The headers were $710 (I bought lightly used), the fp/op was about $560 shipped, and the EcuTek kit was about $600. Catback was a purely aesthetic decision, not a performance decision (it only affected exhaust note and looks, both positively) and cost $680.
I did most of the install work myself. @
nelsmar road tuned and did minor updates to the tune as I sent him log files. I still have yet to arrange a weekend to put the car on the dyno to see how much improvement there was.
What I DO notice is a noticable increase in torque (it's much easier to break the rear wheels loose on stock tires, but still very controllable), more pep in the lower RPMs, no torque dip, smoother power band, and better throttle response (it no longer feels dead at the top of the pedal range on the accelerator). So, yes, I've definitely got more power, but it is expressed more subtlely unless things were being timed and measured. It's more that the power increase is a VERY nice side effect from improving everything else. This car already came with more than enough power to let you have more fun than is legally allowed, but certain constraints in the exhaust system and factory tune held it back and gave folks the impression that it was seriously lacking in power (which it isn't). The headers are the big thing. Improved headers and removal of that damned cali-legal header cat (so that the car can be sold in all 50 states, not just all of them except Cali, which is what would be the case if the car CAME with high-flow cats) allows the tuner to put more timing in, helping to remove the torque dip (or at the very least minimize it). Also, calibrating the MAF sensor helps deliver a smoother throttle response, in addition to all the other little things done when tuning.
As always, gear selection with this car is paramount to extracting the power you want. This isn't a stupidly over-powered car where you can accelerate like a mad man in a blue box in any gear at any speed at any grade. That isn't what this car was designed for. You have to put the car into the gear necessary to put the car into the part of the power band you want at the speed you're at. Not hard, but it's not brainless either. Do that, and even while stock you'll find that soccer moms won't be passing you, unlike what others who don't know how to shift claim. You're not going to pull on anyone when you're going uphill in 6th gear at 60 mph. Not going to happen. Now, going uphill at 60mph in 4th gear with aggressive throttle? Yeah, she's a sports car alright.
This isn't to say that going FI is something to avoid and that it's not worth it. Just talk to my tuner, @
nelsmar. After his engine rebuild, he went turbo and is putting down stupid fun amounts of power. However, he also knows how to drive this car in NA form pretty fast, too.
What I advise against is going FI from the get-go to fix a perceived flaw that just isn't there. Is more power fun? When is it NOT? Can you have a ridiculous amount of fun with the power the car has from the factory? Hell yes. Are there things that the factory setup needs fixing in NA form? Yup, and when they're fixed I think most folks will find the car's available power to be more than satisfactory for their needs. For the rest, there's SC and turbo, and engine swaps and all the rest of those insanely expensive money pits.
As for me, I'm going to focus on aesthetics, suspension, and tires for now (not in that order).