Next cheap performance mod?

[Brick Tamland]

So, I am now at a point where things are going to get pricey. I have the SC Tuner, CAI... what's next? In your opinions, what should I do next for a moderate price? I will be going Corsa in the spring. I currently have the AirRaid CAI and the thought is AirHammer, but I dont wanna wait for one.

What is the next reasonable performance upgrade at a reasonable price?

TStat?
GSM Fan Mod?

[CaveMan]

I JUST, 3 hours ago, installed the fan and torque mod. Excuse my french but, HOLY ****! The Torque Nanny can now be killed with a push of a button and a click of a switch. When you engage the torque you can lay some serious rubber. You can lean that ass way out there if you want, and even if you don't want.

I took a short ride just to make sure everything worked and could not stop grinnin! I simply couldn't believe that it could make that much difference. It was dark and the cops are really thick due to the holidays so I didn't get too crazy. Did light them up allll the way through an intersection once though.

I do not regret buying it at all. Paying 2 bills for that mod is money well spent. My wife would of course disagree. I still haven't done anything with my intake other than the silencer delete. I went for the SC, exhaust, shorty headers and now the torque mod.

I'm hoping the roads are dry again tomorrow so I can play. Being in Seattle the odds are slim and none though.

[heldebrant]

BTW, you don't have to pay a couple of hundred dollars for the torque mod. It can be done for a mere fraction of that with "How-To's" posted on the boards. Just thought I would mention something in case you weren't aware. I was pretty dissappointed with what I got for my couple hundred dollars and almost the entire afternoon trying to figure out what the directions were talking about come to find out the wrong directions were sent (Which seem to happen frequently) This is not a bash just a friendly FYI

[CaveMan]

Originally Posted by heldebrant

BTW, you don't have to pay a couple of hundred dollars for the torque mod. It can be done for a mere fraction of that with "How-To's" posted on the boards. Just thought I would mention something in case you weren't aware. I was pretty dissappointed with what I got for my couple hundred dollars and almost the entire afternoon trying to figure out what the directions were talking about come to find out the wrong directions were sent (Which seem to happen frequently) This is not a bash just a friendly FYI

You're absolutely right. I feel like I paid for 20 bucks of parts and $179 in knowledge. And for some reason I still don't fell ripped off. The torque mod is a stupid simple solution and design. However, there is no way I would have hacked into wiring harness on my own.

"Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you read."

[Saint300C]

Originally Posted by heldebrant

BTW, you don't have to pay a couple of hundred dollars for the torque mod. It can be done for a mere fraction of that with "How-To's" posted on the boards. Just thought I would mention something in case you weren't aware. I was pretty dissappointed with what I got for my couple hundred dollars and almost the entire afternoon trying to figure out what the directions were talking about come to find out the wrong directions were sent (Which seem to happen frequently) This is not a bash just a friendly FYI

Can anyone point me in the direction of this Torque Mod "How to"? I did a search but could not find it?

[srt8danno]

Originally Posted by Saint300C

Can anyone point me in the direction of this Torque Mod "How to"? I did a search but could not find it?

Here are a few threads that may help that deal with the fan issue. I’m not sure if this will give you everything you need for the complete mod. I seem to be missing something. Hope this helps for now. I’ll check back later and see if I can find additional info for you. Good luck.

$60 180*F T-stat/Fully Automatic Fan Mod

Tips on ESP/Torque Management /Fan Modification install

25-cent Fan Mod - LX Forums

DIY Fan Mod Doc Complete: Beta Reviewers Wanted

[CaveMan]

I never found the torque mod posted. All it is is a switch that opens the circuit on pin 20 of the main wiring harness. That's it!

It opens the circuit and throws the "torque module" into fault. Which is why you have to power cycle the vehicle, with the switch closed, in order to turn it off. You're just reseting it.

The thing is it was pin X on my vehicle with my build date. Your car could be a different pin-out. GSM is very specific when it comes to the build date for this mod. This leads me to believe that the wiring changed after production, a few times. Then again the torque mod could be the same on all...

If you splice the wrong wire you could let the smoke out of who knows what. Like I said I wouldn't hack into it on my own. Once you let the smoke out, it doesn't go back in.

The torque mod side from GSM is the easiest to install. The fan took a little more doing. I the end the problem I had with the fan mod side was the vampire/wire tap. The damn thing wouldn't bite! I just bared the wire and soldered it in. It works like a champ now!

Those fans are LOUD when you flip that switch. It's not just the normal cool down you get at 215 degrees, stock. It's running harder than that. I can barely hear the fans come on at idle under normal conditions. When I hit that switch there is no doubt they're on.

[Saint300C]

By having this pin open circuit (Torque mod), does it harm the vehicle long term?

[CaveMan]

Originally Posted by Saint300C

By having this pin open circuit (Torque mod), does it harm the vehicle long term?

I don't see any direct harm at all. You're just sending the electronics into fault so there isn't any wear there. Since the electronics, ESP and BAS, are faulted out they're simply not sending the signals out to their subordinate modules/components.

The only long term effect I can see is since you're running without the troque control you're putting a heavier load on the transmission and rear-end. But really that's the point in a indirect way.

I don't run the mod 24/7. I just flip it when I want to unleash the full power of the vehicle. So just 4-5 times a day

Really it's more like twice a week for me. Once the pavement dries, here in Seattle, I'm sure I'll be using it more. It should stop raining in about 4 months.

[Saint300C]

Originally Posted by CaveMan

I don't see any direct harm at all. You're just sending the electronics into fault so there isn't any wear there. Since the electronics, ESP and BAS, are faulted out they're simply not sending the signals out to their subordinate modules/components.

The only long term effect I can see is since you're running without the troque control you're putting a heavier load on the transmission and rear-end. But really that's the point in a indirect way.

I don't run the mod 24/7. I just flip it when I want to unleash the full power of the vehicle. So just 4-5 times a day

Really it's more like twice a week for me. Once the pavement dries, here in Seattle, I'm sure I'll be using it more. It should stop raining in about 4 months.

Thanks for the info Caveman - appreciated