Budget EBAY I/H/E pickup?

[whatsvtec]

I've recently been thinking of ways to get my ass in motion as far as modding my car for performance purposes. Since I can't/won't bother wasting any money on my stock a3 I figured it'd be best to focus on basic bolt-on's/swapable items. I know if I ever want serious power from my bucket I'll need a new long block to talk any serious numbers (I'm looking to stay n/a or do a mild street jrsc setup in the LONG run.)

So, the options for Intake, Header, and catback are pretty generic and IMO don't make a big enough difference to warrant spending $300 for an intake and over a thousand dollars for a decent exhaust setup.

Ebay has some pretty good deals on their parts and most exhaust stuff can be had cheap while getting stainless steel products.

HEADER=$50


N1 style CAT-BACK=$110


2.5" CAI=$35 If you prefer.

If you decide to go CAI, throw on your preferred brand of cone style air filter($50) for better filtration (or atleast better piece of mind) and you've STILL got a full I/H/E setup for roughly $250

I'm not going to be doing this however.
An even cheaper option would be to get a dremel or something to cut up your airbox so it's lyke got more holz n shit for more air n stuff.

Hondata Airbox mod = FREE
Get a K&N Drop in filter=$25 and you've got more airflow for even cheaper.
I decided to go this route because I already have a K&N filter in the box that was new in the fall.


These prices all reflected shipping to my local area code, shouldn't be much different for anyone else in the lower 48.

Gut your cat, throw on a de-fouler and you're pulling even more "bolt-on" ponys for free.
Or better, $50 ebay test pipe recommended by Tortoise



In short, you can do all your basic "ricer" mods for dirt cheap if you're really looking to protect your wallet. Anyone running any of the stated EBAY bolt-on's feel free to add your opinion on ebay vs the "real deal" stuff.

Anyone opposing the products/corner cuts, feel free to add your opinion as well.

I'm planning on picking up all of this stuff before it warms up. I'll be back to post my thoughts on product quality/horsepower gains when I bolt up.

Maybe I'll even do a before and after dyno pull @STMtuned.com

Peace