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| The NewbStyle FAQ |
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You're new here, huh? Your mom gave you this plastic piece of shit car, and now you feel like you have to make the best of your situation so you can fit in with all the cool kids with the civics and those SOOPATIGHT RSX TYPE S's!!!!! That's cool, but you need to realize one thing realllly quickly: While getting decent power out of a Saturn is definitely possible and certainly a worthwhile endeavour, it takes a lot of time and a LOT(!) of money. If you're not willing to invest both of these into your Saturn, you'd be best to just leave it alone and save money for a car with a bigger engine, basically. However, if you're truly motivated and ready to learn how to increase the efficiency and output of this powerplant, then welcome to what will likely become one of the most educational and interesting projects you'll ever undertake.
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You're going to have a lot of questions at first, no matter what direction you'd like to take your car. Not surprisingly, your questions have been asked before. In fact, they've been asked about ELEVENTYTRILLIONZILLION FUCKING TIMES ON EVERY FORUM EVERYWHERE!!! So, while I encourage you to check out all of the Saturn forums and decide which of them you like the most (probably TSN if you're not a fucking lame cunt), don't go cluttering up the boards with your newbstyle shit. Just read this and MANY, MANY other documents before you ask questions. You'll probably find the answers yourself. Then you can feel all warm and cuddly inside knowing that you've done something productive for yourself. Great job. Now read...
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This FAQ is organized into common topics of query for newberz. You have your basic intake and exhaust, fuel, cams, mounts, clutch, and for you ambitious types, nitrous and forced induction, the true saviours for our people. Anyway, run down the list and find what you're interested in...or better yet, just read it all and learn something new.
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Topic 1 - Intake and Exhaust: Collectively, intake and exhaust modifications are known as the basic "breathing" modifications. If you imagine your engine as basically an air pump, one of the largest factors in how it can perform is its ability to take in and put out air. That's what the intake and exhaust systems of a car does. It brings in the oxygen used oxidize (combust) the gasoline fed into the cylinders by the injectors. You have a number of options for intake systems. The first type is known as the Short Ram or Warm Air intake. These intakes usually consist of a high flow air filter connected to a smoothly (mandrel) bent pipe that is connected to the throttle body, which regulates the intake of air into the intake manifold, according to how far down you press the gas peddle. Short Ram air intakes usually place the filter right in front of the batter, on the right side of the engine bay. The next best option is the Cold Air intake (CAI). CAI systems usually place the filter down in the wheel well, where the fog lights normally reside. The benefit of the CAI over the short ram type is that the CAI draws in much colder air. Cold air is denser in oxygen. Therefore, for each "breath" the engine takes, the cold air will allow more oxidation of the gas in the cylinder, and thereby more power. Finally, you also have custom setups, such as generic hood scoops or, very rarely, one of the old XRC Shaker Scoops. These types of intakes are excellent because they not only allow for extremely cold air intake, but also because their piping system is generally very short, producing little resistance to smooth flow of the incoming air. For the price, though, CAI systems generally produce the best results, in my mind.
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On the other end of things is the exhaust. When the cams in the head rotate to open the exhaust valve of a cylinder after the spark event and combustion of the fuel and air mixture, the cylinder rises again to the top of its stroke and pushes out the exhaust gasses. These gasses pass through the exhaust manifold or header and blow out of the exhaust system. The basic idea with an exhaust system is to retain two things: heat and velocity of exhaust. Heat retention can be increased by adding things like exhaust wrap to insulate the piping. Velocity, however, requires a delicate balance. The speed of a gas passing through a tube is directly related to the pressure of that gas as it flows. If you have an exhaust system with piping too large in diameter for the volume of exhaust you're producing (which is pretty much proportional to power output), you will slow down the exhaust gasses as they pass through the tube. You will decrease the backpressure of the exhaust on the engine (which is good), but the tradeoff if slow gas velocity. If you use pipes that are too narrow, your gas velocity will increase (A LOT), but you will also increase the backpressure of the exhaust on the engine, causing a loss of power in higher RPM ranges (you know, where you'll be when you're actually racing). So, it logically follows that there should be an optimal diameter for the exhaust piping in each different application. And, in fact, there is. If you are staying purely naturally aspirated (meaning no supercharging, turbocharging, or nitrous), keep the exhaust pipes between 2" and 2.25" inside diameter. For nitrous applications, 2.25" to 2.5" is generally good. It's possible that for very high powered nitrous applications (over 100 shot), a larger diameter would be beneficial, but I just don't know. For supercharged applications, 2.5" to 3" is best, and for turbo applications, go 3" for sure. It's simply a question of efficiency, so don't limit yourself by such a simple aspect of the engine. Another common question about exhaust concerns side-exit exhausts, where the exhaust piping ends pointing out the side of the car, somewhere in front of the rear axle. These are quite good, but fitting a complete exhaust system (catalytic converter, resonator, and muffler) in that short space can get difficult. Therefore, most people choose to drop the muffler component, and as such, side-exit setups tend to be a bit lounder than those that exit from the normal location behind the rear axle. The final basic concept in this exhaust discussion is mandrel vs. crush bent piping. Crush bending is a process by when a hydraulic press forms the pipe around a template to a certain angle. This sort of bending causes two problems: a change in pipe diameter and a change in pipe shape. Both cause restrictions and turbulence in the exhaust flow, leading to a loss in power output. If at all possible, get mandrel bent exhaust pipes. You can buy mandrel bends from JC Whitney or Summit Racing online. Get them cut and welded by a local exhaust shop and you're ready to go.
