thanks for the advice. should i go synthetic with he oil as well. and are there any other parts i should replace just to be on the safe side i can sink about 250-350 a month into the car. and again will the bumber kits from the coupe models and the ae92 models fit? i need a new set of bumbers and i dont like the stock ones
Synthetic is a matter of taste. Some swear by dino and run it their car's entire life. Some are wary of synthetic because they're afraid it will create oil leaks. Until very recently I fit into both camps. That syn oil will create leaks is a myth. I'm running it in an oil burning 1ZZ-FE and so far my oil consumption, rather than increasing, has been decreasing - so I consider myself a convert. Some benefits of syn:
- it doesn't need to be changed as often;
- its more resistant to high temperature shearing (more resistant to thermal breakdown), so viscosity remains more constant;
- it has a lower pour point and better cold crank numbers, so it lubricates faster in colder temps because it gets to engine components faster;
- there is a small mileage improvement (1-2 mpg is probably typical) with syn.
The only drawback is it costs more. I'm running Pennzoil Platinum and I have Castrol Syntec on hand to go in next summer. When I buy syn I look at how good the oil is and how its priced compared to others here. Where I am, these are two of the cheapest syns but Platinum is also among the best (and Syntec is good too, although Edge is better but too expensive for me here). A step up from these, and one of the best synthetics you can buy, is Redline - but you'll pay a bigger premium for it.
There is a separate thread here or in the performance forum (within the first couple pages) called something like 'the 100k tuneup' where fish gives a really good list of things to inspect and/or replace as part of a major tuneup. Its a pretty complete list and I can't think of anything not mentioned there or in this thread other than tires:
I'm not sure what is stock on your model, but on mine its P175/70/R14 with a P185/65/R14 option. The first provides a more comfortable ride, but the latter is more of a perfornance tire and provides better handling at the expensive of a little ride comfort. There's also a big gap between good rubber and bad. You can research this in more detail on sites geared toward perfornance upgrades that also talk about tires. Better rubber will be lighter, and provide better traction in wet and dry conditions translating into better acceleration (less tire spin) and better cornering and control. There's not much relationship between price and performance, as the most expensive tires aren't always the best ones out there, while some that are a little less expensive are also among the best for these characteristics plus longevity. Lots of choices, best to research this one separately and once you've got a small list of tires that look good, price them out to see what offers the best bang for the buck.
A forum called "Bob is the oil guy" is all about the pros and cons of different oils, viscosities, and discusses good and bad oil filters as well. They're pretty hard core over there about engine oil, but there's a ton of info to be had as well (and you can also ask for recommendations there but you'll get a lot of different opinions on what to use as many are very brand loyal and use and promote nothing but that brand - Mobil and Pennzoil will be among two of the most common responses you will get).
Edit:
I should add that I'm pretty hard core about fluids and especially engine oil (and am a newer member on BITOG but I post a lot there too), which I liken to a car what blood is to the body. The right oil and correct viscosity will quieten an engine and make it purr like a kitten, while providing the best performance characteristics you get from oil and the most protection for longer engine longevity. The wrong oil (mainly the wrong viscosity as this is the most important characteristic) will make a car feel sluggish and/or stress the engine (too thick) or provide too little protection (too thin, leading to metal on metal contact and engine wear and early failure). The right oil will also provide a good detergent package to keep the engine clean (preventing sludge and carbon buildup that rob performance and can also lead to early engine failure) and good anti-wear additives to maximimize engine life. Give the cost of a better oil and filter versus the cost of an engine rebuild, its my (very strong) opinion that oil & filters are two items that aren't worth being cheap about - though if you do the research and shop around a bit you can get very good oil for a couple bucks more than the cheap stuff. For instance, the Platinum I'm running now was bought on a rollback at Walmart where it cost only a few bucks more than most brands of dino (conventional) for a 4 & 1/2 quart jug of it (I plan to stock up because I know the price won't stay where it is for long).
Oil prices vary a lot from region to region. What's cheap, but good, here may be expensive there, and vice versa.
-Spyder