6 months in: The uselessness of torque in FWD cars

[Fiestarawpower]

[MENTION=4498]OffTheWall503[/MENTION] how is that strat e30 tune going for you? Been looking to snag one of those unless I just decide to go protune.

 

[OffTheWall503]

The E30 tune is great. I can't comment about power because I have yet to go to the dyno but I plan to soon.

It feels like it pulls slightly harder than the previous tune I had. But I won't confirm (potential) gains until I can get it dyno'd. I will say that it seems to be an easy way to squeeze some more power out of the stock turbo without changing any physical parts.

 

[M-Sport fan]

One of our members here did some testing and came to the conclusion that our paper filter isn't a restriction as a stock head won't even outflow the stock intake tubing.

I guess that answers my questions on another thread about why no one has developed any upgraded intake manifolds or throttle bodies for our app.

(In any other car world I've been involved with, saying "intake" implied a reference to the intake manifold, and NOT the air box/filter and tubing leading to a turbo inlet as it does in the import/hot hatch/sport compact world, and I STILL can't get used to that!)

 

[localbacon]

I am finding that too in the fiesta st world. But I think most aftermarket communities deal with it to some degree. Whether it be in cars, sports, whatever. That's why I am stuck right now because I am still filtering through all the bullshit.

This is what I have learned in the past two years dealing with the FisT: When it comes to intercoolers, 20F above ambient isn't going to blow up the motor. Any open filter intake is going to increase intake temps, with exception to the 2JR cowl intake. Downpipes are useless on the stock turbo. 300ft/lbs for a 300 RPM window down low is a waste. For power, the best bang for buck is a BT. When is comes to big turbo, lbs of air/min is more important than "ermagerd I hit 28PSI". Stay within the turbo efficiency range, no reason to run big PSI when it is just hot air. Use a trusted tuner, I asked for references before being dyno tuned. You get what you pay for. There are many different aftermarket turbos to choose from, go with proven results and not the flavor of the month. When is comes to drag racing, ET show how much traction you had in the first 60 ft, trap speed shows how much power you have.

 

[localbacon]

I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding v-dynos. They should not be taken as gospel, but rather used as (very) rough benchmarks. I too dyno'd stock, after a tune and then after modifications at the same dyno over the course of 2-3 months. I won't listen to power claims if it's through the cheesy, inaccurate "v-dyno."

To be honest, I think my numbers are slightly inflated but I am staying consistent by doing runs at the same dyno and shop.

And that is what vdyno is great for. I used it to confirm my dyno results after getting a proper weight on the car. I was referring to a thread in which Vdynos were being thrown around with no 'befores' and were being used to market services.

 

[FearTheSnail]

Oh boy do I agree with you there, and you have my support. I don't have a multi-thousand post count, but I try to have quality post with scientific information. I had a long post on my ATP 2554 and had roller-dyno proof that is possible to increase nearly peak 80WHP (165 to 241) over stock with running 'only' 18-19PSI on 93 with the tiny Levels FMIC, no meth. I ran 241WHP and fuel pump duty cycle is at 90%. Not sure how some people are claiming 300WHP (not crank but WHEEL). But spewing big #'s makes $$$. My before and after real-life dyno results were largely ignored when I made my negative opinion on using vdynos as the Bible, especially when used to sell products with no before runs. This community is obsessed with with inflated numbers which are used to make a lot of money and very few users question it. I was big into the SRT8 community years ago and the appendage-waving contest wasn't nearly as bad as in this community. My 241WHP @ 2750lbs ran a trap speed of 104mph in hot air. The "400WHP BT meth fed via a well known e-tuner" FoST at the track ran a 107MPH trap speed. Something doesn't add up.

I LOVE my ATP 2554 because I don't have that massive donkey kick of torque that uselessly spins tires. I don't need or want that much torque below 3K because is it useless at WOT for autox and track days.

BTW, I saw your reddit post with your wheels. I WANT!!!

Interestingly enough my car put down 300whp on 91 octane without an aux fuel system on a local mustang dyno while my vdynos were only saying 280-290whp. I have video of the dyno and the sheet if you dont believe it.

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[M-Sport fan]

I hit almost 300 ft/lbs of torque (285) and for the life of me, I don't understand how people launch these cars and try to drag race with the FiST. I can hardly get traction while moving in 2nd gear, why waste the tires and thousands of dollars to shave tenths or hundredths of a second to get the best time possible at the drag strip? This car is meant for budget oriented people who want to have fun at a decent price point. Drive it through canyon roads, take it to the local autocross so you can take advantage of the situations that the car was meant for. Don't try to make this car something that it isn't.