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Topic 2 - Tuning: In any direction you might take the development of your car, tuning is absolutely essential to get the most out of your modifications. N/A, nitrous, turbo, or supercharger...it doesn't matter. Tuning keeps the car reliable, adds power, and increases drivability. The tuning I will refer to here encompasses the three main variables you can control. The timing of the spark event, the air/fuel ratio of the mixture inside the cylinder, and the timing of the cam gears. First, the easiest of the three to describe...cam gears. A company called Fidanza makes adjustable cam gears for both SOHC and DOHC saturns. Using these pieces, you are able to advance or retard the timing of the cams, producing more or less overlap and adjusting the range of RPM in which power develops with the most strength. They are especially useful if shaving the head for increased compression. However, a side effect of the shave is the retardation of cam timing. Cam gears can compensate for this change and can be used to get the most out of your modifications in the right RPM range. Onto fuel tuning...one of the most important determinates for the power output of the car is the air:fuel ratio that is sucked into the cylinder during the intake stroke. Adjustment of the ratio is optimal to perform after every change to the engine, and in some cases, when the temperature changes dramatically. A ratio can be made either "leaner", meaning fuel is removed, or "richer", meaning fuel is added to the mix. Which way you go depends on your application. Under full throttle, an N/A car (very) generally makes the best power somewhere between 12.8 and 13.5:1. Forced induction cars need a ratio between 11.0 and 12.5:1 A/F. These ratios must be read using a Wideband Oxygen Sensor. The stock O2 sensor is a narrowband sensor, and is not acceptable for tuning under wide open throttle. The final sort of tuning changes the timing of the spark event in relation to the position of the piston within the cylinder to next be combusted. The timing can be advanced or retarded. Going too far either way can cause knocking, pinging, or detonation...BAD. I'm going to refrain from commenting too much on tuning spark timing, basically because I haven't had much to do with it and don't really know what I'm talking about. Here's a good lesson for you NoobStyles, by the way...only comment on subjects you know about and in which you are actually experienced. Talking out of your ass is fucking annoying and should be avoided at all costs.
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You have a number of options you can use to tune your car, depending on what sort of tuning you need to perform. As previously noted, you best option for cam timing adjustment are the Fidanza gears. If you require only fuel adjustment, your options for N/A applications are the APEXi S-AFC (version 1 or 2) or the HKS Super AFR. For forced induction vehicles, you can use the previous two options (plus installation of larger injectors), as well as two additional choices: an extra injector controller setup or a rising rate fuel management unit. The first two pieces of equipment modify the signal going from the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor to the PCM. The extra injector controller is a unit that controls two or four extra injectors, mounted into the intake piping, that inject extra fuel according to boost pressure. Finally, the rising rate fuel management unit (RRFMU) raises fuel pressure by a specific amount for each increase in psi of boost pressure. Common RRFMU ratios are 4:1, 6:1, and 10:1, meaning that they increase fuel pressure by 4, 6, or 10psi, respecitvely, for each pound of boost pressure. The RRFMU is the least reliable of the bunch. The EIC and HKS or SAFC setups are more reliable, and each type has their proponents and detractors. In the end, it's your choice to make, according to your horsepower goals, necessary tuning resolution, and budget.
