Some advice please

[Enki]

Had my gsx for close to a year now and I'm finally getting the time and money I need to start modding. I think I've about finalized the list of parts I want and was hoping you all could look over it and tell me if I missed anything. I'm going to be doing these in "stages" so I listed them like that.

1
-
boost gauge
egt gauge
transmission temp gauge
HKS type-1 turbo timer

2
-
BPR6ES plugs
magnecore wires
filter
SBR mbc
dave brode UICP (does he still make these?)
dejontool LICP
1g bov

3
-
front/rear upper strut bars
front lower strut bar
RM Racing front/rear sway bars

4
-
translab shift kit
IPT end clutch kit
IPT transmission cooler

5
-
ported SBR manifold
ported O2 housing
3" downpipe
3" cat
3" thermal r&d cat-back

6
-
intercooler

7
-
dsmlink
190lph fuel pump
550cc injectors
Big T28 Killer


a few questions:
1. What brand downpipe?
2. What brand strut bars?
3. Any other gauges I need?
4. Would an upgraded SMIC (dejontool?) be enough or would I need a FMIC?
5. Can anyone give a rough estimate of what hp and 1/4 I'll run with this setup and a good tune?


There would be springs/shocks in there but I live in the mountains of Southeast Kentucky and this area isn't very friendly to lowered cars .

Thanks for the help

 

[doug]

Looks like a good plan, especially the tranny mods in Stage 4 being early enough in the modding cycle.

1) Doesn't matter much-- Apexi N1 is good, RnR Racing is good but you might be waiting a while, Punishment Racing is supposedly good but I haven't used them.
2) Doesn't matter. RRE's looks good and I've heard good things from owners of it, but it really doesn't matter much.
3) Not really.
4) You could get by on an upgraded SMIC but I'd recommend FMIC just in case you go with a bigger turbo later. You may swear up and down that you don't want to now, but just wait...
5) Hard to say-- there are so many variables involved. I might guess 250-275 WHP, maybe more depending on how good a tuner you are. The combination of A/T and AWD really soaks up some ponies.

 

[kraka]

DONT NEED:
Trans Temp gauge, transmission parts(not right away),

Notes:
Need exhaust parts earlier,intercooler (front mount) comes later (usually after fuel, tuning), instead of the SBR manifold you can just port the stocker, for a t28 price you can get a t3/t4 50 trim, with DSMLInk you can use bigger injectors than 550's...

your questions:
1. downpipes - megan racing, apexi N1, look around ebay and DSM online part shops
3. gauges - some people use air/fuel ratio but the only really accurate ones are wideband
4. Dont bother with a new SMIC, just save up for a front mount
5. estimate - you could run 13's and high 12's well on this setup, if you upgraded injectors and fuel pump/afpr plus tuning for those you could hit 12's with no trouble

 

[Enki]

Thanks for the feedback. Now I have some more questions.

4) You could get by on an upgraded SMIC but I'd recommend FMIC just in case you go with a bigger turbo later. You may swear up and down that you don't want to now, but just wait...

intercooler (front mount) comes later (usually after fuel, tuning),

So i should switch 6 and 7 and save up for a fmic? Should i still get the upper and lower IC pipes in stage 2 or just wait til i get the front mount?

DONT NEED:
Trans Temp gauge, transmission parts(not right away),

I need the temp gauge and larger cooler so that i'm sure not to burn out my transmission while brake-torqueing. The shift and end clutch kits are pretty cheap and will hopefully help lessen the gap between AT and MT.

if you upgraded injectors and fuel pump/afpr plus tuning for those you could hit 12's with no trouble

Would rewiring the 190 pump and getting 650s be good? Would i still need an AFPR?

for a t28 price you can get a t3/t4 50 trim

I'm pretty sure a 50 trim is a bit bigger than what i want. I don't really plan on trying to get over 350hp and t28 killers max out at around 380 don't they?


Now a few more questions I thought up:

1. Is there any difference between front and rear strut bars? Can I just buy 2 of the same thing?
2. Thinking about getting Autometer Cobalt gauges. Anyone know if these are decent quality?
3. Are VRS downpipes good quality?
4. How much difference is there between 264/264 and 264/272 cams? Saw a dyno graph comparing them and the 264/272s made 1 more hp and looked shifted over a tiny bit.

I'm thinking about adding an 8th stage and switching to msd wires

8
-
hard intake pipe
264/264 or 264/272 cams
wideband
high stall torque converter

don't really have the money for the parts in 8 right now but i might by the time i actually get to them.


That's all for now. Thanks again for the help and sorry for all the newb questions.


Edit: Forgot to mention that this is my daily driver and won't be seeing a track very often.

 

[doug]

I would not get a 50-trim for an A/T daily driver.

 

[Enki]

So....anyone want to help with the 2nd set of questions? Would really appreciate it...

 

[doug]

Front and rear strut bars are not the same-- the brackets on the end are different.

I would suggest a pair of 264s for cams-- a 1-2HP difference isn't enough to justify a shift in the powerband in an A/T, in my opinion.

Many people like AutoMeter gauges, some don't. I personally am not a big fan. Other brands to consider are Isspro and Defi.

 

[RBurroughs]

Oil pressure gauge can be VERY helpful. A few times its saved my engine, blown o-ring twice and oil line leak, i noticed the oil dropping quick enough to turn my car off....