is there any thing i can do to my duke to get more hp cheaply(would prefer no money at all)thakx to all wingman

84 2m4

decals...

Cheap horsepower, you get what you pay for. A simple rule is reduce friction, increase air flow and horsepower will increase. Places to start, cat converter, by now its time to be replaced and put in a straight pipe for 10 bucks or properly, a high flow unit for 150.00. Put in a KN filter. Does it add power, probably not but it will pay for itself in about 10 years. Hey, it looks cool. Take out the water separator(do a search on that), it makes a cool sucking sound that makes you think you have more power.

Those are a few ideas. Really, cheap horsepower doesn't exist. You drive a 95hp duke, it wasn't designed for power.

Trev

[This message has been edited by Gridlock (edited 07-28-2002).]

lol

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gridlock:
decals...

Cheap horsepower, you get what you pay for. A simple rule is reduce friction, increase air flow and horsepower will increase. Places to start, cat converter, by now its time to be replaced and put in a straight pipe for 10 bucks or properly, a high flow unit for 150.00. Put in a KN filter. Does it add power, probably not but it will pay for itself in about 10 years. Hey, it looks cool. Take out the water separator(do a search on that), it makes a cool sucking sound that makes you think you have more power.

Those are a few ideas. Really, cheap horsepower doesn't exist. You drive a 95hp duke, it wasn't designed for power.

Trev

Trev said it all.....

Aside from trading up to a V6!!

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'88 FORMULA 2.8L V6 5 Speed Getrag

More power.... no money.... that's funny. You should do standup.

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11-Sept-01, The day the world as we knew it ended.

quote Originally posted by Gridlock: decals... Cheap horsepower, you get what you pay for. A simple rule is reduce friction, increase air flow and horsepower will increase. Places to start, cat converter, by now its time to be replaced and put in a straight pipe for 10 bucks or properly, a high flow unit for 150.00. Put in a KN filter. Does it add power, probably not but it will pay for itself in about 10 years. Hey, it looks cool. Take out the water separator(do a search on that), it makes a cool sucking sound that makes you think you have more power. Those are a few ideas. Really, cheap horsepower doesn't exist. You drive a 95hp duke, it wasn't designed for power. Trev [This message has been edited by Gridlock (edited 07-28-2002).]

I just want to add somthing about that last thing for the water air separator. I did that when i had the Iron Puke in my Fiero and It didnt make any sucking sound at all. But then maybe my engine was worn out.

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Fierokid's Web site:
http://www.angelfire.com/sports/sfiero
AIM: Fierokid87

As for the water separator, I don't know much about the 4 cyl. cars, it makes a cool sound on my 6.

Ogre is the one that should do stand up. I thought it was kind of funny too. There isn't much you can do for free.

T

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"You obviously have a great economy with words, I look forward to your next syllable with great eagerness"

I replaced my ratty old cat with a high flow from Auto Zone. It cost less than a buck and I even passed my air quality test! Car is much faster, but it did lose the neat raspy sound that the rat cat had made.
Duke Fieros are like 914 Porsches. All handling and no power. I love mine, but when it dies, I'm going for a 4.9 Caddy. That really appears to be the cheapest bang for your buck. Sort of like a cheap to run 914/6. LOL.

bump

More Power and No Money?
Sorry, speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?

Only free way to make your car faster is to make it lighter. Yank EVERYTHING out of it. Carpet, spare tire, winshield washer reservoir, passenger seat, most of the interior, etc.

Otherwise, get a budget and do something within your budget. Even cutting the catatonic converter off will cost a couple of bucks for a hacksaw and a straight pipe.

What can you expect from cutting off the cat conv and replacing with a straight pipe?

Louder? More HP but less torque? Not enough back pressure? Or does the muffler provide enough back pressure?

Paint it red or yellow.....it will look faster.......lol!

Phil

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GTDude
OVER 25 years GM experience

My Assometer told me that I did get some gains by chopping the cat...

but I think it was mostly plugged, anyhoo

So it wasn't a "mod"

It was a repair!

Hearing that the stock cat conv is very restrictive, it sounds like cutting that off would be a real difference. Will doing this allow the engine to "breathe" better, thus increasing gas mileage, getting a slight increase in performance, and sounding better?

Hey, the Iron Dukes need to be kept alive too! Save the Dukes!!!

as of now the duke is bored 40 over with forged racing pistons,racing crank,and bumped up cam.i've cut off the cat and got 2 more hp with a new muffler.ive been thinking about adding a turbo or maybe nitro.i do have a small budget,but its very small(im 23 married with 2 kids a house and 2 cars,like i remember what money looks like haha).

84 2m4
dynoed at 154 hp
but always need more

So, will I lose torque if I replace the stock cat conv?

Change to synthetic oil in the engine and tranny.
You can vary the effective axle ratio by changing tire sizes, I.E. smaller diameter will equal lower (higher numeric)ratio and better accelleration at the expense of top speed and mileage.
Save the cat! What did the kitty ever do to you? Good aftermarket units flow much better than the old stock unit and cost about $55.

Polish up those aluminum wheels, and get all the free performance stickers you can find and paste 'em on the front fenders...

Free HP...

