I've been looking for an upgrade that can fit my pocketbook and I want to make sure, after I get a part, that I can afford to have it installed/kept up. I'm quite a noob at this so I'm just looking for any corrections/suggestions.

Springs: If I purchase springs, I understand the install, if done yourself is very tough, and once installed, an alignment is recomended. Will these cause stock shocks to lose life?

ECU (edit: or piggyback): After the purchase I still need it flashed, which sounds pricey (although I haven't been able to find much info on this process through searching)

Header: I can buy a bolt on header which is only a moderatly hard install from what I understand, and once it's on there, there's really no upkeep (except for worrying about passing inspection).

I'm leaning towards purchasing the header. Will it give me noticable more power? I have a CIA and an axleback exhaust. Will I have to buy a highflow cat and larger pipes back to the muffler to notice any difference?

Thanks for any input or advice

 

Springs: Yes they do cause your shocks to lose life. Your shocks will have about 1 -1.5 years on them after you install the springs but OEM shocks are very cheap to replace from car-parts.com

ECU: Is a custom mailin tune to your car. It is a new product so not many people have it but it should be a more aggressive tune than the piggyback.

Header: Get an emissions test done before you get it, and you're good for two years. It is an easy install not a hard one, with the exception of the lower left nut. Do the rope trick and you'll be fine. The header will give you a better top end on the highway and above 5k+ rpms. You will not have to get a HFC or larger pipes, you should be fine, you want some backpressure.

Need anything else, pm me.

 

i'd go with the header and then the ECU (that way the ECU is actually tuned for something other than stock)

if you want to do your ECU i'll sell you mine for cheap so you won't be out of comission while they flash your computer. i paid $175 for it from a scrap yard but i will let it go for cheaper than that.