While I personally (and totally) agree with you on the above (my FiST will NEVER see a drag strip as long as I own it, as I'd rather 'waste' that clutch, rev limiter hitting, and gearbox wear and tear on road course use ).

But I hope you reserve that same attitude for all of the Honduh Boyz out there chasing 6 second time slips in their; no rear suspension/skinnies on the back, gutted to the point of non-recognition, house sized snail on their B whatever the 'freshest' new hot setup block/head, 'flavor of the month' is, welded/spool diff with funny car sized front slick Civics??

They too were not "meant" for that purpose, especially their much vaunted (by THEM, not me) Si and Type R shit, but there they are, doing it, yes, as much as I don't "get it" either.

 

[OffTheWall503]

This is what I have learned in the past two years dealing with the FisT: When it comes to intercoolers, 20F above ambient isn't going to blow up the motor. Any open filter intake is going to increase intake temps, with exception to the 2JR cowl intake. Downpipes are useless on the stock turbo. 300ft/lbs for a 300 RPM window down low is a waste. For power, the best bang for buck is a BT. When is comes to big turbo, lbs of air/min is more important than "ermagerd I hit 28PSI". Stay within the turbo efficiency range, no reason to run big PSI when it is just hot air. Use a trusted tuner, I asked for references before being dyno tuned. You get what you pay for. There are many different aftermarket turbos to choose from, go with proven results and not the flavor of the month. When is comes to drag racing, ET show how much traction you had in the first 60 ft, trap speed shows how much power you have.

How do you like this turbo for everyday driving? I'm considering upgrading to this once the 3/36 warranty expires.

 

[Hijinx]

Oh boy do I agree with you there, and you have my support. I don't have a multi-thousand post count, but I try to have quality post with scientific information. I had a long post on my ATP 2554 and had roller-dyno proof that is possible to increase nearly peak 80WHP (165 to 241) over stock with running 'only' 18-19PSI on 93 with the tiny Levels FMIC, no meth. I ran 241WHP and fuel pump duty cycle is at 90%. Not sure how some people are claiming 300WHP (not crank but WHEEL). But spewing big #'s makes $$$. My before and after real-life dyno results were largely ignored when I made my negative opinion on using vdynos as the Bible, especially when used to sell products with no before runs. This community is obsessed with with inflated numbers which are used to make a lot of money and very few users question it. I was big into the SRT8 community years ago and the appendage-waving contest wasn't nearly as bad as in this community. My 241WHP @ 2750lbs ran a trap speed of 104mph in hot air. The "400WHP BT meth fed via a well known e-tuner" FoST at the track ran a 107MPH trap speed. Something doesn't add up.

I LOVE my ATP 2554 because I don't have that massive donkey kick of torque that uselessly spins tires. I don't need or want that much torque below 3K because is it useless at WOT for autox and track days.

BTW, I saw your reddit post with your wheels. I WANT!!!

Your ATP2554 kit is weak; that's why you can't believe people make 300whp on the stock fuel. Back before I had aux fuel, I trapped 13.4@107mph on all-seasons (no meth). Another car this weekend ran 12.8@109 without aux fuel (no meth) with a full interior.

There are 300whp cars on the stock fuel system. Not believing doesn't make it impossible.


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[jeff]

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant and my BS. I mostly want this post to help others in deciding what they should do or spend (or not) their hard earned money on.

Great thread and you're welcome. I appreciate your approach. While I agree with much of what you have said here, I would share a different perspective on "the uselessness of torque"....my Cobb OTS maps were fun for about 9 seconds until I got tired of spinning tires. Sure the torque is available but it is unusable if you want to move the car forward, even with a RMM and braces which I have. I want to be able to floor the car and go somewhere. That led me to a few Stratified OTS maps which were awesome because they limited torque early on an recovered driveability; I could go WOT without smelling my tires. My Tune+ custom tune however is light years ahead of any OTS maps I've used. I requested as much torque as possible in each gear with only minimal tire spin and that's exactly what I got and the car is super fun now. My v-dyno is 295tq which means nothing but it does show that the car is fun. I get donkey kick torque early, the tires stick, the car moves, and it pulls decently well to redline. And that's the point of this car - FUN. If I wanted a fast car I would have gone another route, but I've been there and done that and honestly the Fiesta ST is way more fun than my previous and much faster cars.

