Aside from intake/exhaust, what other ways can I increase hp/torque in a cost-efficient way? Or what would be the best way to steadily climb to the "next level?" Thanks for your help in advance!

 

fc3spro.com got to the "mild to wild" section.

 

n/a or turbo car?

N/A- cheapest way is to go turbo, as intake and exhaust will yield very little.

Turbo- intake/exhaust, but you will have to port the wastegate, bigger fuel pump, and really should do some kind of management and injectors.

Search!

 

Hey, thanks for your help. What about this, I only want to put another $500 - $1000, what should I do to my N/A?

 

Nate, when you say go turbo, are you saying add the turbo to the current engine or convert to a turbo motor? Thanks

 

With the N/A, just get a nice exhaust, suspension then possibly someway to tune the engine. Keep the 5th/6th ports functional. Call it a day... Enjoy the car, I would highly recommend a good suspension before anything else. It's more fun driving curvy roads than going in a straight line fast. You would be surprised at what a good driver in an FC is capable of, regardless of TII or N/A.

Otherwise a TII engine would be the next option.

 

Racing Beat exhaust. The cat-back exhaust is probably the best option if the car needs to stay street legal in CA. You can buy it from Racing Beat or Mazdatrix, both of which are very close to your location.
http://www.racingbeat.com
http://www.mazdatrix.com

 

Rtek7 stage 2
tune the fuel

 

On a stock N/A, before doing any other mods? What would he get out of that?

 

So I'm asuming your n/a.

Very generally speaking:
You can piece together a n/a turbo kit for under $1000. Just do your research first...

And btw, n/a=higher compression which in turn equals more hp/pound of boost. But also means you have to be careful tuning it...

 

Wow, slow down guys, you're coming at me from all angles. I'm sorry, I'm a newbee when it comes to mechanics/performance.

I have an Apexi intake, HKS cat back, Eibach springs, and front strut bar.

I plan to get a racing beat cat back soon, not now. At the very least, is it mandatory to replace the struts just to keep up with an average performance cars on the street?

Add a turbo for approx. $1000.00, that can't be real. Are you talking about me, myself, adding and tuning it to my engine?

I appreciate the responses!

 

Yes.

Costs on the low side for turboing a n/a:

$200-Turbo II stock turbo and manifold
$50-Turbo II intake/throttle body/ throttle cable/injectors
$50-some custom exhaust work for downpipe
$125-Apexi SAFC
$100-Cheap BOV/intercooler setup
$40-used Walbro 255 pump
$100-for random small stuff like turbo oil/coolant lines, fluids, new hardware, etc.
$50-used FPR

I'd strongly suggest picking up a wideband too. As far as tuning it yourself, its wouldn't be too bad on this setup, and SAFC's are easy to use. Just do research

 

Even stock n/a's run rich. There's hp to be gained by taking some fuel out.

 

Why dont ppl understand that "you ALWAYS have to pay to play" ?

 

Those are some pretty modest numbers from what I've seen, but I suppose a deal could be had. I'd invest in some larger injectors to.
You can buy a full t2 power train for I'd say a bit more and it would be completely functional, near plug and play.

As for sticking with NA. You're not going to gain much more power out of getting an RB exhaust as you already have an HKS cat back. Make a cold air box for your cone filter as it's sucking up most of your bay's hot air (There are some DIY threads around). An SAFC would most likely be helpful too but you may need use of a wideband also if you were to get one.

 

wow, sounds complicated (Nate) but you didn't add the labor costs. That could run anywhere from $500 - $1000 in labor. I know you have to pay to play, let's just say I want to play a little. Thanks guys!

 

Is it that you don't know how to do it yourself or you don't have the time/motivation? I'm starting my build after exams and I've never picked up a wrench in my life.

 

Keep in mind these cars are over 20 years old. Those struts sure haven't got any better in that time. More than likely you will benefit from replacing them.

Brands/Models to look at:
Non-Adjustable:
-Tokico HP
-KYB GR2
Adjustable:
-Tokico Illumina
-KYB AGX
-Koni Sport Yellow

I have a friend who use d to own an S5 NA. He had an intake, full exhaust, and suspension work. The car was great to drive. Very well balanced. But seeing you live in the 626 like me, you might want to stay away from headers since cops around here don't like them as much as we do.

 

But....

Turbo n/a has higher compression, and can get a FC into the 12's on the stock turbo. That'd be quite hard on a TII keg.

But obviously there's pro's and con's of both.

 

pineapple racing 5&6th port sleeve inserts

 

You don't have a header on your n/a ? you are missing out lol

My S5 with a racing beat header and catback could easily keep up with my friends wrx with a 3 catback, Also could spank my buddies 08 civic Si anyday on the highway

it also ran 15.7 @ 93 MPH with a 2.6 60'

Turboing the n/a is easy Very easy, just get something that can control timing like an Emanage blue (timing and fuel works really well) usually very cheap used around the cost of an Safc

You will need a new clutch if you go turbo no 2 ways about it, but then you can go on to spank 10' evos on the highway no problems lmfao

 

Yes I agree, but i'd say the labor (judging by OP's attitude to DIY work) far outweighs the benefits in this situation.

 

Actually, I'm in the process of obtaining a presilencer/header. My catalytic converter needs to be replaced. Currently doing research, I'm not sure whether this is legal in California. Unless someone knows if this is ok, please let me know. I'm getting mixed messages from other people.

What is a Safc? What about the stage 3 O2 combo? Rtek? Don't know the difference between ECU/EMS? Maybe I should start another thread.

Seriously, how easy is it to go turbo? Can I pay someone to do it for me, completely? How much do you think it will cost?

 

in california, for exhaust modifications to be legal, it has to be below 95db and you cannot modify emissions equipment.

so pretty much all you can do legally is a quiet catback. but even then, cops can still harass you, depending on where you are.

 

Gotta learn somewhere.

SAFC is Apex'i's Super Air Fuel Controller, a piggy back ems. ECU - Electronic control unit. EMS - Engine management system. Same thing, both refer to the computer on board that controls your car's functions. Rtek is a stock ecu upgrade chip that has the functionality of a piggy back system (http://pocketlogger.com/index.php?pid=rtek7).
You can pay $1500 for a complete t2 swap (+/- $100 depending on this and that) and labor may not be that bad, couldn't really give you an estimate, but it is a pretty straight forward swap (electrical might be a pain).