Saturn sl2 performance

Ok I just got a 99 Saturn sl2 for dirt cheap. I took over payements with 6k left on the car. Well I was curious if anyone has decked out a Saturn sl2. And what kind of engine upgrades they have due to them only have 100hp under the hood which blows a big one. Any help would be greatly appricaited.

SL2 has 140hp under the hood, the 100 hp version can be found in SL & SL1 actually

Well I did some research and it told me that it only had 100hp. Could you please send me the link or where ever you got your information from. But I would still like more power.

Ill be glad to set the record straight

1999 Saturn SL2 has 124 horsepower

my source?

www.saturn.com

Try saturnspeed.com or xtremeracingconcepts.com they seem to have some of the best prices I have seen. You may also try ebaymotors and go to parts for car and truck. Then search for your model of car.:alien:

Hey GRASSHOPPER,

You have no idea what your new ride is capable of. The unassuming transverse-4 is easily capable of 225-250 horse power as a street legal, daily driver.

That means that @ approx 2500 lbs give or take a bean, the horse power to weight ratio would rest somewhere around 10lbs to 1hp.

EVER MASH YOUR FOOT DOWN WITH THAT MANY HORSIES TO GO?
Didn't think so.

I strongly recommend preceeding heavy horsepower mods with better ground works. ( strut tower bar, heavier springs, KYB struts, rear sway bar, heavy bearings and spindles up front, HD motor mounts, 16 to 17 inch wheels w-low pro rubbers. A brake upgrade should go "with" the wheel upgrade. (less flex and better gripp in the rubbers transmits more stress to the pads and rotors, shoes and drums).

I did things "power first" and nearly bit more than one gaurd rail for barely braking in time. :confused:

Any how. I had no Idea of the potential untill I got started cutting and grinding in the shop. My 1999 SL2 will consistantly do about a 6.5 second 0-60 right now. (very quiet too) Got all of the bolt-ons less the header. (no street legal available for a 1999) Slightly shaved head. 10 to 1 compression. Mild head work with the emphasis on exhaust porting. (low end torque) Remapped fuel work and a mass air sensor.
3-stage air turbulence & mgmt system. -(much quieter intake)My usable power band is between 2750rpm and 6000rpm. Unusual huh?

For an extra kick, I have re-routed cold air from the AC to the intake. It first blows on the intake temp sensor to richen up the mix. Minus compressor drag, it seems I net about an extra 8-10 hp when turned on.
And the added drag on the crank, you guessed it, More torque.

I currently net about 155 to 160 to the wheel (air off).. Clutch being the only thing still stock, is about gone. Any more horsepower and the diff would need to be a limited slip.

Most of your tuners concentrate on top end power only. Ask yourself, How often will you drive your car to redline? Why don't you do it all of the time? NOISE,..... LOTS OF NOISE!

IF YOUR CAR EVER HAD GOOD BOTTOM END TORQUE, IT SHOULD STILL HAVE GOOD BOTTOM END TORQUE AFTER THE MODS ARE DONE.

It's about intake-exhaust "Balance" as much as it is air fuel volume.

Just remember : NOISE DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL HORSPOWER!! MORE HORSEPOWER DOES NOT HAVE TO MEAN A LOT MORE NOISE!!


Most of all, Have FUNNNNN!!

Check out WWW.SPSWEBPAGE.COM for parts and info.

Peace-out,

David B. Kish

www.fretburn@juno.com

OK. Saturn 99 SL2 has 124 HP but only 100 gets to the wheels. But if you want more to get to get to the wheels, you can out in motor mounts.

Here is a list of mods.

intake or cold air intake
header or 92 header(92 is the best to get)
turbo or super charger
motor mounts
drop the car 2 inches or 1.5
tires and rims
body kit
racing seats
inter cooler
wires
cam cover
and more

BTW- check out www.SaturnSpot.com

I dont get it, how are motor mounts a performance upgrade. Now seriously do you even know what you are talking about, cam covers??? How much horsepower does that give you? How about large yellow stickers, you forgot to mention those. This guy is asking for engine performance upgrades, not where to spend unecessary money.

The stock dog bone engine mounts allow the engine to move around more than stiffer aftermarket ones. The less the engine moves around, more power is able to reach the wheels. The reason the stock engine mounts aren't very stiff is to isolate the engine's vibration from the rest of the vehicle. Therefore, with the aftermarket mounts, you will notice some vibration at the lower rpms.

