Intricate's Mod Thread - A Detailed Journey
 

Hey all!

As some of you may know, I am now taking the money spending, time consuming plunge. What you all probably DON'T know is that this is very much unlike me. I don't usually like being around a lot of people (introvert), and this would generally keep me away from things like modding and car meets, etc. However, in an effort to CHANGE a LOT of things in my life haha...I am going to also do something that I really have thought would be awesome for some time. Hence, the mod bug.

I will try to keep this short, sweet, to the point, and as much about the individual mods and how they play together as I can. I am going to be taking a lot of before/after pictures and videos, and will be doing Dyno runs anytime I get a new mod that should/might improve HP/TQ.

Thank you all for stopping by, and hopefully this will be something that can assist others when it comes time to make decisions on what to do with their ride. This is of course, assuming your priorities are the same as mine.

To kick things off, I will go over the most important things in my mind as I am starting these "bigger" mods. I presume that I will continue modding after this first "phase" is complete, but most of those will be cosmetic and hopefully aesthetically pleasing.

1.) Mods should be close to OEM in terms of loudness

2.) Mods should be close to OEM in terms of comfort

3.) Mods should be close to OEM in terms of overall reliability (Meaning that they won't significantly reduce the expected lifetime of any individual component of the car.)



Car: 2012 G37xS Sedan in Blue Slate...as listed in my sig.

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Now for the mods!!

Update - 2/27/2015

Since my budget is being limited (by me...ugh, it hurts) and I want to get "quality" products, I think this will be a two phase mod journey. The phases are broken down below.

Phase 1

1.) CAI - Takeda (Attack) Long Tube
- Update 3/25/2015 - CAI installed. See post below for pics!!!
- CAI Install Pics

2.) Exhaust - Fast Intentions (FI) RHFC with FI 18" resonated CBE (Don't want it too loud)
- Update 2/22/2015 - CBE order submitted!!!
- Update 2/26/2015 - RHFC order submitted!!!

3.) Swaybars - Hotchkis
- Update - Hotchkis sways received
- 3/25/2015 Front Sways Installed - pics
- 4/25/2015 Rear Sways Installed

4.) Wheels - SSR GTV03 (18x9.5 +45)
- Update 3/28/15 - Wheels installed

5.) Tires - Toyo Proxes T1 Sport (For now, as current stock setup worked well this winter)
- Update 3/28/15 - Tires installed

6.) Brakes - Akebono BBK
- Update!! Brakes went on 3/15/2015. Check out the post below for pics.

https://www.myg37.com/forums/build-t...ml#post3885056


7.) Tune - UpRev (Dynosty)

8.) Aesthetic Mods - Strut bar (Received)
- 3/25/2015 Strut bar installed - pics


Phase 2

1.) Coilovers - If I decide to drop it I'll pick up a set of these...but we'll take it one step at a time.

2.) Other Suspension Mods - Tanabe NF210 Lowering Springs
- Installed!

3.) Re-Tune - UpRev

4.) Aesthetic Mods - Strut bar (because...racecar), MyG37.com stickers (adds 30HP guaranteed or your money back), LEDs anywhere I can put them, such as fog lights.



As I purchase things, or get them installed, I will update this first post, while also creating a post that will go into more detail...so as not to use up all the space in this first post. Of course, I might have already done that...

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope to see a lot of you in the coming months, either at local meets, or at an event such as ZDayZ!

This portion will be for dyno sheets and stats

Baseline Dyno Pull: March 7, 2015 / DynoJet / Fathouse Fabrications
Best 3rd Gear Pull - 296.05 AWHP / 247.11 TQ
Best 4th Gear Pull - 285.93 AWHP / 242.80 TQ

Baseline: 3rd Gear Best
Attachment 110657

Baseline: 4th Gear Best
Attachment 110659

Takeda CAI Best (3rd Gear) [Red is new, blue is old...will always be that way for consistency]:
http://s27.postimg.org/m99jkru2r/DSC_0082.jpg

#2 Reserved for future info.

Looks like you're setting your build up very well, looking forward to this one down the road :biggthumpup:

#5 Reserved for future comments on future info re. #2

:9:

OP, I can't stress this enough, based on a long-standing predisposition not to mess with my car height: if you get aftermarket wheels in 19" or 20", or even wheels with the same 18" diameter as your duckfeet but with a more aggressive offset, then you're going to want to lower the car. And collectively, the purchase of wheels, tires, and suspension mods is probably more than your carefully laid out plans allows for all at once. So be forewarned.

I would recommend coil-overs *before* wheels, not the other way around. And if you lower the car a little, then buy some wheel spacer adapters for your duckfeet for the interim.

Other than all that, your plans are fine, IMO. It looks like you've been reading the forum and skimming the generally proven mods/parts off the top.

I second John's notion of installing cool overs before wheels. Another reason is to allow the coils to settle on the wheels and tires that will turn into your "winter" set. That way you're not shredding tires on your good wheels.


Other than that, I'm looking forward to your progress and see where your car goes.

