What should be my first mod?

[Suko]

Originally Posted by jamesm

not yet. i've used ecutek, brzedit and ecuflash myself.

Have those been on stock cars? If so what we're your power gains?

[jamesm]

Originally Posted by Suko

Have those been on stock cars? If so what we're your power gains?

no my car has been turbocharged pretty much since i bought it. it was never tuned while na. in any case the gains at that level would be entirely dependent upon the tune itself, the software used wouldn't really matter.

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by Suko

Thanks for the feedback guys, but I have no idea where to start. Some more specific tips would be awesome for example "starting here would be good for this and that". I have plenty of mechanical experience and tools just need a starting point (preferably performance wise).

The problem is, one mod isn't going to just "do it" for you.

Performance? Header + Full Exhaust + Intake + Tune. That should handle your N/A needs. Flex fuel/E85 if you want to go crazier.

Suspension? Coilovers/Springs, then choose your wheel/tire setup. Lowering and going wider really is a lot of fun. Sway bars/Strut bar based on how you drive and what you want the car to do.

Cosmetic? Sharkfin, body kit, interior, HID's, LED lights, fog lights, etc. Endless list.


Gotta start somewhere. I was all over the place with my mods, but when everything was said and done, I taught myself a lot about cars by doing everything myself. Once all the parts came together, my car really turned into a more enjoyable and satisfying ride. Plus modding is fun as hell.

[Suko]

Originally Posted by jamesm

no my car has been turbocharged pretty much since i bought it. it was never tuned while na. in any case the gains at that level would be entirely dependent upon the tune itself, the software used wouldn't really matter.

Oh ok cool thanks man. What turbo set up are running?

[Suko]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is E85?

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by Suko

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is E85?

Corn juice. It's 85% ethanol content gas. Only a few HEB's in Austin carry it. Basically adds a good +20 whp tuned on its own at the expense of worse gas mileage and difficult cold starts. Also allows you to run higher boost 15-20 PSI with no knocking like 93 octane potentially can do.

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by Suko

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is E85?

You should search for more info, but it's essentially corn fuel (ethanol) mixed with gasoline (up to 85%). It has a higher innate octane than pump gasoline, and thus can allow an engine to be tuned more aggressively for bigger power gains, but it's ratio requires it to be injected a little richer than gas. From the factory our car is NOT "flex fuel" compatible as it will think it's using standard gasoline, causing it to run too lean. The hardware is fine with E85, but the ECU needs to be calibrated/tuned for it to ensure the correct amount of fuel is being injected. E10 is standard gasoline mixed with up to 10% ethanol and most cars are fine with it without a tune.

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by Suko

Would running E85 require a tune?

Yes. It's not safe on a stock tune.

[wheelhaus]

Do you have any goals? Do you have a grand vision, like:
"i want it to look like this"
"I want to see 400whp"
I want to slam it and drop in an insane sound system"
"I want a solid track car for the weekends"
etc etc...

There's a lot you can do, a lot of little things to personalize the car to your tastes like wheels or interior bits and LEDs, but what are you most interested in?

[FrsDuke]

Best bang for your buck speed wise is a tune. I went oft because it's simple and inexpensive with potential for more down the road.
Best bang for your buck for handling is tires. 225 rivals are awesome on the stock rims.

It depends on what your long term goals are, and what you want to spend right now.

You need to pick a path and decide how far you want to go before we can tell you buy part xyz

[jamesm]

Originally Posted by Suko

Oh ok cool thanks man. What turbo set up are running?

Rev works kit. Gtx2867r with the tial housing

[Suko]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Do you have any goals? Do you have a grand vision, like:
"i want it to look like this"
"I want to see 400whp"
I want to slam it and drop in an insane sound system"
"I want a solid track car for the weekends"
etc etc...

There's a lot you can do, a lot of little things to personalize the car to your tastes like wheels or interior bits and LEDs, but what are you most interested in?

My goal is to build a solid track car that can also be my daily driver, so I want lots of power but not so much that the car tries to kill me every time I put my foot on the gas

[FrsDuke]

Best lap time return on investment will be tires. Added bonus of being safer as a dd as well. I'd start there. After that a tune. If you wanna stay NA or are going with a mild turbo or Sc kit I'd probably go oft, but you may want to consider ecutek if you want to get deeper and more custom. After a tune if go header. Etc etc.

I daily drive track and autoX my car. I'm staying NA for a long while at least. Tires were the biggest thing I've done performance wise. Love my oft. Header coming next month.

[Suko]

Originally Posted by FrsDuke

Best lap time return on investment will be tires. Added bonus of being safer as a dd as well. I'd start there. After that a tune. If you wanna stay NA or are going with a mild turbo or Sc kit I'd probably go oft, but you may want to consider ecutek if you want to get deeper and more custom. After a tune if go header. Etc etc.

I daily drive track and autoX my car. I'm staying NA for a long while at least. Tires were the biggest thing I've done performance wise. Love my oft. Header coming next month.

What are the major differences with oft and ekutek? I already plan to get better tires I don't trust the stock ones I feel like I would lose the car too easily with more power