AirForceGS

I want some opinions here. I cant decide between the GTE swap which I have been wanting to do for years... Or getting coilovers, replacing all the bushings or worn out components on my steering and supsension systems. Restore my handling. My car rides really rough on bumpy roads and is especially bad going over those unavoidable potholes. Its gotten to the point where I dont even want to drive it sometimes. Its sad that a 2005 saturn Ion has a smoother ride.

I have always wanted the twin turbo engine since i got the car. I flirted with the idea of going NA-T but I heard bad things about the companies (mainly XS power) in my price range and im worried about what the turbo might do to an engine and trans with close to 200,000 miles. Im decided a GTE with 75% less miles will be a more viable option. Gives me a fresher engine and tranny and solves some of the minor engine leaks and noises Im currently experiencing.

Things Im hoping to find out:
How much it would cost to do either job completely?
How smooth is the ride on a problem free suspension, how's the handling?
Are there any cons for either job?

vindedreal

How much mileage do you have? If you renewed your suspension and steering but your engine died soon after , that would suck. But if you swapped in the 2jzgte and one of your suspension or steering components failed, it would be easier and cheaper to replace.

Also on XSpower ,They have sucked a couple years ago,but theyve definately improved over the last couple years, they tig weld now and use input from Club NA-t to improve their designs, Im not there spokesmen or anything ,but more then half the supras on club na-t are running on XSpower for a time now and that tells you something.

timywong

if your complaining about a bumpy ride, maybe coilovers aren't what your looking for. lol

AirForceGS

I have about 190,XXX miles on her. I'm not confident the engine will last much longer with a turbo on it... I admit I havent been very good to it lately. I have driven it pretty hard between LA and Las Vegas 2-4 times a month. My ride is not just rough. To the guy talking about the roughness of coilovers. My ride is horrible, I can feel the handling of the car decrease greatly when I hit potholes and rough spots. In general its just a rough ride even on normal roads. I'm kinda worried about how loose my handling feels sometimes...

For the guys who have had it done, how much am I looking at to complete the GTE swap? Whats the difference between a VVTI 2jz-gte and a regular one?

Can someone tell me which one of these is the better choice?

2JZ-GTE

2JZ-GTE

2JZ-GTE VVTI

yusef

^^ the first link is just the engine...second is engine and transmission. so second would be better.

VVTI engines are really hard to tune and install i was told. i would go with non vvti..well i did

AirForceGS

If you dont mind me asking... How much did it cost you to complete the swap yusef? After reading up on them again, Im starting to lean towards going NA-T again.

yusef

i honestly dont know the exact price but i think it cost me 2300 for the swap. give or take a hundred or two.

and i really wouldnt go NA-T on an engine with that many miles. Might be safe, but it might not. i wouldnt take the chance.

AirForceGS

You did the swap yourself or you had a shop do it? If I'm keeping my GS I'm going to need more power out of it. I cant stand its slowness anymore. I dunno, I'm lost. If Im going to spend approx. $3k on the engine alone i think im might be better off putting that towards a newer car. I still have the interior, pant & body, and suspension & steering to worry about. I can see that being like $6k in total.

yusef

I had a shop do it. and yea man its really the only way to get the power out of the car. seriously i look back at how slow it was before. and even though my engine is basically stock with a few mods here and there....its like wooow.

and i LOVE the sound hahaha