Next best perfomance upgrade?

[Billsgx]

What is the best upgrade to do next after doing a cat-back, intake and tune? Within reason, superchargers are too much $$! Are high flow cats legal and inspectable for road use and worh the $$?

[audtatious]

Hi-flow cats will free up ponies. I have no issues with mine but they do "stink" as they are not as efficient in cleaning the exhaust gases like the factory ones.

[Billsgx]

Any idea how many ponies it may free up? Also, no problems with state inspections?

[joe603]

Suspension, better tires, headers, Clutch/Flywheel (6MT), Shift-kit (AUTO)....are a few off the top of my head.

High-Flow CATS are legal in most states...check for local laws. Most places that do an inspection just do a visual check. As long as they are there and you're not pulling codes, it should be fine.

[Billsgx]

Cool...I have Eibach springs and front and rear camber kits on the way. I already have wheels and tires. What would be a better mod, headers or cats?

[audtatious]

cats. Headers are a pain in the butt to install for what you get.

[joe603]

+1 on the header comment...but you are running out of bolt-on mods!

[Goodgalz]

Hi All,
Everyone has mentioned some great upgrades. I currently have Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Stillen Gen 3 intake, Stillen cat-back exhaust and some cosmetic mods (black grille, new spoiler). My biggest problem is my suspension due to the fact that I have a Vert and my front and rear camber is off due to the new springs. I had the Eibach camber kit installed in front which corrected that problem but no one makes a camber kit for the rear that fits the Vert. My rear tires are now quite recessed so I'm adding spacers. I also bought a used GT strut bar from a guy parting out his wicked coupe. When I have the spacers and strut bar installed, I am going to get sway bars. I'm thinking of sticking with Eibach but I'm not locked into them yet. I'm also thinking of the Stillen grounding wires. The only other mod that I will be doing shortly is having the front lights blacked out (not too dark). I saw them on the parted out (black) coupe and I loved them. I'm having the same person do my lights. I see that Joe603 mentioned a shift kit upgrade for a A/T. What is that exactly? Also, I am considering headers down the road (when funds allow) but I am wondering if it makes more sense to do an UpRev tune first. Any suggestions for other mods performance or cosmetic? Also, I welcome opinions as to what order I should do these mods.

I hope I have not gone overboard with all my questions/comments but this forum is great. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Billsgx]

If you are going to do headers at some point, you should just wait to do the uprev tune until after.
How do you like the Stillen cat back? I just ordered a used one for $725. to my door. How does it soound? How is the fit and finnish? I was also considering an Ark, but it would have cost me $535. more than the used Stillen. Now I can use that money for an UpRev tune! If you read earlier posts, it was suggested to do high flow cats over headers. Ive heard Hotchkiss makes good sway bars as well. Fun....isn't it?! lol

[audtatious]

Hi All,
Everyone has mentioned some great upgrades. I currently have Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Stillen Gen 3 intake, Stillen cat-back exhaust and some cosmetic mods (black grille, new spoiler). My biggest problem is my suspension due to the fact that I have a Vert and my front and rear camber is off due to the new springs. I had the Eibach camber kit installed in front which corrected that problem but no one makes a camber kit for the rear that fits the Vert. My rear tires are now quite recessed so I'm adding spacers. I also bought a used GT strut bar from a guy parting out his wicked coupe. When I have the spacers and strut bar installed, I am going to get sway bars. I'm thinking of sticking with Eibach but I'm not locked into them yet. I'm also thinking of the Stillen grounding wires. The only other mod that I will be doing shortly is having the front lights blacked out (not too dark). I saw them on the parted out (black) coupe and I loved them. I'm having the same person do my lights. I see that Joe603 mentioned a shift kit upgrade for a A/T. What is that exactly? Also, I am considering headers down the road (when funds allow) but I am wondering if it makes more sense to do an UpRev tune first. Any suggestions for other mods performance or cosmetic? Also, I welcome opinions as to what order I should do these mods.

