Adding some muscle to a 2000 Celica GTS

fester225

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Wisconsin
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2000 Celica GTS
I just bought a factory stock 2000 Celica GTS (6-speed manual), and like my nephew has pointed out, it is not yet a sports car.

Some of my friends have been helping me with suggestions regarding what I need to do to spend more time pressed back into the seat. Having read a couple of the stock performance articles from this site, I've decided I need help from people with more experience with this model.

What should I be doing to improve torque throughout the range, and especially at the low end?
 
Good advice and not as difficult to do as with most non turbo cars as there is a turbo version - the gt Four and the motors will swop over more easily than most

Like most things it depends on your budget and which engine you have. The early turbo engines were improved upon and the last one (2002 pm st246) is very quick and manages around 270bhp in standard form in the gt four caldina.
I actually have one of the top of the range n specs caldina which has Torsen LSDs as standard and car recommend them
 
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Perhaps I should add more of what work I've already done.

This Celica has a 180HP NA engine. I'd like to improve the intake.

The vendor says this will add 7.53 HP @ 6362 RPM
http://www.andysautosport.com/products/k&n__69-8522TS.html

The vendor says this will add 12 HP.
http://www.andysautosport.com/products/gude_performance__gptb0083.html

For the exhaust I'd like to use;

The vendor says this will add 7-10 HP.
http://www.andysautosport.com/products/dc_sports__THC4403.html

The vendor says this will add 10-12 HP.
http://www.andysautosport.com/products/magnaflow__15812.html

I'm also in the market for a catalytic converter, but what I really need is a stainless steel exhaust from the bottom of the header back. So far I haven't found one specifically made for my Celica. I suppose that's what I get for buying a 15-year-old car.

Does all this make sense to everyone?
 
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Anyone who promises exact bhp gains from different single mods is talking absolute nonsense .

For a start you cant accurately measure 1 bhp so to quote any power gain to two decimal places is , how shall I put this FANTASY and anyone offering to do that should be avoided (IMHO)

And as Hdi said you cant just tally up bhp gains It just doesn't work like that
It is almost cetain that changing just the manifold will hardly help - its no use speeding the exhaust gases up to another point where they are slowed down.

As for the exhaust you can get a cat back stainless system for celicas pretty easy which will help but you have do things in unison
 
Presumably the car is standard as you are suggesting stage 1 mods
What engine does it have because I was under the impression that the na celica engines producd rather less that 180bhp standard .
 
Just a quick look on Wiki and I take it you have this model....

The GT-S was powered by the 2ZZ-GE engine rated at 180 bhp (134 kW; 182 PS) at 7600 rpm and 133 lb·ft (180 N·m) torque at 6800 rpm. The engine featured Toyota’s VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing and Lift control with intelligence). A second stage valve lift control for intake was added to the variable intake cam phase timing. Variants of this engine were offered in the Matrix XRS, Corolla XRS and the Lotus Elise (with a Lotus ECU which added 10 bhp). Buyers had the option of a 4-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmissions. The base tire size was 205/55/15 but the optional size offered was 205/50/16. The tire upgrade was merelyUS$42 so most GT-S models had the optional wheels and tires. All GT-S models had 4-wheel disc brakes and metal pedals. Manual transmission shifters and all steering wheels were upgraded to leather. Liftback cargo covers were standard along with fog lights for models without the "Action Package".

TRD USA offered performance upgrades such as lowering springs, dampers, anti-sway bars, brake disc pads, air filters, exhaust, short-shift kits (manual transmissions), and body kits. The exhaust offered an increase of 14 hp (10 kW), albeit mostly at higher rpm’s. A supercharger was also offered for the 1ZZ-FE engine however Toyota never marketed it directly for the Celica GT due to being too large to fit under the hood, The supercharger was available as an option for 2003–2004 Corolla and Matrix models. The most popular among buyers were the “Action Package” which offered a more pronounced front spoiler, rocker panels, a rear wing, and lower rear fascia extension. The revised front faring interfered with the mounting location for the standard factory fog lights, requiring them to be adjusted or removed when this option was added.

On the 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004 GT-S models, the rev limiter is set to around 8200–8300 rpm (seems to differ vehicle-to-vehicle) while the 2002 and 2005 have it set to 7800 (left-hand drive markets only). This lower limiter on the 2002 and 2005 models reduces the available performance as the 2ZZ is primarily a high-revving engine, and it is more difficult for the driver to land in the 'lift' (aggressive cam) rev range on an upshift. This only affects the 6-speed manual transmission as the gearing is spaced to where shifting up at approximately 8,250 rpms in any gear other than first gear will result in about 6,200 rpm after the shift, which is where "lift", or the aggressive cam, engages. This allows models without the limited rpm range to remain within the car's power band throughout the gears. First gear is excluded because the gearing ratio is much lower than 2nd gear.
 
Anyone who promises exact bhp gains from different single mods is talking absolute nonsense .

For a start you cant accurately measure 1 bhp so to quote any power gain to two decimal places is , how shall I put this FANTASY and anyone offering to do that should be avoided (IMHO)

And as Hdi said you cant just tally up bhp gains It just doesn't work like that
It is almost cetain that changing just the manifold will hardly help - its no use speeding the exhaust gases up to another point where they are slowed down.

As for the exhaust you can get a cat back stainless system for celicas pretty easy which will help but you have do things in unison


What 2 decimal places?

7-10 should be read as 7-to-10, and 10-12 should be read as 10-to-12.
 
Thanks HDi saves me posting it

Happy to be corrected about the power by the way and in that instance that engine may not take a turbo as well as the ST246
 
My nephew warned me this wasn't a sports car. For the moment, he's right. However, changing the way I drive helps. Like everybody is saying, working in the higher RPMs range definitely makes life more interesting. ;)

Sleeper was saying you just can't add paper performance improvements together and hope for a meaningful result, and I tend to agree. I've been reading about all the mods you can and should do, but most of them aren't supposed to work on a small engine. I'm hoping my 1.8L engine isn't too small for anything but turbo-charging to work.

For the moment I'm planning on re-doing the exhaust in stainless steel from the engine block all the way back, then changing the air intake. I'm figuring the best chance I have for a good result is to do it all at once.

"..its no use speeding the exhaust gases up to another point where they are slowed down."
-Sleeper

So true...

I'm hoping those of you out there with much more experience than I have will point-up where I'm getting it wrong!
 

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