I've looked for some threads on these kits and didn't find any that said "I have it and I love it or hate it so I want to ask the question...does anyone own one of the STX400/500 kits and what do you think? Worth the $ , was the power worth the kit and did you feel a huge difference over the COBB stage 3? I'm stationed in Germany and there aren't any legit tuners that I know of here that work on Evo's, mainly BMW's and Audi's and some other euro cars but not Evo's. So with that said this kit if worth it would be perfect since it comes with a safe and supposed powerful tune. I know the tune won't be real aggressive due to it not being a pro sitting in the car but it will be good until I can get back to the states and get one.

Thanks

All depends on your power goals and what you want to do with the car. Will it be your daily?
By the kits you listed above, it looks like you're not wanting a monster hp car. Some people are not fond of the STX kits because its cut and dry and here is what you're getting. To explain, you can get the power level from the STX kit cheaper and with the parts you want. The STX 500 comes with a GTX3076 *I personally love, people rather pick their own turbo.

AMS knows what their doing and they have pulled most of their research from Ryan Gates track car. The tune is pretty solid and I feel you would be happy with it. I agree though, it would be better to have a tuner sit in the car and do it. Every car is different, so like you said maybe have that done when you're back in the states.

I hope this helped some, let me know if I could be of more assistance.

I got that package from AMS, now If I would had the chance to do it again I would go with a different turbo. The Garrett GTX3076r pulls amazing, I'm making 430whp/360trq on a mustang dyno,on a conservative tune. The only thing that I hate about the Garrett is that, lets say I'm cruising on the highway at around 70mph I get a little surge coming from the Garrett, my wife calls it the hiccups. There is lots of choices out there from FPred, Blouch 3.0 efr etc. So due your homework before dropping your hard earn cash.

Yo thank you that helps a ton and your right, I'm not looking to be a drag king, I'm actually more interested in Auto X so a lot of power is not really conducive to my goals but I do want to be able to hammer down and get some every now and again! Thanks again for the response.

How do you have your BOV set up, recirc or vent to atmosphere? I have the COBB BOV that lets out 30% to atmosphere and I get those hiccups when I'm in between speeds. Cruising in 5th about 82 mph and hit the cruise control it hiccups everytime, and that's on stock turbo so it might not be your turbo but I don't know your setup.


So your pretty satisfied with the STX500 kit though?


Thanks for the response

My pleasure dude. I would contact AMS and just shoot over to them any questions you may have about the kit and the tune. You won't be disappointed. I think the GTX3076 would be perfect if you plan to auto x, once again I'm biased

The tune may be conservative but it's for reliability and longevity of your car. I did so much research on AMS and ETS before purchasing my Evo and what route I wanted to go. Both are great companies but I went with AMS and have all their products on my car minus exhaust. I wanted a dual tip. AMS has been in the Evo scene a long time and as I have stated, they have done extensive testing and research with their products before releasing them to the public. I'm sure most companies do but they have tested their kits in every scenario and how to tune accordingly. Anyways I'm rambling. Haha

CBRD makes turbo kit very similar to the STX500 but with a BorgWarner EFR turbo. I'm personally leaning towards such a set up, as I'm never a fan of the new Garrett (see Garrett Turbos...The end of a quality product).

That said, AMS's STX500 is perhaps the most reliable thing out there, simply because it has been around longer and many people have it. AMS has been doing research for a long time before the release and with many people trying it, AMS is able to fix all known problems in all kinds of situations.

The 4B11T can handle up to 400 ft-lbs of torque stock, but a turbo upgrade on a stock block is still a risky pursuit and requires an exquisite tune. While not sexy to show off to your forum "friends," a tried-and-true package that many Evo owners use (and an experienced tuner) is the most logical thing to go for.

Just a note, Garrett is Honeywell Turbo, the largest turbo manufacturer in the world. You know, the guys who supply the turbos for all the twin turbo V8s in BMWs (5-series, M5/M6), Ecoboost Mustang and Focus RS, a whole lot of those Caterpillar and John Deere heavy machinery, the winning car of the 24 Hr of LeMans for more than a decade, every WRC car, all the Global Rally Cross cars, etc etc.

I've heard of magnitudes more EFRs blowing up than Garretts. BW has seemed to have solved their issue of turbine wheels falling off the EFRs now, aside from the 80mm turbine wheel. Anyway, carry on.

The Cobb solution is in my opinion the best option for someone who needs an off the shelf solution. The AMS options are better but there is a very significant brand name tax on the pricing for either. If you were me you'd buy the Cobb stage 3 and hold off on replacing the turbo or going for anything more extreme like that until you have access to proper tuning.

I have the STX 300 on my wife's car and the tune is perfect. The car went 12.8 @105 which is not bad for a fully loaded full weight car with just a tune. I have all the parts in the garage to upgrade to the STX 400 and I can let you know how it feels next weekend.

You have the STX500? Do you think it's the turbo or an exhaust issue causing the "hiccups"?

Has the issue improved? Anything else you can share abou your experience with the kit would be much appreciated.