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If you need both fuel and timing tunability, your options are a bit more limited. The MegaSquirt system, using upgraded firmware (and sometimes hardware), is able to control both fuel and timing quite well. The best options for both fuel and spark tuning are the standalone computers. These include the Tec2, Tec3, Tec3r and SDS EM4F, among others. They are far more expensive than any other option, but when used properly allow for the most precise control of all aspects of engine function.
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Topic 3 - Cams: If your car is an SOHC (SL, SL1, or SC1), it has one cam, located on top of the head, underneath the valve cover on top of the engine. If it is a DOHC, it has two cams, located in the same place. The cams control the function of the valves, opening and closing them as needed to bring air and gas into and blow exhaust out from the cylinders. When the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time, that period of time is called "overlap". I won't cover its importance here, but suffice it to say that more overlap is good for some applications and not for others. There are a number of cams you might find for sale out in the big, bad world. Some names you might hear are: AnR/MPM, SDA, Gude, Crower, and Schnider Racing. AnR/MPM and SDA street cams are quite mild, meaning they will idle alright, but will not help without fuel tuning. AnR/MPM and SDA strip cams are more extreme, needing extensive tuning to function properly. Gude cams, so I've heard, have more overlap, making them good for some applications and not so good for others. Crower and Schneider Racing cams can vary, since they will custom grind whatever you want. You might also see reference to "Ian's Cams". These are for turbo cars only, and will do lots of great stuff. They're pretty fucking expensive at the moment, though. It is important to note that IF YOU INSTALL ANY SORT OF AFTERMARKET CAM, YOU MUST HAVE A METHOD FOR TUNING THE FUEL (usually an APEXi SAFC or HKS SAFR). Otherwise, they will SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE the performance of your car. Be warned.
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Topic 4 - Motor Mounts: When I first started reading the Saturn forums, I had no fucking clue why people made suck a big deal out of motor mounts. Who the hell cares about motor mounts? The answer lies in understanding their function. The motor mounts consist of a torque axis mount (TAM), two "dogbone" mounts, and a transmission mount. They hold the motor and transmission to the frame of the car. However, they also flex a certain amount to absorb the vibrations of the engine before they reaches the cabin. The problem arises when you come to understand that this flexion takes away from the power that is transferred from the engine to the wheels. Every bit of flex in the mounts decreases the power you get at the ground. Therefore, aftermarket motor mounts are naturally much stiffer than the stock mounts. There are a number of suppliers making aftermarket mounts. SDA makes a TAM insert for the early style TAMs. It is a molded piece of polyurethane that fits into the stock TAM and stiffens it, reducing the amount of vibration absorbed by the mount. There is another TAM replacement out, called the EarthShaker. Only a few were made (by Coppertop of TSN), but they apparently worked very well. For dogbone replacements, your best option is SDA. They're the best you can get. If you find Twistec brand dogbones for sale, DO NOT BUY THEM. They are not strong enough to take the abuse of driving over a long period of time, and their structural integrity will break down quickly, necessitating their replacement. They suck huge, huge ass, like everything else ever made by Twistec. There are currently no replacement options for the transmission mount, but developments are supposedly taking place at this time.
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Topic 5 - Clutches: Your clutch is the part of the car (on stick-shift models) that tranfers the power from the engine to the wheels. The clutch and flywheel work together to perform the transfer. If you are planning an N/A or nitrous car (and possibly with supercharged vehicles, as well), you will benefit from a lightened flywheel. There are a number of companies making these flywheels, but the most popular comes from Fidanza. They weigh about 8 pounds and allow the engine to rev faster, increasing power output. As far as clutches go, the only really acceptable aftermarket options come from ACT. ACT makes three clutches for the Saturn: the 4-puck, 6-puck, and street disc. The 4-puck model has a VERY harsh engagement, and is hard to drive on the street. You pretty much can't slip the clutch at all. The 6-puck also engages pretty harshly, but allows for some slip, and is not bad for driving on the street. The street disc has an easy engagement and is very streetable. The street model can hold up to about 250 ft-lbs of torque, and the other two will hold about 330 ft-lbs. If you're going to stay under 180 ft-lbs of torque, however, the stock clutch should work quite well for a while, so don't bother with an aftermarket replacement. Wait until the stock clutch begins to slips under load to replace it.
