Tune + Headers +e85 Worth it? or wait for FI?

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by kaitak98

I was talking to a local tuner about freshening up my car and they quoted $1200 just for a petrol tune. This was with Ecutek and I believe it included a cable etc. They didn't seem to think much of OFT tunes. With header and cat back we were looking at $3200-3400. I brought up E85 and they said it would cost about the same since I would need new injectors and a fuel pump. I decided to regroup since I don't want to spend that much on my daily driver.

I've actually started to toy with the idea of getting an older Boxster as a fun top down weekend car. The only thing holding me back is that I live in a highrise condo and don't have the room or equipment to wrench on either car myself.

You need to stop talking to that local tuner if those prices are in USD

First, you don't need a custom tune for a NA car. The extra gains between a OFT and custom tune won't be that big to justify such a high price with a stock car.

With a header than yes, if the tuner is good they can achieve higher gains but even than it's not worth it when the OFT could achieve like 90% of the gains.

I'd only suggest a custom tune if you were going to go with a forced induction setup.

& that shop probably doesn't think much of OFT tunes because clearly they want to milk out every customer. Are they getting Smokey Nagata to tune your car?

[brzfl]

Originally Posted by kaitak98

I was talking to a local tuner about freshening up my car and they quoted $1200 just for a petrol tune. This was with Ecutek and I believe it included a cable etc. They didn't seem to think much of OFT tunes. With header and cat back we were looking at $3200-3400. I brought up E85 and they said it would cost about the same since I would need new injectors and a fuel pump. I decided to regroup since I don't want to spend that much on my daily driver.

I've actually started to toy with the idea of getting an older Boxster as a fun top down weekend car. The only thing holding me back is that I live in a highrise condo and don't have the room or equipment to wrench on either car myself.

Where do you live? That seems excessive for just a tune + headers + catback. The gruppe-s headers mentioned earlier are around $500 and if you decide to go with an OFT, that's another $500. The catback is another $500-1000 depending on new or used. Not sure how much power is found in a catback, it seems to me that most of the power is found in the headers + fp & op. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also fairly certain our cars can handle e85 with just an OFT.

Being said, the boxsters are fun cars, I'm just biased towards the twins

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by brzfl

Where do you live? That seems excessive for just a tune + headers + catback. The gruppe-s headers mentioned earlier are around $500 and if you decide to go with an OFT, that's another $500. The catback is another $500-1000 depending on new or used. Not sure how much power is found in a catback, it seems to me that most of the power is found in the headers + fp & op. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also fairly certain our cars can handle e85 with just an OFT.

Being said, the boxsters are fun cars, I'm just biased towards the twins

You learn fast

[brzfl]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

You learn fast

Long time lurker

Join date - Jan 2015

Only now wanting to squeeze some power out of my twin after riding in some of my friends' higher powered cars - mustangs, m3s and such

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

You need to stop talking to that local tuner if those prices are in USD

First, you don't need a custom tune for a NA car. The extra gains between a OFT and custom tune won't be that big to justify such a high price with a stock car.

With a header than yes, if the tuner is good they can achieve higher gains but even than it's not worth it when the OFT could achieve like 90% of the gains.

I'd only suggest a custom tune if you were going to go with a forced induction setup.

& that shop probably doesn't think much of OFT tunes because clearly they want to milk out every customer. Are they getting Smokey Nagata to tune your car?

Don't be spoiled by the prices of e-tunes. Real tuning is a time consuming process and not cheap.

Source: someone who's spent 5 figures on tuning over the years.

Often times, "good enough" is all people want, in which case, $1200 for an Ecutek cable, license, and dyno tune, is more than reasonable.

[Astroboy]

Get a custom tune. Or wait for fi. It's fun, but just make sure you maintain it frequently. And by that I mean follow the maintenance procedure on both the car and the fi kit which you wish to buy. I say that because I blew my motor turbocharged. The hose that goes to the actuator was rubbing on something, making the ecu difficult to manage the boost and BOOOM!

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[phrosty]

Originally Posted by kaitak98

I was talking to a local tuner about freshening up my car and they quoted $1200 just for a petrol tune. This was with Ecutek and I believe it included a cable etc. They didn't seem to think much of OFT tunes. With header and cat back we were looking at $3200-3400. I brought up E85 and they said it would cost about the same since I would need new injectors and a fuel pump.

Your local tuner may not have much experience with the car. No injectors / fuel pump needed for E85 if NA.

Custom tunes are definitely going to be better than an off the shelf tune but for NA the gains are so small they're a big waste of money. $1200 can be put to much better use for bigger gains.

[malubawla]

OFT custom tune is $195 additional through shiv. This is all you may ever need for N/A

My old setup
Tsudo Header/Overpipe, Berk Hi-Flow Catted Front Pipe, Invidia Q300, K&N Drop in w/resonator delete. E-tuned with shiv

Stock frs/brz run 145ish whp on this Mustang Dyno. 172whp/136tq with those bolt on's. E85 would get you probally another 7-10whp. Changed the whole driving experience of my car, just with the improved throttle response and almost removal of all torque dip. You should do it and enjoy it for a while like I did. Then go boost if you still want to.

[jwvand02]

Originally Posted by GsxrMe

Nothing cheap about going FI correctly. Friend has a e85 with headers tune and i got a turbo. Depends what your budget is. 300+ bhp done right is going to cost 10k. Headers and e85 tune is hella cheap.

I franky dont think its worth if for going FI for 250bhp like somany do. Drive a friends 300+bhp brz/frs and forever hate your NA.

Figure out your budget or savings and go from there.

Eh E85 and an innovate SC can get you very very close to 300whp for way less than 10k.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by malubawla

OFT custom tune is $195 additional through shiv. This is all you may ever need for N/A

My old setup
Tsudo Header/Overpipe, Berk Hi-Flow Catted Front Pipe, Invidia Q300, K&N Drop in w/resonator delete. E-tuned with shiv

Stock frs/brz run 145ish whp on this Mustang Dyno. 172whp/136tq with those bolt on's. E85 would get you probally another 7-10whp. Changed the whole driving experience of my car, just with the improved throttle response and almost removal of all torque dip. You should do it and enjoy it for a while like I did. Then go boost if you still want to.

Your AFR is atrocious... If I had paid for that tune I'd be up in arms. Users here, such as @steve99, can easily make a better tune than that in just a few revisions.

[malubawla]

that dyno was before the tune revision, that was on the stock OTS stage 2 map. I never got another dyno post revisions, I did 4 in total.

[DAEMANO]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

... Users here, such as @steve99, can easily make a better tune than that in just a few revisions.

@steve99 is e-tuning?

[Teseo]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

@steve99 is e-tuning?

In for Steve aussie solutions, @steve99.
Paypal ready

[steve99]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

@steve99 is e-tuning?

Originally Posted by Teseo

In for Steve aussie solutions, @steve99.
Paypal ready

yeah im happy to help people out for a small donation to
fund Kentucky Bourbon heck that stuff is expensive here, it doesn't come out of the tap(faucet) like in Kentucky so im told.