im not entirely new here, nor am i entirely inept in dealing with cars. but im hesitant to do much to the bonneville myself, as its my only transportation. ive got a stock 96 SE, green with fairly dark tinting. but im looking for performance mods that i can find a place that will do it for me (so that if they mess it up, they have to help me out, im not screwed if something messes up). right now im looking at a SC and dual exhaust splittin from the muffler. im frustrated that no one can help me out with anything appearance-wise, like rainguards, a plastic bug shield, or headlight covers. any realistic suggestions (remember, im working part-time and im a college student) would be greatly appreciated. im in Grand Rapids, MI btw. i dont remember what i put on my prof. i also plan on getting wider tires when i need to replace the ones i have, but i know almost nothing about tires. ive gathered from the threads that there are three numbers in dealing with the tires. (ex: 245/55/16), i assume that 245 is the width basically and the 16 is the radius or diameter (which, im not sure), someone want to explain this to me? jeff no likes bein ignorant. any suggestions dealing with either performance or appearance would be greatly appreciated, but if ur gonna give me input, please tell me why and the pros and the cons id hate to do something that would have an adverse effect on my beautiful car simply because i was ill-informed...

To get wider tires on your car, you'll need to get wider wheels as well, which can get quite pricey. Wide tires, while they have more traction on dry pavement for better performance, they are more prone to hydroplaning on wet pavement; I'm assuming this is your daily driver, I recomend you keep the same tire size.

High-Perf air filters form K&N can be cheap, and can give you a substantial power boost (5-10hp if memory serves); also, they won't screw you over should something go wrong with the installation (unlike Nitrus Oxide, which will blow your engine) If you have some experiance, a high-flow exhaust is also a relatively cheap performance mod.

I'd stay away form Bras, rain/bug deflectors as well, I think they ruin the overall look of the car. Plus, bras keep dirt, heat, other elements underneath it, so over time it'll mess up your paint on the hood. Light covers, if legal in your state, are good for the car'* apperance IMO.

bras are a definite no, which is why my nose is still naked. but i want a plastic bug deflector to keep gravel etc from tearing into my hood... its horrendous already, i cant stand watching my car take much more abuse from rocks and such... the rain deflectors for the side windows i want so that i can crack my windows a little and not be afraid of letting rain in, also to complete a look i wanted. speaking of windows, is it possible to get rid of the partition between the front windows and the sliver windows? (i dont know what their called... i hope that im gettingm y point across). would a body shop be able to do it? glass shop? regarding the back windows, how can i get them to do all the way down? is it a simple catch the keeps them up half-way, or something more complex?

Nobody makes a plastic deflector for the bonneville. Lund and GTS both make headlight covers in both smoke and clear. Saddleman makes a bra-type hood protector. With the proper care, it can be used without damaging your car. It does a good job of protecting it. I'm anal about mine. If you go this route, be prepared to spend some time cleaning and waxing quite often. There are windows shades available in smoke plastic, also.

Getting rid of you window partitions would be impossible. The glass would have to be larger, and there'* no room in the door for it. The rear windows are designed to not go down all the way for child safety. There is no way to defeat this. They are limited by design.

Performance mods? Change to a 180° thermostat and add a tranny cooler before doing anything. Then do whatever you want to your exhuast, but I'd wait to see what Hector at Angry Duck Tofu Racing comes up with. He'* developing headers and a full exhaust. Order your intake from him also. You can email him at hector@angryducktofuracing.com or just visit his website. I'd also strongly recommend going with the Jet Stage 2 chip after these 3 mods. You can buy that from Hector also. Don't forget to visit www.domesticperformance.com either. We have growing support for our cars. Things are getting better fast!

Also click on the TECHINFO link on the header bar above. There'* some useful information in the Specifications and Tech Know-How sections that may help you or give you some ideas.

Welcome to the forum!

it occurs to me immediately that, unless one of the aforementioned companies for headlight covers/rain guards have added 96-99 bonneville parts in the last month or so, that they are not offered. when i last checked, they were only made for bonnes up until 95.

Thanks,
Yah, that was my (or rather, my parents, I just called it mine) car; but not so after that winter a couple years ago that made the car lose traction and nail a fire hydrant... I always wondered if water spurt up when you knocked one over, I guess not... not that I was trying to find out, it just sorta happened... damned winter!

Only have one thing to say...........NOS does not ruin your engine if i mean IF you build it to withstand the GO JUICE ........a 50hp shot on a stock 3800 will not destroy your motor, ..i`m running right now a custom setup ..Venom 100hp direct port system...yes my engine has built to handle it ,,,,,and my GOD is it fun next step is a custom Vortec Blower system........ the NEED FOR SPEED IS RUNNIN` THRU MY VEINS

Turtle, when are you gonna post your new times? Your 150mhp+ kill of the camaro, the new 0-60 and 1/4 mile? Hmmmmm????

after alot of tunning me Bonnie seems to have found her groove....as for 0-60.. with the BF Drag Radials on ( street legal) started at 6.1,rattled off 3 back-to-back 5.8,5.9,5.8 ( with NOS)......we have a long road by the airport.roaming back home i met a Z06 go the same way i think i kinda surprised him .my speedo goes to 120 mph..so when we pulled into the mall he came over and we stared talking about what i did to the Bonnie..i told him i don`t know how fast i was going .............. he told me we where at 150mph and climbing ( i have a 2.69 final ratio in tranny)..MOMMY.....it handled nice no problems,... thew Z28 was just a swat cuz he was a jerk ..big tires,jacked-up stickers revving his motor at every red lite..so i had to ...really it was for his own good ....lite turned green and wham,( NOS is now on a micro-switch.. activated at WOT )bye bye..as for 1/4mole i need the lites to be on at the track but we sneek in and run a few times have been doen to 13.9,13.7,13.7 @115mph

there is something available now, see http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...pic.php?t=5039 for more info