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Topic 6 - Nitrous Oxide: Ahhhhhh, good old nitrous. Horsepower in a bottle. It's a beautiful thing. If anyone says it's cheating...they're retarded. Nitrous comes in two varieties, wet and dry. Wet nitrous systems inject both fuel and nitrous into the intake track, so it can be used with no modification to the stock fuel system. Dry systems only spray nitrous, which necessitates the use of fuel tuning equipment. Whatever you hear, DO NOT BUY A DRY NITROUS KIT...ONLY WET. NOS, NX, and Nitrous Express are all good brands. There are many components you can use with a nitrous system, but make sure you're using a kit that contains both an RPM window switch and a WOT switch. They only allow the nitrous to fire when the throttle is fully open and the RPM is within a safe range for firing nitrous. The best RPM window switch is made by MSD and has a digital readout for the window adjustment. Before using nitrous, it is reccomended that you get compression and leakdown tests. If both come back satisfactory, you're good to go. The maximum safe shot on a healthy engine is about a 50 shot, meaning you'll add about 50 horsepower. Most engines can take about a 75 shot for a long time, but it's not entirely safe. With any nitrous use, two step "colder" spark plugs should be used to help ward off detonation. However, over a 75 shot, more requirements come into play. The use of an MSD timing adjustment box will be needed to retard spark timing, fuel tuning with an SAFC/HKS AFR may be needed, and time on the dyno will be necessary to optimize the setup for safety and power.
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Topic 7 - Forced Induction: Finally, my little NewStyle, you have reached the point in this discussion where I introduce you to the true holy grail for our cars...forced induction (FI). Turbos and superchargers both compress atmospheric air to much higher pressures and thereby force air into the engine when the intake valves open instead of the outside air being sucked in by the vacuum created when the piston sinks down through the cylinder. This pressurizing of the intake increases what is known as the volumetric efficiency (VE) of the engine. The volumetric efficiency is a percentage that refers to the volume of air/fuel mixture taken into the cylinder during the intake stroke divided by the actual volume of the combustion chamber when the piston is at the very bottom of its stroke. With a naturally aspirated car, the maximum VE theoretically possible is 100%. 100% VE would be reached when the cylinder was completely filled with fuel/air mix at atmospheric pressure. However, with a compressed intake track, such as in a supercharged or turboed vehicle, the VE can actually be greater than 100%, since the air/fuel mix in the cylinder is compressed as it is FORCED inside...hence "forced induction". This massive increase in VE is precisely why FI applications can produce such enormous amounts of power. Ian (the asian one) has produced 388 HP with a big turbo. How's that for power...bitches. While turbo systems can be very complicated, there are a number of essential parts that you will need to get, whatever type of turbo setup you choose to pursue. They are: a turbo, a blow-off valve, a wastegate (either integral to the turbo [a.k.a. "internal"] or mounted onto the turbo manifold[a.k.a. "external"), some sort of fuel management solution (timing, too, maybe), two step colder spark plugs, an intercooler, a turbo manifold, a downpipe and exhaust system, and at least a boost gauge. You will also VERY likely want a wideband oxygen sensor system, EGT (exhaust gas temperature) and oil pressure gauges, an oil cooler, and a better clutch (if going for more than 180 horsepower or ft-lbs torque). For turbo manifolds, there are three main types: the modified stock exhaust manifold (Twistec type), the "log" type, and the tubular type. The Twistec type is least efficient and will limit power output (I'd say it's ok to about 200 HP or so). The log type is good for up to about 300 HP or so. Beyond 300 HP, get a tubular type. It allows the smoothest flow of exhaust gas, and therefore also allows the quickest turbo spool-up and highest power output. Search on TSN for answers to specific problems you may (WILL) have during the development, installation, and tuning process of your turbo or supercharger system.
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Speaking of turbos and superchargers, each one has its benefits and detriments. A turbo is generally far more efficient, and has a much high potential for power output, but is much harder to tune and contains more parts that can (WILL) break. A supercharger setup also has the detriment of being operated by the power of the crank, through the serpentine belt. This drag on the crank causes a loss of power that is used to spin the compressor inside of the supercharger. Since a turbo is run by the heat and flow of exhaust gasses only, it inflicts no parasitic drag on the engine...a plus in many minds. Whichever path you choose to take, be assured that FI is really the only way to go for really awesome power in a Saturn (nitrous is good, too, but just not as cool...oh well, sue me).
