Connection"). I installed a Mopar computer upgrade in my old Neon R/T w/o a second thought & my car was serviced under warranty a couple of times for various maladies such as plug wire failure & even a bearing failure.

So to me, I think it is much ado about nothing. Perhaps I will worry if something bad happens, but I've never lived my life worrying about "what if's"--elsewise I may become paranoid about even leaving the safety of my own home. Just a philosophy.

Anyhow, 5 stars for the Stage I upgrade. I probably won't go to Stage II; not for lack of wanting more power, but because I have other priorities I could spend the $$ on (kids, mortgage, student loans, investments, etc.). Anyhow, I am certain that my GT is already quicker than 95% or more of the auto population; I've just got to pick my challenges wisely.

Will give results from the 1/4-mile next week (hopefully).

Cheers.