What New Speed Parts Are A Bargain These Days?

[RockJustRock]

We all used to see it. Every magazine. The Jegs, Summit, Midwest, who knows who else ads with bargain prices on speed parts. Does anybody think ANYTHING new now is a bargain?

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Nitrous and turbos. No way any other speed parts yield remotely the same potential bang for the buck for the sportsman.

A $600 or cheaper turbo -- properly applied-- will humiliate a $20,000 r.p.m. or stroker mill. They will beat $5,000 worth of supercharger. Turbos essentially repealed the "no replacement for displacement" rule. On a built engine, turbos basically win wherever they're legal these days. (note that NHRA bans turbos in their top three pro classes . . . .) Turbos increasingly clean up in "no prep" these days as well.

The downside with turbos is you've got to have some fabrication and tuning skills or pay a premium for turn-key stuff. But other than nitrous, they're often the cheapest "power adder" if you're shopping wisely and know what you're doing.

Nitrous -- at least until the bottle filling becomes expensive or bad tuning/horsepower greed pops the cork -- is almost instant hero stuff if one knows what they're doing and is willing to gamble.

If you've got a popular RWD vehicle, ring and pinion swaps are still pretty cheap. They are still a quick way to shave tenths (not remotely as heavy hitting as turbos and nitrous though)

Slicks in most small-tire sizes aren't all that cost prohibitive and really help if traction is an issue.

These truths are even more applicable to late model iron, because the "traditional" bolt-ons are often so expensive and produce so little improvement.

Computer reflash is also reasonably cost-effective if all you want is a handful of quick ponies and don't worry much about the consequences.

I realize some will not agree . . . .

[RockJustRock]

Now be honest..... Seriously. Have YOU GP ever did a turbo install without a kit? Big money for "complete" kits. Plus how much does a bare turbo actually cost? It's a few cheap castings, two very special fans and some very special shafts and bearings. You can get a rebuilt factory turbo for $100. If I had started a Junkyard Racer thread I'd ask what factory turbos are best for hot rodding, but I didn't do that.

Nitrous. Well maybe.... Google tells me you can get a plate kit for $200 or less. But first is anybody with a car old enough to use a standard plate kit going to care about price? Are they going to make sure the fuel system can move enough volume? Hanging around the drag strip during car club weekends I saw a lot of resto muscle car guys whose cars couldn't pull through 3rd or 4th gear because of gunked up fuel systems. They drove them thousands on miles to shows and just never ran all the gears. Put a plate on THAT and hit the button, BOOM! And again $200 for plate, bottle, solenoids, fittings and hoses. Ever priced industrial solenoids vs. speed equipment.

Again too old. When I was a kid grocery stores operated on a 10% margin. Nowadays with all the half off items it has the be well over 50%. Having been a wholesaler to small businesses I have no problem with big margins but I'd hope speed equipment will never be just small businesses.

Used speed equipment. it's out there.