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Topic 8 - Suspension: Now that you know a bit about how you'll produce moew power out of your little 1.9 liter engine, now we'll go through the modifications you can make to your car to help handle the new power in any situation. Your suspension is a key link between the power produced by the explosions inside the cylinder and the power put to the ground through the tires. There are many, many, many parts in a Saturn's suspension system, but I'll cover the ones I know the most about and the ones that are most often modified. The simplest addition to your cars suspension are front and rear strut tower bars. If you look under the hood, at the top right and left of the engine bay are two black metal "towers", with three nuts on each tower-top. These towers hold the struts to which the wheels are mounted. When you take a hard turn under speed, the frame of the car flexes due to gravitational and centrifugal forces, and the strut tower move independantly from each other. By connecting them with a stiff rod, you prevent this independent movement and stiffen the frame. The easiest place to find front strut tower bars are on Ebay. As far as rear strut tower bars go, your options are very limited. Twistec (ugh...:>P) used to make a decent model of rear strut tower bar, so if you find one for sale, it's a good plan to buy one. Other than the Twistec model, there are plans posted on the forums from time to time that allow you to modify a front strut tower bar into one designed to connect the two rear struts. Just search on TSN and you'll find something. Finally, if you don't mind permanent modification of the car, you can weld crossbars between the strut towers. I would advise against welding the front towers together, as you may want to eventually remove the bar to work around the intake manifold area. The next common suspension modification is to replace the front and rear sway bars (or, in the case of the SOHC models, ADD a rear sway bar, as they lack a stock bar). The sway bars (or anti-sway bars, as I've heard them called, too) mainly affect how the car corners. Specifically, the bars adjust the amount of oversteer or understeer the driver will experience when in a hard cornering maneuver. When a car understeers, it means that instead of going around a corner like it's supposed to, the front tires lose traction and the car goes off in a straight line tangent to the curve from the point at which the tires lost their grip on the road. Oversteer, on the other hand, occurs when the REAR tires lose traction in a turn, causing the back end of the car to swing out and the car to turn and face, at least partially, the opposite direction to that in which it was formerly travelling. Saturns almost ALWAYS chronically understeer. To solve this problem, people generally replace the rear sway bar with a thicker and/or stiffer model. Some models are adjustable and some aren't. I would suggest getting an adjustable model so you can tune the understeer out of the car as well as possible. The best rear sway bar I know of is the one offered by SPS. It is a 17.5mm bar and is adjustable to four different stiffness levels. The stiffer the setting, the more oversteer is imparted to the car. I'm not sure what options are available for the front sway bar, but you very likely won't ever have a reason to change it. The last suspension modifications I'll mention in this discussion are those performed on the springs and struts. Springs and struts help dampen the impact of bumps in the road on the ass of the passengers. The springs compress to absorb the upward movement of the wheels as they roll over a bump (or small child). When the spring expands back, due to the extra potential energy imparted to it during its forced ascent, it extends past its normal resting length. As you probably know, this back and forth springing motion is called oscillation. If you had JUST springs for your suspension, your car would constantly be bouncing up and down from the oscillation of the springs due to past bumps in the road (or again, small, innocent children). To prevent excessive oscillation following a bump, the struts are connected to the springs. Actually, the springs are held in place by the struts, and the strut runs thorough the middle of the spring. The strut functions as a dampener for the oscillation of the spring. It resists the movement of the body of the car as it jumps up and down following a bump, and thereby lessens the amount of force placed on the spring during each oscillation. This dampening effect stops the oscillations after just a few cycles, instead of MANY, MANY cycles. There are many brands of springs available to you for the Saturn S-series, including Intrax, Eibach, Sprint, Progress, and H&R, among others. When you look for a spring, you'll see numbers like 220lb/in. The higher the number, the stiffer the spring will be. In general, the stiffer the spring, the stiffer the strut must be in order to effectively dampen the spring's motion. The best bet for struts are the KYB GR-2 models. They're widely available through most retail suspension stores. Stiff springs and struts help your handling by reducing body roll, the amount the car's body tilts during a turn. Body roll can induce non-optimal (read: higher than optimal) weight transfer during a turn, exacerbating our already irritating understeer problem. They also lower the center of gravity, since all aftermarket springs I know of are not only stiffer, but also shorter than the stock springs. The lower center of gravity also helps to limit body roll. Be aware, though, that the more the car is lowered, the more stress is placed upon other components, such as the CV joints. Also note that the stiffer a spring/strut setup, the more bumps you will feel when driving. Therefore, you must strike a balance between how much performance you desire vs. how uncomfortable you're willing to be during regular driving. My advice? Don't be a bitch. Go as stiff as possible.