First, get rid of that UGLY civic. the stronger the lower motor mounts are, the less the engine moves around. vibation is wasted energy. so if the engine doesn't shake, it can send more energy to the wheels. but you have to keep the upper mount stock(i don't remember why, but the engine has to shake a little). upgrading the mounts is really only worth it if you already have intake and a cat-back

Hey, guys thanks for the reply, but there is now way Im getting rid of my civic. (maybe if I can find a fast rwd import that I can afford). The reason I was in this forum was cause a friend of mine was here and he has a '91 sl2 probably one of the coolest saturns Ive seen. He's got just about everything you can possibly do to the car. Except cams, which he removed due to poor idling. But from port & polished heads to higher compression pistons... bad ass, but he still cant beat my civic :biggrin:

Now he wants to go forced induction, crazy guy, with high compression pistons and all. Anyways, there not super high, but the thing is, do any of you know where he can get a turbo manifold for that motor?
thanks

Yes I do,

Go to www.twistecprducts.com. All the parts you need for the humble 1.9 to give it some BOOOOST!

By the way Homer, if your little red Honda and the Saturn ride you are racing are equally modded, you got left in the dust. We all know that the little 1.6 is Sans torque. Saturn however , the humble 1.9 is all about torque, with .3 liters more than you will never see in the little red civic and not much of a weight diff.

Course, you might be running an integra V-tech block and we just don't know it.

What ever , it's all for shits and giggles anyhow, yahhhh?


Dat's what I am saying,

Peace through herb.:bloated:

D...........

Hey brotherman red honda dude,

I would recommend a reduction of compression if you are going to Booost. 8.5 to 1 is just about right for 12-14 pounds. And oh s#!t why dont we throw in ballanced turbo pistons with wider piston-ring spacing for more stability in the cylinder head.

Oh crap, lets coat um with a composite graphite slick stuff to reduce friction. And a balanced crank shaft.

I'm sure you knew all dat.

Hey there's nothing wrong with the red Honda that a wrecking ball can't fix. :tongue:

Notttt. If I could afford a rice rocket I wouldn't be driving an american hay wagon that's for sure.

Cool ride man. Dig the rear spoiler.


Rock on.

D..............................:dogpile:

Whats Krackin? I totallly agree about the mounts = power, it just wouldn't be enough to brag about thou, but power is power. Red Civic dude, you haven't seen a Saturn till you have seen my old hybrid 95 SL2 (R.I.P.) :crying:. Let's just put it this way, Saturn + Honda parts = a Beautiful Thing.
Also somebody said something about the V-tec block, great guess :bigthumb:, (Honda Ed.) the B18 is infact the Integra DOHC V-tec engine. Now weither it is a GSR or Type R, I can't remember.
Just wanted to put my :2cents: in.

Oh yeah, Somebody wanted some sites:
PARTS AND SUPPLIES:
www.saturnmotorsports.com
www.spswebpage.com
www.extremeracingconcepts.com
INFO AND FORUMS:
www.xtremesaturn.com
www.saturnperformance.com

Good luck!:bigthumb:

Hey thedavidman, I am running an integra motor, to amplify on what galantdohc89 said, and to give some of you a little honda/acura lesson (i know Im in the wrong forum) but anyways. in the US the integra came with three different motors, the b18b 1.8L non-vtec good for 140something hp, I cant remember. the b18c1 gsr motor, vtec 170hp, and the b18c5 type-r 190hp. in japan, they sad the same motors but the gsr and type-r had same code, just b18c. I have the jdm (japan domestic market) gsr motor with 180hp, I believe jdm type-r is 195hp. which I have stock, except for CAI hi flo cat and cat back exh. And you are right torque sucks, at around 127ft/lbs. but still my car weighs around 2100lbs (since I just stripped the interior, (cause Im going to start autocrossing in it) and torque is just about as good as I need it.

As soon as I figure out how to post pics, if anyone wants to tell me (for the sig. it was easier), I will post some pics of my friends saturn because it honestly looks pretty damn badass!!

hey galant dude, explain to me this saturn+honda parts = beatiful thing, you just completely lost me there, I was on limbo for like 28.36 seconds:eek7:

Leolo: If I knew how to work all the pic stuff I'd post some pics, but I'll give you an idea. 95 SL2 + full 00 Si lip kit + 00 Si spoiler + Si wheels + slammed to the ground = a Beautiful Hybrid :bigthumb:. On another note I knew I was close on that motor thing. I was gonna get a loan and drop the B16a2 in it but I thought it be to much trouble.:biggrin:

I new It had to be, Red rider. V-tech can be a damn good slingshot that's for su.

