# Advice on intake/suspension/tuning?



## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

So, I have an '04 GTO I just recently bought from a Marine. He kept the car completely stock but barely drove it due to his deployments. Now that the car is in my hands, I'm looking to make my car unique to me and something I love to drive even more than I already do.

SO! I've already got the exhaust done. Had the back 2 cats cut out and everything back redone. It now has spintech mufflers, which gives it a good muscly sound with a bit of popping when coming down on the RPMs. I'd like to find myself the best intake I can for the most boost in overall performance. I've had an eye on K&N for a while. I also want to do a throttle body spacer and a good tuning afterwards. I'm also looking to possibly replace all the brakes with drilled and slotted rotors and pads and calipers, etc. After that, I'll go into cosmetic mods.

Any suggestions?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Well first off I'm really partial to one intake . I'd do a lot more reading before you do much more. A throttle body spacer isn't going to do squat. Long tube headers would have been a lot better exhaust mod and with tuning you'd pick up 25-30 RWHP. Wait until you get most of your performance mods lined up and then find a REAL tuner to do the tune. There are more hacks than good ones. Your suspension needs at minimum strut bushings, front radius rod bushings and rear springs. Brakes are a very expensive proposition and you can improve your brakes quite a bit with just slotted rotors (drilled are not recommended), front C5 pads and some Russel stainless braided brake lines.


----------



## 06BLACKGTO64 (Oct 30, 2010)

well From an un-biased opinion lol the Svede intake or Vararam is going to be your best bet intake wise. and i agree LT headers are a better way to go with exhaust sticktly from a flow ratio standpoint... and just to point out alot of people think there are 4 cats on these cars but there are only 2 cats and 2 resonators, resonators being behind the cats. good luck with your build !! and where are you located? people on here can point you to the best tuners


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

That narrows it down a lot then. The Vararam isn't for the '04


----------



## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

Well, i'm located in Hawaii (Oahu). There's quite a few mod shops around. Key point of this car is that it is still my daily driver until i go back stateside and get another car to drive, so while i'm looking to boost the performance, i'm still not going to get into anything like forced induction.

Now, it's to my understanding that if i change my headers, i will have to redo my exhaust... True or false??

Just so I can make it clear exactly what i'm trying to do here...
Intake
Exhaust (done)
Brakes/suspension
Tune

if i play my cards right, how much of an increase should i be expecting out of a set up doing just that much?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Ehrgeiz X said:


> Well, i'm located in Hawaii (Oahu). There's quite a few mod shops around. Key point of this car is that it is still my daily driver until i go back stateside and get another car to drive, so while i'm looking to boost the performance, i'm still not going to get into anything like forced induction.
> 
> Now, it's to my understanding that if i change my headers, i will have to redo my exhaust... True or false??
> 
> ...


I didn't see where anyone suggested forced induction??? With headers you buy the mid pipes with them and they'll bolt right up. The only HP mods you have listed would be the intake, headers and tune and the pick up would be in the 30-40 HP range.


----------



## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Ehrgeiz X said:


> Well, i'm located in Hawaii (Oahu). There's quite a few mod shops around. Key point of this car is that it is still my daily driver until i go back stateside and get another car to drive, so while i'm looking to boost the performance, i'm still not going to get into anything like forced induction.
> 
> Now, it's to my understanding that if i change my headers, i will have to redo my exhaust... True or false??
> 
> ...


Not sure what you mean by changed headers and have to redo the exhaust. Headers are part of your exhaust. You will likely need mid pipes if thats that you mean.

Maybe 35 HP gain from exhaust, intake, and tune.


----------



## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

I purchased the K&N FIPK II intake recently. It was an easy install, as is most intakes. Went together in about an hour between me and a buddy who spent more time trying to get the bolt i dropped onto the skid plate than actually installing the intake.

The increased throttle response and overall added HP is pretty nice for a simple intake. K&N claims that their FIPK II on an '04 GTO adds roughly 18-19 HP to the wheels... It feels pretty nice, actually. over 3K rpms is where i really feel that thing sucking in air and giving me a nice little jump.

Next thing is a tune. I've been recommended Superchips. Anyone got any experience with them?

(i've also discovered that i have terrible tires. Not falling appart terrible, but traction issues. Looks like i'm doing my rims and tires sooner than i thought)


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Superchips and other handheld tuners are OK but not the best tune you can do. For that you need a tuning suite or a custom dyno tune.


----------

