Hi all,

I'm driving a 03 Outlander and luvin it... But the lack of power is something that's been bugging me severely... Are there any performance parts or mods that I can find for my vehicle, here in Canada, without costing an arm and a leg? I'm a newb at this, so I dunno what to do! I've heard iridium plugs and K&N air filters do wonders, so I have switched to them... However, I've only noticed a smoother ride, but not exactly a power gain... Any other suggestions?

Cheers!

With an O3 Outlander, you'll be looking at comparable engine mods to the Eclipse and Galant of the same year (with the same engine).
I've heard rumors of resetting the ECU after installing performance modifications can help, but I don't know how to do this.
My only experience has been adding a CAI to my Scion XB which resulted in a hardly noticeable difference. Other than a CAI, exhaust and ECU mod, there won't be much more you can do before going turbo....and that costs bucks.

There are lots of things you can do to improve performance. Really depends on what your goal is and how much you're willing to spend. The two are, of course, tightly coupled.

It is super important to first figure out what your goal is. Else, you'll spend a LOT of money on mods and waste plenty also cos after each mod, there's always something else to take it one step further. A twin turbo is not the end. :)

One thing to remember is that some perf mods are intended to "free" the ponies that are already in your engine but locked away by inefficient or intentionally restricted components. For example, air intake, exhaust, etc... While you don't gain much in net WHP by putting in a CAI or new catback, it frees the system up and future mods will likely show better improvement (usually, but not always).

Some common mods to consider:
Brakes & suspension upgrades -- VERY important to plan in advance unless you want a flying coffin

CAI/WAI
Exhaust - full system including headers, cat back, axle-back (just muffler)
Throttle body - replace or enlarge
Remap or replace ECU
Flywheel
Pistons - increase compression
Injectors
Forced-induction (turbo/SC)
Nitrous :)

Have fun.

Yea, it's easy for you guys in the states, but here in Canada, there's squat... I've heard the only place to put in CAI is on the lower end of the vehicle, hence, problems with it in winter... Furthermore, what kind of increase can I expect for CAI/short ram, with K&N air filter, NGK platinum spark plugs, and catback? Oh yea, my target is anywhere from 20-60 hp increase and I'd be happy...

hope you all don't mind a butt-in; i test drove an outlander this weekend and was impressed w/ its general handling and brakes, but noticed a flat-spot in accelerating at 4,000 rpm's second to third up a slight grade. would one of those chip recalibration gizmo's help? is that the ECU referred to by crunchie?
i found the car quite enjoyable except for that performance let-down. i wasn't so sure it was due to faulty tuning, but due to the engine's power curve w/ the manual trans. but hey, what do i know? would installing the aforementioned gizmo void the warranty? i'm considering getting the outlander but not w/out exploring possibilities of enhancing its performance. i haven't seen any intakes or exhausts specific to it, so what would do you experts recommend?

thanks

This is not really a good car to modify. The Weapon R air intake exists for the Outlander, but that's about it. I haven't seen an exhaust specific to it, but a good muffler shop can do a custom job for a fair price.
There are lowering springs for the Outie, but I haven't come accross a strut bar yet. Nothing in the way of sway bars as far as I know.
A turbo has been developed for the Mivec 2.4L Lancer Ralliart that will fit the outlander with some modifications. It's $4500 for the kit, but boosts the HP to 255 and torque to 261 ft.lbs.
As with most 4 cylinders, look for 4-8 hp gains with an intake.
Look for 2-8 hp gains with an exhaust (a factory Ralliart exhaust on a Lancer with the same engine gains a whopping 2 hp).
The piggy-back ECU is out there also (designed for the Lancer), but only results in slight low end gains (much like an intake).
Most performance mods I've found look good. Some sound good. Very few offer a truely noticeable difference.
I've heard one person claim dynoed HP of over 200 with only an exhaust and intake, but I find that VERY hard to believe. They were also reluctant to share their secret. To me, intake/exhaust mods are not really worth the end result.

With the turbo you mentioned... Does it work with the 03's normal engine, too, or is it MIVEC only? What performance upgrades are there for that engine? And does anyone know what I can pick up from Hong Kong for my vehicle?

The turbo I mentioned is MIVEC only. You're going to be looking at Eclipse turbo components of the same engine type. It may not be direct bolt on due to the body carriage.
I also have to look into the Turbo Airtrek/Outlander. That one quite possibly could be your engine with a turbo. All the parts could be out there, just takes a little research.

Any ideas whether or not the Outlander Turbo will come to North America? I know that for the 06 lineup, there's going to be a couple turbo charged vehicles... Like the Galant, Lancer (Evo), and some other sedan... However, the dealership didn't say anything about a Turbo Outie...

A state-side Outlander turbo is unlikely. Canada may be different though. In the U.S. it seems we prefer bigger cars with more horsepower over compact rockets. Nissan has a smaller Xterra type utility vehicle (I forget the name) that they released in Canada, but feared low sales in the U.S.

On top of that, the Outlander is due for a dramatic facelift in 2006. It's a little late to be releasing a turbo version here. I've been wrong before, but all signs point to "no".

The smaller Xterra here is called the XTrail. It sux. LOL!

So a change is due by 06 you say? Really? I thought it'd be in 07, cuz the Mitsubishi's didn't come here till 03 model line up... Nonetheless, maybe a turbo version will be on the engines options later... Let's hope for that...