All that is to say that I think torque is useful when it is usable. I'm not going to be pulling a boat or anything. But the rush of torque is just plain happiness.

On another note, I am quite happy with the stock turbo as I feel it fits the personality of this car; if I wanted bigger power up high I would have bought a different car.

In fact, I'd like to use this as an avenue for discussion and how others feel about the aftermarket support and community.

This discussion on Reddit inspired me to post this here to get opinions. [MENTION=2740]commonplatypus[/MENTION]
https://www.reddit.com/r/FiestaST/comments/50uq9m/real_talk_about_power_brakes_handling_and_the/

That's a good read, thanks for the link. Platypus is a smart fellow and I've always enjoyed reading his stuff. I will defend Adam here though, sure he may not be an engineer as the guys says, and yes there is a difference between an engineer and a tuner. But in my case the man gave me several revisions to and each map was quite different, and I have logs that demonstrate that well. He spent time addressing my specific requests and changed it up to my liking. So whether or not he's the "best tuner" for our car or even owns a FiST, he still does a good job and seems to be a pretty decent fellow from my experience with him.

Oh boy do I agree with you there, and you have my support. I don't have a multi-thousand post count, but I try to have quality post with scientific information....

Bacon, I love everything you've written and wish you'd post here more. I think your post here is the favorite I've ever read on this forum. I've commented on the appendage-waving as well but all it does is lead to more of the same.

I am finding that too in the fiesta st world. But I think most aftermarket communities deal with it to some degree. Whether it be in cars, sports, whatever. That's why I am stuck right now because I am still filtering through all the bullshit.

Well said.

Your ATP2554 kit is weak...

Free advice: Talk to people in nice ways instead of insulting them, your life will be better.

 

[BronxBomber]

What I've learned in my short time of owning this car, is that this car has a funny aftermarket. What do I mean by that? I've found a lot of companies are making . I gained "maybe" 5 hp/tq, but I feel the tune made that possible. I am a ricer, because I enjoy the sound it provides. It is only somewhat louder than stock and doesn't hiss like most open cone filter intake systems for this car. Same with my FSWerks catback, no real world gains but (supposedly) improves turbo flow and gives a great noise that's slightly louder than stock. But even still, I digress that a lot of people are (sometimes intentionally) wasting money that isn't necessary...

Perfect example, and not meaning to rip anyone, but Cobb is milking many unaware FiST owners dry. Stage 3 costs over $3000 (MSRP) for very marginal gains of (roughly) 25-30 hp and 50 tq. This is the sorriest gains for the money I have EVER seen in any car community, especially a turbocharged car.

I disagree, and that's ok.n First off our engine is small and our turbo is small. You're only going to get but so much out of either of them based on their size. That's just physics. Secondly, How much money do you think you'd have to spend to get 25-30whp out of a Miata or Civic? Thousands. Try extracting any meaningful HP out of a S2000. Short of going forced induction, you're not getting much with Intake, header, catback and tune. Why? Because like our FiST, the S2000 is already highly tuned by the factor in stock configuration. Our cars have tiny turbos so they would have great spool and drive more like an NA car. Could you imagine these cars with huge laggy turbos off the dealer floor. Not many people would have one because the car reviews would be terrible. Everyone would be complaining about how laggy the car is and how awful it is to drive around town. I bought the FiST entirely based off of the myriad reviews and all the high praise that all of these media outlets bestowed upon the car. That being said, if you want good power, you have the Cyborg and X-37 turbos for not much over $1,200. that, and intercooler and tune will run you under $2,000 depending on brand of intercooler. With these mods alone, you should be able to increase HP to around 230-240 WHP depending on tune. That's an approximately 40% WHP increase for less than $2k. $2k on my G35 would get me approximately 25WHP., or 8%. On a 3,500lb car, that doesn't feel like a whole lot as opposed to our 2,700lb cars.
People need to understand what their goals are for these cars before they start modding, otherwise you're going to be spending a lot of unnecessary money on mods that will be obsolete. The OP for example went with Livernois tune as his first set of mods, now he sold that and went with an access port. I purchased a Cobb FMIC, and now I'm going with a DHM Race intercooler because it is the best option for what my needs are. If you plan out your mods by reading, (this forum has a wealth of knowledge in it) then you will save money and time in the long run.
These cars also handle great and not everyone wants a 12 or 11 second FiST. I bought this car because of its tunability and handling. It's a 1.6 liter FWD car. I'd be stupid to buy this car because I wanted it to be the fastest thing on the road. That's not to say that they can't be made to be fast. There are plenty of 12 second cars on our forum. But there are definitely better options if speed and power are your sole motives. Bottom line is be aware of your goals and what this car is all about and you will never feel disappointed in it. I love my FiST and with my Cyborg turbo, look forward even more to driving it everyday. I agree with the OP in that the car with stock turbo has too much torque to be useful, but once you upgrade your turbo, that is rarely an issue. My Cyborg still gives me a good bit of torque steer, but it's not as bad as the stock turbo and it pulls hard all the way to 7k. There are more powerful set ups to be sure, but for now it meets my needs and I'm very happy with my choice in mods save for my FMIC.

