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A lot of it is just knowing what the car is capable of in stock form. 90% of cars on the road won’t have more than wider tires, exhaust and some kind of air filter mod.
Knowing the car’s factory performance comes into play when you figure out that 4cyl cars won’t be fast without extreme weight reduction ( gutted interior, carbon fiber parts ) or they have Forced Induction which will cost a pretty penny.
However, that muscle car that just drove past has more of a chance of having some actual mods. Why? Because those kinds of cars were meant to go fast to begin with. Owners are typically people who want a fast car. Fast car seekers are more likely to spend money in the correct way to make the car faster.
In most cases, its the ” Ricers ” who want everyone to think they have a fast car when the truth is that they would likely be too scared to drive a car with 350hp ( which is more than enough to get an inexperienced or unskilled driver into trouble )
TL;DR – Speed costs money. It costs more money to make a car with a little engine fast than a big engine. Generally, the Hondas/Toyotas/Mazdas/Nissans,etc will be slower than the Firebirds/Camaros/Mustangs/Challengers/Chargers.
A lot of it is just knowing what the car is capable of in stock form. 90% of cars on the road won’t have more than wider tires, exhaust and some kind of air filter mod.
Knowing the car’s factory performance comes into play when you figure out that 4cyl cars won’t be fast without extreme weight reduction ( gutted interior, carbon fiber parts ) or they have Forced Induction which will cost a pretty penny.
However, that muscle car that just drove past has more of a chance of having some actual mods. Why? Because those kinds of cars were meant to go fast to begin with. Owners are typically people who want a fast car. Fast car seekers are more likely to spend money in the correct way to make the car faster.
In most cases, its the ” Ricers ” who want everyone to think they have a fast car when the truth is that they would likely be too scared to drive a car with 350hp ( which is more than enough to get an inexperienced or unskilled driver into trouble )
TL;DR – Speed costs money. It costs more money to make a car with a little engine fast than a big engine. Generally, the Hondas/Toyotas/Mazdas/Nissans,etc will be slower than the Firebirds/Camaros/Mustangs/Challengers/Chargers.
I have a 1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Its got 95k miles and I paid $4500 for it this past summer. Unfortunately, it has an automatic transmission but at least it has a 3.23 rear axle ratio.
The color is Bright Green Metallic and only 38 Trans Ams were produced in BGM for the 1999 model year. There were only 98 BGM Trans Ams produced in 1998 which brings the grand total to 136 BGM LS1 powered Trans Ams.
As far as maintenance, it needed a new battery shortly after I purchased it, I had to replace a section of brake line when I first got the car, replace the Alternator ( which I opted to get a 145amp unit for a 5.3L Truck instead of the 102amp stock unit ) the exciter wire pigtail and the driver side headlamp motor. Grand total of $810 because I had to take it to a shop for the pigtail and brake line. I Have no knowledge or tools to deal with brakelines yet ( currently taking a braking class in college ) and not having access to a sufficient area to perform work in these winter months really cut into my patience with the alternator job.
For a breakdown
$100 for new battery
$200 to get the brake line fixed ( shop )
$200 for the AD244 Alternator I used to replace the failing stock unit
$30 for a larger serpentine belt to accommodate the AD244
$80 for the headlamp motor
$200 for the shop to figure out why my Alternator wasn’t turning on ( bad pigtail )Pros :
*Fantastic LS1 engine. Reliable, very powerful(350bhp), cheap parts, MASSIVE aftermarket support.
*Looks that kill. Seriously aggressive looking car. It just looks so pissed off and I love it.
*Classic American Muscle
*Upper 20s mpg hwy despite a 346cu V8 and 4 speed Auto trans
*T-Tops!
*Extremely comfortable seatingCons :
*Requires premium fuel
*Automatic transmission
*Damn near EVERYTHING I do to this car has me swearing at those !beeping! engineers!
*Interior is made almost purely out of plastic. Its a mild rattlebox in the cold weather.
*Ride quality is mildly harsh, but I don’t notice it half of the time. Everyone else complains.
*Backseats are laughably small
*Un-needed gigantic hump on passenger floor for the previous generation’s massive catalytic converters ( a lot of parts were carried over from the 3rd generation, which included the floorpans )I have a 1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Its got 95k miles and I paid $4500 for it this past summer. Unfortunately, it has an automatic transmission but at least it has a 3.23 rear axle ratio.
The color is Bright Green Metallic and only 38 Trans Ams were produced in BGM for the 1999 model year. There were only 98 BGM Trans Ams produced in 1998 which brings the grand total to 136 BGM LS1 powered Trans Ams.
As far as maintenance, it needed a new battery shortly after I purchased it, I had to replace a section of brake line when I first got the car, replace the Alternator ( which I opted to get a 145amp unit for a 5.3L Truck instead of the 102amp stock unit ) the exciter wire pigtail and the driver side headlamp motor. Grand total of $810 because I had to take it to a shop for the pigtail and brake line. I Have no knowledge or tools to deal with brakelines yet ( currently taking a braking class in college ) and not having access to a sufficient area to perform work in these winter months really cut into my patience with the alternator job.
For a breakdown
$100 for new battery
$200 to get the brake line fixed ( shop )
$200 for the AD244 Alternator I used to replace the failing stock unit
$30 for a larger serpentine belt to accommodate the AD244
$80 for the headlamp motor
$200 for the shop to figure out why my Alternator wasn’t turning on ( bad pigtail )Pros :
*Fantastic LS1 engine. Reliable, very powerful(350bhp), cheap parts, MASSIVE aftermarket support.
*Looks that kill. Seriously aggressive looking car. It just looks so pissed off and I love it.
*Classic American Muscle
*Upper 20s mpg hwy despite a 346cu V8 and 4 speed Auto trans
*T-Tops!
*Extremely comfortable seatingCons :
*Requires premium fuel
*Automatic transmission
*Damn near EVERYTHING I do to this car has me swearing at those !beeping! engineers!
*Interior is made almost purely out of plastic. Its a mild rattlebox in the cold weather.
*Ride quality is mildly harsh, but I don’t notice it half of the time. Everyone else complains.
*Backseats are laughably small
*Un-needed gigantic hump on passenger floor for the previous generation’s massive catalytic converters ( a lot of parts were carried over from the 3rd generation, which included the floorpans )