Headers and tune on Automatic Trans
 

I wanted to get a header and a tune for my 2015 FR-S but i am unsure if the gains is going to be worth doing since i am using automatic. I was wondering if there are other people on this forum who have done this, what setup are you using and how are you liking the set up so far? Pros, Cons?

Best bang for the buck is to get Gruppe-S headers and a tune from a dyno tuner.

I'm also an auto FR-S, went from UEL headers, got flex fuel for it, then I went turbo.

I see you're in Seattle, so you can ping @Drift-Office for a dyno tune.

The shop has done hundreds of FRS/BRZ now.

I have UEL headers and an OFT tune on my automatic and its great. Worth it if your trying to get the most out of your car.

If you are not going turbo in an auto, trust me mods and tune are NOT WORTH on the auto. A friend and I dynoed the same day after one another, I have a 13 mt brz full bolts ons and e85 and I dynoed at 205hp, my friend with the 13 frs has the exact same mods as I and e85 too and he dynoed 182hp. The autos in these cars are not worth it for modding and racing.

auto owner here. EUL catless headers (gruppe s) Open flash tune (shivs tune for his propritory headers work great with gruppe s) work great.


and a 4.88 rear diff is amazing.

EUL = Equal Un-Length? lol sorry had too.

I will say though it doesnt seem like the Auto's suffer from torque dip as much as the MTs do. Not sure why.

Got any dyno sheets to back that up?

Yea Dr BRZ, The engine and exhaust are identical in 2013 so why would an auto not get the same benefits from bolt ons?

Xxyion Yes uel means unequal length. get unequal length catless (meaning no catalytic converter) headers and a tune. (open flash tune is cheapest and works well with just a header change.)

I know what UEL means i was making fun of you for saying EUL.

Thank you so much for the replies so far i really appreciate it. The purpose of the tune and headers is not for me to be able to race my car @Dr.brz i am not going to drag race in it, but instead improve the performance. I am just worried that if i did the upgrade i might not see any changes, that's why i am asking the forum :D

i shit you not but my friend has Tomei UEL with a TRD catback on his Auto RS1.0 and hes running E85 and that thing is batshit fast

he's still slow =D

Bro, even in performance it's still slow. This is how slow the auto is, I 20roll my friend in his auto and I beat him by nearly 2 car lengths...... just save your money and get a turbo. Even a stock mt twin with no bolts on and e85 can beat an auto with full bolts and e85. Again I know, the brz/frs crew of Oklahoma do runs against each other multiple times

Look up dynos of a stock mt vs auto......mt makes 165hp and auto makes 145 hp

But to answer your question, headers and e85, you will feel the power upgrade but don't be too excited for it, much better on a MT. Join your local fbk group brz/frs become friends with them and test drive a mt e85 twin

The auto driveline will always show reduced HP and TQ compared to MT. The power at the engine or crank is the same, but once put through the driveline you will see the differences. It is still likely a good bump on an auto based on other reviews.

if your looking for quicker ETs go with a final drive swap its the best performance upgrade for the buck if you want to make hp by tuning EL header subie rumble UEL.
If your going to tune it go E85 93 tunes make minimal power gains but smooth out the performance.

Not sure why you guys aren't focusing on this.

4.88FD actually makes the AT closer gearing to the MT. You will feel a whole lotta torque.

I think we get it... MT is faster than AT in a straight line lol.

In the Seattle area there's only 3 e85 pumps within like a 50 mile radius, so e85 probably isn't going to be in his plans.

And not everyone has the funds to boost unfortunately.

I agree, your best performance part is a 4.88 fd

4.88 actually makes the AT have tighter gears than the MT at 4.1, Not sure how it compares to MT at 4.3 though.

I have an auto with jdl uel, oft 93tune, and 4.88 fd. Pretty much all the bits to go faster in a straight line. It is no longer slow in any means tbh.

If you want reference straight line pull is equal to a stock mazdaspeed 3.

Sure glad this a forum...and everyone has they're opinion :iono:

I have Perrin intake, jdl uel header, 93 tune on my auto. The car is definitely not faster and has slightly more noticeable torque all around. Tbh the sounds I got out of it are worth more than the actual performance gains, but that being said I don't regret doing it. Looking to go to a 4.56 or 4.88 fd sometime soon.

Since the auto trans is technically heavier than the manual, maybe go lighter on the drivetrain (flywheel, driveshaft)? Idk it's an idea.

don't waste your money on a lighter driveshaft or flywheel. Its not worth the price for the gains.

Hey Guys! Just an update, so on Saturday i went down to Drift Office to get the header/tune combo. At first Bob did baseline dyno on my AT and it was 152 which was pretty low, i thought i was pulling 160+ stock but i guess i was wrong. After header/tune, he pulled 4 to 5 more Dynos and shockingly my car went up from 152 to 175hp. Drove the car around and it was awesome! definitely worth the header/tune. I guess everyone have their own opinion and i am glad i did it. Thanks again everyone!
Everything on my car is stock except, K&N drop in and HKS hi-power exhaust.

What did you use to tune? How much (roughly) were tuning costs? Thanks.

Your not asking if you should get a manual, so lets drop that debate. You already have the automatic.
I also have a automatic. Bone stock was 164 at the wheels. Header, exhaust, and tune put me at 177. E-force supercharger and flex fuel kit put me to 323 on e-85. I love it. Well worth the money spent in my opinion.

Hey there Scootertribe, Driftoffice tune using ECUTEK.

Total was $1325 for me and that's including header plus custom tune form Bob.

$500 Header
$350 ECUTEK license
$100 Install
$375 Custom Dyno Tune

I was hesitating at first because of the gains but this is my 2nd week driving with the tune & header and i can say that my car feels like a different car. Sounds awesome too :D

Hey FoxHound, sorry to dig this old thread up, but you got those gains with all stock outpipe, front pipe, and stock catback too? basically just the header?

like mentioned earlier, header /tune will get 99% of the gains. change out other parts for sound, cause you like shiney parts, or have money to blow. the little bit of HP you will get from those extra parts you can gain with stickers!


for me i threw in the overpipe (crooked piece over axle) cause car was in the air and you have to unbolt half of it to begin with.

That is good to know, because the catback will cost even more than my headers+tune alone and I dont wanna that drop money on the q300 until i fix the most functional mods first


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Hey there!

Sorry for getting back to you late, i didnt see the notification.
Everything is stock except for my HKS Hi Power Spec L exhaust, when i got it tuned they installed only header and did the tuning. Hope that helps, Cheers!

I have a supercharged automatic FRS running e-85. I love it. Call Bob at Drift Office in Auburn. He can help you.