hey all,
just a couple of questions. first, i saw on ebay this cold air n/chip for a really cheap price that can increase my hp by almost 20. does anyone know about this and if it is any good? apparently it replaces a sensor in the computer that tells it that the air is a strady 32 degrees and frees up hp. it seems too good to be true so i was just curious. secondly, awhile ago i was rear ended and i had a crack in my bumper. i was able to get an after market bumper, got it painted and put it on but i noticed that on the left side, it buckles a small bit so it doesnt line up perfectly. i was wondering if there was any way to fix this or is this just the problem with an after market? thx for any replies.

 

steer clear of ebay "power chips". They are scams and will cause more problems than anything else. There is a lot of good info here about the ebay intakes though. If you do some searching you'll find which model everyone uses. It's about $48-60shipped and identical to the Injen brand.

Aftermarket body kits are hit or miss, looks like yours was miss. I would take it back to a body shop and have them see if the can add another support screw to maybe pull the buckled part back in line.

 

Hey i just bought one of those chips but didnt install it yet...now i think im not at all...i only paid $4 including shipping so ..hardly a loss here.. I was interested in it because i completely understand what they do...and i could use more hp. Im just gonna get a larger TB

 

u paid $4 and expected that sort of performance increase??

i always say u get what u pay for.. and specially when it comes to matters to do with my engine i dont skimp out ehe

 

The only time I ever noticed a gain from an "ebay resistor chip" was on my 1990 Taurus SHO. I had a 100hp shot of Nitrous and when you spray you need all the fuel you can get. So I put the resistor in staged the car, sprayed the sauce and then took it out. I figure if it made my car riched it helped save my engine.

On stock cars though they only make the fuel curve richer which I don't think will help any car today. The rule of thumb in performance engine tuning is "the leaner the meaner".

 

well i didnt really expect much of it, seeing as it was exactly the same as all the 30 dollar ones id figure id save some money. Now i know better and will stay clear or all that crap.

Btw does anyone have some performance tips for my 91 protege dx? I would really like to do some work to the thing but all ive got now is a cold air,muffler, NGK plugs...hardly an upgrade....The more I want to add a larger TB and a header the more i realize theres hardly anything available for my SOHC. I would like to just buy a new car all together but i dont have much money at the moment.

 

you might find more help over on clubprotege.com. That's where most of the 1st gen guys hang out.

 

thanks for the replies. that helps out alot. we ended up putting on the bumper and tightening up the screws while holding the bumper in proper place and it helped out alot when we got everything together theres only a small space on the one side which is great cuz it really isnt noticeable and its a helluvalot better than half a cracked bumper lol...

 

with a SOHC you're at a slight advantage over us DOHC guys when it comes to this particular situation. I would find a spare head for your car...(same engine and everything but just get the whole head).... send the head off to a performance company like Paeco here in birmingham,AL or possibly Crower or Crane....have the head ported and polished (I recommend Extrude Hone processing) then have the head flow tested. Ask them to come up with a performance grind for your new head. Enjoy the additonal 20-25whp.

A header would really help out a lot with a built head.