What should be done first for the best preformance? Upgrading intercooler system and adding an intake or upgrading the exhaust? Both obviously be done with a ECU tune as well.

 

Best bang for the buck is definitely exhaust with the tune of those options. Intercoolers don't add much power on their own and are expensive.

 

exhaust

 

A tune should be first, regardless of where you decide to take the mod bug. Not sure about the '11 x's but on the '08s they ran pig rich an help lean them out. I would then go to exhaust. reason this way, it is fixing to be winter soon, unless you live in a hot as hell area all the time, heatsoak wont be an issue. eventually a FMIC and Intake. You should probably look at the UICP. factory is a rubber hose and flexes under pressure. but if your strapped for cash, do one piece at a time. a fairly reasonable upgrade is replace your panel filter with a K&n one. if you want a tune there are 2 ways: Cobb AP, or get a Dyno/Road tune. before the FLAME monsters get on here. Please use search there is alot of usefull info that is helpfull to all stages of a build. enjoy what ever you decide, happy modding.

 

thanks for the input, I was probably looking at going with Cobb exhaust (if I can find the dual oval tips not the stupid quad tip ones) w/ the Cobb AP and either an AMS or ETS intake.

 

Best bang for the buck on an '11 is probably the test pipe. Here's what I've gathered as a good way to go:

1. new fuel pump relay
2. test pipe
3. intake
4. intercooler and UICP
5. cat-back
6. EBCS & tune

...Eventually get bored, Fuel pump, injectors, FP Red, E-85. With a question mark on O2 elim downpipe at the time of turbo replacement.

 

I luv my cobb ap.. I would recommend that first. Im running stage 2 right now with aem intake and tbe and its pushin 25lbs of boost and about 348whp (as calculated by the accessport). Not too shabby!

 

turboback exhaust, intake, bigger pump and injectors, ic piping, and cams and tune on e85. this was one of the first things i did with my evo, you'll probably hit about 400whp

 

exhaust intake injectors piping cams maybe speed density tune e85

 

Biggest performance impact, promise, Skip Barber or some other driving school...

 

If you consistently plan on tracking/autocrossing, sure. Plus the education and learning better driving habits, yeah. But for the daily street/highway driving I'd rather put the money into mods you get to enjoy every day. Making it to a track or an autocross event is a luxury with wife/kid/career/family. So the right answer, as any consultant will tell you, is "it depends."

 

Right, track use and it is almost mandatory. I'd offer though that the skills you develop through professional driving make you a faster driver anywhere, street or track.

 

I would love to see proof of this power with those mods. I have seen evos with cams, etc..... and not make that power.

 

I honestly don't think he's at a true 348, because like he said, that is the "AP dyno"... but X's can do that pretty easily.

 

Don't listen to this. This is a good route for a 8/9, but not the X. Exhaust and intake are always a good start, but the fuel pump and injectors are decent on the X. You won't need new ones for a while. Same thing with cams. X's don't need cams for a while either.