First PT Cruiser. Horsepower.

[opportunity]

Hey guys. I just got my first car- A 2003 PT Cruiser Touring edition! I don't have a lot of cash, and don't know too much about cars, but what is the best, most cost effective way to increase horsepower in your Cruiser?

Thanks,

Opp.

[Unseenspirit2002]

If your looking to make horsepower in a PT Cruiser.....Sell it and buy a used Mustang. LOL, seriously though, there are tons of aftermarket parts but if your looking for a cost effective way of making power on the cheap you'll probably want to save up. They make aftermarket turbo kits Hahn Racecraft sells a decent kit. They used to sell superchargers, I'm not sure if they still do or not. On the cheap side, buy a cold air intake with a K&N filter. Maybe even a Throttle body spacer. You cold also try getting an aftermarket ignition and upgrade the ignition wires and plugs. Also a free flowing exhaust system like the ones from Magnaflow. Check out the internet and see what others are doing to make power in their cars.

[Johns Steel Blue]

Don't bother with the throttle body spacer. It will not provide any effect. New wires and plugs will help with the lag on acceleration. The OEM ignition coil is more than enough for the car.

[opportunity]

Ok. So.
1. Cold air intake with a K&N filter
2. Aftermarket ignition- upgrade ignition wires and plugs.


How much does a turbo kit and installation come out to be? I don't know anything about the mechanics of a car like most of you here, all I know is I just want it to be a little peppier.

[MINIHEMI46]

How much money do you have to play with for more HP? The computer controls so many things now-a-days. I'm guessing you have an auto trans? With a K&N filter drop-in, plugs and wires you might get 7 to 10 HP and that will cost about 125 bucks. You could drop in a Tornado air management and get 5 HP for about 65 bucks. New intake, cam, fuel injecters and headers MIGHT get you another 15 to 30 but thats pushing it. I don't even know if they make it ( I'm thinking old school) and then to have someone do it guessing around 1000 to 1300 bucks. But if you want a fast bang for your buck NOS might would be your best but then you are taking a chance with that too and thats also limited power.

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by MINIHEMI46

How much money do you have to play with for more HP? The computer controls so many things now-a-days. I'm guessing you have an auto trans? With a K&N filter drop-in, plugs and wires you might get 7 to 10 HP and that will cost about 125 bucks. You could drop in a Tornado air management and get 5 HP for about 65 bucks. New intake, cam, fuel injecters and headers MIGHT get you another 15 to 30 but thats pushing it. I don't even know if they make it ( I'm thinking old school) and then to have someone do it guessing around 1000 to 1300 bucks. But if you want a fast bang for your buck NOS might would be your best but then you are taking a chance with that too and thats also limited power.

Toronado? I didn't know snake oil added hp.

Bottom line is unless you do extensive work internally you will get nothing that will give you a thrill. Bolt ons like an air intake, exhaust or even a header will not produce the thrill. Plugs and wires will not give you any more power, they will just allow optimal performance and not more performance. I don't care how many Fast and Furious movies you've seen NOS will only get you in to trouble on the street and it's better left for the track. Get a K&N drop in filter and a nice sounding exhaust system and be happy. The non turbo PT is a great cruiser, fun to drive, bu not anywhere near a speed burner.

[opportunity]

Right now, I owe some one a grand, but once that is paid off (will take about a month) , I plan on dishing out more cash towards my car. Maybe by the end of summer, I'll have all these little things to increase horsepower in my car....

[MINIHEMI46]

Yes a tornado does works with the K&N drop-in. But really about 5 HP you MIGHT feel it. But mostly it works best that you can really feel on carb cars from years ago before the computer. My Dad had a old motorhome, 27 feet with a 440 dodge. it was getting 7 mpg and 8 miles if you had a tailwind. He put the tornado with a filter like the K&N because it was red in that bad boy and he got 11 mpg after that and and it woke that old dodge up and it blasted up the hills. You could even hear that engine sucking up all that air. So yes I do beileve it works because I've seen it.

[Cartman]

so he put the tornado in at the same time as the k&n? something tells me that it was all the k&n on that one....

sorry, im with meangreen on this one.

[Mean Green]

The Tornado creates a vortex. By the time the air gets into the intake runners the vortex is gone. Here's something you should read.

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