Traded auto for manual

[distortedlife]

Well guys I just traded my '06 Touring auto for an '07 touring manual with ONLY 107 miles on it, the difference in acceleration and power compared to the auto tranny is SOOO different.

Anyway, I want to know what mods I can do to it, for more power, but I want to do it in a modular way, let me explain: I want to do mods that don't have to be thrown out in favor of something else, I want something that can be built on.

I want to turbo my car, what do I have to consider before I take this step?

Also what inexpensive mods can I do NOW that I won't have to change when a turbo comes into play.

I want to have at least 400 HP to the wheels.

Thanks

[distortedlife]

PS: I want it to be reliable HP, not 400 HP that'll last a few months...

[fritz_t_coyote]

400hp to the wheels of a pt cruiser? Um... It'll be expensive to get it even momentarily. And Really Expensive to get it reliable.

Even after the engine mods to get the 500 or so crank HP that will result in 400 at the wheels, you'll need to beef up the drivetrain to deliver that power to the ground.

Of course, it all depends on your definition of 'expensive'.

And remember the old racing adage:
"There is no substitute for cubic dollars."

[littleblueGT]

You need a GT engine to get that HP! The std 2.4L engine can't handle boost above 7psi without damage. There is no way to do this cheaply unless you find a GT in the junk yard, and swap out wire harness, PCM, dash, engine, etc. The higher the horse power the less reliable the car!

[thegoldpt]

Good deal trading up for the manual.. You won't be dissapointed...

[CREWZIN]

Let me get this right. You traded an 06 Auto for an 07 Manual and didn't think to go for the beefed up engine in a Turbo while doing the trade.....and now you want 400 HP at the wheels (500 @ crank) by using add-on mods. This will a real interesting thread to watch to see what advice your given. Good luck on your quest.

[Mean Green]

I'm not going to get into every little specific, but you are looking at thousands of dollars to upgrade the engine internals, get a turbo and all of the supporting mods and upgrading the clutch. You should have started out with the GT and it would have been cheaper.

[distortedlife]

Hmmm now that you put that way, I might try to get a GT next year, can't afford one right now, and insurance would go up because of the turbo.
So can a GT handle 400 WHP reliably?

[batlin]

Originally Posted by distortedlife

Hmmm now that you put that way, I might try to get a GT next year, can't afford one right now, and insurance would go up because of the turbo.
So can a GT handle 400 WHP reliably?

Just a FYI, my insurance for a Black 2005 GT, 50k/100k, full coverage with $250 deductible is a whopping.... $33 / month! I got rid of my SRT4 because the insurance almost double in a year, and I never got one ticket! My SRT4 was @ $133 / month!
I'm using Unitrin Direct, but I think the secret is to call them not use the online quote. You will get a much better price!

Oh ya, a GT MIGHT be able to make 400 WHP, but it will still take A LOT of money, time, and knowhow. The Stage 3 SRT4 doesn't even make 400 WHP (360-ish i think) and it has a few advantages over the GT PT's engine setup to begin with. Reliably I would think to even get 300WHP you would be spending quite a bit of $$, but I think it could be done. To begin with the whole engine would need to be rebuilt using upgraded internals. Then the transmission / clutch would have to be upgraded to be able to hold that kind of power. You would might even need to go big turbo, which would mean a whole bunch more parts.

The other issue you will run into is traction and wheel hop. With that kind of power you will be loosing traction like nothing else. Even in my Stage 1 SRT if I floored it in 2nd it would take a lot of concentration to keep her going straight on the road, and that was at just over half the power you are talking about!

If you can do it I'd be interested in the pictures !

[distortedlife]

As soon as I get a trade for my GT (gotta save up for a down payment on a house , want to be able to garage my baby) this is what I want:

50 trim: This is the best matched turbo for the 2.4L motor for street/strip purposes. Spools fast, and makes great power. This turbo is perfect for those wanting to make big power on pump gas and go to the track once in a while at run some 11's. If you plan to run nothing but pump gas, and want the best street turbo, then this is your turbo. Full boost should be right around 3200-3300rpms with a .63 A/R turbine housing. On our test cars, we've pulled over 420whp on pump gas at 23psi.

Courtesy of www.haynesspeedshop.com

What do you guys think?

One other question: what is the lowest recommended engine mileage for high HP tuning?

I just want to know this because I don't know if there is a '08 GT model and in case I can't find a low mileage '07 GT.

Would $15,000 cover the cost of parts and labor for the HP I want?

Sorry about all the questions, but you guys are the ones to ask.

Thanks