Help Me Mod my Car
 

Ok so I've had my FR-S for over 6 months and I feel like it will be a car for me to keep, so I want to mod it. I can decide all of the aesthetics myself, but I'm not a car guy as far as knowing about the mechanics and engineering, so I'm asking for some guidance. Money isn't really an obstacle, but I'd like to spend wisely and get the most for my money.

I've already decided that I like the Nameless exhaust system, so that's a starting point. I'm looking for things like intakes, etc. Whatever will keep the car reliable while making it sound better and run a little faster at the same time.

It's also worth noting that my FR-S is automatic also. Looking forward to your suggestions!

Intake for now i would stick with a drop in filter and a Silicone tube like Perrin/Avo/Zeta. I like the Perrin one the best it actually has some changes and deletes the sound tube completely.

Nameless exhaust is good, you should consider an overpipe/downpipe combo as well you will get more gains there.

Ecutek tune will get you even further, there are a few vendors offering tunes now instead of just one so you have some options. Do your research and talk to the tuners, vendors, etc and make sure what you buy offers a good value, you don't have to spend a fortune to get nice stuff.

It all really depends on what you want with the car.
Are you looking to go FI?
Are you looking for a car that handles better?

Intake from whomever and a pulley as well as a 93 octane or e85 (if available in your area) tune would be good. You can prob stop the power mods there if you aren't going turbo as it seems like after you do an exhaust (or a test pipe but not both) it'll unrestrict the car about as much as it can be.

I'd then look into braking.... pads, lines, fluid are a good start - You don't need a big brake kit unless you plan on tracking the car (and even then, tracking it often - as usually a BBK doesn't make the car stop much short but instead more consistantly). Then suspension and a decent set of tires.

Everything like this depends on how much money you're looking to spend, to be honest. Also it's a matter of how much power you want as well...

A good place to start it always the basics.

--Intake (there are many options out there for you. AEM has always been reliable for me, a little pricey, but worth it if you want a company to stand behind their product)
--Exhaust - Again, there are countless options out there. You can get just a muffler, axleback, catback, etc, each providing different gains/sounds etc.
--ECU flash - This seems like one of the best mods to do, to get you the most bang for your buck performance wise. Look into Ecutek.
--Aftermarket pulley
--Headers (One of the more expensive options out there, but will give you decent gains, as any aftermarket one out there would probably provide better flow than stock)
--Forced Induction - If money is no option or bar, then your biggest performance boost will come in this category... Turbocharging or supercharging. There are pros and cons to each platform, and this will come with the biggest price tag, obviously.

Other
--Springs/shocks - relatively cheap, and easy
--Coilovers - this is the better way to go, again if money is no option, as a proper setup will cost you a decent bit.
--Brake upgrade - Big brake kit of some sort, involving bigger rotors/better calipers etc.

There are tons of options out there, just browse others build threads on here and get some ideas, and most importantly, do research on what you want. Always be informed as to what you're buying. Make sure to buy from reputable vendors, so you don't have any unpleasant experiences. Again, these forums are a great resource to check this stuff out.

Make it stop.
Make it turn.
Make it go.

So go buy wheels/tires, better brake pads/fluid/lines, then mess with your suspension, then add powuhhhh.

Bro swap tranny to manual first

Here is my recommendations
1. Better tires
2. Sport brake pads (Now you are track ready)
3. Drop-in air filter
4. Tune for 93 octane or E85 (Now you have ~ 15 or 35 hp more)
5. Coilovers
6. Some nice, light wheels (Now your car looks even better and your lap times go down)
7. Exhaust (Now your car sounds great as well)

At this point you have a great car. From this point it is all about how much power you need, if any. Don't forget brakes that can handle the extra power.

skip everything and just turbo the mofo

My advice would be to read through other owner's build threads/journals and see what mods they have done, why they did them and what results were gained. You will find yourself going: "Dammmn I like that idea" and that's a great starting point.

I'd like to second this maybe.

How much are you planning to spend and what do you hope to get out of your mods? If you have modified a car you know it can be an endless road of spending $. So if your goal is to give it some balls you may want to skip a lot of the bolt ons and save up for your FI of choice. If you just want a nice sound and look good with stock reliability then have at it.

Im liking all the answers so far guys, keep the input coming.

Its worth noting that i probably wont be tracking the car, and if i do it wont be enough to gear my mods toward the track. #87 put it pretty well, Im looking for a nice sounding, good looking car with a little more pep.

I havent looked into turbo pricing, but I know superchargers are about $3500 at least. Does either a turbo or supercharger make the car a decent bit less reliable? This was my main concern, because those big gains wouldnt be worth it to me. Thats also a bit more than I really want to spend, but I have peeked at superchargers.

As far as wheels and suspension, I like the Forgestar F14 or 2Crave Mach4 wheels, probably go with 18s or 19s. I had some cheaper (megan racing) springs on my Prelude and the ride was pretty shoddy, so I was wondering if that holds true with more expensive springs like Eibach? Or if i have to go with coils to drop it and maintain a decent ride?

Ive read some threads where people suggest intakes and some where people say it makes the car run too lean, so its bad in the long run.

Well you have to consider other things too. If 3500 is more than you want to spend then you shouldn't look at FI because you have to add clutch and tune with that as well, and upgrading the brakes and tires in some way if you plan to use the additional power.

So you have your goal now, what is the budget? You say you want more "pep", the best way to do it would be E85 tune if you have it available in your area. As far as intakes and stuff, if you put on intake and exhaust you might as well get a tune for it to effectively utilize them.

From what you are saying I think getting something like Eibach prokit, axle back exhaust, and a set of 18x8 wheels would probably have you happy and not set you back an arm and a leg.

If you buy smart a cat back can be had for the price of an axle back. I wanted an axle back then after reading a comment by Jeremy @ ft86speedfactory I decided that I would just get a cat back since I wanted performance not just sound plus if you ever want to up grade the mid pipe chances are you'd have to have a custom one made or buy a catback.

I plan on going e85 once Jeremy gets his silverbullet on it and I see it in action.


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