Time or start giving her some loving..
 

Hi all,
New to the forum here.
I've done a lot of reading here, but excuse me if I ask or say something that's already been said.

So I got my frs a few months ago, and other than some new wheels and tires and HIDs I haven't done anything to her. Honestly I hated the audio so much I barely drove her. Now that I've upgraded the audio, I'm back.

So where do I start mod wise?
I want to hit the power first.. Low torque and throttle response killing me.
Intake and exhaust- I want to spend the lowest amount of money possible without competely cheating out quality wise. Seems like almost all parts for these are around the same in that regard though, to me.

A full cat back is pricey.. I'm thinking just a front pipe /down pipe or maybe axle back.
Suggestions for intake and exhaust? Thanks

Just Drop in filter for intake, exhaust is just personal preference but if you want more power you should be looking at header+tune

I also wanna spice up the sound..
Will a drop in filter change the intake sound at all? I would think no, but could be wrong.
That'd be cool if it did.

Header and tune will come down the line.. Gotta start with the basics first :)
Exhaust is tough because there's a lot of options, and mix and matching pieces aka front pipes, mid pipes, axle backs... And videos don't give it justice.
Want something that really changes the sound but not obnoxiously loud, like no cats or mufflers.
I hear the greddy evo3 is sick. But it's pricey... I'm hoping just a catless front pipe will be satisfactory?

I agree, header and tune is a good place to start

I put in a K&N filter and there was definitely a sound change when I give it more gas and get the RPM's up a bit. It's not crazy loud but it's a nicer sound than the stock filter. Since added a Q300 which I like as it's not loud but has a decent sound when you give get it above 3000 RPM's.

Pics of car?

You have one of the more awesome cars on the road but didn't drive it because you didn't like the stereo?

Do you have a build page? I would like to hear about what you did for the audio?

I wonder how many complaints regarding the FR-S audio are related to not having it tuned right. I'm sorry, but for free the audio is pretty damn good. Set to FR-S, SSP Feel, then turn treble/bass to +3 or 4. Sounds great at about 30 volume. If you don't make those changes, then yeah it does sound terrible. It's a huge difference, and then it only lacks lower thump. Add a powered subwoofer and bam it sounds good for cheap. (or just do OEM Audio Plus)


Anyway here are some examples of drop-in filter/intake sound differences.


http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...notation_86194

If you're looking for power and aren't concerned about looks/sound/weight, the only part of the exhaust that is worth the money are Headers. Frontpipe and Overpipe is the next best area, but I wouldn't touch these until after you do the Headers.

However, it really depends on what your future goals are for the car. If you plan on getting a turbocharger, getting Headers now will be a waste of money (which require a specialized turbo Header), for example.

Best bang for the buck power mods are Filter/Tune/Header (in that order) w/ e85 fuel. There isn't really any other N/A power mods that are worth the cost (at least for right now).

The only viable path for bigger power with our cars is forced induction (supercharger or turbocharger). Forced induction is also a great bang for the buck, but the initial cost is much higher (and maintenance costs too, I suppose).

You can make the car faster without power mods though... shorter gears and weight reduction in general (both sprung and unsprung), etc - for the best weight reduction, go for things like driveshaft/flywheel/wheels/etc first.

My windows are usually open unless it's raining. I agree that the stock stereo (not that stupid touch-thing) sounds good. OP, are you one of those clowns who does not care about sound quality so much as making sure the entire block knows what you are listening to?

I'd auto x it or track it before you start modding, see it where it needs work.

You guys are crazy. The stock sound system sounds acceptable at best. In no way can you possibly consider the sound quality "good" unless you haven't heard a good sound system.

I know you spent a lot of money on your sound system (BTW thanks again for trading trunks with me, she's still lookin' good!), but the stock system does get better after a month or two of use. Definitely needs a sub still, but it's actually fairly decent.

And the FR-S setting made a HUGE night-and-day difference.