So I've had the car for 2 months now and I have clocked 1150 miles on top of whatever it had. Now I'm considering modding it. Just a side note, I'm not looking for any crazy high hp numbers or anything. I simply want a bit of a kick from my car for under 500-750 dollars and prevent any damage to my already ****ty epa. Now what I was looking at was:


K&N intake or AEM intake or ETS intake or AMS intake


I can feel the power fade out past 6000 rpm, and I read that it is normal and is caused by the stock wastegate. Will the intake address this issue or not? Plus, I've also read that unless I'm running 500+ hp, there's no point in putting in a CAI and that I would be better off with a drop in filter. I know this has been addressed previously but it seems like nobody got a straight forward answer.

Side note: I know CAI aren't friendly with the MRs but I'm pretty sure I've seen people install CAIs on MR's with no crazy modifications to their cars (see here)

 

speaking of no need for any heavy modifications...

 

just got my buddy's MR tuned today at JMS racing in San Antonio. With a full turbo back, ETS upper pipe and Intake, DW65C Fuel Pump and Grimmspeed BC it made 315hp to the wheels. About a 65 HP gain from fully stock.

 

There are no legit cold air intakes for MRs, because of the SST cooler on the driver side. your not going to get much power for less than $750.

 

I'm not necessarily looking for crazy numbers. But what would be the most gains I can acquire if I get an intake system and a boost controller along with a tune from a shop like RRE?

 

I found a wastegate on Amazon (here) and I was wondering if its the real deal, and if not, which merchants should I get it from?

 

Forget the intake, My 08 MR made over 300 whp with just a tune. $300 that's it. Already had a perrin drop in filter. Start there or go with exhaust first.

 

I don't like the Forge piston-type WGA design. IMO, the traditional spring & diaphragm design is superior. At least with the IX actuators, Forge laid an egg with that piston-style actuator. A lot of guys had problems with boost control as a result of that design on the IX turbo.

I installed and adjusted a Forced Performance 18# actuator onto a guy's X that lives down in your area. It really improved the midrange reponse on that car. I would advise the FP piece if you are going to do an actuator. The stock unit is pretty wimpy.

Preload adjustment was pretty easy with the FP HD 18# IX WGA. If you decide to get one, just shoot me a PM and I'll explain how best to do that since there are a couple tricks that are useful.

 

I'm sure it's possible to squeeze that sort of power out without a problem, yet would it be healthy for the car?

 

Ill do some research on it. I read your signature and noticed that you're running the same wga. You mentioned that you get better mid range response, but how about power leak past 6000? Is there any noticeable boost drops?

 

Be mindful that the K&N filter doesn't filter that well. Are you sure that is good for you engine?

 

Thanks for the heads up, I wasn't aware of that. If I change the filter, will I get the same sort of power?

 

Where is this from?

 

I did some research and apparently K&N filters can cause minor problems here and there. Majority of problems are cause by the owner due to excessive oiling and not cleaning it in time. So it really depends on the driver