Stage upgrades

[3GT96]

on dynamicracing.com, they have staged upgrades. Are they worth it, or are they lieing about get 400hp from just changing the intake, the exhuast system, and a boost controller?

[gotta_learn_1st]

yea, I find it pretty hard to believe, also, they say on the website that that power is achieved at 15 PSI, i thought you couldn't get 15PSI without a fuel upgrade?

[Jag1718]

Well, actually from my understanding...a boost controller with a new guage, will allow 13 - 14 NO more than 14.5 psi pressure on ur stock turbos and fuel injectors. 15 psi should not be pushed on. I would believe a vr4 can reach 400 horsepower with those upgrades however. The controller and guage will add 50+ hp from what i've been told because u actually get 14 psi from ur turbos. That puts u around 370+ horsepower and adding a good intake can u give u a 15 horsepower gain and good exhaust should yield at least 8 or so...that puts u at about 390+....i see it achievable.

[StealthModifier]

They even have staged upgrades for n/a's that give it 400HP

[Hotshot8792]

Originally Posted by StealthModifier

They even have staged upgrades for n/a's that give it 400HP

yea, with like a 125 shot of nitrous

yea, a boost controller, intake, and exhaust is a nice way to start out

[3GT96]

thanks

[3GT96]

but then y do they advertise that power at 15 PSI when it can't be achieved???

[youngvr4]

it can.

14.5 psi they say is the safe limit. going from 11psi to 14.5 or 15 is basically aprox 40hp gain add on intake and exhaust wich can add a combo of 30hp along with the 320 you already have and.

your pretty darn close to 400hp.
some say they feel bigger diff with the exhaust.
all i know is, i got a custom exhaust and once i added intake, the gains were very very noticeable.

i don't think you can get 15hp from exhaust alone (well maybe), and you don't really get 15hp form intake. but combined they can, its like your turbo's come alive and really begin to breath.
i was even able to hear my stock bov clearly once i added the intake and exhaust.

[Hotshot8792]

well, the vr-4 stock exhaust is already top quality for a factory exhaust. It would be more beneficial to spend your money on a new downpipe first than it would be for a catback. The stock exhaust is supposedly supposed to be great up until 500 hp.

[3GT96]

In the stage 2 upgrades, if sells a ATR single shot exhaust. Wouldn't it be better to get the ATR (twin turbo) exhaust?

[Hotshot8792]

Originally Posted by 3GT96

In the stage 2 upgrades, if sells a ATR single shot exhaust. Wouldn't it be better to get the ATR (twin turbo) exhaust?

it is a twin turbo exhaust, its just a single exhaust and not a dual exhaust. Look under your car, you will see that only one pipe comes back, both turbos dump into the same pipe, thats why its better to spend your money on an aftermarket downpipe first. Now you can get a dual exhaust for looks, i think it looks better anyways.

[GreekPower]

for the best mods for stage one it should be a dp,ebc,boost gauge,intake.once u do that gut ur cats.then for stage 2 do some fuel.the stock exhaust is like one of the last things u would wanna do its not restrictive that much but if u do change it early go with a atr dp and exhaust it sounds the best.and when u hear it u know its a atr

[3GT96]

So i wouldn't lose any power by getting the dual exhaust right?

[Igovert500]

If I remember correctly you are N/A not turbod right?
Anyways, the dual exhaust wont sacrifice any power on a turbo car, the single shot weighs a few lbs less, but in the grand scheme of things, that wont matter too much. ATRs exhausts(both single shot and dual are great free-flowing exhausts) that will benefit you. I personally like the dual look better as well. If you are N/A the dual wont hurt you, but if you get too large of a diameter in the exhaust you will lose low-end torque, so make sure you get an exhaust specific for an N/A, not a TT.


As far as the original question, 15 psi is possible, but without datalogging, you have no clue what your stock fuel system is doing, you may be getting a ton of knock and destroy your engine. So 14.5 is the highest you wanna push it on the stock fuel system. For staged upgrades, as was said, the stock exhaust has been proven possible of 11 second 1/4 runs, so there is no need to upgrade that early unless you like the looks and sound. Personally, I say get a boost controller, boost gauge(aftermarket), intake, downpipe, and gut your precats. That will put you damn close to 400hp. Before you do all that, new plugs, wires, and a new fuel filter(as well as the 60k or 120k tuneup if you are near it) will help you produce that power safely. Also do a pressure test to check your intake system and make sure you aren't leaking valuable air.
After all that, there are many routes to go, turbos, larger injectors, A/F controller, and bigger fuel pump are my recommendations, but as I said there are plenty of routes to go. Every shop has their own staged upgrades. Check our www.3si.org they have 2 staged upgrade guides, one for power and one for performance and both are pretty helpful guides, even if you don't follow them exactly.

[3GT96]

thanks, but I have a TT