4.0L power mods-- please help me choose

[jterp]

1065461

I've had my jeep for a year now, and have finally saved up enough money to do some modifications. Problem is that there are too many to choose from. If anyone has any info or experience on the following topics/products, please let me know....

Cat back system --- not going to go the header route, just a cat back to to get a better sound and somewhat less restriction. Leaning towards the Banks power system. Anyone like or dislike this or any other system? Which one sounds the best?

Air filter-- Is K&N filtercharger system the best or is there a better one?

Jet chip - I've looked at various timing advance products, seems like JET is the most comprehensive.. Anyone have one? Stage 1 or Stage 2?

180 thermostat- Supposedly required to use a JET stage 2 chip.. Can a universal thermostat from a parts store be used? Has anyone done this? If so, how do you do it? It seems to me it would jest be unplugging the wire, unscrewing the old and replacing with the new, but it cant be that simple can it?

Throttle body extension- Not sure what the hell this means. I've never done any work on a F.I. car before. Is it worth it? How involved is installation?

I appreciate any advice you can give!
[addsig]

 

[tarsij]

1065465

What year jeep do you have? For starters, I would go the IHE route. Get an Airtube with a K&N, a header(much better than the factory manifold), and a cat-back exhaust. I like the sound of magnaflow and dynomax.

JET chip, I have heard that they're not really worth it, just put the money towards a lift and tires.

The trottle body spacer supposedly adds horsepower by rasing the tb about an inch and it puts a spin on the air going into the engine. They should prob be used with an intake of some sort to take full advantage.

After that go for a lift, tires and winch. Plus tow hooks front and rear are a good choice.

Hope this helps, and if I have given any false info, someone please correct me.


TARSI[addsig]

 

[jterp]

1065467

Jeep's an '02 - I got it with pretty much everything you could get from the factory - Dana 44, positraction, 3.73, tow hooks, etc.
Like i said before, this is the first time I've ever done a fuel injected vehicle, have always been a muscle car guy. Stuff like the lift and tires and winch are going to be done by a friend with more experience with that stuff. Working on getting more power, however is up to me.. so..
Forgive me if i sound ignorant, but what is "IHE"? From what I know about exhaust systems is seems that the catalytic convertor is going to bind everything up anyway, so doing any mods before it wouldnt be very benefiscial. Please correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm basing this on never having done an exhaust on a vehicle with a cat. Also, I've heard that the header on the straight 6 sits very close to the fuel lines and heats them up a lot, causing pre-detonation and a general SNAFU (?)

Thanks again for the help![addsig]

 

[tarsij]

1065497

IHE is Intake Header Exhaust. If you're in a state that doesn't require emmissions, then just scrap the cat. If your state does require emmissions, then get a High-flow cat. How much of a lift are you looking at getting? What size tires? Good luck with the project and keep on Jeeping


TARSI[addsig]

 

[dingus]

1065505

TB spacers are crap. i've read lots of articles on them, and nobody can produce a dyno sheet that proves they add horsepower. Intake, header, exhaust will do you the most good, just let that baby breathe! if you want to do something to the throttle body, jeepers and creepers sell bored out throttle bodies for $125 (after core charge)


as for the thermostat, a universal one will work fine.

replacing the thermostat>>
Drain radiator into clean drain pan.
Remove hose from water pump gooseneck
unbolt water pump gooseneck
pull out old thermostat
scrap any old gasket material or sealant from water pump and gooseneck
put new gasket on , hold it on with a lil gasket sealant
put new thermostat in with copper tipped end facing block
bolt on gooseneck
hook up hoses
fill radiator, run for a couple minutes with cap off radiator and top off with more antifreeze.



---nate
[addsig]

 

[vavs]

1065536

Dingus- Have you ever achually installed a TB spacer and felt the difference? Because all the rigs that I have seen them installed on, have had a noticable difference.

Tarsi- I have to agree with you, if your state doesnt test, then give yourself the horsepower and get rid of the cat!

As for a Jet chip. I have a friend that runs 37's. The only mods he has are a cat back, intake, and a chip. With just that he can suck you back into the seats, even with his huge tires. With that said, the first mod I would go for is the chip. Well worth the money!

