Decided to mod, now what??

[Howler5.O]

New member here but I’ve been “creeping” for the last couple months, trying to learn as much as I could before I started asking questions. Last November I picked up a used 2015 GT Premium with about 18K miles. Since then I’ve been contemplating the big question, to mod before the warranty ends or not. I’ve decided to mod!
Currently the car is my DD so right now the goal is more HP but also trying to keep good drivability (especially on long road trips) and avoid costly maintenance. As much as I would love to throw a supercharger (best bang) on the car, I don’t think it would fit my current needs or wallet (on top of supporting mods) but it may be something I consider in the future. That said, I want to start off with a NA route but I’m undecided on the correct path.

Option 1:
PMAS
Stainless Works, Catted (installed)
Borla Touring Catback
Lund 91 Tune

I know this option leaves a few ponies on the table by using a catted header and 2.5” exhaust but I would like to keep exhaust noise down if possible.

Option 2:
OPG/Crank Sprocket (installed)
GT350 IM (installed)
PMAS
Lund 91 Tune

Both options would require additional funds for installation even though I have some mechanical experience, it’s not something I want to take on myself.

Essentially, either option can be done first and it leaves the door open for forced induction but which option would provide the best drivability and still increase horsepower?
Does anyone have any experience of what performance gains should be expected with either scenario? From what I’ve read, option 1 should put performance in the low end of a 12 second 1/4.
Does anyone have any experience with having a GT350 IM without exhaust? Are there any benefits to this setup (option 2)?

I wish I could dedicate all my savings and do both but I am limited to one option for now. My goal is to complete both but that timeframe is unknown.

Any thought would be greatly appreciated!

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[The Yote]

New member here but I’ve been “creeping” for the last couple months, trying to learn as much as I could before I started asking questions. Last November I picked up a used 2015 GT Premium with about 18K miles. Since then I’ve been contemplating the big question, to mod before the warranty ends or not. I’ve decided to mod!
Currently the car is my DD so right now the goal is more HP but also trying to keep good drivability (especially on long road trips) and avoid costly maintenance. As much as I would love to throw a supercharger (best bang) on the car, I don’t think it would fit my current needs or wallet (on top of supporting mods) but it may be something I consider in the future. That said, I want to start off with a NA route but I’m undecided on the correct path.

Option 1:
PMAS
Stainless Works, Catted (installed)
Borla Touring Catback
Lund 91 Tune

I know this option leaves a few ponies on the table by using a catted header and 2.5” exhaust but I would like to keep exhaust noise down if possible.

Option 2:
OPG/Crank Sprocket (installed)
GT350 IM (installed)
PMAS
Lund 91 Tune

Both options would require additional funds for installation even though I have some mechanical experience, it’s not something I want to take on myself.

Essentially, either option can be done first and it leaves the door open for forced induction but which option would provide the best drivability and still increase horsepower?
Does anyone have any experience of what performance gains should be expected with either scenario? From what I’ve read, option 1 should put performance in the low end of a 12 second 1/4.
Does anyone have any experience with having a GT350 IM without exhaust? Are there any benefits to this setup (option 2)?

I wish I could dedicate all my savings and do both but I am limited to one option for now. My goal is to complete both but that timeframe is unknown.

Any thought would be greatly appreciated!

Hello and welcome!

Maybe I could help you out here but first I want to insure you that this is my opinion only. This is your car and you can mod it how you like.

When I did my gt350 intake manifold, it was installed without full exhaust, I must say the car gained a good amount of power up top and pulled all the way to 8k rpm.
That being said if I had to do it all over again I probably would have done headers first...
Here's my reason, your gains with the gt350 manifold are big up top, but not so much down low, so unless you spend a lot of time in the 6k-8k rpm range you should probably do this second.
With headers you gain hp throughout the powerband AND torque. This will give you a much better "seat of the pants" feel for daily driving considering where you gain the power. Trust me I loved the gt350 manifold setup, but I just loved the headers way more when they were put on, another plus is the sound you get from them .

If you decide to go gt350 setup, I do not think you need to do opg and crank sprocket, never seen a N/a engine lose their opg's but someone else can chime in on this.

Anyways happy modding!

 

[beefcake]

just depends on your budget and what you want to spend.

tune first and foremost, without a doubt, pmas is a great intake,

and then go from there. let me know if we can help at all!