Buttt. Even though I have to be true to my Homie Saturn owners, The lines on the 2002-2004 honda Civic absolutely kick ass for low-Pro Modding. The interesting thing will be to see how the "2004 Saturn ION Redline" (200 Factory HP) fairs up to the current line up of cars to tune.
Kind of heavy @2700 lbs +

Rumour has it the engine is based on the Saab 9.3 - 2.0 ltr Turbo. (also GM). I just hope they beafed up the main bearings cause of the Supercharger load it will carry. Also remains to be seen how efficient the intercooler is on keeping intake temps down.

Factory horsepower rairly makes it to the track if it is blown by supercharger for road racing. It is too hard to cool a roots type blower system for long term racing. For the street however, a slight pully and fuel change should make it pretty hard to beat. Unfortunately the lines are a bit patchy, But look at the 2003 745 il. Is that a 1998 dodge stratus rear end or what?

Too many cars not enough money. Oh crap what forum is this? I almost forgot.

Keep yer foot mashed down till the gas is gone. Ayite


Cruz..................:bigthumb:

WOW! I had no idea that there were performance upgrades for the Saturns. I have an SL, the base of base models. I have always been absolutely shocked at how well it handles even at high speeds. That being said, even when I learned to massage the sweet spot in the higher RPM's on this car, the power, well, isn't really power. This coming from an old V8 kinda guy. If even 180 hp can be teased out of this car, I will be in heaven. Oh, and more comfortable seats for a 6'-1" person. The lumbars in that car are for people very short.

Thanks to everyone here that posted places to get these boosting parts. I now have something to do. I never persued the matter because I thought the general reaction would have been, "Sup' up? A SATURN?!"

WOW! I had no idea that there were performance upgrades for the Saturns. I have an SL, the base of base models. I have always been absolutely shocked at how well it handles even at high speeds. That being said, even when I learned to massage the sweet spot in the higher RPM's on this car, the power, well, isn't really power. This coming from an old V8 kinda guy. If even 180 hp can be teased out of this car, I will be in heaven. Oh, and more comfortable seats for a 6'-1" person. The lumbars in that car are for people very short.

Thanks to everyone here that posted places to get these boosting parts. I now have something to do. I never persued the matter because I thought the general reaction would have been, "Sup' up? A SATURN?!"


Hey Brotherman,

You can tease that amount of HP easily out of the Ecotech 1.9. having done so myself, I would recommend starting with the 20HP kit and some fuel adjustment. Of course ground works come in handy for keeping all fours on the ground. The cost for 180 hp gets a bit steep if you use cars up like I do. You have to go into the head and take care of some major flow issues.

Or if you have the cash and want horsepower with less noise, you can get all the boost you want at www.Twistecproducts.com

I have a bad back. I went with the sprint 2.00 drop which I was told
was fairly comfortable. Being 6 foot tall myself I had to buy a special pillow to combat the jolting on L-5 (Lumbar vertabre #5).

Just traded it in for an L200 with the sport package.

Love the car and all but Saturn has not yet gotten the point of the need for comfortable seating. Even the L200 has bad seats. Goes to wonder how GM being such a big Motor Co. Can't find a good seat in all of their kingdom to put in the humble Saturn Line.

From what I have heard the ION Redline will have the first seat designed for humans as it will come from the factory with good Ricarro units.

Have fun with the mods, I did.

TheDavidMan,

DAVIDMAN you are crazy!
First off it is Vtec, not V-tech. It's an engine not a phone.
Second, it is Recaro not Ricarro. But, you are right in that they are great seats.
Third, the Ion Redline uses the same Ecotech that the rest of GM's 4cyls do, but it is supercharged.
Forth, how does lowering your car with spring effect the comfort of your seats?
Fifth, compression ratios are tuned mainly to the type of fuel, so if you are using racing fuel of an octane >100 an 8.5:1 would extremely conservative.
Sixth, "My usable power band is between 2750rpm and 6000rpm. Unusual huh?" NO! NOT UNUSUAL AT ALL!
Seventh, "the humble 1.9 is all about torque" PUHLEES! no motor under 3l, maybe even 4L can ever be described as "all about torque" PERIOD.
Due to all these obvious problems with your posts I am hoping that your are only kidding around. Somehow I doubt that though.