I hope I have not gone overboard with all my questions/comments but this forum is great. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Still not sure why the Eibach camber bolts would not work....I'd have to physically compare the differences to see why those would not work for some rear camber adjustment. EDIT: Comparing FSM's I see they are different.

Here's my GT-Spec FSTB install if you want to browse it: http://moodym.com/articles/gtspec-fstb.shtml

Sway bar install is pretty easy to do: Front, Rear

For the auto transmission you can get a valve body mod which will help keep line pressure up for faster and better shifts. levelten.com has stuff as well: http://www.levelten.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=37

Additionally with the Uprev tune you can have the shift points adjusted as well.

[Goodgalz]

If you are going to do headers at some point, you should just wait to do the uprev tune until after.
How do you like the Stillen cat back? I just ordered a used one for $725. to my door. How does it soound? How is the fit and finnish? I was also considering an Ark, but it would have cost me $535. more than the used Stillen. Now I can use that money for an UpRev tune! If you read earlier posts, it was suggested to do high flow cats over headers. Ive heard Hotchkiss makes good sway bars as well. Fun....isn't it?! lol

That's what I thought about the Uprev tune. Thanks for confirming I should wait. I am really happy with my Stillen cat back. Solid, great sound, and I think the exhaust looks great from the back and I like larger tips. Check out my site http://www.goodgalz.com and you might get an idea of the look. I think you'll be very happy with the Stillen especially for the price. I have looked into the Hotchkiss sway bars and they do get good reviews. It may come down to price. I'm not going to go cheap meaning quality but if I can get good sway bars and save some bucks, that may sway (no pun intended) my choice. Unfortunately, I live in CA and Hi Flows are not legal. Some say you can get away with it but my car is still under warranty and I'm sure Infiniti would balk at that.

Yes mods are fun, fun, fun! Just wish they were a little cheaper!

[audtatious]

Hit TunerzStore.com up for pricing on sways and such. No, it does not seem that HFC's are legal in Cali as all vendors show them either 49-state legal or "not available for sale in California".

[Goodgalz]

Still not sure why the Eibach camber bolts would not work....I'd have to physically compare the differences to see why those would not work for some rear camber adjustment. EDIT: Comparing FSM's I see they are different.

Here's my GT-Spec FSTB install if you want to browse it: http://moodym.com/articles/gtspec-fstb.shtml

Sway bar install is pretty easy to do: Front, Rear

For the auto transmission you can get a valve body mod which will help keep line pressure up for faster and better shifts. levelten.com has stuff as well: http://www.levelten.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=37

Additionally with the Uprev tune you can have the shift points adjusted as well.

Thanks Audtatious for your input. Yes due to the extra weight in the rear of the vert, the coupe rear camber kit won't work. Thanks for checking though. I have checked out every mfg I could find. In fact, some show on their website that their rear camber kit fits the vert but when I contacted them, they confirmed they do not have a kit that fits the vert. Hopefully one of the mfgs will make a kit but I doubt it due to the low volume.

I really appreciate your detailed info and pics regarding installing the strut bar. I did not realize how easy it is and with your info, I feel I can certainly do it myself rather than paying the dealer to do it. I'm not too sure about the sway bars but if I get brave, again your explanation and pics are great. Also, thanks for the info and link to Level 10 regarding the AT valve body mod. It's not cheap but it sounds like a great upgrade for the transmission. Thanks for pointing out that the Uprev tune can improve the shifting as well. I'll see how the Uprev tune improves the AT first and hopefully save some money but if the Uprev tune doesn't quite do the job, I will seriously consider getting the valve body mod. I'd have to say that the 7 speed AT shifting leaves something to be desired and is my only complaint (so far) about the G. Otherwise, I love my car!

[audtatious]

When you get the Uprev I suggest finding a certified tuner in your area and have them tune it for you. They can adjust/tweak transmission settings at the same time.

[Goodgalz]

When you get the Uprev I suggest finding a certified tuner in your area and have them tune it for you. They can adjust/tweak transmission settings at the same time.

