Page 5: Performance Baby!

10/24/2008- Well, with at least 20,000 miles on all of these older performance parts, I must say I am impressed with these performance products. I finally welded the exhaust piping to the lower pipe from the manifold, to the catalytic converter in September of 2006, only 2 months before the car was crashed. The Bosch Platinum +4 spark plugs are still great, but the engine starts at a normal timeframe, yet the spark plugs are still pretty clean. The exhaust welding job on the piping and muffler is good, and no leaks are apparent after the years, but to be quite honest, I didn't really notice much of a power gain. Then again, it doesn't matter if I said the SPS exhaust was good or bad, because with SPS fading away (I am still really upset about SPS slowing down after all these years), nobody can get this brand of exhaust, which is sad, because I would wholeheartly recommend it, if they get the cat-back piping or a whole new exhaust setup with the header, because it took me 1.5 years of fighting with the stupid leaks on the converter/header downpipe connection, because I got a new catalytic converter and decided to keep the stock exhaust manifold.

Also, I have a Saturm Motorsports performance overbored throttle body, pictures as follows...

Left photo: The stock one is above, and the overbored throttle body is below it. On the right, the overbored throttle body is installed. As you can see in my low resolution photographs, the bore tapers to help with the velocity of the incoming air charge. I noticed a nice amount of crisp throttle response when I accelerated, and I can even do small burnouts, but I don't want to ruin new tires (back in 2006, but they still only have like 600 miles on them, tops, as of now.)up front. In terms of power, I didn't really get a chance to really floor it, and to be quite honest, I don't feel like beating on this car anymore, not even to test for power gains. Now, on with the old stuff...

This picture may look stock, but it isn't. My philosophy is to make everything look stock (I believe people call this a sleeper). What you see is Black colored 8.5 mm SPS (Saturn Performance Systems) spark plug wires, black high output MSD ignition coils, and black colored SPS spark plug wire clamps. Also, for a little while, I got a K&N drop in air filter (My old filter was well, really old, and the K&N made a difference.)
I also installed a set of Bosch Platinum +4 spark plugs, and starting my SC up right after installing them was TOTALLY CRAZY MAN! Combined with the performance spark plug wires and the MSD high output ignition coils, the car started up in half the time it would regularly would take! That's sooo cool!

Here's my K&N drop in air filter. Sure it doesn't give me as much horsepower as a short ram air intake, but it does keep the stock appearance (Unless you look in the airbox). Soon I'll probably pick up a short ram air intake (This summer, maybe) mainly for it's nicer sound than what I have.

My Random Technology Catalytic converter. It's a must if you want all performance exhaust.
Since I wanted to scare off all other really wimpy 4 bangers at my high school parking lot, (and at 19 MPG something had to be done!) I decided it was time... to bring out the big guns. I had the MSD ignition coils, wires and plugs so I had the way paved for my exhaust and intake (Later!). So I bought an SPS high flow catback piping, an SPS high flow muffler, and a Random Technology high flow Catalytic Converter.
My SPS cat back piping. It's freakin' huge. It got the job well done.
The installation wasn't easy, I was by myself, no welder, no lift (I used ramps!), and no super power tools (I used a reciporicating saw for cutting!), and I got it done in one afternoon (On 03/21/05 4:00 PM-8:00 PM just to let you know how long it took. Just in case.). It was very tiring (The cutting of the exhaust needed painful positions.), and I slept immediately after test driving it.

The tone of the exhaust was good, but somewhat raspy because I need a welder to seal a leak I couldn't get at. At idle, It sounds nice except for the raspy hissing leak. At 3500 RPM and up, it sounds freakin` beautiful. At first I didn't really notice a power gain, because I've been paying attention of my noise levels. But on the highway today I decided to give Brianna some heavy throttle in overdrive to see my speed gains, and I getting up to speed REALLY FAST. I am impressed with the power gain.
Guys and girls, if you get an intake or any exhaust component you must get a good ignition system first so you can get the real power gains from those systems. That's why I got the ignition system first, and I got the true power gains from those parts.

My exhaust systems, stock and SPS/Random Technology, side by side.

Page one: Intro
Page two: About the car
Page three: Stock improvements 
Page four: Car shows
Page five: Performance baby! (You are here.)
Page six: Interior
Page seven: Future projects
Page eight: Exterior
Page nine: PCM data testing

Page ten: Older news