Nicely done...well played. :D

I am leaning towards 18's now...but we will see. Thank you for the advice, I know everyone wants me to lower the car. :p Nah, but I do appreciate your experience in the matter, etc. From what I've read of your posts (past, present, future...) you seem very reserved about what you're willing to do to your car, so I am sure you only made that call after much thought. I will definitely NOT write the thought off, but will take some time to consider all my options.

Coilovers before wheels seems to be a good idea so I will make sure I mark that down. I guess I should have specified the order in which the mods are listed are in no way indicative of the priority of order/purchasing/install. I guess I should have clarified that.

Yea, to be honest, throughout my reading I've just been trying to get a feel for what people have been comfortable or satisfied with, and then doing the research from there. Fast Intentions was a no-brainer from everything I've seen and heard...but that was probably the easiest choice to make since I don't want to be too loud, and I love how deep the sound is.

Thanks for the advice! I might just have to leave my winter set on for a little while then since I plan on having all this done by summer/fall. Of course, like Rochester was saying...my budget right now isn't going to allow me to do all of these things, so it will be a bit of a work in progress.

Since Day One, I've been working off a planning worksheet, organized with mods intended month over month, year over year... estimated costs, actual costs, part, make, model, etc. One of the benefits is keeping you honest to a budget and a long-range plan. But in the larger sense, it keeps you engaged with the hobby to where planning is part of the fun.

The approach isn't for everyone... some people love the rush of spontaneous decisions, or build their car all at once, then move on to another activity. And I readily admit it makes me more of a garage queen than a gear head. But it sounds like this approach might be up your alley, so I'm putting that out there. If you're interested in an example, PM me.

Nice! Seems like a good idea to plan things out on paper if you have the self control and dedication to adhere to the plan. I've never really tried to put things down on paper because many plans seem to vary when executed. I've always just had a general direction/goal/dream in my head for my build though.

Since you already have ordered an exhaust I think suspension is probably next best area to begin - swaybars, coilovers, and front and rear camber arms should suffice for now.

Definitely don't do wheels first as those can (will?) change more often than suspension. I'm on my 4th set of wheels and thinking I need to change them in the near future.

Well his username is "Intricate Detail" after all :biggthumpup:
That could very well have been your username John :)

Carl, keep in mind if you don't really plan to lower your car I'd scratch coilovers off the list, from all the options for the AWD coilovers you really can't keep stock height. The new Fortune 500s w/ the Swift spring swap is a possibility and there's been a couple members that have ordered the 8" rear spring so maybe they can be installed at stock height, stay tuned on that one.........
Another option that Lego_Maniac has suggested is going w/ a Koni Yellow shock setup that is adapted to fit the different lower front strut mount that the AWDs have. Currently the Koni Yellows are only made for RWD Gs :icon43:
Might shoot a PM to Lego for more details.

Many nice 18s to choose from and tires are a bargain compared to 19s & 20s, so that would give you more money for other mods :biggthumpup:

Thanks! I really appreciate it. I am actually about to update my first post, but I read this at just the right time. I just got word that I am in the clear with my little "issue" that I was waiting to clear up before I moved forward with the rest of my mods. That being said, I won't say it's easy keeping myself on budget. I do love to write things down and stick to budget/plans/etc (I hate spontaneity), but I also feel like I know what I want to do with my car performance-wise and that all the other aesthetic mods can come after that, in a very $50 a month budgeted kind of way.

I will definitely PM you about the example, sounds pretty awesome. And for things like tint etc that I would be saving for monthly, that would probably work out really well.

Honestly, I think I'll do the CAI and then the sways. So I need to do more research on front and rear camber arms. I haven't really done a lot of research on that and I know I need to in order to make a well informed decision. Thanks for the advice.

Honestly that's the only reason I don't want to do coilovers right now. Because I'd rather do the other mods, figure out how I like it, and then decide if I want to stay stock height or if I want to take the plunge and drop her. So if that's the case, just swaybars right? If I stay with 18's, I shouldn't need camber arms, right? I know asking the question is silly when I can just go read up on it...so that's what I'm going to do now. I've yet to get a solid grasp on how it all works, but I did read that thread where they broke it all down so I'm going to read that again. Thanks again...I'll post back with KNOWLEDGE gained from READING! Heh.

When Do I Need a Camber Kit?
Tentatively, if you drop your car more than an inch, you will probably need a camber kit. The front of the car has absolutely no provision for adjusting camber from the factory, the rear of the car has SOME camber adjustability, but this is typically maxed out when you drop it beyond 1".

There...see? Now I'm an expert haha. So yea...nothing to do with wheel size so much as drop. Right? So assuming I keep it at stock height, I exclude coilovers and camber arms. I think I might just go that route for now. I will wait on wheels/tires until I make the final decision on whether to drop or not. :) Thanks again EVERYONE for your continued support and help, even though you don't really get much in return. I will however, stay true to my promise of pics/vids/dyno results...so there is that!

Part of the reason I want to get a lot of these mods done is so that I can go down to Louisville, get my tune, and be ready to go for ZDayZ. :)

Yep, no drop would keep the camber/toe kits of your shopping list, and some get by w/ just the rear set w/ mild drops so YMMV. If you stick w/ 18s they look pretty good w/out a drop so you can take it from there.
G/L w/ your journey :biggthumpup:

FI Resonated High Flow Cats ordered. First post updated.