jibbby
New Member
- Messages
- 3,824
- Location
- Santa Monica, California
I have been upgrading my 1992 SC400 for a few years and would like to share the results of all my mods...
:headbang: Precision Dragon Torque Converter - I immediately noticed a huge improvement with throttle response from a dead stop... 0-30 mph speeds were dramatically increased.... Very responsive off the line... With the torque being transfered to lowend the topend suffers a bit...There is a give and a take.. At high rpm's the car becomes slightly sluggish... To gain back the topend that is lost I would say changing out half the exhaust system to high flow will bring it back to what it was... Driveability remains the same....One of the best mods I did...$1200 installed
Apexi piggy-back ECU - While the 10hp or so is gained and felt by allowing the stock ECU to put out increased fuel and air mix to the engine, the downside is you may notice a small hit at the pumps...Helps with tuning but I did have a malfunction with this Apexi piggy back ECU...Another brand should may considered for those interested in this mod... $400 installed
:headbang: Exhaust mods - Replacing the heavy oval stock mufflers with light weight and super high flowing straight thru (Megan N1 racing) stainless steel mufflers was impressive...I immediately noticed an improvement in power at higher rpm's and increased exhaust noise...I was pleasantly suprised with the difference made over stock .....To compensate for the increased noise levels (2) high flowing stainless steel resonators were installed on the rear exhaust section..That cut the noise down in half.. $220 installed
Exhaust mods - Replacing the main center Catalytic Converter and Y pipe to high flowing also made a noticeable difference at higher rpm's to my suprise... I installed the magnaflow 2 into 1 high flowing cat with the built in high flowing Y design... Power at the higher RPM's were clearly noticed... $150 installed
:headbang: Exhaust mods - S&S Headers are vantastic and probably the most noticeable exhaust upgrade... Although the S&S Headers were designed originally for the GS models they are also being sold for the SC but there are slight differences between the two cars... What is suppose to be a bolt on mod is really not..When installed and connected to the stock exhaust system the exhaust hangs an inch or two lower so shortening, replacing or deleting the down pipes cats is required...This mod cannot be done in your back yard. $1100 installed OUCH...
Intake - I combined the BFI intake design, Rod Millen pod filter and Injen snorkel tube...A custom heat shield was also made..Improved and channeled outside air flow .No noticeable gains were felt, but my feeling is the Intake upgrade flows better then stock and allows the engine to breathe slightly better.. I still give it a thumbs up on looks alone...bling bling $200
:headbang: Flex-a-lite dual electric fan swap - In contrary to what most think there are slight power gains to be made...The engine and power feels crispier at times...Freed up room and reduced front end car weight by 20-30 pounds is a plus... These fans installed combined with a new stock size radiator cools the car better then I would have imagined.....The car now operates slightly colder at all times and I experience no cooling problems even on the hottest of days with the A/C on full blast...Noise levels are increased but it is a good kind of noise... Note: the electrical crap that comes with the flex-a-lite fans are garbage, thermo stick, control box, etc.. is all junk.. I elected to use a different control box and a heat sensor...I could not be happier with this swap..One side effect to this swap is the oil sensor light comes on every now and then on the instrument cluster..No big deal, just annoying..Need to remove the bulb. $200
:headbang: Electrical upgrades - Removing the stock big block heavy battery to a smaller and more effecient Optima battery is a good idea for weight reduction and performance...I also changed out the crispy stock battery ground wire, installed copper connectors, installed high performance spark plug wires. Also installed a hyper voltage regulator that helps stabalize the batteries electrical current...Combination of all these mods made the car run a little more crispy and more responsive..No dimming of the head lights at idle anymore, just smoothe electrical even current flow throughout...$350
:headbang: Supra Lower Control Arms and OEM bushings... After trying out the Daisen LCA bushings on my stock arms I discovered I did not like the feel at all.. I installed a new set of Supra LCA's and immediately noticed an improved feel in steering and suspension...Could not be happier..Daisens ended up in my garbage can.. $400
