Car Performance

[techswede]

For all who may be interested my car dies today, blown head-gasket is and leaking coolant. Not worth the amount for the car. As it stands I can't be without a car so I bought a Buick Park Avenue Ultra (supercharged) off my dad for $100 bucks . I will drive it until I find a new car

I was right!?.. Damn that sucks I know the feeling

 

The park avenue is cool though. And i have a friend that has been trying to get that exact model (The ultra) for over two years now

[Guest Philosophy]

I was right!?.. Damn that sucks I know the feeling

 

The park avenue is cool though. And i have a friend that has been trying to get that exact model (The ultra) for over two years now

Ill tell you it is a sleeper for sure 0-60 is faster than a friend of mines dodge charger V8

[helping]

Cold air intake

you're not actually serious?

 

If the cold air intake produces more than 10% hp then its worth it but most of the time its the same HP or 2 or 3 HP gain, not much to even worry about spending money on. I know it for a fact it doesnt really do anything because I have a Dyno machine at the shop so I know the results. The only thing that benefits from a cold air intake is a Diesel vehicle because it actually need the extra air for the turbos and helps with compression since they have much bigger pistons.

No type of budget CAI is going to yield any benefit to a properly designed engine. In fact it probably makes it perform worse.

The car was designed to work with stock air intake. Some 20$ "cold air intake" isn't going do to shit when you end up feeding your engine hotter air because you moved from plastic to metal and from fitted fender intakes to short "aftermarket" intakes placed in the engine bay. This is ignoring all the compensation that the ECU performs with the fuel mixture and your MAF spitting retard readings because shoved it into something with a different diameter than it was original intended for use in.

In a naturally aspirated car it won't even matter.

None of the street knowledge or bro science in and between dumb car enthusiasts is going to supercede a team of engineers getting paid to optimize this.

[Trik'Stari]

[techswede]

Ill tell you it is a sleeper for sure 0-60 is faster than a friend of mines dodge charger V8

I have been resisting the urge to get one for a while now.

Drove a friends non ultra model. Those seats are too damn good. And column shifters are fun

[Poohy14]

I have a 1994

 

My bad I thought the Ultra was a V8. So its not the corvette supercharger, it will have to be from the cameros I do believe. I was thinking of the Mercury Marauder that had the V8 for some odd reason, but the Buick is still a nice car to drive even though it feels like a boat with good handling.

[Guest Philosophy]

I have been resisting the urge to get one for a while now.

Drove a friends non ultra model. Those seats are too damn good. And column shifters are fun

Love on the column shifters so much better... and the leather buckets, I got in mine are excellent. The reason it is only 100 bucks it looks like crap. Dirty rat poop everywhere, and slightly mildewed. It will need a deep clean and a good interior clean with carpet cleaner not sure if you can get the smell out from be in a moldy musty shed that had a roof leak. I live in an area where this is deemed pretty unacceptable.

My bad I thought the Ultra was a V8. So its not the corvette supercharger, it will have to be from the cameros I do believe. I was thinking of the Mercury Marauder that had the V8 for some odd reason, but the Buick is still a nice car to drive even though it feels like a boat with good handling.

It is a boat for sure, I drive a chevy truck also (not my daily only for work like hualing or towing, I had that lumina ( I used to have a Acrua), but I sold the Acrua, I prefer the lumina and Buick over it.

[RatedBlam]

Love on the column shifters so much better... and the leather buckets, I got in mine are excellent. The reason it is only 100 bucks it looks like crap. Dirty rat poop everywhere, and slightly mildewed. It will need a deep clean and a good interior clean with carpet cleaner not sure if you can get the smell out from be in a moldy musty shed that had a roof leak. I live in an area where this is deemed pretty unacceptable.  

Since you have experience with column shifters I thought I'd ask.

When switching gears do you just push it up and down or are there more complicated movements involved. So is it like a sequential gearbox or can you hop gears?

[Guest Philosophy]

Since you have experience with column shifters I thought I'd ask.

When switching gears do you just push it up and down or are there more complicated movements involved. So is it like a sequential gearbox or can you hop gears?

If your talking manual on the on the column , treat it just like you would a normal manual. If it an automatic same goes. Works just like anything else. I never jump gears

[techswede]

Love on the column shifters so much better... and the leather buckets, I got in mine are excellent. The reason it is only 100 bucks it looks like crap. Dirty rat poop everywhere, and slightly mildewed. It will need a deep clean and a good interior clean with carpet cleaner not sure if you can get the smell out from be in a moldy musty shed that had a roof leak. I live in an area where this is deemed pretty unacceptable.  

There was mildew in the one i test drove too it had been sitting for a few months. Might be a common problem?

