Performance mod order?

[Evil86]

Originally Posted by enjoyminutemaid

I'd say it depends on your personal tastes and goals...

- For sound improvement, go with intake and axleback

- For power, go with a downpipe and tune

- For looks, go with new wheels, springs, lip kit etc.

- For handling, go with new tires, various bushings, camber adjustment (e.g. plates, bolts, control arms, springs etc.) and an alignment

- For interior comfort, go with a company who sells re-upholstered interior parts

- For transmission upgrade, go with clutch/flywheel, short shifter, and better trans fluid

Obviously you can combine any of these...

+1

[GH05T]

Originally Posted by Opposed

For the price of intake and full exhaust you could have a tune. More noticeable performance than any of those items combined. Tune first, then exhaust (if you want some nice sound and better looks) and then intake, better yet, just do a drop in filter. No intake out on the market for this car is worth the money, but that's just my opinion. BTW, I have the aFe intake, and although I love the looks, I really didn't notice anything at all. It was all the tune...

I heard some good reviews about the FA20 Intake.

[Lverasky]

Originally Posted by Opposed

For the price of intake and full exhaust you could have a tune. More noticeable performance than any of those items combined. Tune first, then exhaust (if you want some nice sound and better looks) and then intake, better yet, just do a drop in filter. No intake out on the market for this car is worth the money, but that's just my opinion. BTW, I have the aFe intake, and although I love the looks, I really didn't notice anything at all. It was all the tune...

What is the intake does to the car?

[stockysnail]

Originally Posted by peace_noel

What is the intake does to the car?

Wikipedia has some decent articles. You should check them out.
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intake"]Intake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_air_intake"]Cold air intake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Our cars currently have a cold air intake already as they hose sucks in front of the frame of the car under the bumper area. Getting an aftermarket one like the Perrin that I have in my build thread has improved air flow in the hose and a less restrictive filter that lets more air pass through, thus giving the engine a little more power, plus making the car sound cooler.

[Captain Snooze]

Brakes.
You can't utilise the power you already have without decent brakes.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Brakes.
You can't utilise the power you already have without decent brakes.

Since our cars start with mediocre power, you can do brakes last!

I kid, I kid... :happy0180:

[Shankenstein]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Brakes.
You can't utilise the power you already have without decent brakes.

I can't believe it took this many posts to get the right answer.

I'm planning to keep my 86 for 15+ years, doing mods slowly and once they've been proven effective. First priority is not nearly as flashy as most people... but it's the right choice - Safety and Security.

Safety: When you've burned through the OE pads, use that opportunity to swap in stainless lines (either brand), quality pads, better cooling rotors, and good fluid. Something like the Stoptech or FT-86 Speedfactory kits with some Motul 5.1 fluid. Eventually, I'll add APR ducts once they get the bugs worked out.

Security: This includes a LoJack or GPS based recovery, dash cam like Blackvue, and a hidden kill switch. The tuner scene (especially Hondas) in Houston can be a rough place... so it's worth the $700 (tracker) + $300 (cam) + $5 (switch). Call me paranoid, but a screaming orange mini-LFA attracts alot of attention.

Additionally, I'll do the autocross mods. Set of wheels & tires. Stig helmet. CG Lock. If you don't have chalk, magnetic numbers, an IR pyrometer, and quality pressure gauge... those are good too.

[eljefe]

So far ive done a K&N filter, and WORKS muffler delete axleback.

and a few cosmetic mods.

So far im extremely happy with my mods. Im getting 27mpg average right now which is up from the 23-24 i was getting before the exhaust and intake. Tune will probably be my next mod.

[Circuit Motorsports]

Just as a few of the guys above said, you really need to figure out your personal goals with the car and what you want to do with it. Then you need to figure your budget, which it seems like you kind of have one.

Perhaps the best upgrade you can do right away is new tires. This will totally transform the handling of your car and should enhance any suspension mod you get in the future. But until you figure out what you want out of the car I would just keep it simple and do some the standard upgrades like intake, catback exhaust, and tune. Possibly think about coilovers or springs after that but yet again it'll depend on what you want to do with the car. Good luck!

[CSG Mike]

The best advice I can give you is to save the cash instead of buying one by one, and then do it all at once. It'll save you on labor, and eliminate any periods where you're running less than optimally.