:headbang: Torsen LSD - I picked up a 1995 Supra tt (automatic) torsen LSD and installed it with no problems, bolt patterns are identical....The gearing seems to be very close but not identical. I did notice the speedo was off just slightly after the swap which leads me to believe there is a slight lower gearing difference change between the stock SC400 Dif. and the Torsen Supra TT Auto LSD. It is a good change in my opinion. I think that it makes the car just a little quicker and probably reduces the cars top speed by just a hair.....No more one wheel burnouts.. Improved off line traction was noticed immediately. There is also a slightly different feel when cornering at high speeds..Nothing to be concerned about just a slightly different feel which is hard to describe... Driveability is very similar to the stock open end differential. This was a very good mod in my opinion..... $500
:headbang: Replacing the stock rims and tires made a big difference in traction and looks...Reducing the rear tires diameter size and rim weight helped a bit with 0-60mph performance and weight transfer.....I went with the light weight alluminum rims and the 275/35/ZR18 tires on the rears and could not be happier... Probably reduced 40lbs in tire and rim weight from stock with this upgrade...The car really grips the road now and most importantly off the line traction was gained. The front end of my car actually now lifts just abit on launch as apposed to before...Very pleased... $1600
:headbang: Nitrous Dry system 100-150hp shot - Big Big difference in power... Immediate torque is felt at the wheels when running the nitrous oxide.. The NOS does create traction problems for me in first gear so timing the activation is key, or I may elect to change my system to a progressive system later on down the road....... Second gear is manageable but I still get loose.... Feels like the engine actually doubles in power on a good nos run... Down sides are; untimely tranny shifts at times from 2nd to 3rd gear on the larger heated shots, non-controlled ecceleration kinda stinks and bottle refills every month cost me about $80 on average..(I use the nos system often), also rear tire wear is increased dramatically. Changing, opening and closing the nos bottles is an inconvenience at times...... Other benifets that come to mind is the car remains in reliable stock N/A form. Gas mileage remains the same as opposed to an AFI setup.. Passing emmissions is not a problem..No delay what so ever with nitrous, immediate power and torque is felt when the nos is activated..No reported breakdowns to date... $1200 installed..
I am going to stop here. I am at home sick today with the flu and have time to burn..If anyone one wants to add to this post feel free...I have done other mods but I have only listed the ones that I think made a noticeable difference...This info can be used as a reference on how to make an SC400 fast...
PS: I would have put a thumbs up on all of the mods but the system will not allow anymore images, so I just put a thumbs up to the mods that made the biggest difference to me...
Here are random pics of my ride....
:headbang: Precision Dragon Torque Converter - I immediately noticed a huge improvement with throttle response from a dead stop... 0-30 mph speeds were dramatically increased.... Very responsive off the line... With the torque being transfered to lowend the topend suffers a bit...There is a give and a take.. At high rpm's the car becomes slightly sluggish... To gain back the topend that is lost I would say changing out half the exhaust system to high flow will bring it back to what it was... Driveability remains the same....One of the best mods I did...$1200 installed
Apexi piggy-back ECU - While the 10hp or so is gained and felt by allowing the stock ECU to put out increased fuel and air mix to the engine, the downside is you may notice a small hit at the pumps...Helps with tuning but I did have a malfunction with this Apexi piggy back ECU...Another brand should may considered for those interested in this mod... $400 installed
:headbang: Exhaust mods - Replacing the heavy oval stock mufflers with light weight and super high flowing straight thru (Megan N1 racing) stainless steel mufflers was impressive...I immediately noticed an improvement in power at higher rpm's and increased exhaust noise...I was pleasantly suprised with the difference made over stock .....To compensate for the increased noise levels (2) high flowing stainless steel resonators were installed on the rear exhaust section..That cut the noise down in half.. $220 installed
Exhaust mods - Replacing the main center Catalytic Converter and Y pipe to high flowing also made a noticeable difference at higher rpm's to my suprise... I installed the magnaflow 2 into 1 high flowing cat with the built in high flowing Y design... Power at the higher RPM's were clearly noticed... $150 installed
:headbang: Exhaust mods - S&S Headers are vantastic and probably the most noticeable exhaust upgrade... Although the S&S Headers were designed originally for the GS models they are also being sold for the SC but there are slight differences between the two cars... What is suppose to be a bolt on mod is really not..When installed and connected to the stock exhaust system the exhaust hangs an inch or two lower so shortening, replacing or deleting the down pipes cats is required...This mod cannot be done in your back yard. $1100 installed OUCH...