I have been checking into different certified UpRev tuners in my area recommended by UpRev. One happens to be the Stillen Performance Center which is about a hour's drive from me. Overall, there are 4 certified tuners within a reasonable distance from where I live. So I need to do some additional research on the different tuners and hopefully find some reviews as well. Again, thanks for pointing out that I can have them tweak the transmission settings when they do the tune.

[audtatious]

See if there is a local street scene forum for your area. They will know all the dirt on the tuners in your area.

[Goodgalz]

See if there is a local street scene forum for your area. They will know all the dirt on the tuners in your area.

Great idea!

[spec-u-later]

Depends on what you're looking for. Gears offer a big increase in acceleration but for handling I would say some sticky tires, sways and coilovers.

[Goodgalz]

AUDTATIOUS: "For the auto transmission you can get a valve body mod which will help keep line pressure up for faster and better shifts. levelten.com has stuff as well: http://www.levelten.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=37. Additionally with the Uprev tune you can have the shift points adjusted as well".

SPEC-U-LATER: "Depends on what you're looking for. Gears offer a big increase in acceleration but for handling I would say some sticky tires, sways and coilovers".

Thanks everyone for the mod suggestions. I've had a few additions/fixes since my last post. I had the latest SB installed for the transmission problems. Made an incredible difference but I'm still going to look into the valve body mod. I also had the latest SB fix for the phone sound quality issues. It too has made a big difference. I had the front headlights tinted. I chose a very light black tint. My main objective was to black out the amber strip, and I'm very happy with the outcome. I finally had the rear spacers installed. As I mentioned previously, when I lowered my car, the camber and toe was off. I installed a camber kit in the front, but unfortunately, there is not a rear camber kit for the Vert. So the rear wheels were somewhat recessed. The spacers (25mm) definitely moved the rear tires back out where they should be but the toe is still off. Fortunately it's not way off but needless to say, I'll be replacing the tires sooner than expected, so I will certainly look into stickier tires. Any suggestions or preferences? I plan to have the sway bars installed sometime next month. I don't think I will be installing headers any time soon, so I may just go ahead with the UpRev tune next month as well. I will have the shift points checked when I do. I would love to install coilovers but I'll have to hold off a bit due to the cost.

[Billsgx]

For tires I went with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO's. They are catoragorized as a max performance summer tire in The Tire Rack's site. They had great ratings both on Tire Rack.com amd in Consumer Reports. Another good thing is that they are less expensive than a lot of other tires in that category. I am happy with mine. Very little road noise as well.

[Goodgalz]

For tires I went with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO's. They are catoragorized as a max performance summer tire in The Tire Rack's site. They had great ratings both on Tire Rack.com amd in Consumer Reports. Another good thing is that they are less expensive than a lot of other tires in that category. I am happy with mine. Very little road noise as well.

Thanks for the info. I have read good reviews of Hankook tires but it really matters when you get a user's thumbs up.

[Goodgalz]

For tires I went with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO's. They are catoragorized as a max performance summer tire in The Tire Rack's site. They had great ratings both on Tire Rack.com amd in Consumer Reports. Another good thing is that they are less expensive than a lot of other tires in that category. I am happy with mine. Very little road noise as well.

I forgot to ask, did you stay with the same size tires?

[Billsgx]

No. I put 19" wheels on so I went with 245 40 19. That is what The Tire Rack recommended.

[audtatious]

For tires I went with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO's. They are catoragorized as a max performance summer tire in The Tire Rack's site. They had great ratings both on Tire Rack.com amd in Consumer Reports. Another good thing is that they are less expensive than a lot of other tires in that category. I am happy with mine. Very little road noise as well.

Thanks for the info. I have read good reviews of Hankook tires but it really matters when you get a user's thumbs up.

I liked the EVO's when i had them on my coupe. Unfortunately I ate them up a bit too quickly due to camber/toe issues which are now corrected. Stay away from the Hankook V4's, IMO....