--Rudes--

I recently put the Simota CAI on... I had a 2.25" exhaust and 4-2-1 extractors before, and I only noticed a slight increase in power towards the mid-to-top range... My engine hesitates under 3,000RPM but goes pretty well after that... one big difference is the noise though... it's beefier and growlier, if that makes any sense...

MELBOURNE SIMOTA CAI KIT SIM-CA53 Performance Warehouse 17 Moncrief Road, Nunawading, 3131 Ph: 9845 0800 or 9845 0888 Cost: $133 + GST

I'm guessing you're talking about a mild-steel custom exhaust for $360. The branded one will probably be stainless steel. I don't think the type of steel will make any difference in performance gains. Stainless steel would be more durable. Also, not sure about corollas, but for S15s, the japanese bolt-on exhausts aren't fitted to the car's underbody, so you lose ground clearance. With a custom exhaust, you'll be sure you maintain ground clearance.

Black Corollas look dirty all the time... What I don't like is that the rear bumper (where it meets the hatch/boot) acts like a ledge and catches all the dirt, especially after it rains a bit... and I can never seem to dry underneath the roof spoiler completely... stupid bumper ledge....

I put a custom 2.24" cat-back exhaust ending in a toyota sports muffler (2" pipe diameter I think), and I noticed good gains.

I did exhaust first, and will be doing CAI tomorrow. As I wrote in another thread, the 1zz-fe seems to require an exhaust mod for the CAI to have full potential. Danz has also said something to that effect.

I would've thought an exhaust and CAI would have a synergistic effect? I have larger piping leading into my airbox and now that I have an exhaust and extractors on the car, I can definitely hear a sucking sound, whereas before the exhaust and extractors, I couldn't hear anything... if noise is anything to go by, I'd say more sucking sound means air is being pulled into the engine faster? equalling more power? What kijana has said is logical, if the engine isn't expelling air at a greater rate it can't suck in air at a greater rate... I agree with Bill, you should still see an improvement from the colder denser air, but I'd say not as much without exhaust upgrades...

The RPMs you've stated are correct. I usually shift at 3,000RPM for normal driving, which roughly equals 20, 40, 60 and 80 km/h.... as 02rolla said, the gearing in our cars are very short.... At 100km/h, I'm sitting at around 3,100RPM.... in comparison, when I drive the S15, it sits a few hundred RPM under 3,000 in 6th... it really feels like the 1zz-fe corollas need a 6th gear... you don't know how many times I've shifted out of 5th looking for 6th when I'm on the freeway... You should read you manual... it's in there.

Hi Doctony, I drive a zze122 Levin, so I'm not sure how relevant my comments are going to be. I've spent around $750 on my car at the moment (extractors, 2 1/4" exhaust, home made CAI). I haven't done any G-tech runs yet, but the car certainly feels a lot 'revier', and for the amount of money spent, I'm very happy. If I had bought a TRD CAI, TRD Extractors and a brand-name exhaust, I could've possibly gained a few more kWatw than I have now, but I'd also be at least $2000 poorer. For me, every mod/expense has to have a justifiable gain, whether it be in driveability or performance, or both. You sound like someone in the same boat. IMHO, you'd be better off driving the car around for a few months first, getting used to the way the car behaves, before deciding what you really want to enhance in your car. Also, you've mentioned that you're financing this car over 5 years, so obviously there's a financial burden there that can't be overlooked. Having said all that.... good luck with the car!

Thanks for the replies guys... they've been helpful... If you're thinking of forced induction, I'd probably think more about changing the overall exhaust piping diameter (if you haven't already done so) than just the muffler... most turbo setups go with a 2.5" (correct me if I'm wrong), so I reckon you'd be better off getting the exhaust done together with the S/C, instead of doing the exhaust first and then S/C down the track. If you're thinking of spending $5grand on a S/C, another option may be to do a custom turbo job... maybe grab a T25 or T28 off a silvia (there's plenty of those), which should be more than enough for a fwd 1.8L 1zz... unless you'd prefer the assurance of trusted brands and parts...

For some reason or another, my car has had a sportivo body kit put on by the previous owner, along with a louder muffler (it's probably an optional sports muffler from toyota and not an aftermarket one, because it's got a fatter but still downwards pointing tip). Point is, I looked at the piping for the muffler, and it looks bigger than the rest of the piping, so I'll probably keep that now, and maybe upgrade later to something like yours IZZ-FE. What I've decided is to get 4-2-1 extractors, 2.25" piping (with cat, resonator, hinges, etc)... Daadler Exhausts have quoted me $800, which seems alright? Thoughts?

Hi everyone... I'm a newbie so go easy please :) I'm not sure if this ground has been covered before, but I'll ask the questions again anyway, and I'll apologize in advance if it has. Sorry :) I have a Levin 1zz-fe and I'm looking at putting some minor mods to it. My first concern is pipe width for the exhaust. I hear 2.25" and 2.5" works decently on N/A cars, but I was hoping to get some of your opinions and experiences of how the 1zz-fe responds to these two diameter sizes. Also, the plastic piping from the front of the car does funny things, like making several 90-degree turns, before ending at the airbox. Have any of you tried the K&N panel filter with the airbox and seen improvements (considering the restrictive piping)? or have most of you just gone the CAI route? Any info would be great. Thanks.