DAVIDMAN you are crazy!
First off it is Vtec, not V-tech. It's an engine not a phone.
Second, it is Recaro not Ricarro. But, you are right in that they are great seats.
Third, the Ion Redline uses the same Ecotech that the rest of GM's 4cyls do, but it is supercharged.
Forth, how does lowering your car with spring effect the comfort of your seats?
Fifth, compression ratios are tuned mainly to the type of fuel, so if you are using racing fuel of an octane >100 an 8.5:1 would extremely conservative.
Sixth, "My usable power band is between 2750rpm and 6000rpm. Unusual huh?" NO! NOT UNUSUAL AT ALL!
Seventh, "the humble 1.9 is all about torque" PUHLEES! no motor under 3l, maybe even 4L can ever be described as "all about torque" PERIOD.
Due to all these obvious problems with your posts I am hoping that your are only kidding around. Somehow I doubt that though.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow Bud. Hey I've got ,much bigger faults if your interested.

Ok, here we go.

Points 1 & 2. You got me. Now how about the correct spelling for
ecotech. (See ecotec)

Point #3 Don't know where your info came from, at 2.0 ltrs with a beefed up bottom end and special pistons. Oh ya, they all have that. Most of the parts that perform well will be coming from the Opel / Vauxhaul / Saab cousins. I.E See breaks on ION-Redline, Rumoured to be Opel units:

Point #4 It amplifies any aspect of discomfort in that the jolting is not
removed by the suspension as stock will do, but is transferred strait into the cab. My only experience is the SL2 I just sold (2 inch drop by sprint) as the only owner with well over 100k with the springs. Prior to that I had a 1998 Toyota Tacoma with a 2 inch drop. If you compare the compression ratios and dampening effect of a stiffer suspension, more jolting is always transferred into the cab because of the nature of the beast. If the seats are already uncomfortable, the extra jolting will amplify the effect, making the ride that much worse.

#5 - 8.5.1 was mentioned in referrence to adding boost to your motor. While you can add a nominal amount of boost (6lbs or so) with standard compression ratios, (usually 9.0.1) or so, a greater amount of boost can be added by installing special pistons that not only drop compression (8.5.1 is common) but have that ballance/weight thing worked out.

The end result while under boost is that 8.5.1 becomes say 14.0.1 or more depending on where your blow-off is set. All from adding boost.
Yup, it's really true! :smile:

#6 At certain stages of modding your engine the rpms under 4k become fairly useless. Main reason, lack of torque creating velocity at low rpms in the intake. Ultra lean fuel mixtures become leaner yet with better air flow and this reduces low rpm performance. Having good bottom end torque is rare on a modded Transverse 4 because most tuners only care about power at redline and that is how mass produced parts are tuned.

I on the otherhand, was able to achieve gains at the wheel of close to 40hp over stock without losing any low end torque. Most tuners sacrafice 12-15 pounds of torque for that gain. It is all about ballance in the air flow, better than lean fuel mix helps, and air-path velocity. And it was much quieter than the masses of cliche' mobiles that boom along the streets.

I did give up about 300-400 rpm off the top end, but for a daily driver that spent most of its life between 1500-4800rpm, it would supprise the hell out of you. Spin the wheels without dropping the clutch every time.
I guess I got cocky cause it was easy with good bottom end torque to blow Vtech tuners away in a simple street drag.

And finally,

Point #7 compares the torque found in the ecotec <(notice the spelling)
with engines of similar displacement currently on the market. So this statement was not one spoken from a view of ultimacy (as though from all configurations, displacements and firing orders the 1.9 is the torque king) but comparative torque numbers found in it's own class. (Obviously)
If you don't think so the truth comes out on a good uphill climb.

Anyhow, hope my blabber makes more sense now.

If not Oh well!

Rock on Brotherman,

'Peace through music and Herb' :icon16:

Hey. I've had my 1995 saturn sl2 for a little over a year. Here's the run down. www.saturnmotorsports.com has a REALLY nice HKS catback exhaust system for $475. It's worth every penny. If u want, do what i did and dont install the exle back part and just run a straight pipe out the side. This gives my car a VERY aggressive sound. I've rigged up a custom intake from ebay as well. I agree with the 124hp stock and 100 to the wheels, but im thinking i can get a lot more to the wheels cuz i've got a slip for a 15.1 sec 1/4 mile in a nearly stock saturn. The 5 speed tranny really helps out. I am currently working on a turbo setup. No im not buying a kit; Im making one. Ebay has DOHC header flanges that are GREAT for making custom turbo manifolds. All in all, my 250hp saturn has only cost $2,500: $200 for the car, $500 in turbo parts, and the rest was just misc. stuff that needed to be fixed. If you guys have any questions about saturns, feel free to IM me. I've got the downlow on a lot of saturn how-to. BTW www.saturnmotorsports.com of sandiego is a great company and they have TONS of harcore power upgrades like heads and even a new block for like 2 grand that'll hold 60psi. Now THERE'S something to aspire to. Happy racing!

