cheap upgrades

[colonialliberty]

1072317

I already asked this question in an earlier post, but here it is. What are some cheap upgrades I can do to improve performance? I thought I heard someone talking about ACCEL wires. Will that make much of a difference on a 3.7 L Liberty? Also, what oil/oil filter combination seems to work best?[addsig]

 

[Tug-n-pull]

1072378

Let the sucker breath is the biggest bang for the buck you can do for it or any other combustion engin. Intake and exaust restriction rob you of power and of gas mileage. A good free flowing exaust say anything from a 20 buck glaspack to a flowmaster or any of several brands on mufflers will be a big help. If you live where there is no emmisions testing going on hollow out or remove all together the cat form the exaust line. If you live in an area of inspections keep the cat. Intake is another good addition. Tube and K&N filter seems to be real popular I went with the K&N replacement filter in the factory box and noticed a big difference. this is you best choices as far as I can see. However if you are under warrenty leave it alone or get the dealer to give you the ok prior to changeing anything. Let them suckers pay for all the repairs they are suppost to untill the time runs out. tug :-D [addsig]

 

[MudderChuck]

1072392

Now on days with computer controlled ignition, plugs and wires, don´t really help much. The programing of the computer was designed to work with what you have. And if you happened to buy something that worked better, it would just be luck.
Like Tug said, getting the motor to breath right, is the biggest bang for the buck.
Generally I try and get what I´ve got to run well. When I make upgrades, they are usually, for reliability, driveability and longevity.
If you have an idea, of what you want when you´re finished (have a plan) it makes things a lot simplier.
Mine usually end up, as high speed dirt roaders, with and occasional mud hole. Not to high, stiff suspension, skid pans and some mud/water shielding. Most of the mod´s I make also work well on the road.
Oil and filters. my philosophy is to change them often, spring and fall. Brand name filter and quality oil. I´ve used a lot of synthetic oil, over the years, was happy about the way it kept the inside of the motor clean. But seem to have more than my share of leaks and seeps, which some people say, is caused somewhat by synthetic lubricants.[addsig]

 

[MudDawg]

1072398

If there is any existing sealing problem...synthetic oil will point it out...thats part of what
makes synthetic oil so good as a lubricant...my experience has been that Mobil1 oil works very well and is in some cases MUCH less expensive that some of the "custom" oil's. And i have never experienced a lubrication related failure...the dyno showed an increase in horsepower compared to Castrol GTX, which bye the way is in my opinion the best conventional mineral oil. :-D [addsig]

 

[Cujo]

1072572

A friend of mine has a cherokee and he put a throttle body spacer in and said that it helped get rid of the drag when he put bigger tires on.[addsig]

 

[MudDawg]

1072584

New plug wires of any kind will not improve the performance to any noticable degree unless there is something wrong with your old wires. Neither will "gizmos". Modern engines don't have a lot of easy to find power hidden inside like the older engines did. An engine is a heat driven pump..I feel the same about this as Tug..make it easier for the air to get in and out...maybe you can have your ECM reprogrammed for better ignition and/or fuel curves.

This makes me appreciate my old carbed 2.5 it ain't fast, but you can fix it with a hammer and a pair of pliers ;-) [addsig]