Cost depends on how much you know how to do. You could open up the ports on the head a little bit and grind away the restrictions. You could also make yourself a header if you know how to weld, and all it will cost you is a little bit of pipe of the correct diameter. Same goes for the intake. If you have fabrication skills you could make yourself a tuned length runner system for not too much.

if you want a little shot of power for drag racing and any wide open throttle sort of things you can fool the computer by putting a toggle switch in line with one of the coolant temp sensor wires by flipping the swich you would break the circut. Just mount the switch to the dash. when the engine is cold the ECT sensor has a verry high resistance wich tells the computer that the engine is cold wich adds extra fuel to the mix so that the engine wil run properly until it heats up. by breaking the ECT circut the computer reverts to a pre set programing so you basickly fool the computer into thinking the engine is -40 wich dumps a whole lot of extra fuel into the engine wich makes up for the lag time at wide open thottle its not quite the kick of nitrous lol but its a bit of an advantage when racing. And by the time the other sensors realise whats going on and the computer changes the fuel mixture back itl allready have done what you want it to do. keep in mind though on an OBD1 type car (up to 1995) it wil light the check engine light but the light should go out when the switch is fliped back to normal on the OBD2 type cars (1996 to present) it will light the check engine light and it may register a trouble code and keep the light on untill it is reset. anywyas its somthing you cold try if you wanted a LITTLE kick in the pants at wide open throttle. And only use it at wide open throttle to make up for the lag at any other throttle position it would just hurt preformance. remember the ECT sensor is the ensor right next to the thermostat housing with the weather pack conector on it the other one without the wether pack conector is for the temp guage. All you have to do is splice a switch into one of these wires and voala a little kick in the pants. just a sugestion

"Duke Fieros are like 914 Porsches. All handling and no power."

Hmmm, it might help if you used a good running iron duke for comparison maybe?
Of the 4 cyl ones we have, they are all in excellent shape, are well maintained and so they perform similar to any stock V6.
The iron duke is a nice reliable base engine, hence one of the reasons GM decided to use it in the Fiero to begin with. Of course let's not forget the V6 GM used starting in the 85GT is just a nice reliable base engine V6 as well. Trying to make it sound like moving up to a V6 is such a huge move in performance and hp is stretching it quite a bit I think IMO
I think a lot of the allure of the V6 is the look. I know a lot of people that do not like the look of the old traditional air cleaner and such.

The 4 cyl has no power? I don't think so. We just tested my 85 2M4 that has over 150,000 miles on it, but has been well maintained. We did 0-60 in just 8 seconds, and that was with a passenger

I have nothing against V6 models, as we have a bunch of them as well and they are great. But I have nothing against the 4 cyl models either. In fact, I have been extremely impressed with the 4 cyl. Besides, if I am cruising down the road in one of my 4 cyl Fieros, and you are driving along with me in your V6 Fiero, you know what? We both look great

As for performance mods, the first thing I would recomend is giving the iron duke an intense tune up. Update with new spark plugs, wires, change oil, filters, distriburor cap, etc.
This alone will do wonders for your car.

Steve

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http://kelleyfamilyfieros.50megs.com

I would just like to add that exhaust backpressure doesnt make horsepower. Maintaining a decent exhaust velocity does. Everything should be done to eliminate backpressure or it should be kept below 1 psi.

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87 Fiero GT (Rotrex Supercharger)
WWW.ANGELFIRE.COM/PA5/DAVIDFIERO

Below 1 psi? I thought 1 psi was atmospheric pressure.

Also, the V6 is faster than the Duke. The Duke, stock, makes what, 93 horsepower? The V6 is 140.

I have talked to several people that say that reducing the back pressure could cost you torque. I am wondering how much?

You would gain HP, but lose torque.

This is from "Supercharged" by Corky Bell:

"Exhaust gas back pressure is a significant restriction to airflow through an engine/supercharger system. It therefore becomes nearly as importtant to get the hot exhaust out as to get the fresh charge in. It also happens to be a whole lot easier. Some lingering notions still exist that an engine must have back pressure from the exhaust or the valves will burn. This has never been true. Show me a race car with exhaust back pressure and I'll show you a loser."

He goes on to describe the importance of sizing the exhaust to maintain a good velocity while working toward a exaust back pressure as close to zero as possible and "all efforts should be made to secure a back pressure of less than 1 psi."

Corky Bell has another book on designing and implementing turbos that is equally as good.

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87 Fiero GT (Rotrex Supercharger)
WWW.ANGELFIRE.COM/PA5/DAVIDFIERO

there is only one way to get more HP without spending any money

sell your car for the highest $ you can

buy a different car with the same amount of money, with a bigger engine

it would not be too hard to sell a nice looking 4 cyl fiero, and buy a not so nice 6 cyl fiero for the same amount

if thats what you really want.

BTW - any small changes you make to the Duke, messing with the cat or air filter... dont waste your time - any change you get will be more placebo than dyno

life is too short to mess with 3% increases.

if you want to go really fast in a duke, drive it off a cliff :c)

[This message has been edited by Ken Wittlief (edited 08-02-2002).]

not flaming, just an observation and yes I saw the smiley

if you want to go really fast in a duke, drive it off a cliff :c)

How does that answer his question. He wants to get the most out of his car. Not sure of the exact numbers but I *think* more 4's were made than 6's. We should help the majority get the most out of their cars too.

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"You obviously have a great economy with words, I look forward to your next syllable with great eagerness"