Best Upgrade path for fun daily driver?
To OP:
Fuel pump - not needed on stock turbo with gasoline fuel
UICP - Proven to make power
LICP - No real gains on the X
02DP - limited results until you have upgraded the turbo
Panel filter - good investment (I know you already have a cone, that's fine)
Inlet hose/tube - limited results, not a great bang for the buck
Cams - not a great bang for the buck, definitely consider once you have upgraded the turbo
Injectors - not really needed for stock turbo on gasoline
3" exhaust - proven to make power
Hi flow cat - proven to make power (I use and recommed the MilSpec 100 Cell)
Pro Tune - Excellent, best bang for buck BY FAR
Meth/H2O - Good bang for buck but complicated and requires extra maintenance and chemicals
E85 - Good power increases but requires upgraded fuel pump, injectors, and access to E85!
FMIC - limited gains on stock turbo
I formed these opinions based on hours of research and examination of dyno graphs on this and other forums. Talk to some tuners and get their recommendations.
Just do your homework and you will be fine!
Fuel pump - not needed on stock turbo with gasoline fuel
UICP - Proven to make power
LICP - No real gains on the X
02DP - limited results until you have upgraded the turbo
Panel filter - good investment (I know you already have a cone, that's fine)
Inlet hose/tube - limited results, not a great bang for the buck
Cams - not a great bang for the buck, definitely consider once you have upgraded the turbo
Injectors - not really needed for stock turbo on gasoline
3" exhaust - proven to make power
Hi flow cat - proven to make power (I use and recommed the MilSpec 100 Cell)
Pro Tune - Excellent, best bang for buck BY FAR
Meth/H2O - Good bang for buck but complicated and requires extra maintenance and chemicals
E85 - Good power increases but requires upgraded fuel pump, injectors, and access to E85!
FMIC - limited gains on stock turbo
I formed these opinions based on hours of research and examination of dyno graphs on this and other forums. Talk to some tuners and get their recommendations.
Just do your homework and you will be fine!
If you want more power as far as intercooler piping is concerned. It is the other way around. You wont get to much from the UICP, it the LICP that will provide more gain. Not the other way around. AMS, Buschur, ETS will tell you the same. Fuel pump is always good to have. More fuel, more power.
TBE does NOT necessarily mean loud exhaust. I have a buschur tbe with hfc, and it is not by any means very loud. It is not loud during cruise, but if i get on it, yes you can hear it.
TBE does NOT necessarily mean loud exhaust. I have a buschur tbe with hfc, and it is not by any means very loud. It is not loud during cruise, but if i get on it, yes you can hear it.
If you want more power as far as intercooler piping is concerned. It is the other way around. You wont get to much from the UICP, it the LICP that will provide more gain. Not the other way around. AMS, Buschur, ETS will tell you the same. Fuel pump is always good to have. More fuel, more power.
Additionally, if I look at Buschur's site, they have dyno results from UICP but none even posted from LICP, which to me implies that only the UICP improves HP.
TBE does NOT necessarily mean loud exhaust. I have a buschur tbe with hfc, and it is not by any means very loud. It is not loud during cruise, but if i get on it, yes you can hear it.
Evolving Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 246
Likes: 1
From: victoria, bc
Well now I'm confused. A few people in this thread recommended UICP over LICP. I did a few quick searches and found a lot of other people saying the same thing. Do you have any links to any dynos or papers confirming what you say?
Additionally, if I look at Buschur's site, they have dyno results from UICP but none even posted from LICP, which to me implies that only the UICP improves HP.
Which Buschur exhaust? I only see catbacks on their site, not TBEs. Which cat do you have? Which downpipe?
Additionally, if I look at Buschur's site, they have dyno results from UICP but none even posted from LICP, which to me implies that only the UICP improves HP.
Which Buschur exhaust? I only see catbacks on their site, not TBEs. Which cat do you have? Which downpipe?
Check my sig. That's a pretty good route. Just get a high flow cat instead of a test pipe, and you can get the ams dual exit instead of single tip even though the single tip isn't even that loud until you really get on it.
Make a day trip of it. Leave in the morning. Drop the car off at Buschur and grab lunch. Come back and you'll have a completely different car. You could make a day trip and head into Cleveland (only an hour away) for dinner and go out and party that night on W. 6th or E. 9th. Get a hotel room at the Marriott downtown. Then head home the next morning. Or, don't head into Cleveland and just go straight home. You would be home by dinner time
koach, you want value for money, right? Get a Cobb AP and flash your car with the off the shelf (OTS) Stage 1 map. Immediately you will have ~30 / 40 more hp and your car will be so smooth and fun to drive you will grin ear to ear. After a while get a full turbo back exhaust, which should include the AMS downpipe (best out there IMO), a high flow cat (better for the environment) and a cat-back exhaust. At that point you will flash the Stage 2 map and your smile will grow even bigger. You should be around ~300 wheel horsepower then. After that, or maybe simultaneously, you can add a new Walbro fuelpump and DW800cc fuel injectors (or maybe DW1000cc injectors if Cobb has new maps available by then) and then use E85 gas. That is another nice bump in hp. All of this can be accomplished in the comfort of your own garage if you have some mechanical ability. Lastly, I would steer clear of intakes if you go this route.
koach, you want value for money, right? Get a Cobb AP and flash your car with the off the shelf (OTS) Stage 1 map. Immediately you will have ~30 / 40 more hp and your car will be so smooth and fun to drive you will grin ear to ear. After a while get a full turbo back exhaust, which should include the AMS downpipe (best out there IMO), a high flow cat (better for the environment) and a cat-back exhaust. At that point you will flash the Stage 2 map and your smile will grow even bigger. You should be around ~300 wheel horsepower then. After that, or maybe simultaneously, you can add a new Walbro fuelpump and DW800cc fuel injectors (or maybe DW1000cc injectors if Cobb has new maps available by then) and then use E85 gas. That is another nice bump in hp. All of this can be accomplished in the comfort of your own garage if you have some mechanical ability. Lastly, I would steer clear of intakes if you go this route.
I don't know why being near the tuner would be necessary. I've never had to have my tune messed with since it was done--that's the benefit of going to a pro in the first place.