I have been on severel websites and this is my consensus... intakes actually loose power so I put a kn drop in replacement in... now next is the exhaust... I've heard catbacks give very minimal gains... so why bother with them other then for looks? So I'm looking at getting berks hfc they still will pass emmissions and make some increased sound and well added peerformance.... so kn drop in, berks hfc, and eventually get it uprev tuned.... I just wanted to know if anyone has went this route and there results? Instead of paying over a grand for looks and a 2hp increase. Thanks

 

you gotta think though.. its not just the 1 piece, its all of the pieces working together. so yeah if you get an exhaust with no tune, you wont see much gains. but if you were to get like k&n drop ins, berk hfcs, aftermarket y pipe, and a nice better flowing exhaust, you will see pretty good gains WITH A TUNE.

 

Tell me if I'm wrong but the worst flow in the stock system is the cats everything else flows decent....

 

I forgot add the intake spacer in my list too

 

The cats are the most restrictive.

But you also have to realize how messed up the flow of the gases are from it going from a 2-1-2.

After the cat, the y-pipe is the most restrictive, but if you go true dual, you eliminate the y-pipe (I'm not sure about a single out catback and if it utilizes the stock y pipe or not).

If you want gains, get a true dual, if you want to save weight, get a single out catback.

If y ou want the best gains, you'll match the I.D. Of the exhaust piping throughout your whole system. This also keeps the sound from being raspy.

A nice set of headers will also get you gains, but from what I've heard here, they can be a pita sometimes.

 

Yeah most likely the HFCs will have a 2.5" diameter and I'm pretty sure the stock system is 2-2.25" so it'd be kind of choking it up.

 

Honestly bolt-ons for this car is a waste. With most import cars if its not FI from the factory or aftermarket, bolt-ons wont give you the performance want you for the price you pay. Not trying to ruin anyones day but once reality sets in you'll see what I'am talking about.

 

Thanks for the info guys.... grimm I understand where your coming from this isn't my first sports car I've modded... I guess its all in the eye of the be holder... add all the boltons adds 25hp better mileage sounds good... intil I can afford a turbo setup.... its all for the journey not always the destination...

 

This is a waste of your $$$.You've been reading too many e-bay adds.

 

Plenum spacers is a waste? Explain?

 

HFC's are a good move.If you are in budget mode,consider HFC's from Z1 Motorsport.
With Berk&others you are gonna pay more for the name.The Z1 cats fit like a glove,great quality and decent hp gains.

 

The OP mentioned a INTAKE spacer.I thought he was referring to a spacer
for the throttle body not a PLENUM spacer.For sure,a plenum spacer is
one of the first things I did with my Z.Also,the OP did not mention the year
of his car(DE or HR engine?).

 

Whats the set up on your Z?

 

Have you been to Crawford Z in Nashville?
If not,run over and see Doug.I'm sure he'll give you some good advice.
Also,steer you onto some HFC's.

 

Also, if you want to be catted(I prefer not to be. I love the smell of unburned hydrocarbons, plus I actually don't "need" one in my county), get a race cat. They flow almost twice as well as a high flow, plus will pass your emissions(unless you're in Cali).

 

I gained about 30-35WHP over stock, mods in sig. If buying all these parts brand new it would be in the ballpark of $2500 -$3000. So like everyone will always say, FI is best gains for the money you spend. This is my DD and only car at the moment, so this is all I wanted to mod and I'm happy with it for now. To each his own.

 

My Z just has wheels and tires. I wanted to put a vortech on it, but once reality set in I decided to boost my 2012 5.0 for less cash for the same vortech set up and achieve a lot more power. Don't get me wrong I love the Z, but without FI it's just not mod friendly at all.

 

I was looking at doing the whole get up like this. Looking at intakes, plenum spacers, exhaust ect... Then I though, $2500 for 35whp vs some LT headers on a v8 for $600 getting the same results. Most people want the most power for the cheapest cost. Not trying to turn this into a v6 vs v8 thread but FI is the way to go with these cars.

 

biggest bang for buck it to get a bottle

 

Actually a properly placed merge point in either a single exhaust ( y pipe ) or a dual with an X pipe will increase power.