Ladies and gentleman,
I have some questions to ask you as a freshly minted owner of a 2000 GTP with some pretty heavy mods. But first, the mod list!
Before you say it, I know buying a pre-modded car is not the best idea, but it was such a good deal I couldn't refuse.
The mods claimed to be done by the previous owner:
Headers
Catback exhaust from Borla
Cam (not sure which cam exactly, my guess is one of the more subtle cams based on the sound)
Intercooler (Tall stack)
ZZP PCM w/ potentially outdated tune (More on this later)
H.A.I.
Stronger Springs
Lowered
Mechanical Fuel Pump
Bigger Injectors (Not sure what #)
3.1 inch pulley
Shift kit
Rockers
Poly motor mounts
Transmission rebuilt (not sure what the HP rating is exactly)
There are probably some that I am forgetting - are there any major supporting mods I should check for to make sure the car is running properly? Obviously some of these are easier to check for than others (like the intercooler). Are there any of these mods that I should somehow verify are done properly?
Alright, now onto the main questions:
1) When I first start my car, there is a very large fluctuation of RPM (500-2000) for one-two minutes, then it evens out, idling at about 800 RPM. Sometimes it will die because the RPM drops too low during that initial fluctuation. Does anyone have any ideas as to the cause of this?
2) I swear that I lose power when TCS is on, even when the wheels are not breaking loose. Is there any chance this is the case, or am I imagining this?
3) When stepping on it (say to race the riced out mustang that thinks he could take a Bugatti Veyron - yeah, you know what I'm talking about), do you guys suggest downshifting manually, or letting the PCM do the work?
4) The power steering very intermittently seems to shut off/lose its oomph - I'd say maybe once a week tops. Is this a known issue, or does anyone have any ideas as to the cause?
5) The previous owner claims that this car has about 500 HP total. If all the mods he claims are done to it are in fact done, I can see this being in the realm of possibility. My old man also has a 2000 GTP that has been heavily modded, essentially the same mods as I have without the intercooler, and he is pulling about 425 horsepower. My question is this - does this HP number seem correct? If not, what mods would need to be done to bring it up to this level?
6) The car currently has 100,000 miles on it - and the body is very clean (no rust, minimal scratches/dents). The engine seems to run well (no audible knocking), transmission seems to shift pretty well, overall the car is in pretty good shape as far as i can tell. My question here is - what maintenance should I do right away to ensure that everything is running in tip-top shape? Are there any known issues I should check for and address that could cause catastrophic failure in the future if not attended to?
7) I am thinking about throwing on a 75 shot of NOS later this summer. Do you guys think that the engine can handle this alright?
8) From what I read, going smaller than a 2.8 inch pulley can be a PITA and requires a new tune. Do you guys think that dropping below a 2.8 is worth it? Would the gains be noticeable?
9) Has anyone successfully mounted an SD Ram Air hood onto a 97-03 GP with a tall stack intercooler? What did you do to make it work?
10) Do sway bars really make a difference in handling? Are they worth it if not racing around an autocross track?
11) The tune. It is probably outdated as the previous owner likely did mods to it since the last tune. I am thinking about buying HP tuner.
12) The last question (for now) - what other advice do you guys have for me pertaining to this car, or maybe even life in general?
I would like to now thank everyone in advance for the responses to come - I know these are a lot of questions, some not too easy to answer - but I want this car to run well, and to run for a long time. So I'm trying to cover all possible bases right away.
P.S. - I have been reading this forum extensivelyfor the past couple weeks. Above are the questions I have not found a solid, conclusive answer to (or maybe I just didn't understand them).
