Ok now my father wants to argue with me about Any of these parts/items, i have listed to give any kind of gain in hp or anything. so im not saying that it will give you anything or alot but i know it must help because otherwise they wouldnt provide so much aftermarket support on something that was proven not to help. but i dont know, id like to get some other peoples opinion or maybe some info from magazines or anything as evidence of some kind of gain or no gain at all, either way.

 

I had the full rollers never was able to get any back to back times or dyno runs. But the car did feel much smoother when reving also felt like it reved thru the rpm band quicker. But i broke one in half one day and almost destroyed the motor. The only ones i would consider in a long term daily driver would be stainless steel. And even those wear over time, and need to be rebuilt. So i installed comps roller tips so i wouldnt have to worry about it.

I had an MSD box and it did improve throttle responce. But never did any back to back testing to so if there was a power gain.

Never tried the synthetic gear lubes, tranny fluids. But have seen dyno tests where they did add some power to the rear wheels.

 

i ve seen roller rockers before and after on a chassie dyno and the most ive seen was 4hp. this was with the same ratio. never seen any improvement with synthetic fluids, but rear lube is so cheap ($10 for redline) that ive always used synthetic. i dynoed my car with msd and withit bypassed and saw no real improvment.

 

When i said synthetic i meant engine oil. but anyways id really like some back to back testing or something. but 4hp at the wheels what is that at the motor? was it automatic? if it was auto it probably was about 10hp to the flywheel. eh i dunno.

 

good quality..true 100% synthetics are worthe the money..you wont see very much if any hp gains from different oil but they way the engine runs as in smoothness and lube there is definatly an advantage..

 

You don't use synthetic to gain hp. You use it for its superior lubricating properties.

The roller rockers depends on alot of things. If you have a big cam for example, going to 1.6s will make a noticeable change because you are increasing valve lift significantly. Using them on a stock 305 TPI like people sometimes do won't really do anything.

4 hp at the wheels is 5 hp at the flywheel assuming a 20% drivetrain loss.

 

Synthetic engine oil is worth it's weight, whatever weight you use. After putting 30,000 miles on my brother's engine and using only synthetic oils, we could still see the cross hatch pattern from the boreing of the cylinders. It is worth it.

Roller rockers are good because they also reduce friction and can be better on pushrods as well as taking higher rpms better.

The MSD subject has been covered already. It always comes down to one person saying it is good an worth it and the opposer saying it does no good and is not wroth it but I still run it. Better ignition systems allow a biggewr and longer spark as well as multiple sparks. I have seen an increase in my MAP readings with better ignition components.

 

I feel like the problem is that some people want to justify using a particular item without really needing it or having a reason to get it. Alot of times it is because they just don't know better. Those people often end up with either neutral or negative comments about the product when they already have expectations which aren't met. I'm not saying this is always the case, its just something I've noticed.

I remember helping someone with their car a couple of years back. The guy kept asking me with each mangled gasket that came out from under his hood if we are going to reuse it. He then goes on several minutes later to lecture me on why I am abusing my car by not using the "right stuff" when I give my car a tune up. He was referring to a $13 K&N oil filter, the most expensive oil he can find which wasn't synthetic (cause his dad's friend said its bad for old engines), and Bosch Platinum +4 plugs. Why did he get this? Well he said its because the computer at AutoZone labels them as the best, as if thats proof and there is no more to be said. When I finished, he turns the car on, and immediately revs the crap out of it and holds it at 4k.

It is the kind of mentality which refuses to stop and listen, or analyze things for themselves that often badmouth products when things don't work out for them.

By all means, there are alot of crappy products on the market. I'm not disputing that. What I am saying is that I've just seen to many complaints from people that shouldn't be anywhere near a wrench.

Sorry about this long post, I just had to vent.

 

I can't help but laugh at your rant about 'good' and 'bad' stuff.

In high school, when Third Gen's were still new (1989), a complete idiot I knew used to INSIST that using those stupid sparg plugs with the giant tips (what are they called - someone help me) made more HP and better gas mileage. He also bought one of those vortex swirling things you put under your air cleaner and claimed it atomized the fuel better. I think the only thing he didn't claim worked were those fuel line magnets. Wait, maybe he did have those.

Some people will buy ANYTHING. It really does amaze me.


SplitFire - THAT was what those spark plugs were called. And they were like $5 each! What a scam that was.

I run Mobil 1 to keep my engine a *bit* cooler, and to minimize wear as much as possible. I tell my friends, buy good quality parts, and buy them often. Platinum tipped plugs and shiny spark modules on a basically stock car will serve you no better than keeping your car tuned up and running right.

(Despite my not having chrome valve covers or SplitFire plugs, at my reunion 10 years later, kids in my classs were STILL talking about how fast I used to drive and how quick my 3rd gen was. I can laugh about that now, only because I didn't get killed as a kid!)