 

[frankiefiesta]

[MENTION=4498]OffTheWall503[/MENTION] if you're having traction issues it can mostly be contained with better tires.

 

[frankiefiesta]

The aftermarket of the fiesta is pretty sad. We have little amount of options for making power. We have a glorified "tuner" that used to be a salesman for maperformance, who doesn't let people share their datalogs because he's afraid he will be exposed for what he really is. His "followers" err... Customers, go to the end of the world to defend him and the mods delete any posts that bad mouth him. Ask questions guys... How come when you get a revision on a tune the tuner doesn't even tell you what he did? When I had a civic si my tuner would include a few sentences explaining what he did on each revision. He answered questions and didn't mind explaining things. So far in this community, few tuners are open to explaining their methods. Once I questioned Adam and he went on a tangent about how many 1000hp cars he tuned and how he knows best.... Ok? Well that's not very good customer service...

We have Mishimoto who cashed out on anything and everything possible. $500 oil coolers, I'm currently making my own for about $150 if that.. $500 for a radiator, because they know it's the only one available right now.

Deadhook, while I love them, have the fiesta community in a stranglehold. If you want any serious type of safe power, they're your choice. I want a 300-350whp fiesta too, but I don't have ~5k to shelf out at a moments notice.. So I'm building my own turbo kit. Hopefully when all said and done, I'll have that 300-350whp for under $3000.

We, as a whole community, need to start questioning all vendors. No matter their reputation. Otherwise we will continue to be blindly ripped off

 

[RAAMaudio]

I agree with the original post to a great degree but also as mentioned a lower cost turbo upgrade would be on my list, Cyborg or X37 and a shorter and firmer shifter, some like the stock setup but I found it a bit to loose and long for my taste.

 

[Based]

The aftermarket of the fiesta is pretty sad. We have little amount of options for making power. We have a glorified "tuner" that used to be a salesman for maperformance, who doesn't let people share their datalogs because he's afraid he will be exposed for what he really is. His "followers" err... Customers, go to the end of the world to defend him and the mods delete any posts that bad mouth him. Ask questions guys... How come when you get a revision on a tune the tuner doesn't even tell you what he did? When I had a civic si my tuner would include a few sentences explaining what he did on each revision. He answered questions and didn't mind explaining things. So far in this community, few tuners are open to explaining their methods. Once I questioned Adam and he went on a tangent about how many 1000hp cars he tuned and how he knows best.... Ok? Well that's not very good customer service...

We have Mishimoto who cashed out on anything and everything possible. $500 oil coolers, I'm currently making my own for about $150 if that.. $500 for a radiator, because they know it's the only one available right now.

Deadhook, while I love them, have the fiesta community in a stranglehold. If you want any serious type of safe power, they're your choice. I want a 300-350whp fiesta too, but I don't have ~5k to shelf out at a moments notice.. So I'm building my own turbo kit. Hopefully when all said and done, I'll have that 300-350whp for under $3000.

We, as a whole community, need to start questioning all vendors. No matter their reputation. Otherwise we will continue to be blindly ripped off

I emailed Adam about what intercooler I should go with and he told me that the MAP one is the best option... Well I didn't know he used to be with MAP. So I did some research and now I'm getting the Deporacing one.

It's stupid how there's almost zero data on any product. I've been researching for days and can't find one solid thread where even just two different brand products are put against one another. It's just a guessing game and luck. Either that or buy the most expensive one and hope it's the best.

 

[frankiefiesta]

I emailed Adam about what intercooler I should go with and he told me that the MAP one is the best option... Well I didn't know he used to be with MAP. So I did some research and now I'm getting the Deporacing one.

