I'm at a point with my '06 Evo 9 MR where if I want more power, I'm going to have to drop A LOT of money. No more $100 upgrades to get 10+ hp. My car now is dual tuned E85 with 1650cc injectors and a Walbro 255 pump, 3" Greddy exhaust, ported Invidia o2 housing/exhaust/intake manifold, Buschur Racing 65mm Throttle Body, BBK Full turbo, Turbosmart internal wastegate actuator, Synchronic Synapse BOV, ETS LICP/UICP (short route), 3-port boost solenoid, and COP kit.

On pump gas I'm making about 320hp and on E85 about 406hp on a Mustang
Dyno. I'm hoping to make about 40-50 more horses. Do you guys have any
recommendations? I got a quote to upgrade my cams to 272's and the quote
came out to almost $3,000 with parts, install, and tune, which unfortunately is out of my budget--especially for just 40 more horses. The shop said that I'm not getting the most out of my turbo without a cam upgrade.
What are my options? What about a race chip? Would that boost hp numbers significantly?

I feel at this point, I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard
place if I wanna go more power. And if I'm gonna drop $3K on cam
upgrade/tune, I might as well go 2.3L upgrade. LOL! If only I had
that kind of money to burn....Any suggestions that I may not be looking at? Thanks in advance for any ideas!!!

(PS-This is for my daily driver that I track a few times a year)

 

if your on a budget you can pick up some used cams on the forums. Then install yourself. then a tune. should be a lot less then 3,000.

 

Isn't it bad to drive the car after installing cams without a tune? Or is it safe as long as I drive it slow?

 

yeah stay out of boost and get it tuned asap and youll be fine

 

That's NUTS for cams/ install and a tune!!!!!

 

I'm glad someone else said it first. Stay far far away from that shop

 

which shop in NORCAL said this..?

 

$3k seems pretty high. I had a twin disc rebuilt, shep trans installed, turbo, mani, tb, cams, springs/retainers, tune, and a few other supporting mods done at the same time. All work was done at a shop that is very reputable but not known for being cheap and it was only about $8k. (Parts and Labor)

I would get a quote from another shop. Personally I think cams would be the next best thing for you.

 

I paid $350 for installation of turbo, injector, cams and valve springs

 

cat delete and a intake kit should pick up a few ponies, but since you have to deal with the car ***** there in cali cams would be better IMO.

 

Right on! I appreciate everyone's input. Personally, I don't like sandbagging reputable car shops so I'm not going to name drop who gave me that quote. But basically they're the only tuners around me, so I don't have much choice (unless I drive back down 2 hours to my last shop in Hayward which I wasn't too pleased with their work either). The quote included Cosworth cams (over $700), valve springs and retainers ($400), ARP Head studs ($140), 7 hours of install labor, and another 3 hours to dual tune the car back on E85/pump gas. I think you guys are right. I should buy the parts myself, install them, and then drive like a grandma to the autoshop to get it tuned. It'd be much more feasible @ $1500 rather than $2700!

I just hope that at this point, I'll be satisfied with the power. I really don't want to have to go down the route of upgrading to a 2.3/2.4L down the road. But I certainly want my track days to get more fun, and I want Ferraris to come and get some and hopefully 450hp should be plenty fast. LOL! Thanks guys!!!

 

I have an Evo IX and got a new set of GSC S2 cams, beehive springs and titanium retainers, installed and tuned for about 1800 dollars. You may want to get another quote.

 

You could always sell your BBK, and buy a used FP BLK for about $400 more. Get some cams, and cruise down to LA. Get installed, tuned, go to Disney Land, and still have a grand left over from the 3 grand you got quoted on up there!

N

 

Don't wanna thread jack but what shops you guys recomend in socal?

 

Would you guys recommend I get some cam gears when I do this upgrade? Some say that you can fine tune things, and I'm wondering if they're really all worth it. Thanks for the heads up guys. I'll definitely look into other quotes!