Ok Here's the situation;
I am starting to put together a bit of a budget for some upgrades to my car to suit a couple of purposes;
1) Improved day to day driveability
2) Faster lap times around the track (Front end grip is the biggest problem here)
I want to start off with mods that apply in both situations, for that reason I am leaving out buying a set of track wheels/tyres for now as that only helps the couple of times a year that I will be tracking the car. I want 2 birds with one stone and value for money here. With preference to mods I can do at home myself.
Ill use this thread as a bit of a diary on the matter.
Here are a few that I am considering and need a bit more information on;
Can those in the know please fill in the blanks for me!
Who has done these mods, how much did it cost and what benefit did it bring?
Common Mods/comments:
Downpipe
Cost: $1000 + Installation
Benefit: 10-15whp?
Pro: Replace rubbish stock DP, remove flow restriction, faster turbo spool time
Con: a little pricey, needs to go to the shop
SRI Intake
Cost: $400
Benefit: 10-15whp?
Pro: Cheap, easy installation, base power increase
Con: not many, i'll almost certainly do this one. Tips/ installation instructions appreciated.
Intercooler upgrade
Cost: $1000
Benefit: ?? Does this give any notable power from stock or does it need to be complemented by other mods?
Pro: Can be fitted at home
Con:
ECUTEK Tune
Cost: ?? (Did I hear about a special for OZMPS members somewhere??)
Benefit: 20Whp, fatter torque curve
Pro: Driveability, removed limiters, better top end. Its ALL good
Con: None, will do this once other mods are sorted.
Track Tyres
On the backburner for now but want to gather info.
Struts/Rollbars/Braces
Will a front brace improve front end grip? Sharpening up the steering is one thing but unless the front wheels start gripping better it might be pointless.
At this stage I will almost certainly get a CS SRI and install that, then after that there is a big question about wether I am prepared to spend the money for a Downpipe installation before finishing it off with a Tune.
Sequencing of events;
Best advice is always to do your physical mods and finish it off with an electronic tune, if in my case I keep my budget down and all I do is get an SRI then a Tune. Then installing a DP or intercooler thereafter would require another tune to get maximum effect, OR can those upgrades be bolted in and still maintain the benefits of the initial tune?
My reason for going a little bit backwards with the order of things is I want the electronic tune the most, but removing flow restrictions get the most out of it and that ends up immediately doubling ones budget. What I want to do is quantify all mods and the benefits they give, with bang for buck to determine wether they are in or out.