It's stupid how there's almost zero data on any product. I've been researching for days and can't find one solid thread where even just two different brand products are put against one another. It's just a guessing game and luck. Either that or buy the most expensive one and hope it's the best.

Learn something new everyday huh?... Lol

The best intercooler is the deadhook race intercooler and crash beam. If that's not for you then look into Depo, mtc, ATP, Cobb. They're all good intercoolers. One isn't going to give you drastic results one way or another.

Stay away from 2J intercooler, levels intercooler, mountune, etc

 

[Based]

Learn something new everyday huh?... Lol

The best intercooler is the deadhook race intercooler and crash beam. If that's not for you then look into Depo, mtc, ATP, Cobb. They're all good intercoolers. One isn't going to give you drastic results one way or another.

Stay away from 2J intercooler, levels intercooler, mountune, etc

Yeah that's what I've been getting from all the stuff I've been reading. Most of the IC's will be good enough. Idk how you can say what is the best though as I can't find any data.

Once my AP is in on Tuesday I will start making videos... I will do a before and after of the OTS stage 1 tune and I will be documenting the difference between the stock IC and the Depo IC... Just so there is at least a small amount of info out there...

 

[Teezlr]

This is why I have yet to purchase any performance upgrades, the car was engineered well and most of the aftermarket parts do not have a good price to performance ratio AKA value.

On the other hand, some sticky tires, light weight wheels, springs/struts (maybe), cooling (radiator or maybe just water wetter for track days) and brake fluid would be worth it for track days.

I totally get what you are saying.

Let me just start off by saying that like all of you, I love my Fiesta. As awesome as this car is, and on a sadder note compared to many of you here, this is the fastest car I've ever owned. It's also my first brand new car purchase of my life. I'm a 27 year old who grew up scrapping his pennies working minimum wage jobs to put wheels and tires, suspension, and even stereo systems on my Miatas, Civics, and other hot hatches I've owned in the past. I was too broke at that time to afford modifications that gave cars (real) power. But after 6+ months of ownership and going through the motions of modification and countless hours of labor time and research, I want to share my experience and hopefully help others along the path of modification happiness. I'll share my experience with the modding bug, I almost got sucked in because of boost...

What I've learned in my short time of owning this car, is that this car has a funny aftermarket. What do I mean by that? I've found a lot of companies are making parts that are pretty, but have very little usefulness or substance. There are many parts that have no true benefit, no gain, or lack of proof of such benefits that the company claims their parts provide. I admit, I fell into the hype on some parts, like my Mishimoto intake. But hey, hard to resist at over 30% off with a discount code from them. I gained "maybe" 5 hp/tq, but I feel the tune made that possible. I am a ricer, because I enjoy the sound it provides. It is only somewhat louder than stock and doesn't hiss like most open cone filter intake systems for this car. Same with my FSWerks catback, no real world gains but (supposedly) improves turbo flow and gives a great noise that's slightly louder than stock. But even still, I digress that a lot of people are (sometimes intentionally) wasting money that isn't necessary...

Perfect example, and not meaning to rip anyone, but Cobb is milking many unaware FiST owners dry. Stage 3 costs over $3000 (MSRP) for very marginal gains of (roughly) 25-30 hp and 50 tq. This is the sorriest gains for the money I have EVER seen in any car community, especially a turbocharged car.

With that being said, with how great this engine is, short of a new turbo, you won't get any substantial gains unless you spend an ungodly amount of money (for how much this car costs). I don't know about you, but it seems to me that this car is meant for people like me, that want a fun, somewhat quick car at an entry level price. This car isn't meant to be a powerhouse platform like the WRX, Golf, etc.

When I dyno'd my car recently, I hit almost 300 ft/lbs of torque (285) and for the life of me, I don't understand how people launch these cars and try to drag race with the FiST. I can hardly get traction while moving in 2nd gear, why waste the tires and thousands of dollars to shave tenths or hundredths of a second to get the best time possible at the drag strip? This car is meant for budget oriented people who want to have fun at a decent price point. Drive it through canyon roads, take it to the local autocross so you can take advantage of the situations that the car was meant for. Don't try to make this car something that it isn't.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant and my BS. I mostly want this post to help others in deciding what they should do or spend (or not) their hard earned money on.

