Modifications Advice... Help?

[jadewbj]

I would say that it depends on how much you are worried about warranty or not. As much as I like tunes I have not done one yet because of the potential engine issues (the dreaded CEL) and a dealer deciding that because you have an ECU flash they will not warranty.

Once I get out of warranty I will probably get one.

I would say to get an exhaust over an intake because you get the sound and a little bit of looks.

Another not too expensive mod would be springs. If you could save up a set of 18's and descent tires will do wonders for the car looks and handling wise.

[industrial]

Originally Posted by Visconti

People claim a lot of this forum .. Tunes that are suppose to make power but Dyno less then stock on the Dyno...

I've seen zero gains with several exhaust systems..

I've also spoke to a few guys making headers and their Dyno tests all showed the same thing.

I've yet to see anything truly impressive that falls outside the margin of error.

If I'm wrong show me

Yeah no doubt people claim alot. Everyone claims their product makes power and has the dynos to back it up! I don't have to resources to prove you wrong but you are basically saying every shop that's posted gains with an exhaust here are lying about their product. You know what though? I'll admit that it wouldn't surprise me one bit if you are right. It's pretty easy to "prove" that any part gains 5-7whp on the dyno, even shift knobs (margin of error, user error, experimental error). People will believe what they want to believe once they've spent their money too. Nobody is going out of their way to prove these little starter mods on the track which is where any real gains would show.

I don't doubt for a second that a tune makes power and provides decent bang for the buck. But then again, I'm pretty sure an exhaust does too. From what I've seen the stock car on normal fuel seems to be limited (arbitrary number but something like +20whp) in how much power it can gain regardless of the combination of parts.

Exhausts make sense to me to go to first since you get a nice sound, free up some power and you should be able to drive into a dealership with an exhaust and they wouldn't blink twice. A tune, if detected can be used legitimately to pretty much deny your entire powertrain warranty.

[Ahernandez0909]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

If you want to ride in my BRZ at an upcoming local meet, you can see for yourself the difference that a true CAI makes.

I would get a true CAI versus a short-ram intake like the Injen you linked to because the Injen's open faced design sucks in a lot of hot air that rises up off the headers and radiator and gets trapped under the hood. This effect has been measured by others here using the intake air temp data given via OBDII interfaces. Just think about how that's amplified sitting in Atlanta traffic mid-summer. Having the filter away from all that hot air and behind the bumper cover results in significantly (6 degrees F) lower intake air temps.

The gains from a CAI are only about 4-5whp and 2-3 ft/lbs on a stock tune, but the throttle response and sound are greatly improved, as well as making much more room in the engine bay. The Vigilant CAI is only $270 shipped and I think it's a great deal, and same with the FA20Club CAI, really just comes down to how you want it finished. I preferred the flat black coating.

My next door neighbor has a Mustang GT that he modded like hell and he says that True CAI's are dangerous because if you get water in it at all you're fucked.. So I was just worried. Where do you live at? I would love to ride in yours haha mine is still completely stock. My father is a huge car person and he says that I shouldn't use my money on any third party mods. I don't know anything about this stuff haha. I would like to see what the difference between my FR-S is compared to one that actually has mods.

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by Ahernandez0909

My next door neighbor has a Mustang GT that he modded like hell and he says that True CAI's are dangerous because if you get water in it at all you're fucked.. So I was just worried. Where do you live at? I would love to ride in yours haha mine is still completely stock. My father is a huge car person and he says that I shouldn't use my money on any third party mods. I don't know anything about this stuff haha. I would like to see what the difference between my FR-S is compared to one that actually has mods.

There's nothing to worry about with any of the available true CAI's for this car. They all still draw air from the same height as the stock snorkel and airbox draw air into the intake. There is minimal risk of getting water in the intake even in a downpour since the filter is completely covered by the bumper. You'd have to be driving through knee-high water to risk the intake getting wet.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Worry about that when your filter is in the wheel well.

[ModBargains.com]

There's lots to consider when it comes to modifications in general. Obviously for more of a growl the first things we think about are intakes/filters and exhausts. I tend to think suspension modifications are really where it's at. I will always think that KW coilovers were the best mod I bought, even including all the intakes/exhausts I went through.

Just browse around, see if you can get more bang for your buck, PM vendors and look around, I'm sure you'll find something good

[Ahernandez0909]

Awesome. I'm definitely gonna get a CAI first just because of it's affordability. Would anyone like to link me a cheap/good true CAI? Also, this weekend I will be painting my brake calipers with G2 Caliper paint. I will post pictures as soon as I finish. If anyone in the ATL area preferably a bit north of the A wants to meet anywhere like at a Starbucks or something we could talk and admire each other's cars haha mines Asphalt M/T. Still stock but not for TOO much longer.

[Ahernandez0909]

I also heard about buying a K&N air filter. Anybody know what kind of change that'll make?

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by Ahernandez0909

Awesome. I'm definitely gonna get a CAI first just because of it's affordability. Would anyone like to link me a cheap/good true CAI? Also, this weekend I will be painting my brake calipers with G2 Caliper paint. I will post pictures as soon as I finish. If anyone in the ATL area preferably a bit north of the A wants to meet anywhere like at a Starbucks or something we could talk and admire each other's cars haha mines Asphalt M/T. Still stock but not for TOO much longer.

You're going about this the wrong way.

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by Ahernandez0909

I also heard about buying a K&N air filter. Anybody know what kind of change that'll make?

Not very much. None of the intakes are making many gains on true dynos without a proper tune. Drop in filters with tubes were producing similar gains to $300 intakes, untuned.

I haven't seen any dynos of the True CAI's when the front bumper mounted filters, stock or tuned.

I went with Perrin's True CAI because of where I live. 100+ degree heat in the summer + engine heat is not where I want me filter to be under the hood. Call it personal preference.

FA20club and Vigilant have some good systems too. You really can't go wrong with many of the intakes, but tunes increase their performance.

[suffelch]

OP spend a few months on this site before you start spending. Sounds like you are just starting to learn about modifying cars. Make sure you know what you want. You already committed 25k of your earnings to the new car.