100$ feels so odd to me. Here in sweden they go for around 4000-6000 (Ultras) in good condition. And maybe 2-3000 in bad condition.

My couch (A big expensive leather thing) is uncomfortable compared to the park avenue seats.. 

Column shifters make everyday driving feel like you're in an american action movie

[Guest Philosophy]

There was mildew in the one i test drove too it had been sitting for a few months. Might be a common problem?

100$ feels so odd to me. Here in sweden they go for around 4000-6000 (Ultras) in good condition. And maybe 2-3000 in bad condition.

My couch (A big expensive leather thing) is uncomfortable compared to the park avenue seats.. 

Column shifters make everyday driving feel like you're in an american action movie

It was my dad's car so I got the "You're my son and shit hit the fan" price . Norammly in that condition here they are worth about 1.5-2k. 

[Poohy14]

It is a boat for sure, I drive a chevy truck also (not my daily only for work like hualing or towing, I had that  lumina ( I used to have a Acrua), but I sold the Acrua, I prefer the lumina and Buick over it. 

 

Yeah I know that drive a boat feel since I drive a 99 Taurus but its fast and has great handling so I love the car to death (going to put a turbo on it if I can find the right parts, also the turbo is going to use for better gas milage)

[RatedBlam]

If your talking manual on the on the column , treat it just like you would a normal manual. If it an automatic same goes. Works just like anything else.

That didn't exactly answer my badly worded question but I'm assuming you can switch from 3rd straight to 5th for example. Or do you have to go trough 4th?

In terms of movements of the shifter I was asking if it only moved up and down or does it also move away and towards you.

[Guest Philosophy]

That didn't exactly answer my badly worded question but I'm assuming you can switch from 3rd straight to 5th for example. Or do you have to go trough 4th?

In terms of movements of the shifter I was asking if it only moved up and down or does it also move away and towards you.

It does come towards you (the wheel)  when you shift, just like a standard manual you can hop between them. 

[RatedBlam]

It does come towards you (the wheel)  when you shift, just like a standard manual you can hop between them. 

Alright. Thanks for the answer.

[techswede]

It was my dad's car so I got the "You're my son and shit hit the fan" price . Norammly in that condition here they are worth about 1.5-2k. 

Your dad seems like an awesome guy.. When my first 190E's engine seized up in traffic (Overheating) he gave me his Nissan Navara King Cab D21

And i had to work for half pay during two months... 

[Guest Philosophy]

Me and my dad are close., this our birdwatching trip. Edit, I don't look my age. I turn 21 tomorrow

[Lord Pantaloons]

For all who may be interested my car dies today, blown head-gasket is and leaking coolant. Not worth the amount for the car. As it stands I can't be without a car so I bought a Buick Park Avenue Ultra (supercharged) off my dad for $100 bucks . I will drive it until I find a new car

Such a shame considering that you just fixed the trans. I didn't want to suggest a head gasket as it could have just as likely been a line that wasn't on properly shooting fluid onto the exhaust.

[Aniallation]

you're not actually serious?

 

No type of budget CAI is going to yield any benefit to a properly designed engine. In fact it probably makes it perform worse.

The car was designed to work with stock air intake. Some 20$ "cold air intake" isn't going do to shit when you end up feeding your engine hotter air because you moved from plastic to metal and from fitted fender intakes to short "aftermarket" intakes placed in the engine bay. This is ignoring all the compensation that the ECU performs with the fuel mixture and your MAF spitting retard readings because shoved it into something with a different diameter than it was original intended for use in.

In a naturally aspirated car it won't even matter.

None of the street knowledge or bro science in and between dumb car enthusiasts is going to supercede a team of engineers getting paid to optimize this.

 

When I had my 05 Maxima I installed an AEM intake

 

There was an increase in power. Only a slight difference on the road but it was dynoed at ~5whp more, but what made me love it the most was the much improved sound that the engine itself makes with the CAI. 

 

How about try it for yourself before you go telling people otherwise

[helping]

When I had my 05 Maxima I installed an AEM intake

 

There was an increase in power. Only a slight difference on the road but it was dynoed at ~5whp more, but what made me love it the most was the much improved sound that the engine itself makes with the CAI. 

 

How about try it for yourself before you go telling people otherwise

I'm talking down more on the shit ebay intakes people buy that seems to ad tons of horses. I don't know the design of your old intake, but I suspect it would have behaved differently if the car actually had some external air flow (i.e. moving)

Good ones specifically designed are not cheap. He's better off tuning or getting his engine tuned.

 

A CAI isn't magic. I've sen them done wrongly and correctly. I prefer science over throwing my money at trying things.

Hell, he might feel more power by inflating his tires properly instead of a CAI.