Have fun building your jeep. But keep in mind, a Jeep is the most capable vehicle out there, and you can go places that others cant, even with a stock Jeep. Hope my info helped! Happy Jeepin. [addsig]

 

[jps4jeep]

1065589

I have to go with Tarsi on the jet chip topic. On a close to stock engine, they might be beneficial, but once you start adding a bunch of mods such as IHE, and then ignition upgrades, gearing and so forth, I found that they were not beneficial. Had a jet chip in my old 94 YJ, stock. Then I added high flow cat, exhaust, tb spacer, turbo city intake, accell 300+ ignition upgrade, did not notice too much of a change. When I istalled this equipment into YJ2, I did it piece by piece and noticed power gains with each oneexcept the chip. It seemed to be accually counter productive. I know my chip was for a stock engine, and I should of had the chip for modified engines, but living in the cold northeast, I will not change my thermostat and not have heat in the winter.

As for the TB spacer, I noticed a increase in throttle response when I performed this install, so it definatly does something. Driving in second @2000 rpms, mash the go pedal and those 29 inch mt/r's chirped nice and loud![addsig]

 

[jterp]

1065631

Thanks for the input everyone! I live in PA so the cat has to stay, unfortunately. Otherwise I would have had it off the day i got it. Vavs how do you like the glasspack?
I want my jeep to be loud... not rice rocket/lawnmower loud but throaty loud. I assume the glass packs would be too much.. Anyone have any ffedback on just how loud a cat-back would be?
As far as the thermostat goes, does anyone that has a 180 thermostat have any pros/cons to doing it? I've heard arguments both ways ... Basically this is the thing deciding if i go with a stage 1 (stock engine) jet chip or a stage 2 (reqs. a low res. exhaust, air filter, 91 octane and 180 thermostat.)
As far as lift goes I think the plan is to go with a 2" lift and 32" tires. This is a weekend off road toy that I have to drive to work in every day as well, so can't be too radical.

How much work is the throttle body spacer?
[addsig]

 

[tarsij]

1065635

jterp: where in PA are you? Im in Northeast PA about 1.5 hours north of philly in monroe county. I dont have emmissions here so my cats getting hollowed out as soon as I get a catback. The TB spacer doesn't look like alot of work, just unbolt it, install the spacer and bolt it back up. 32s with a 2" lift mihht rub a little bit, but I dont know. 31s would fit great though.


TARSI[addsig]

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

1065638

I wouldn't be too concerned with improving performance, as the 4.0L auto with 3.73 gears and 32" tires will still perform really well, plenty of passing power left and plenty of skinny pedal offroad.

IMO the JET chip is a waste of money. I have a throttle body (TB) spacer and felt the improvement, along with a bored TB. Scrap the thermsotat idea along with the JET chip, it often takes several thermostats to find a new one that will work correctly. Not hardly worth the benefit to go through the trouble of changing it, unless it's bad, of course.

The OEM catalytic converters do not restrict near as much as the aftermarket will lead you to believe. Just leave the stock one there, it'll be fine, and it's often illegal to remove them unless they are bad.

You can add a conical K&N filter to the end of the stock airtube after it crosses the intake manifold, don't waste you money on the K&N FIPK, seriously overpriced.

A friend of mine has an '00 with the 4.0L auto and 3.73 gears, drives great with 33" tires and is even okay when he puts on the 35" Baja Claws.[addsig]

 

[jterp]

1065670

I'm in pittsburgh (alleghany county) so i have emissions tests to deal with. Actually getting inspection in 2 weeks- waiting to do the mods until after that in case i somehow de-regulate myself..
Think a 2" lift and 32's won't work? I have 30's on now and i have a ton of room-- looks like i could get 32's on now. [addsig]

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

1065681

32" tires with a 2" lift on a TJ will be fine. You may get very slight tire rubbing on the control arms when turning, if you use stock rims, and some slight fender rubbage offroad if you disconnect the front swaybar. You'll be fine.[addsig]

 

[tarsij]

1065703

Sorry, I forgot you had a TJ. like bounty said, 32s should be fine.


TARSI[addsig]