[Abear]

...For me at least. I just ordered the JB4 and a Berk downpipe. Not really sure whats next..charge pipe? Intake? More rubber for the rear?

For you guys that already have Stage2 and a downpipe, what other mods do yall have? I would lower the car, but my wife drives it. I feel like Im gonna be really happy with this tune/downpipe combo for about month until I get used to it, lol. Has anyone run in to this problem yet? Does the mod bug ever go away or does it continue to get infect you more and more until you are broke and have no where to live but in the car, haha. It's probably worth it though.

So, who is in Houston and wants to give me a ride in their JB4 equipped beast so I know what I get to look forward to?!

[CJ421]

Congrats on the mods, those are good choices.

Suggestions:
-CDV if you have a manual transmission.
-Get rid of the RFT tires if you have them, they are trash.
-Charge pipe is a good idea if you run more than stock boost, which you will with the JB4. Maybe wait until the stock one breaks though (if it does). I've seen several people buy them as preventative measures.
-Intake = basically no performance gains w/ N55 but it sounds cool.

Maybe do an exhaust later on to enhance the already awesome sound the downpipe will produce.

[turugara]

Then you could get exotic and find a carbon roof, Vorsteiner widebody, S85B50 conversion...

But in all seriousness, what are you looking for out of your car?

If you want flashy, wheels, exhaust, and some carbon bits like lip, wings, hood, trunk etc would make your car stand out.

If you want track performance, LSD, coilovers, m3 bits, light wheels, sticky tires, brake upgrade, etc.

Let us know what you are looking to get out of your car so it'll be easier to recommend things.

[turugara]

One more thing. That CJ421 guy is a bad influence. He has helped me empty my bank account several times over.

[Abear]

Originally Posted by CJ421

Congrats on the mods, those are good choices.

Suggestions:
-CDV if you have a manual transmission.
-Get rid of the RFT tires if you have them, they are trash.-Charge pipe is a good idea if you run more than stock boost, which you will with the JB4. Maybe wait until the stock one breaks though (if it does). I've seen several people buy them as preventative measures.
-Intake = basically no performance gains w/ N55 but it sounds cool.

Maybe do an exhaust later on to enhance the already awesome sound the downpipe will produce.

I was thinking about getting rid of the runflats, but what do you guys do for long trips? What happens if you do get a flat? Do yall have a can of fix-a-flat, or do you just carry a spare in the trunk? That would really be my last option, especially for long trips, no room for luggage.

I would do an exhaust, but being that my wife drives it, I dont want to bother her with the exhaust, plus does it really add much horsepower to justify spending 700-1000? Same thing with the Intake, I want the sound, but just cant spend almost 400 on something that should add 20-30 horsepower, but only adds 10.

[Abear]

Originally Posted by turugara

Then you could get exotic and find a carbon roof, Vorsteiner widebody, S85B50 conversion...

But in all seriousness, what are you looking for out of your car?

If you want flashy, wheels, exhaust, and some carbon bits like lip, wings, hood, trunk etc would make your car stand out.

If you want track performance, LSD, coilovers, m3 bits, light wheels, sticky tires, brake upgrade, etc.

Let us know what you are looking to get out of your car so it'll be easier to recommend things.

Haha, not looking to get that exotic, although the carbon roof sounds awesome. Im more of a all go-no show type of guy. Id like to really get all the potential out the engine I could first. Sooner or later I will get the intake and exhaust, but I want to get the charge pipe, intercooler, and meth kit first. After that I will probably get some wheels and a lip spoiler or something along those lines.

The car already has the msport pack, so I like the way it looks and other than the wheel offset I like the stance. The wheels just look so straight, looks like my truck wheels. Some spacers are the future, or when I get wheels something with a bit more aggresive offset. Other than wheels and a possible front and rear spoiler, I doubt I will change the outside. Its a lease as of now, so I dont plan on going to far, but if I do and really love the car at the end of my 3 years, I may buy it. It all depends on how I feel after these next few mods, or if someone can come up with a nice bigger single option.

Thanks for all the suggestions though, keep em coming, good advice in here.

[CJ421]

The downpipe is where you get the power, a catback exhaust will add almost nothing HP/TQ-wise. Basically for sound only.
But pretty much any aftermarket exhaust you buy will make it louder, sometimes much more so. The downpipe will already make it loud. You can weld some tips on the stock exhaust to give the rear end a more aggressive look, that's relatively inexpensive.

