Performance Mods for a clueless owner?

[Beethoven]

Alright so heres the deal... I dont really know much about cars, I mean have general knowledge of some things but when it starts getting technical thats where Ill start to fall behind.

Im 18 and just recently bought a 97 3000GT SL automatic. I read through the New Owners modifications page and the thing is while I understood most of it, and visited 3sx.com, I havent a clue what any of that stuff actually does for PERFORMANCE. I know what it IS, but not really what most of it does. Im new to cars mostly, so Im hoping to learn a lot here, im aware im probably going to be flamed quite a lot at first.

My 3000gt SL seems pretty slow, I can practically feel it struggling to push all that weight forwards sometimes. Now yea it will beat my moms 1994 T bird or my dads lumina, but it doesnt quite have the pull I expected. I drove it before buying it of course, and expected more when I brought her home and openend it up a bit (After having the car looked over by a mechanic first and getting the oil changed)

So my question is, what modifications should I look into to increase my accelration? I dont really care about how the car looks or sounds, to me it already looks like a million bucks just stock, and the previous owner had put some exhaust tips on it (The exhaust system is stock they said but the tips on the end are not) Dont get me wrong, I love this car so far, it handles like a dream and corners so well, but it doesnt quite have the hit-the-gas pull im looking for. I know its an automatic so my options might be limited, but what can I do to it to add a few more horses to it and get going quicker after giving it a little gas?

[VR(ich)-4]

first of all everyones going to tell you not to mod an sl, because theyll never be fast, and blah blah blah.... and honestly, in most cases their right, but you CAN do some things to increase acceleration, even to a point where youll feel it

simple stuff like a cold air intake, exhaust, GENERAL MAINTNANCE(often overlooked), ect can make a differance

when you start getting more invoved, you can always spray a little bit (nitrous), but i wouldnt recommend it for someone not mechanicaly knowlagable just yet

id put my money into maintnance first off, because if you dont feed these cars money, they get mad, and start breaking things, a cold air intake, or just k&n filter, can be as cheap as 40 bucks, and will up your accel just a bit, but when you start buying things along the lines of bigger bolt on stuff, its going to get pricey

[Mits3kGT]

i was in your EXACT position when i bought my SL. Everyone's gonna say oh its an SL dont bother..blah blah. And your friends are going to say "jesus its an automatic its slow" blah..bullshit
here's a quick breakdown for you

1 - K&N Intake [wouldnt waste the money on a fancy chrome tube..but hey its your money]
2 - 3SX Downpipe + Test Pipe [replaces the cat..so you'll have no catolytic converter really freeing up the exhaust] this will probably make the most power out of any mods you do
3 - Underdrive Pulley
4 - Lighter Weight Wheels [the stock SL wheels and 3S wheels are heavy in general]
5 - Ignition Wires/Ignition work
6 - SHIFT KIT!..doing this will help yah a bunch with an automatic

If i were you, the essentials would be the K&N intake, and the exhaust work. To do that all you need is about $500 [give or take a couple bucks].

[Beethoven]

^ Alright, thanks for the advice. I checked out a few other sites and it seems the general opinion is to get a cold air intake and a 3sx test pipe. Any reccomendations for this car for the intake, such as where to buy it and the exact product im looking for? Also, should I attempt to install it myself or have it done by a mechanic. Sorry if these are retarded questions, but once again, im new to all this. My car was just inspected so Im fine with putting the test pipe on it, i know it doesnt pass emmission standards or something. Any helps greatly appreciated, I've learned next to nothing about cars with the kind of family Ive grown up with

[chevelle5434]

Dont do a cold air intake if your planning on driving the car a lot, problems with sucking water into the intake. If you want a intake for your SL just but the cheap Ebay intake, then buy a better filter (like a K&N of Matrix) the one they give with the kit is kinda iffey. A intake is WAY to easy to install to even think about paying someone to do it. I do recomend to buy this...Intake Support Bracket*-*Mitsubishi 3000GT*/*Dodge Stealth. It holds the intake in the right spot so its noy laying on the thermostat housing. Like the last guy said Downpipe and Test pipe is the biggest upgrade you can do for a SL, you should see about a 20 HP increase and you will red line a lot faster.

[red_rt_tt]

When I had my 94 SL I just had cat-back, intake, lighter wheels and lightened pulley. After you get an intake, downpipe, and cat delete I would get the lightened pulley it really helps with throttle response, engine revs faster, and you can hear a difference. The 3SX lightened pulley is $120 and if you buy the stock size crank and your belts on your car are in good shape you could have a shop install it for 50-60 bucks.

[1dayiwill]

Originally Posted by VR(ich)-4

first of all everyones going to tell you not to mod an sl, because theyll never be fast, and blah blah blah.... and honestly, in most cases their right, but you CAN do some things to increase acceleration, even to a point where youll feel it

simple stuff like a cold air intake, exhaust, GENERAL MAINTNANCE(often overlooked), ect can make a differance

when you start getting more invoved, you can always spray a little bit (nitrous), but i wouldnt recommend it for someone not mechanicaly knowlagable just yet

id put my money into maintnance first off, because if you dont feed these cars money, they get mad, and start breaking things, a cold air intake, or just k&n filter, can be as cheap as 40 bucks, and will up your accel just a bit, but when you start buying things along the lines of bigger bolt on stuff, its going to get pricey

Tell me more about the shift kit please. What does it consist of and how much and where to buy. Thanks dude.

[3KGTDiablo]

buy the shift kit from importperformancetrans.com
think i spelled that right
the kit itself is aroun d 90 bucks but the labor is whats going to cost you.
i havent done this yet so im not sure what it will be but i was told id have to drop the tranny to get at the valvebody. not sure if thats true.
as far as what it does, i belive it makes the tranny shift faster. probably helps in otherways to...like i said i havent done it yet

[jbavousett]

Shift kit is good, also look at a higher stall torque converter. That'll make a TON of difference when you launch. A K&N cone makes for a nice sound, and the downpipe+test pipe will give you a good bit of power.

[Rcl1221]

Just do the BPUish mods, intake, full exhaust, maybe header.

If I had an SL, after that, I'd just make it look pretty