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Topic 9 - Wheels and Tires: The last topic I will cover in this FAQ is a popular one...wheels and tires. Rims and shoes. Whatever you wanna call them, they're incredibly important to the performance of your car. When the engine produces a certain amount of power, some of it is used to move the dead weight of the car. A large portion of it, though, is used to accelerate those pieces of the system that rotate. Rotational weight is the worst kind of weight to add, if you're looking for a faster car. Similarly, rotational weight is the most beneficial weight to remove. Four of the heaviest rotating items in the entire car system are the wheels. In addition to just being rotating weight, however, wheels are ESPECIALLY good for weight reduction because not only are they rotating weight, but they're also what is known as "unsprung" weight. Suffice it to say that rotating, unsprung weight is the best king to be rid of...just trust me. The good news is that removing weight from the wheels is super easy...just buy new ones. The less each wheel weighs, the less energy is wasted accelerating them. Thus, you want the LIGHTEST WHEELS POSSIBLE. Bling bling 28" chrome spinners may look cool (to you...the rest of us just want to kill you due to your overwhelming idiocy), but they surely hurt your acceleration. In addition, they also lengthen your braking distance considerably and decrease your handling ability. Overall, they suck ass. Look for wheel that are around the 10 pound mark. Wheels in that weight range are all over the place, but some notable models are the Koenig Heliums, the BBS somethingsomethings, and the Rota Subzeros (I think). The bolt pattern you need is 4x100, which is the same as a civic and a miata. So, if your friend has one of those cars and some nice wheels, just kill him and steal them. You'll be all set.
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After you find some wheels, you're going to need some tires to put on them. While you want the stickiest tires you can get, you may also desire some amount of durability, so you don't need to change them every 5000 miles. For strict drag racing tires, you can either get "slicks" or "drag radials". Drag radials are street legal...slicks are not. Neither is a good idea for normal street driving, cuz if it rains, it's gonna be like driving on Crisco. Mickey Thomson makes some good slicks, I hear, but I'm not sure what the fitment is for us. Similarly, BFG makes some good drag radials for out cars, but I again don't know the proper fitment. Ask on the forums for more information. Now, onto street tires, something I know a bit about. Currently, you have a couple of really good options to pick from. The first are the Falken Azenis. They're VERRRRRRY sticky, but aren't very durable and aren't super great in the rain. Forget about snow...no fucking chance. The other good option are the Falken Ziex 512 models. I run these tires, and I find them very well balanced, in terms of performance, weather-handling, and durability. They're not as sticky as the Azenis, but they DEMOLISH rain, are useable in snow, and DEFINITELY last much longer. As far as sizes for tires, I can only comment on 15" wheel setups, which is what you should be using. A good point to make here is that the smaller the wheel/tire setup you have, the more torque you'll put to the ground, due to the size ratio between the gears in the transmission and the tires. The larger the wheel/tire combo, however, the higher top speed you will have. But top speed leads to many problems, anyway (most notably DEATH), so I don't really give a shit about that. Anyways, with 15" wheels the maximum width of tire I've heard of people fitting into our cars is 225. That's 225mm across the width of the tire. A better choice would probably be 215, or even 205. 205/50/15 is the most economical and popular choice for performance tires on our cars. The 205 refers to the width (in milimeters) of the tire. The 50 refers to the "series" of the tire. The larger the series number, the taller (and generally softer) the sidewall of the tire. Soft sidewalls will hurt handling, and super hard sidewalls will make for a harsher ride. 50 series tires are decently stiff in the sidewall, while still providing a comfortable ride. The last number, 15 in this case, is the diameter of the wheel on which the tire should be mounted. Pay attention and do your research when buying new wheels and/or tires. They will HEAVILY affect the performance of your car...guaranteed.
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Conclusion: Congratulations. You now have a basic (BASIC) understanding of some of the ways one can modify a Saturn in order to produce more power. You also understand how some additional equipment helps the driver control the added power. Work slowly, read A LOT, and don't be scared to mess up. If you have any questions at all, always feel free to email or IM me. Contact information is noted on the front page of the site. Good luck, my little NewbStyle. Always stay humble.
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