The runflats ... I have a Slime tire repair kit w/ compressor in my trunk. Even with the runflats, you can't rely on them, I'd get a repair kit anyway. They will only let you drive in certain conditions with a flat (e.g. tire shredded = no go). Best bet is an actual spare tire. The E60 5-series donut works with the 3-series.

Intake is not worth it, IMO. Tune + DP + Meth are the three that will give you a noticeable butt-dyno increase.

Originally Posted by turugara

One more thing. That CJ421 guy is a bad influence. He has helped me empty my bank account several times over.

I cannot deny that ... LOL.

Edit: I plead innocent anyway

[mrj25]

I have the same mods with the JB4 Stage 2 and Berk DP, but I do have the HKS Full Catback exhaust and sounds/feels terrific. I'm currently on Map 1, but Terry suggested to run NOS octane booster if I plan to try out Map 2. Next performance mod list will be the ER Chargepipe and still undecided on the FMIC.

As for the mod bug, prepare for the arguments with the wifey. My advice is to be sure to stay on top of your finances as well as keeping your wife happy too

[Abear]

Originally Posted by mrj25

I have the same mods with the JB4 Stage 2 and Berk DP, but I do have the HKS Full Catback exhaust and sounds/feels terrific. I'm currently on Map 1, but Terry suggested to run NOS octane booster if I plan to try out Map 2. Next performance mod list will be the ER Chargepipe and still undecided on the FMIC.

As for the mod bug, prepare for the arguments with the wifey. My advice is to be sure to stay on top of your finances as well as keeping your wife happy too

I bet it does sound good, Ive seen a couple videos on youtube of the Berk pipe and I love the way it sounds with just the stock mufflers, cant imagine how good it sounds with a nice cat-back.

What octane do you run in the car? I want to try map 2 on just 93 octane, but Im a little worried, dont want to hurt anything, although Im sure the warranty would cover it. I guess I can buy a bottle or 2 of the NOS octane booster and just run map 2 for a tank or so.

How do you like it though, compared to stock, how much stronger does it feel? Any run ins with any good cars?

[mrj25]

Originally Posted by Abear

I bet it does sound good, Ive seen a couple videos on youtube of the Berk pipe and I love the way it sounds with just the stock mufflers, cant imagine how good it sounds with a nice cat-back.

What octane do you run in the car? I want to try map 2 on just 93 octane, but Im a little worried, dont want to hurt anything, although Im sure the warranty would cover it. I guess I can buy a bottle or 2 of the NOS octane booster and just run map 2 for a tank or so.

How do you like it though, compared to stock, how much stronger does it feel? Any run ins with any good cars?

I run 91 octane as I live in southern california. Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of having 93 octane unless I pay close to $10/gallon for 100+ octane. The car feels so much stronger and responsive. Running catless on the downpipes was the best performance mod IMO on top of the JB4 Stage 2. I had the exhaust and downpipe installed at the same time. My wife noticed the exhaust but the sound was smooth as we could still listen to music and conversate, and the catless dp didn't bother her The car is noticable of course when you punch it. Overall I am happy with the performance and even though I don't look to race anyone on the freeways or street lights, there's always those with the camaro's, mustangs or even M3's that try to rev up. I've already got my speeding ticket a few months back which cost me $500+ so I'll just keep it on the track.

[Abear]

Originally Posted by mrj25

I run 91 octane as I live in southern california. Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of having 93 octane unless I pay close to $10/gallon for 100+ octane. The car feels so much stronger and responsive. Running catless on the downpipes was the best performance mod IMO on top of the JB4 Stage 2. I had the exhaust and downpipe installed at the same time. My wife noticed the exhaust but the sound was smooth as we could still listen to music and conversate, and the catless dp didn't bother her The car is noticable of course when you punch it. Overall I am happy with the performance and even though I don't look to race anyone on the freeways or street lights, there's always those with the camaro's, mustangs or even M3's that try to rev up. I've already got my speeding ticket a few months back which cost me $500+ so I'll just keep it on the track.

Awesome! I cant wait to get my parts in. Should be able to install them on the same day. I figure that most performance cars that try to line up will probably be in for more than they bargained for..cars like 370s, M3s, camaros...and so forth. From what the numbers look like, the chip and downpipe on map 2 put this car in Camaro SS territory which to me is plenty..for now. Not that I street race or anything.

I feel you on the $500 ticket, Ive had a couple of those myself when on my scooter.