'97 Grand Am GT 3.1, want more power.

[skseattle]

Hello all,
I've installed a custom, cold air intake and that got me a bit more power and a nicer sound when I open it up.

How do I get more power without doing anything major? I've heard good and bad things about changing pulleys. I can't find programming info for the chip. Flowmaster has nothing on their web site.

I have experience in electronics including chip programming. Can I reprogram myself? I'm not great with code so it would have to be something already written.

Any suggestions?

[Azrael]

Looking into a better exhaust is a good first step. 2.25 or 2.5" from the downpipe-back with a high-flow cat. Maybe even fabricate a new downpipe. You have an OBD2 computer which has tuning options. If you're not afraid of turning wrenches, grabbing the heads, intake manifolds, and thottlebody from a 3400 will give some gains too. That's the end of the "cheap" upgrades.

If you're willing to spend a little more you can port and polish parts and get a billet 62mm throttlebody (65mm is available but pointless on a 3100). Spending even more you can get an aggresive cam and look into a turbocharger. A lot of this stuff can be found at WOT-Tech. There's also the option of swapping the 3100 out for a 3400 or 3500.

There's a lot of debate on underdrive pulleys here. None of the available ones have proper dampening qualities and are suspected of causing pre-mature wear to the rest of the engine.

[robertisaar]

There's also the option of swapping the 3100 out for a 3400 or 3500.

and there is the answer, if you're willing to put in the time and money.

3500 is possibly the most cost-effective upgrade PERIOD outside of forced induction.

[Rootie524]

i don't see why the 3500 gets so much praise. maybe im just dumb or something but i really dont see. Its .1 liters bigger than the 3400. and yes i know its designed differently and some things are different. but is it THAT much better to justify a full blown swap. wouldnt a 3400/3500 hybrid suffice?

[robertisaar]

i believe it actually costs more to make a 3400/3500 hybrid and actually delivers less power...

and it's not the increased displacement that makes it so great, it's the massively improved headflow that can allow for even greater power gains from the same set of mods. the forged crank is nice as well.

[mickaz]

okay

3400/3500 hybrid = EXPENSIVE.
3500 = less risk of fucking up something.

[Rootie524]

well if your swapping a whole engine wouldn't there be more risk in fucking something up as apposed to changing it from the heads up to a 3500?

and if its flow that makes it so much better wouldnt competition porting a 3400 make it to around a 3500

[robertisaar]

well if your swapping a whole engine wouldn't there be more risk in fucking something up as apposed to changing it from the heads up to a 3500?

and if its flow that makes it so much better wouldnt competition porting a 3400 make it to around a 3500

he has a 3100, which 3500 heads won't work with. he would have to swap in a motor anyway for a hybrid.

[Rootie524]

yeah i know what he has..i forgot to clarify i was bringing this up for me haha. i have a 3100 as well and im building a 3400. so im trying to find out info to decided whether or not to do 3400, 3450, or 3500.. and so i dont seem completely self centered ill offer my .02 on what he was asking to begin with.

if there is a dyno in your area get it tuned. it will be a few hundred bucks but if they know what they are doing they can squeeze about 5-12 hp out of your current set up without any mods just by throwing ignition timing at it. and if u want to learn how to do it yourself and have unlimited tuning capabilities at your fingertips get HPtuners. That's normally what most dynos will use to tune. and it will cost the same (at least for me it did..hptuners=$450...dyno tune=$450) only if u do that youll have to test it out on the road..you wont have the luxury of dyno testing it.

also like already mentioned..get a full exhust. 2.25 or 2.5 header back. they still have S&S headers floating around here and there..or pacesetter offers a decent alternative..get a hiflow cat and mandrel bends. and its up to u whether or not to delete the resonator. also ported UIM with a 65mm TB is good. you could also do LIM but thats a bit more involved. and if u decide to do LIM change ur tstat while it will be easily accessible. that thing is a beach to change. all that stuff is always a good start. thats what i started with and now im in the processes of building a complete 3400 from the ground up. high compression baby! if you're like me..once u get a taste of power u wont stop till u squeeze every ounce of power outta the damn thing.

[mickaz]

why i said that is because you won't have to open up the engine witch is where you might make a mistake. Take a low mileage 3500, a crank trigger and a 65mm throttle body and you have a recipe for one fast machine.

i did the 3450 and I advise against it. if you want to be different, Or you Already have en 3400 in your car, DO it, but for every other cars out there that you have to swap something in....go strait 3500. Superdave and Asylum are proof of what they are capable of.

[Rootie524]

u have to reroute all the ac crap though. most likely it'd be better to just delete it if u live in a decent area. but besides that will a 3500 drop right in the engine mounts of a n-body? and they are from the 2004+ malibus that use a 4t45e, right?

[mickaz]

You have to do the SAME THING in a hybrid as on a 3500. NEW vacuum , and the CTS. the only thing different is the Crank trigger