Easy mods for power and sound.
 

Can you suggest the best mods that can be done by a non mechanically minded owner* to give more power and a better sound?
I'd like to get more power in 5th (I'm assuming it's 5th...it changes up again when I get to around 130-140kph), it seems to struggle a little between 100-130kph, then really picks up after it changes up to 6th.
I love the sound too but it could be improved too.

Any thoughts?

I'm driving a 2015 sport-tec AT.

* I have friends who would help with anything that needs more complex changes.




Sent from my iPhone

The easiest to install for sound and a little bit of power would be intake and cat-back. On that note you would have to do your own research on which sounds you would prefer. If you don't mind the current intake and catback, you could do a header change, but that you will have to go cat if running no tune, unless you get lucky with no codes being thrown or just don't care if you go non-cat. You will also have to do research on the sound you prefer.

A header and tune would be the only thing to give you noticeable power gains Without going FI. An intake will give you at best 5-7 hp and a catback being super optimistic just 1 or 2 IF any. A header and tune will eliminate the torque dip as well as adding 10-20hp

Open Flash Tablet, Intake tube and filter, and remove noise maker assembly. Proven 10-20 horsepower, easy reversibility, much better sound and MUCH better drivability in my '14 BRZ limited Auto.

I'm running a decent combo of a good catback and E85 tune and it's a night and day difference from stock without going overboard. The sound is aggressive and isn't obnoxious and the E85 tune is a surprising step up.

E85 is very, very hard to find in Southern Ontario so you may not want to consider it as a viable option. Now if you do have some local it is certainly a way to go but you would have to plan any longer trips very carefully.

Yeah it's not viable for very many people. I have two stations both 15-20 miles away and I was originally going to get the Flex Fuel kit but I wanted to feel the E85 tune prior to buying a kit + replacing my OFT. You're right though, I dread thinking of going far unless I had the FF kit but I at least carry the tablet around xD

:)

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81493

Thanks. A very interesting read even with the appalling grammar.


Sent from my iPhone

I also recommend a new intake and free flowing exhaust for an easy and affordable mod that can give some hp gain.

Intake and exhaust will do little beyond noise.

Header and tune, overpipe helps, the rest is optional but will change sound (louder, typically more brash and annoying)

Intake, probably nothing to a little, most need maf rescaled to work right (tune) though the Grimmspeed has been good without for me.

For power and sound, I'd go with a header + tune. That will net you 20 whp and a nice UEL rumble. E85 tune is even better (30 whp) if it's available in your area.

I'd buy new car

Haha. I just did!


Sent from my iPhone

For sound go to a local meet and hear some of the exhaust set ups people are running. Cat backs /axle backs are mainly for sound. Or go on YouTube and listen to them all.

Unfortunately I studied engineering not English literature, and its written in Australian :D

What your noticing is likely the "torque dip" where the engine lacks torque arround 3000-4500 in stock form.

running better fuel ie 93 octane or above will help if your using 91/92 at present
A tune alone will help more
but a tune and cat less header is the best option (UEL probably better for torque dip area)
the catless header will also make a bit better sound even with rest of exhaust stock

intakes and cat-backs alone your basically wasting your money if your looking at reducing torque dip or power increase a drop in performance filter will give around same performance increase as an intake (which is not much)

A $100 trackpipe for the angry sound. You shave +20lb by getting rid of that heavy ass stock muffler!

:-)
I'm running on 94 octane.
Thanks, I'll look at the tune and catless header option. Need to find someone who can do a tune locally. I'll ask my dealer.



Sent from my iPhone

I would not ask/tell dealer about tuning :-)

you might want to look at Open Flash tablet for a tune if no local tuners available.

It a tuning device that comes with a selection of tunes, that allows you to flash your own tunes and flash back to stock tune for service visits. total cost $500

Ah ok. The sales guy races his so I thought it might be the way to go but you're saying tune via tablet then detune before servicing etc?


Sent from my iPhone

Do NOT trust the dealer.

That's typically the way to go. OFT can be found unmarried/used at good prices, making it a nice place to start off if you're not out to squeeze everything possible out of any given setup. No local tuner required.

Where can i buy a decent header? as well as a OFT - both need to be brand new preferably.

All sorts of places. Google can direct you to the following popular choices:

JDL UEL (superb quality, great sound, great midrange gains)
ACE 4-2-1 (new hotness, expensive, but includes OP)
Tomei UEL (quite popular, loud)
A lot of people use the OpenFlash Header with the OpenFlash Tablet, but I have no experience with their header.

Do not trust the dealer, Greedy & Fenwick, especially that slippery salesman who claims to race.

Gruppe-s header! I love mine and it was $515 shipped. Nearly exactly the same as the Tomei header, with MUCH better welds than headers like the Borla.

That is what i was looking into - using the open flash tablet with a compatible header.

I've always wondered, what makes OFH compatible with OFT anymore than another header?

Isn't it just a self-tune that you apply. Will it make a difference what header you get? for instance, getting Borla over OFH, wouldn't you just need a map/tune that maybe was built for Borla instead of one built for OFH?

Or are they even different enough to where you'd have a different tune for each?

Sorry I am kind of new to cars/modding.

The UEL tune provided for the OFT was created with the OFH on. That is why it is best suited for that header. And yes you can use the OTS UEL map for almost any if not any UEL header, it just might not produce absolute optimal gains is all. Creating a header specific tune would require getting an E tune from shiv, unless you happen to find a tuner who will tune via OFT (is very rare).

unfortunately, canadian 94 is more along the lines of american 91, canadian 92/91 is even worse. My tuner does a lot of work both in seattle and vancouver so he's tested a lot of fuels on his dynos.

Isn't octane octane anywhere? I've always been warned off American petrol because of poor quality.


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North America is pretty consistent at using AKI while abroad RON is more commone for octane rating, so not the same anywhere.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Octane is not a measure of fuel quality, >98% of the fuel content is tightly controlled, regulated, and comes from a very few number of refineries. A dirty station with old equipment may allow for contaminants and there are additive packages that companies use to try and increase performance and convince you to buy them over the competition. I would be surprised if CA fuel was more than marginally different from US fuel, the big difference would probably be ethanol content.

Here's an article about Shell gas, there's some marketing BS about 'top tier fuel' but some light info about how each country has different specifications and requirements and that Shell uses the same additives on both sides of the border.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle13224927/

Installed my OFT header last week and I'm loving the power gains I got from it. My first ride with it made my jaw drop and I wondered why I hadn't done it earlier...

What did you get? Do you have any "after" video?


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94 octane in Ontario comes from one source, the Suncor refinery in Sarnia. It is a superior octane rating to "US" 91. It will actually test at a RON of 99.


Mr. Hemi

Sounds like he got the OpenFlash Header, which is catless and UEL. The sound should be similar to mine, which is a JDL catless UEL. Of course, I have a full exhaust to go with it, but this should give you an idea. Headphones (or speakers with a subwoofer) are recommended for these videos, as my exhaust is nice and deep.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnEYvkiW5k0"]BRZ w/ JDL UEL & Perrin resonated drive by - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1kyhCzlx-o"]BRZ w/ JDL UEL & Perrin resonated 2.5:" revving - YouTube[/ame]

What'd you get? website link please. Price and anything you can provide with your review would be excellent!

My town.


Sent from my iPhone

This: http://www.procedetuning.com/BRZ_FR-...der/index.html ?

And nothing else? Or would he have needed the openflash tablet too?



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If you get a header, you should really get a tune, too. In this case, yes, the OFT would work. I use a lightly tweaked OFT tune with my JDL header