Auto Racing: Looking for decent priced upgades., high flow catalytic converters, throttle body coolant

Question
I have a 1989 Ford Probe LX with a 2.2L4 non turbo, 5 speed manual trans. I'm looking for some inexpensive horsepower upgrades for it to make it more snappy, we have this kid in the neighborhood who's got a FWD Cadillac Eldorado, and I want to send him home crying. His Cadillac is a 4.5L. What kind of mods and performance parts are out there that could really make this car shred some asphalt? Are there better bearings available for my car? Last time I raced someone I blew a rod, I need to set up so it can handle sometimes continuous high RPM. Thanks! Any suggestions are appreciated!

Answer
Does your car not have a fuel cut/rev limiter? Stringing your car out to the highest RPM possible is not (in my experience) efficient. Try working on your shift points, for example the redline/fuel cut on my car is 6200 RPM, but I have found that shifting between 5800 and 6000 is more effective with my engines power curve

Like I tell everyone else, start by replacing your catalytic converter to a high flow unit and then upgrade your muffler system and add a higher flowing air intake. There are intakes for your car on eBay for $40 or less, high flow catalytic converters are abundant there also. There is honestly no need to put on a larger diameter pipe if you are NA. That is not always true, but if you are (and MOST cars are) around 2 1/4" I really wouldn’t bother. After upgrading those items, then try putting on a header, I did see a Pace Setter unit on Ebay for your car, it was listed at around 135 dollars if I remember right.

There are little things you can do to give yourself an edge for example...

•   Doing a throttle body coolant bypass
•   A central grounding unit (eBay version)
•   Deflating your tires slightly to yield better traction.
•    Remove excess weight before you race.
•   Voltage stabilizer. (I have never tried this)

These mods are relatively inexpensive or free to do. Practice your launching/take off as well. Try to find the point were your car is not lugging off the line, but it is not incinerating the tires also. If you have any further questions, please let me know. Don’t forget to rate my answer as well please!

PS were the turbo ford probes based on a 2.2L platform? If so why not look into purchasing a good condition used turbo assembly?