[QUOTE=XTCaTuRn]Hey. I've had my 1995 saturn sl2 for a little over a year. Here's the run down.


Dude..... :eek7: A home made turbo. I can't help myself. Got to ask.
What turbo body are you using? Do you have a blow-off valve? What about fuel boost? (acutated in sequence with turbo boost levels normally)Timing? (Often retarded to prevent detonation) How many pounds of boost are we talkin? Intercooler? Any piston, cam or headwork?

Either way it sounds like a quiaffe Differential (probably spelled wrong)
might come in handy to keep the rubbers in the gripp :smokin:

And for 2500.00 all told. That would be an exception to the norm. Sounds like you scored..

You got to post some pics if possible. That way us gear heads can perv over the techno-calage

I am starting all over myself. Just got into a 2003 L200 with the sport trim. Hard to find parts but lets see what John Comsky might drum up through his ION developement that we can steel for the L cars.

All stock so far except for a minor fuel adjustment. The ecotec 2.2 has plenty of bottom end torque, so future mods should.

Savin cash for now.

Rock on Bro's.

ThedavidMan. :smokin:

there are a ton of turbo saturn sites that you can check out (turbosaturns.net or .com) I've got a 60:1 .70 trim turbo. this is good for 30 lbs of boost. can i run that right away? no. I've gotta get better lower end first. www.saturnmotorsports.com has a block thats pressure tested to 60psi for like 2 grand :naughty: . Im going with custom pistons by eagle and then some custom rods as well by Crower. Im leaving the stock head in but i have it ported strictly for more air flow. I've got a custom 60mm throttle body that a friend made. 54lb injectors from FWDperformance.com. I'm going to pick up a TEC3 (total engine control) module so i can have full adjusments on timing, fuel, and everything else. i had a friend make a log manifold which is very small and compact so there's not a whole lot of exhaust pressure loss. 55mm Tial wastegate with the new HKS SSQV blow off valve. the rest, i dont think i forgot anything, can be left stock. im looking at... 350hp ish, dont hold me to that. might be more might be less. but with a nice set of slicks, this car can do low11's high 10's or better and its still a decent daily driver. Any questions? IM me on AIM @ XTCaTuRn. As for pics, idk how to load them into the forum so u can see them lol. Lemme know how to.

I have a 2000 SL1, and even though I have the SOHC motor, the results from basic performance mods are amazing. Motor mounts, by the way, added an astounding quantity of torque to the car and basically eliminated that VERY annoying wheel hop that the standard mounts create. www.spswebpage.com and www.twistecproducts.com have become my friends.
My car looks stock, and until I put the mounts on, drove like stock, but it runs like a scalded baboon. Plastic makes it possible, baby. The motor mounts add a good bit of vibration to the cabin of the car while the motor is dieseling, but once you pass 2,000rpms it all but goes away. Saturns also have a good bit of body roll which needs to be eliminated, but any good suspension upgrade will take care of that. The SOHC motor also responds VERY WELL to turbos; better even than the DOHC motor. But the DOHC turbo kits available are also pretty righteous.
The *stock* Saturns may not have the power to win flat-out against cars in its class, but a few minor bolt-ons and the 1.9L plastic-mobile becomes the car to beat on the track. Plus, after the race is over and the other guys are hammering the dents out of their body panels, the Saturn guys are all sitting around drinking beers and laughing (and polishing their trophies).

Ok I just got a 99 Saturn sl2 for dirt cheap. I took over payements with 6k left on the car. Well I was curious if anyone has decked out a Saturn sl2. And what kind of engine upgrades they have due to them only have 100hp under the hood which blows a big one. Any help would be greatly appricaited.th


there's lots of things you can do. I have a full built turbo sl2!!!

If you want I have a set of gude performance camshafts that I'm trying to get rid of I orginally paid $500 for them I'm willing to let them go for $150+shipping!

let me no what you think!

also I have a mitsubishi tdo4 turbo forsale. If you're interested in building your own turbo setup! $90+shipping