I installed a motodyne 5/16" copper iso spacer in my 2003.5 sedan tonight. The install was fairly involved and took me (by myself) around 3 hours.

I took the car for a drive after and I did notice a difference, but it was not night and day like I was expecting. It seems to accelerate more smoothly and suprisingly enough, it seems to have less engine noise. I have read of others experiencing more engine noise after installing the spacer and I was looking forward to it. Has anyone else found their engine to be more quiet after this install?

The first performance mod I did was the Z tube with K&N install and I "felt" more of a difference from from the K&N/ Z tube combo. I have seen the dyno sheets and I do realize that the motordyne spacer is a proven mod, I just wanted to post my results.

 

Hmm, a little weird.

I definitely noticed the difference when I installed my MD plenum spacer, as well as more noise (including a whistling [yes, I checked, no leaks]).

The K&N probably adds more sound... maybe it's tricking you into thinking that you felt more oomph?

 

I dont know how u NA ppl feel any of your mods. When I was NA I couldnt feel anything until I combined all possible NA mods together. Seriously, how u can feel a difference of 3-5whp is beyond me? Yes there might have been more whistle noise (probably due to cone air filter) and maybe a little better response on the throttle at first (ecu adjusting to new mod) but once a week passed it was back to normal with mods like the z tube, MREV 2+ w/ spacers.

 

Of course it "goes back to normal" as you get more used to the new yet subtle oomph.

You'll only notice the difference every single time with something big, i.e. FI.

 

I added the basic MD 5/16 spacer just about one month ago, plus a z-tube at the same time. After the install it felt like normal with no lights out difference. At about two weeks the car felt more racy. The sound note at WOT is deeper with the z-tube and spacer combo, but sounds like normal during regular driving.

Note: My G is not a daily driver. I had my battery disconnected for several days during the install. I started the project and got pulled away only to finish days later. My ECU would needed to relearn my driving style (more racy style of driving now that gas prices are down!) and the add-ons because of the battery disconnect period. My air filter is a Purolator Pure One nano.

 

interesting

i was thinking about doing the iso thermal pretty shortly

probably still do it, but now i'm not as excited

 

Sometimes people get the impression from the forums that its supposed to feel like a 100 shot of nitrous LOL.
Warp Drive would be great but that's not the case.
Realistically it is 11-13 HP.

 

It seems that a lot of people think they will "feel" or get any noticable increase in performance from basic bolt on mods. The spacer is definately the best bang for the buck though. Just don't expect to be any faster.

 

I don't agree Tick. While the bolt ons won't make gains like nitrous or forced induction, when you put all the basic mods together it can make some really good gains.

If for example you have a REVUP engine and do

Spacer
MREV2
Exhaust
Test pipes
and Osirus Reflash with cam tuning.

It will make some very substantial gains.
When you put all thoes together it will make around 30+ HP with a fat chunk of gains over a large area of the curve. Gains that are clearly felt and measured.

Of course forced induction makes much, much more power but that's a complete game changer. FI is a ton of fun but it comes with an entirely new level of constant maintance, careful observation and $$$.

I suppose if I had a car that I considered "disposable" then Yes, FI would be awesome.

Then again if you track your car, being NA brings a large degree of enjoyment and freedom that you don't get with FI.

When NA, you can pound the gas pedal all day long at the track and not have to think about blowing anything up. Short of elementary maintenance like fuel, oil and coolant, the fun of NA is that you don't have to do or think anything but enjoying the ride.

When FI, you get crazy power. Its a rush! But you have to be vigilant and never let your guard down. You have to listen to the engine and watch all the gauges and stay within certain limits. And if all goes well there is still a high degree of maintenance and cost.

For people who are dedicated to their car, maintenance is part of the fun. Or if you have a ton of money it becomes less of an issue. Its easy to spend as much on a FI system than the car is worth.

For most enthusiasts, forced induction is highly desirable but out of practical reach.

 

You are right Hydrazine. I should have been more specific. A spacer or intake alone won't do much, but with a couple grand in bolt ons and a good tune you will "feel" the extra 30hp. I think thats good for a fraction of a second off your 1/4 mile, but I think people expect alot more.

 

I did the 5/16 iso copper off of ebay for $165.00, microsoft gold coin, hehe, grabbed a z-tube for 50.00 at a dealer, and the pop charger for $120.00. I'm just getting into this and my G is the fastest stock car I've had and now I'm beginning to tweak on it. These 3 mods have absolutely made this car fun to drive, and fun to listen too. I get a little whistle in mine to and I screw around with the pedal just to make it whistle but the noise this thing makes when you stomp on it is awesome. So for someone who isn't a tuner I love the spacer and z-tube/pop charger mod. and the cost is negligible for the fun I'm having.