[Aniallation]

I'm talking down more on the shit ebay intakes people buy that seems to ad tons of horses.

Good ones specifically designed are not cheap. He's better off tuning or getting his engine tuned.

 

A CAI isn't magic. I've sen them done wrongly and correctly. I prefer science over throwing my money at trying things.

Hell, he might feel more power by inflating his tires properly instead of a CAI.

This is true, but saying that CAI's don't work and are just marketing shit isn't true. Proper ones actually do their job.

 

The computer upgrade I did for my Maxima gave it a much bigger performance boost, but the tuner I bought (Bully Dog Triple GT) was 300 bucks, and I was lucky it just happened to work for the Maxima. For OP's car it might be quite a bit harder to find a tuner like that

[Scheer]

When I had my 05 Maxima I installed an AEM intake

 

There was an increase in power. Only a slight difference on the road but it was dynoed at ~5whp more, but what made me love it the most was the much improved sound that the engine itself makes with the CAI. 

 

How about try it for yourself before you go telling people otherwise

 

Did you put in a NEW stock filter, dyno and then put in the CAI and redyno? That 5whp increase was because your filter was dirty, the gains would have been identical if you just put in a new $10 paper filter...

 

Its been proven and tested over and over again, the only people still claiming there is a horsepower increase are manufactures who have something to gain by saying so or people who repeat the information because they read it on the manufactures website. Every case study I have read on their "testing" was replacing a dirty filter with a new CAI that resulted in increased power.

 

EDIT: The above is true for a stock, or slightly modified car. CAI will help at HIGH performance levels where the stock box just cant get enough air through. Going by the "stages" it is typically when you get at stage 3 or 4 where stock runs out of room to breath.

 

My bad I thought the Ultra was a V8. So its not the corvette supercharger, it will have to be from the cameros I do believe. I was thinking of the Mercury Marauder that had the V8 for some odd reason, but the Buick is still a nice car to drive even though it feels like a boat with good handling.

 

 

Its a supercharged 3800, same as the Grand Prix. I don't think they had a supercharged Corvette or Camaro until this recent body style, even then they were the same unit or extremely close.

[Guest Philosophy]

Its a supercharged 3800, same as the Grand Prix. I don't think they had a supercharged Corvette or Camaro until this recent body style.

Do you know how many horses? I couldn't find out how many...

[Aniallation]

Did you put in a NEW stock filter, dyno and then put in the CAI and redyno? That 5whp increase was because your filter was dirty, the gains would have been identical if you just put in a new $10 paper filter...

 

Its been proven and tested over and over again, the only people still claiming there is a horsepower increase are manufactures who have something to gain by saying so or people who repeat the information because they read it on the manufactures website. Every case study I have read on their "testing" was replacing a dirty filter with a new CAI that resulted in increased power.

 

Nope. Freshly cleaned K&N drop-in filter vs new AEM CAI

[Scheer]

Do you know how many horses? I couldn't find out how many...

 

The series 3 was 260 at the flywheel IIRC, you likely have a series 2 so maybe a little bit less.

 

Nope. Freshly cleaned K&N drop-in filter vs new AEM CAI

 

That still isn't a good comparison, I honestly believe the K&N panel filters are worse than stock for both airflow and messing up the MAF. Typically you can just clean it, but I've seen it before where the oil somehow corrodes them and no amount of cleaning will get it back to proper air/fuel ratios.

 

I fell into the K&N marketing when I was in high school, put one in my Jeep Cherokee, Pontiac Grand Prix, and my Honda 450R. One by one all of them began having issues: gummed up throttle body in the Jeep, MAF sensor issues in the Grand Prix, and a toasted head in the 450R from too much dust getting thru the filter. Around the same time my uncle had issues with his near brand new GMC Sierra with the Duramax, the oil completely destroyed the sensors, threw the computer off and it was around $20k to fix, luckily under warranty, but we were told to quit using K&N as they have seen it a few times already. I just bought a Subaru Legacy and the previous owner had a K&N filter in it, I could tell something wasn't running right and swapped it out with a dry film panel, cleaned the MAF, and runs great now.

 

So literally EVERY experience I've had with K&N has turned out bad, and I'm a bit sour about it lol.

 

I still have never seen solid actual proof there are gains from it. The only solid proof I have seen about K&N filters is that they more dust through than OEM filters, and have personally witnessed what it can cause. Then again for the normal person driving on streets it would never be an issue, but I'd stay away from gravel roads with one. I'll see if I can find it, but I have a picture of the inside of the engine side of my airbox on the Grand Prix after running a K&N filter for 10k miles, the plastic was coated in dust. My Legacy was the same way, but I didn't get a picture of that.