 

[jtb4431]

tune first and foremost, without a doubt, pmas is a great intake,

I second this. I got mine February 2016 and installed the Corsa Sport Catback (goOD price from [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION]), as well as cosmetic stuff like painted my calipers (easy and super cheap, plus they look great), installed the premium package leather seats covers from newtakeoff.com, and recently did full length stripes..
This week I got my first tune and if I could start all over I would have done my tune within a month of getting my car. Best bang for your buck mod and a logical starting place!

 

[Howler5.O]

Hello and welcome!

Maybe I could help you out here but first I want to insure you that this is my opinion only. This is your car and you can mod it how you like.

When I did my gt350 intake manifold, it was installed without full exhaust, I must say the car gained a good amount of power up top and pulled all the way to 8k rpm.
That being said if I had to do it all over again I probably would have done headers first...
Here's my reason, your gains with the gt350 manifold are big up top, but not so much down low, so unless you spend a lot of time in the 6k-8k rpm range you should probably do this second.
With headers you gain hp throughout the powerband AND torque. This will give you a much better "seat of the pants" feel for daily driving considering where you gain the power. Trust me I loved the gt350 manifold setup, but I just loved the headers way more when they were put on, another plus is the sound you get from them ��.

If you decide to go gt350 setup, I do not think you need to do opg and crank sprocket, never seen a N/a engine lose their opg's but someone else can chime in on this.

Anyways happy modding!

Your experience is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm definitely leaning towards full exhaust, cai and tune. I'm interested in hearing opinions about the OPG with the manifold. If I don't need them then I could probably do the gt350 IM much sooner. I understand like anything else it's probably good insurance but what are the chances?

 

[Howler5.O]

I second this. I got mine February 2016 and installed the Corsa Sport Catback (goOD price from [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION]), as well as cosmetic stuff like painted my calipers (easy and super cheap, plus they look great), installed the premium package leather seats covers from newtakeoff.com, and recently did full length stripes..
This week I got my first tune and if I could start all over I would have done my tune within a month of getting my car. Best bang for your buck mod and a logical starting place!

Thanks! I'm looking forward to waking the car up with a tune! My budget is going to allow me to do a full exhaust and cai as well. I can't imagine the difference it will make but I know it's going to be fun. I'll have to give [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] a call.

As far as visual mods I'm keeping it simple. I just ordered 20x10 GT350 wheels and I have a full set of UPR blackout badges ready to be installed.

 

[Chris@Lethal]

Regardless what route you choose to go, the tune is going to be the best bump in power for the price and if there is e85 available near you I would recommend going with a Flex Fuel Tune from Lund Racing. Give me a shout at 561-753-8105. We will have a sweet deal on Lund Racing nGauges and nGauge and PMAS Intake packages on Thursday and Friday of this week ONLY.

 

[beefcake]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to waking the car up with a tune! My budget is going to allow me to do a full exhaust and cai as well. I can't imagine the difference it will make but I know it's going to be fun. I'll have to give [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] a call.

As far as visual mods I'm keeping it simple. I just ordered 20x10 GT350 wheels and I have a full set of UPR blackout badges ready to be installed.

 

[Howler5.O]

Regardless what route you choose to go, the tune is going to be the best bump in power for the price and if there is e85 available near you I would recommend going with a Flex Fuel Tune from Lund Racing. Give me a shout at 561-753-8105. We will have a sweet deal on Lund Racing nGauges and nGauge and PMAS Intake packages on Thursday and Friday of this week ONLY.

My understanding of the flex fuel tune is that it automatically detects the change in fuel, is that correct? Unfortunately I don't have E85 near me but it is available near the track I would go to. It would be nice to have that option for track days.

Thanks

 

[Bluemustang]

My understanding of the flex fuel tune is that it automatically detects the change in fuel, is that correct? Unfortunately I don't have E85 near me but it is available near the track I would go to. It would be nice to have that option for track days.

Thanks

Yes it does. It will take about 10 minutes for the car to adjust to it so do not go WOT until it has fully adapted. You can watch your AFR go down as you drive. If you go WOT before it adjusts you could lean out, so just drive normally until it has done its thing.

It will also adjust to a mixture of fuels. So, if you have some regular gasoline still left in there that is fine. Sometimes I do 50-50 if I'm being too lazy. I can feel the power increase even with that. I assume you'll get max timing well before your ethanol percentage hits 85% anyway.

 

[Meraki Autoworks]

Exhaust first in our opinion. v8 noise!

Contact us for pricing!

-Josh

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