Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Need Advice on mods to my contour.

Hi. I am new to the forums. Currently I have a 99 se sport with ATX. I would like to get more performance out of it.

Here is a list of mods I am considering:

Computer Chip
Aftermarket Exhaust System
Aftermarket High Flow Air Filter
Bigger Fuel Injectors

Are any of the above a worthwhile investment as far as performance goes? What would you recommend I go with (what manufactuers of parts, etc.) if I do the above mods?

Any help you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.

Tony

one word: research

reads back a few months on the forums and use the SEARCH function

Hey, come on guys! Cut him some slack, he's a newbie!

Before we can answer all your questions though, what type of engine do you have? Also, what are you looking to get out of it, i.e, speed, horsepower, etc?

For now, I can tell you:

Computer Chip - I've heard alot of differing opinions on the value of performance chips. Some say that they increase power, some say that they actually make you lose horsepower. This has been proved with dyno machines, but it all depends on the mods done.

Aftermarket Exhaust System - 2 words: SVT Exhaust

Aftermarket High Flow Air Filter - If you have just an open air filter in mind, a K&N drop in might be just what you're looking for. If you want an entire intake kit, then I'd be looking into either a CTA Cold Air Intake or a BAT intake kit. Look under the Mods/Parts section on the front page for the BAT Catalog. It'll only work with a V6 Duratec though (The BAT kit that is. The CTA is designed for both I4 and V6 models).

Bigger Fuel Injectors - I'm not sure about these...anyone have any input?

Hope this helps!!!

Going to bigger fuel injectors usually means you have done extensive mods and have maxxed out your current setup. If you bolt a bigger set of injectors to a stock or mildly modded engine, you will gain exactly 0 hp, and one big tuning headache.

Here is how you can tell if you need bigger fuel injectors: Take the car to a dyno and see if your A/F drops off significantly at high RPMs. Especially true if you have some ability to tune A/F, you won't be able to richen up. Exactly what happened to me back in December - lean above 6000 RPM no matter how much we tuned.

Bigger FI should be VERY low on the list. Chips work very well on ATX cars, since they can adjust and firm your shift points. You can go with Superchip or Diablo. Sucess depends on your particular PCM code. Chip should be pretty low on the priority, unless you want to keep sending it back for a flash every time you mod.

Otherwise, what Rynn said.

Thank you guys for the responses, I do appreciate it.

I have a 2.5L V6 Duratech engine. I am looking to increase HP, which to an extent increases speed. Probably not top speed, but 60 sec times, 1/4 mile times, etc.

Basically, I just want to try to increase the fun factor of the car. I am really disappointed that A.I didn't get the SVT, B.I didn't get the MTX when I got the car.

The reason I asked such a "noobish" question was that imho, everyone has their own opinion and ideas of what is better or worse about certain things. I am just trying to avoid a mistake that costs me hundreds of dollars.

Example: Seems from the responses that the SVT Exhaust is the way to go. I already know from "research" that I should find a SVT rear Bumper for doing this as well. Had someone said go with exhaust "X" I would have researched exhaust "X" to formulate whats needed to do the job and the plus's and minus's.

Please if there are any other suggestions that I could do, please post them here.

Again, thanks to all that has posted thus far.

Tony

Chip
Intake
Exhaust

My advise is to first upgrade the suspension and brakes before you add any extra horsepower. When you get to modifying the motor, getting more air in and out of the motor is the main thing . . . adding the gas is easy. That means adding a K&N filter or other filter media that reduces the energy required to get air through the filter. The exhaust is another place to look. Stock SE exhaust is full of restrictions. Use headers, a high flow Y-pipe, remove the resonator, add dual exhaust and increase tube size on the exhaust. Any or all these exhaust modifications will help. Installing a pulley kit will help too. Up to this point you've just reclaimed some horsepower lost to stock tuning. Chip kits don't have any way to adjust to conditions like the stock module. It does increase horsepower, but the programming is static. Wait for BAT module. There's alot more, but this is where I would start. I wouldn't add larger injectors unless or until you've made more radical modifications to the induction and valvetrain areas. Arbitrarily adding larger injectors to a stock engine would provide no benefit and you would probably get worse mileage. Good luck on your project.

Jeff Stevens

I agree with all of these guys!

The best advice I could give you is to do your research and learn as much as you can before buying anything. Look for before/after dyno plots...etc

Sit down and make out a list of mods you want to perform and the order you plan on doing them in. Make sure they compliment each other. For example don't add an intake/exhaust/headers after adding a Chip, wait until the end to perform tuning mods.

Pay carful attention to detail because little things can add up. Especially when considering air intake flow. DemonSVT's car is evidence to this!

Anyways I hope this helps!

Later