What I recommend (if I had to do it all over again):
- Accessport with tune of your choice ($500 or less)
- MTC FMIC ($325 shipped)
- Drop-in air filter (<$50)
- Lightweight wheels and tires
- Better brakes (if you compete)
- E30 tune (if fuel option is available)

 

[frankiefiesta]

Yeah that's what I've been getting from all the stuff I've been reading. Most of the IC's will be good enough. Idk how you can say what is the best though as I can't find any data.

Once my AP is in on Tuesday I will start making videos... I will do a before and after of the OTS stage 1 tune and I will be documenting the difference between the stock IC and the Depo IC... Just so there is at least a small amount of info out there...

I can show you a few datalogs from when I went from a 2J intercooler to a DHM race intercooler. Charge air temps went from +25 with the 2J to +3 with the DHM. I was comparing charge air temp increase throughout a single 3rd gear pull.

There have been quite a few datalogs to prove the DHM race intercooler is the best as far as keep charge air temps down are concerned. Sometimes you just have to ask. The forum can feel cluttered with info

 

[fST]

Let me just start off by saying that like all of you, I love my Fiesta. As awesome as this car is, and on a sadder note compared to many of you here, this is the fastest car I've ever owned. It's also my first brand new car purchase of my life. I'm a 27 year old who grew up scrapping his pennies working minimum wage jobs to put wheels and tires, suspension, and even stereo systems on my Miatas, Civics, and other hot hatches I've owned in the past. I was too broke at that time to afford modifications that gave cars (real) power. But after 6+ months of ownership and going through the motions of modification and countless hours of labor time and research, I want to share my experience and hopefully help others along the path of modification happiness. I'll share my experience with the modding bug, I almost got sucked in because of boost...

What I've learned in my short time of owning this car, is that this car has a funny aftermarket. What do I mean by that? I've found a lot of companies are making parts that are pretty, but have very little usefulness or substance. There are many parts that have no true benefit, no gain, or lack of proof of such benefits that the company claims their parts provide. I admit, I fell into the hype on some parts, like my Mishimoto intake. But hey, hard to resist at over 30% off with a discount code from them. I gained "maybe" 5 hp/tq, but I feel the tune made that possible. I am a ricer, because I enjoy the sound it provides. It is only somewhat louder than stock and doesn't hiss like most open cone filter intake systems for this car. Same with my FSWerks catback, no real world gains but (supposedly) improves turbo flow and gives a great noise that's slightly louder than stock. But even still, I digress that a lot of people are (sometimes intentionally) wasting money that isn't necessary...

Perfect example, and not meaning to rip anyone, but Cobb is milking many unaware FiST owners dry. Stage 3 costs over $3000 (MSRP) for very marginal gains of (roughly) 25-30 hp and 50 tq. This is the sorriest gains for the money I have EVER seen in any car community, especially a turbocharged car.

With that being said, with how great this engine is, short of a new turbo, you won't get any substantial gains unless you spend an ungodly amount of money (for how much this car costs). I don't know about you, but it seems to me that this car is meant for people like me, that want a fun, somewhat quick car at an entry level price. This car isn't meant to be a powerhouse platform like the WRX, Golf, etc.

When I dyno'd my car recently, I hit almost 300 ft/lbs of torque (285) and for the life of me, I don't understand how people launch these cars and try to drag race with the FiST. I can hardly get traction while moving in 2nd gear, why waste the tires and thousands of dollars to shave tenths or hundredths of a second to get the best time possible at the drag strip? This car is meant for budget oriented people who want to have fun at a decent price point. Drive it through canyon roads, take it to the local autocross so you can take advantage of the situations that the car was meant for. Don't try to make this car something that it isn't.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant and my BS. I mostly want this post to help others in deciding what they should do or spend (or not) their hard earned money on.

What I recommend (if I had to do it all over again):
- Accessport with tune of your choice ($500 or less)
- MTC FMIC ($325 shipped)
- Drop-in air filter (<$50)
- Lightweight wheels and tires
- Better brakes (if you compete)
- E30 tune (if fuel option is available)

Good post. Sort of reminds me of Jeff's Merits of Stopping at Stage 2+ post.

I personally went a little more expensive on the intercooler (cp-e) but it was a birthday gift lol...and intake (cp-e) only because I liked the look, design, and especially sound. Going with Livernois tune was cheaper, for me, than the cost of a Cobb AP itself, while getting gains similar to paying for and getting a custom tune. As of now, I don't plan on doing anything else performance-wise. I'm back and forth on the looks of 15s and being worth the money for me. And I don't have gas stations close enough to make getting E30 convenient.