How far is too far

[1999SL1]

I have a 1999 SL1, and I already have added the Hotshot ceramic intake. I want to maximize the potential for my car, but I need to keep it a daily driver. How far can I go and not lose all streetability? I was thinking of adding the straight thru exhaust, the manifold, throttle body and header, and maybe even turbo or nitrous. I want to add 215/40/17 wheels all aroud also. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[Richard]

Everything you outline above can be done and still keep the car street legal. Until your Saturn runs on alcohol you'll be ok on the street.

[Yankeez01L30094SL2]

That is a good point. What is best for your performance needs and still be a daily driver. I still take my SL2 to my retailer every 3,000 for service and I diddn't wan't to throw off the engine so my main performance mod is going to be a cat-back exhaust. I feel that will give me the best power without modding the engine bay. That and my exhaust has over 100,000 and needs replaced. The S-series stong suit has always been it's low ride design with a strong frame and therefore handles great even in stock trim. I can't wait to see what the SPS anti-sway bar and strut brace do for the already good handling of my SL2. I guess how far is to far is what you are looking to get from your car. Getting a SOHC engine to be a very fast car may take extensive mods. If 0-60 and the 1/4 mile is what you are looking for. The S-series can be a quick and fun car to drive through the curves though. I would suggest looking to see exactly what performance you want from your car and then go in that direction. BTW I don't think the 1 trim levels come with anti-sway bars in the rear. I'll check into it. SPS sells one with a kit to install it in the 1 level cars.

[Richard]

Basically, all the bolt-ons aren't going to effect engine longevity, but they only give a modest boost in performance. A Powerstack and some headers are a great way to start. The butt dyno will definitely feel those. Its when you start tearing into the engine...that's when things start to happen (but voids your factory warranty). Port and polish the intake manifold, get the intake manifold port matched to a big bore throttle body, then shave the head to increase compression. With word of new, reprogrammable PCMs around the corner, a more aggressive cam may be in order as well. Everything with the exception of the cam should keep you smog/street legal. The SL1 doesn't come with a rear anti-sway bar and has a "smaller" anti-sway bar up front. SPS makes a kit to add the rear bar, they used to sell front anti-sway bars (would be good for Sx1 owners) but I think they pulled them.

In terms of acceleration the SL1 can hang with any DOHC. From 0-60 they are about equal. After that the DOHC starts to pull away. Its the 114 ft/lbs of torque at only 2,400 rpm that help. The extra 24 horses of the DOHC give it the extra power at higher speeds. It won't take "extensive" mods to get the power out of a SOHC. Just do it intelligently.

[TurboSC2]

There is quite a bit that you can do, and still retain everyday drivability. Our turbo SC2 recently passed the 10,000 mile mark in turbocharged trim. We have had absolutely no mechanical problems whatsoever. (Other than a bit of premature front tire wear!) ;)

The car is stout enough to take weekend thrashings yet get over 22~25 mpg as my wife's daily driver. She drives it 25 miles each way to work, plus other trips here and there. We've had to step up our maintanance such as oil changes and plug changes a bit to keep everything running smooth, but those are the knocks of having a turbocharged car.

How do 14.1 second timeslips sound out of an ultra sleeper? There is absolutely no visual cue as to what lies under the hood other than a 4" exhaust tip and Thermal Research muffler hanging below the bumper! hehe ;)

Streetability is only limited by how far you really want to go, from there it's all semantics..
peace,
Paul & Angela
SC2^T
Jax, Fl.