ok guys, i have a question, hopefully you guys can help.
Im getting an '07 MS3 soon and i plan on putting the following mods on it:
HKS exhaust
HKS SSQV BOV
TXS racepipe/downpipe
AEM CAI
fidanza flywheel
ATP FMIC (400hp Garrett Core)
and gauges (i haven't thought of which brand yet) that measure A/F, oil pressure, and boost.
my question is if you guys can think of something else i might need and just haven't thought of or something that i just flat out don't need. also, does anyone know what kind of numbers this would make? i mean, im figuring 350+hp. so any insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
CBE upgrade will net you exactly zero (0) increase in power. Stock CBE is that good.
BOV will net you zero (0) increase in power and will cost you performance unless you run it in pure recirc mode. Read up. And even then it will produce no gains unless you have a leaking stock BPV. Mine does not leak.
Your gains will come from the intake and the DP/RP and they will be significant, but nowhere near your target. You will need to go one step colder with your spark plugs. I have pretty much the mods on your list which actually produce power. I'm at 270-275 whp and 300-310 pounds of torque, just about what another poster predicted. That works out to about 310-315 horses at the crank, or around a 45 hp gain. Not bad and VERY noticable. And the power curve is very broad and fat, coming on low and not peaky.
I think it is pretty well established that lighter flywheels are not the answer for cars like ours that produce our power down low with broad fat torque curves. This is not a zinger 9,000 rpm Honda engine with no power down low.
I can't speak to whether the bigger intercooler will produce power. It may help prevent or may reduce heat soak and may help with bringing turbo outlet temps down some under some cicumstances which may produce some gains if it does that. That will be at the expense of a pressure drop in boost because of the increased volume of the pressurized side of the system, and may result in some increased turbo lag. It's a trade off.
If you want to reach your target (or at least get close to it), you'll probably need to go with both a custom tuned AP or Standback and significant mods like exhaust manifold change and bigger turbo, larger diameter piping throughout the entire system. At that power level, the strength of internals becomes an issue.
Gauges are a must. AP or Dash Hawk will give you a lot more important data. I stay on the modest side of mods and therefore only use a manual boost gauge and an OBDII reader.
Oh, and your car will benefit from an oil catch can system because we do have issues with the PCV system being less than optimal due to the combination of high stock boost levels and high compression.
Others may differ, but to me your wish list involves a lot of high price items with little or no potential for performance gains except the intake and the DP/RP, and maybe the bigger intercooler (with some trade off's you may not have thought about). You'd do better in scratching the flywheel, the CBE and the BOV, keeping the intake and the DP/RP and spending the saved money on an AP and a good tune. The FMIC is a fairly debatable issue with pros and cons.
