I have a 2004 lancer ralliart with about 150,000 miles on it and still running really good, just trying to find ways to increase horsepower for little money or just have a better running car. Just had my oil changed to synthetic and ran some fuel injector cleaner through my motor, had to replace the clutch and slave cylinder And just am wondering would it be better for my car to get new Ngk spark plugs or would it not make a difference? I don't think I'd gain any hp but want my car to turn over better. And run cleaner
Also any other things I could do for my car to gain horsepower without spending a lot of money would great to hear.

 

horsepower is money...i was able to get about $25 per 1 horsepower with a turbo...i got about 68hp total increase.

a good tune could potentially get you 8-10hp, but that will cost you roughly $50 per 1 horsepower, as hackish's ECU tune is about $500, and the RRM piggy back i think is roughly in the same price range...

and don't believe claims companies/other people make about hp gains, a cold air intake will not give you 10-15hp...a good intake and custom exhaust setup might give you 5hp but will cost as much as a tune...so you're looking at like $100 per 1hp. but obviously you would want to do intake and exhaust AND get a tune, then you'll be on the higher end of what a tune can yield, just be careful with your exhaust...if the pressure differential is off, you'll lose power...

the point i'm trying to make here, is that if you want power, it's going to cost you, which route you take and how muich you spend is up to you...bolt ons i think probably have the worst hp per dollar...for big power gains you want to increase overall flow, increase compression ratio, leaner air/fuel, advance timing etc.


back on topic:

pull your spark plugs out, if they are dirty clean them, if theres weird **** like chunks missing from the electrodes or they're pitted or whatever, then replace them...if they are super black you need a tune, if they're covered in oil you have a leak

 

Sad but true. Your not going to get a lot of HP off of bolt-ons. You may see some better performance, and get some noises that sound like its tougher but if you really want to bump your HP up you need a turbo, but again it will cost you. Im not saying bolt-ons cant net you any power gain. But you wont see big numbers that companies claim. Like crans said.

Personally if you want to make your car run a bit quicker day to day Id build up your suspension. This nets you no HP but your car can handle the road SO much better. The other day I left a Corvette behind on a curvy road. He would have had me hands down on the straight away (and im sure it ticked him off when I passed him after he was show boating because he tried to pass me back) But as soon as I took that first 100+mph corner he already started losing ground. By the third turn he was no where near.

Just trying to say that performance does not equal HP. So think about what you want from your car most before you start spending money.