Intake - I combined the BFI intake design, Rod Millen pod filter and Injen snorkel tube...A custom heat shield was also made..Improved and channeled outside air flow .No noticeable gains were felt, but my feeling is the Intake upgrade flows better then stock and allows the engine to breathe slightly better.. I still give it a thumbs up on looks alone...bling bling $200
:headbang: Flex-a-lite dual electric fan swap - In contrary to what most think there are slight power gains to be made...The engine and power feels crispier at times...Freed up room and reduced front end car weight by 20-30 pounds is a plus... These fans installed combined with a new stock size radiator cools the car better then I would have imagined.....The car now operates slightly colder at all times and I experience no cooling problems even on the hottest of days with the A/C on full blast...Noise levels are increased but it is a good kind of noise... Note: the electrical crap that comes with the flex-a-lite fans are garbage, thermo stick, control box, etc.. is all junk.. I elected to use a different control box and a heat sensor...I could not be happier with this swap..One side effect to this swap is the oil sensor light comes on every now and then on the instrument cluster..No big deal, just annoying..Need to remove the bulb. $200
:headbang: Electrical upgrades - Removing the stock big block heavy battery to a smaller and more effecient Optima battery is a good idea for weight reduction and performance...I also changed out the crispy stock battery ground wire, installed copper connectors, installed high performance spark plug wires. Also installed a hyper voltage regulator that helps stabalize the batteries electrical current...Combination of all these mods made the car run a little more crispy and more responsive..No dimming of the head lights at idle anymore, just smoothe electrical even current flow throughout...$350
:headbang: Supra Lower Control Arms and OEM bushings... After trying out the Daisen LCA bushings on my stock arms I discovered I did not like the feel at all.. I installed a new set of Supra LCA's and immediately noticed an improved feel in steering and suspension...Could not be happier..Daisens ended up in my garbage can.. $400
:headbang: Torsen LSD - I picked up a 1995 Supra tt (automatic) torsen LSD and installed it with no problems, bolt patterns are identical....The gearing seems to be very close but not identical. I did notice the speedo was off just slightly after the swap which leads me to believe there is a slight lower gearing difference change between the stock SC400 Dif. and the Torsen Supra TT Auto LSD. It is a good change in my opinion. I think that it makes the car just a little quicker and probably reduces the cars top speed by just a hair.....No more one wheel burnouts.. Improved off line traction was noticed immediately. There is also a slightly different feel when cornering at high speeds..Nothing to be concerned about just a slightly different feel which is hard to describe... Driveability is very similar to the stock open end differential. This was a very good mod in my opinion..... $500
:headbang: Replacing the stock rims and tires made a big difference in traction and looks...Reducing the rear tires diameter size and rim weight helped a bit with 0-60mph performance and weight transfer.....I went with the light weight alluminum rims and the 275/35/ZR18 tires on the rears and could not be happier... Probably reduced 40lbs in tire and rim weight from stock with this upgrade...The car really grips the road now and most importantly off the line traction was gained. The front end of my car actually now lifts just abit on launch as apposed to before...Very pleased... $1600
:headbang: Nitrous Dry system 100-150hp shot - Big Big difference in power... Immediate torque is felt at the wheels when running the nitrous oxide.. The NOS does create traction problems for me in first gear so timing the activation is key, or I may elect to change my system to a progressive system later on down the road....... Second gear is manageable but I still get loose.... Feels like the engine actually doubles in power on a good nos run... Down sides are; untimely tranny shifts at times from 2nd to 3rd gear on the larger heated shots, non-controlled ecceleration kinda stinks and bottle refills every month cost me about $80 on average..(I use the nos system often), also rear tire wear is increased dramatically. Changing, opening and closing the nos bottles is an inconvenience at times...... Other benifets that come to mind is the car remains in reliable stock N/A form. Gas mileage remains the same as opposed to an AFI setup.. Passing emmissions is not a problem..No delay what so ever with nitrous, immediate power and torque is felt when the nos is activated..No reported breakdowns to date... $1200 installed..
I am going to stop here. I am at home sick today with the flu and have time to burn..If anyone one wants to add to this post feel free...I have done other mods but I have only listed the ones that I think made a noticeable difference...This info can be used as a reference on how to make an SC400 fast...
PS: I would have put a thumbs up on all of the mods but the system will not allow anymore images, so I just put a thumbs up to the mods that made the biggest difference to me...
Here are random pics of my ride....
