HotSawce

What's up yall. So I'm happy to say the mods have been going well. Started with a tanabe axle-back. Then I put in takeda short ram intakes a few days ago. And today, I got my FI RHFC's installed at the shop. Honestly, after all of this, I haven't felt much gains. Maybe I'm just insensitive, but it is to my understanding that you need a tune to fully see the gains regardless.

That said, I'm wondering if it's even worth it for me to get one; if it should be the next thing on my list. There's a few reasons I am hesitant. For starters, should I have a full cat-back rather than just an axle-back? Secondly, should I get an actual CAI and ditch the short ram to see performance gains? Beyond those mods, are there any other mods I should do before I get a tune?

Before I spend $500+ on a tune, I want to make sure I'm where I should be, so I don't need to do it again.

Thanks!

Jonesmeister11

iTrader: (1)

To see gains you really need a tune. I would ditch the axle back and go full cat back. Replace the short ram with gen 3 or takeda full length.

Really everything you have is more for an increase of noise, not performance.

Hope that helps!

HotSawce

You SURE about that? At the exhaust shop where I got my HFC's installed, I asked him if he thinks I need to get a full cat-back instead of an axle-back to increase performance. To my surprise (because I figured he'd try and sell me into some work), he said that I'm good; That the most restrictive parts on our exhaust are the cats and the mufflers and that the stock piping is fine. And I think I might have read that before on here as well. Can anyone else shed some light?

As far as the intakes, I knew CAI intake was better, but THAT much better? On my last post, a contributive member stated, "if you want to squeeze out every last bit of power, get the CAI" implying the CAI was better, but only marginally. Would you disagree? Would adding a heat shield make a significant difference?

Thanks

Jonesmeister11

iTrader: (1)

There is a reason almost all 370z and G37 drivers run gen 3 or takeda. I agree with the exhaust shop's statement regarding the cats being the most restrictive part on the exhaust. But that is every car with a combustion motor and catalytic converters.

There is a reason companies like ecutek and uprev push an aftermarket cat back before you tune. Exhaust flow helps with power. Some exhausts, eh not that much. Others can help a lot.

kickintheglass

I'm interested in results if you end up tuning on your current setup. Everyone suggests to get CAI and full CBE with HFC to get the most power, but has anyone ever done a baseline tune? Then again, this car has been on the market for a decade so I'm assuming that restrictions with the stock piping/SRI have already been pointed out.

JUMBO PALACE

iTrader: (1)

Hey Sawce,

There's a couple things to consider here. Short answer- yes, I think you should get a tune. In my opinion as soon as you go RHFC it's time for a tune not only for gains but also because now the car is breathing much differently from stock and it needs to learn how to balance fuel-air ratio gain. That being said, if you plan on getting a catback in the near future go ahead and do that first because a tune should be your last stop so you don't have to do it a second time.

To that end, your mechanic is right, the cats are the most restrictive part of the setup. Adding a catback will help with the exhaust note and perhaps add a handful of hp but nothing huge. I disagree with the above poster saying all you've done is add noisemakers. HFC are the most bang-for-buck bolt on mod for our cars.

CAI are without a doubt a better choice than short ram, but again, we're talking a handful of horsepower that most likely won't even notice. And again, if you are going to switch to a CAI in the future wait to get a tune until you are done with bolt ons.

The honest truth is our cars just don't make very much power gains off of breathing mods. We're talking about finely tuned Jap V6s not LS powered cars. Without forced induction you need to be fully aware of what these cars are capabale of so as not to disappoint yourself. Here is a link to my thread after I got tuned. https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-cou...ned-today.html
Bolt ons include R2C short rams, Fast Intentions cat back, and fast intentions RHFC. I have an AWD coupe so let's assume 25% hp loss from the crank to the wheels (I'm being generous to myself here) and say stock hp number is 248 (rounding up). After all my mods I was sitting at about 274 wheels horsepower. An ECUtek tune took me up to 290hp on a 100 degree day so maybe under normal conditions 293-295hp. It's up to you to decide whether all the money is worth it to you as only you know your finances and how important this is all to you. Your car might see better gains than mine, who can say?

There are other benefits to tuning though. Depending on the tuner and how involved you are in the process you can dial in the car to how you like it. My tuner was able to get the power and torque curves much more linear so I have better power throughout the RPM range. Some people say ECUtek can clean up the shift lag on AT cars but mine is pretty much the same, that's something you'd have to discuss.

Long story short, finish up your bolt ons and then get a tune. IMO a cat back is worth it for the noise and couple of hp. I wouldn't change a thing about my FI setup. That being said, I'm pretty bored of the 290hp and am thinking about moving on to a V8. Your mileage will vary depending on what you want out of your car. Hope this helps bud and good luck.

RMB5190

iTrader: (2)

Between Jumbo and Jones you have your answer. you'll net an additional 30-50 rwhp respectively with bolt-ons and a tune. A full cat back will open your engine up a bit from the 1.8'' stock size to 2.25-2.5. remove the cats with HFC or test pipes. For the Air-in portion, Our engine bays run hotter than hell. SRI without some type of shielding are sucking in hot air, a true CAI is able to gather air outside of the hot bay. The tune pulls everything together and gets things working in unison.

HotSawce

Guess I'm just gonna sell my SRI and get a CAI even though I just put it on a week ago.. Merp. Still undecided about the full catback. If anything, I'd keep my Tanabe mufflers and just replace the Y-pipe

Wangstas863

iTrader: (1)

Short Rams don't do much but increase the sound. Definitely do CAI. The exhaust might add like 10 hp in combination with everything. If $$ is not a problem then do everything lol

RMB5190

iTrader: (2)

Is what it is. Should be able to sell them and pick up a used Stillen on here easily though

Yellafella

Gains aren't noticeable without a tune because your car doesn't know how to fully utilize the mods. Short ram intakes don't make much power over stock intakes. The jwt pop charger makes good power for the price. If you plan on making 300+ whp, then a cold air intake is a vital part of your build. I would look into getting a NST pulley (only around $200), EPS 70mm throttle body, and a Z1 manifold. For a tune, Uprev for versatility and Ecutek for pure gains. After that, you can throw in those huge AAM R-line intakes (Big bore tb and tune needed). Everything else isn't really worth the money.