As you can see, I am confused. LOL, I was wondering what ideas people might have for me to modify my car, yet, nothing too completely drastic or expensive. I wish to keep it as stock as possible which you will notice from my signature.

I was considering:
-Ram Air setup on my car, yet I have heard it is not possible to make the factory hood I have functional.
-.373 gear ratio.
-A Hypertech Thermomaster Power Chip, yet, I have heard this is a waste of money.

I need someone to help me!

Thanks,

~Mike

Ram air is good for a bit of performence. the 3.73 ratio is probablly to big for what you have now. And any chip that isnt burned by yourself, or custom done by someone else just isn't worth it. Is emissions a concern and can you do labor yourself or get a friend cheap?

By your sig I see you have Changed your Injectors.

Depending on what size you Got, Your going to need chip work to compensate anyway.

For information on how and Why, Check the link in My Sig.

I would Go with a 3.42 Gear ratio On a L98 On the street, 3.73 will get old fast.

Headers are always my favorite first Mod ever since I did mine, and then we did Some on a stock Lb9. Huge differance even on a stock Motor with the weakest Cam profile GM ever produced.

Best Bang for the buck, IMO.

Forget the aftermarket chips. They Give you Very little Change for Way to Much Money.

OK, so you think the .342 gear ratio is my best bet? I guess I should throw in the fact that this a street car and a daily driver. That is why I do NOT want to many mod's to make it undrivable daily. What gear ratio do I already have in my car? Just want a second opinion, because I have been led to believe I have a .323.

Custom chip, eh? Would the custom chip make better use out of the Accel Performance Injectors I had installed?

Oh, and with headers, what do you think is the best brand? And, will I get a lot out of them, because they are $EXPENSIVE$!!!

Yes, I do have help because my Grandpa owns a shop, so I get half off the labor and parts.

Thanks a lot,

~Mike

Oh, and a new intake, runners, and plenum? Good idea, or what?
I see a lot of people with them on their GTA's, so it must do some good...

HELP! Ha ha.

I've got an 87 GTA, and would love to be running a Super Ram with a nice set of headers and some ported stock heads. That would be a real smooth daily driver.

Hooker and SLP seem to be the most popular brands of headers....for a good reason I guess??

Bort62,

What is an L98? You said that you would go with a .342 gear ratio on an L98...I have never heard of that.

an L98 is the engine you have...
L98 is the code for the 5.7L TPI...
LB9 is the code for the 5.0L TPI

my 88 formula has a lb9 w/auto and headers. when i switched from a 3.23 rear gear to a 3.73 i went .5 seconds and 3 mph faster. i've had the 3.73's for about 4 months now and still love 'em. go with headers w/no cat (if possible) and rear gear. your car will not only go faster but sound wicked. my car went 1.1 seconds faster from stock to full exhaust & rear gear being done.

Depends on what your long term goal is for the car. At 53K I don't think you want to butcher it.

The 88 GTA automatics came with a 3.27 gear. There is no need for you to change your gears to 3.73. Parts for a swap to a 3.45 gear (which is what your rearend housing will accept) are not cheap. It isn't necessary anyway. The following is what I would do for starters:

1) SLP or Hooker headers and exhaust
2) Home made Ram Air or SLP Cold AIr INduction kit (not cheap either)
3) Tune up including wires, plugs, cap, rotor, set ignition timing, synthetic oil, transmission service and shift kit, rear end service, AFPR, fuel filter, etc.
4) Depending on budget...LPE 74211 cam or TPIS ZZ9 Cam, 1.6 roller rockers, some aftermarket runners (try the classifieds here or elswhere such as corvetteforum or ebay)...OR just bolt on some nitrous (125hp shot) and enjoy

PS...a Hypertech is better than your stock chip IMO. You can get them cheap off ebay or classifieds. But it would be better long run to buy equipment to burn your own proms.