Down pipe or CAI first?

[Noct27]

Wanting to start doing some mods to my 2008 GTI.

I saw a thread that said get an intake, ECU upgrade, then DP in that order.

But don't have the money to get the ECU tune quite yet and not looking for a huge performance booster because I don't want to replace my PCV valve quite yet?

But mainly lookin for a good sound, and want to get my hands dirty this will be my first real car that I'm going to start working on. I've down oil changes and other basic maintenance things, but I want to jump into the performance end.

Okay thanks,

And looking into the nuerospeed Pflo just because I think it sounds nice for its cost.



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[high_octane3541]

Catback if ya want sounds.

You will most likely get a CEL if you get a dp without a tune

A tune is the best bang for the buck though

 

[Noct27]

I won't get a better sound even if I get an intake? I was looking at borla exhaust system and there around 600 which is more then the ECU tune


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[high_octane3541]

Pay to play

 

[Noct27]

Just going to get an intake, going to need one for stage 2 ECU tune anyway. As well as the dsg tune


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[SuperSkyline89]

If you want noise on a budget buy some exhaust tips from Vibrant Performance and find a muffler shop or fabricator to cut the suitcase muffler out and weld some new pipe and the tips in it's place. The suitcase muffler is the giant thing under the trunk, there's a resonator near the middle of the car also, leave that in.

 

[Das Gespenst]

I half agree with Superskyline. If your on a tight budget and want sound, just delete the resonator, it's the round "muffler" looking thing in the middle of your exhaust (after cat before suitcase). You can have any muffler shop do it for about $30-50. If you're just getting into wrenching I would highly suggest a downpipe not be your first big thing you do on your own. The nuts and studs that hold your downpipe onto the turbo can be a b!&#h and if you sheer one off its a huge pita. Turbo has to come off the car and stud has to be extracted.

The tune is definitely the most bang for the buck and will put the biggest smile on your face. You don't need an intake for any tune up till K04 and above and you don't need a downpipe till you go stage 2. So for now, get a resonator delete for the sound and save your money for the tune. That way you can have a performance bump and a louder/cooler sounding car. Since the downpipe will throw a CEL without a tune they should be done together. So save for a tune and downpipe at the same time if you crave more than a stage 1 tune.

Edit:If you're really hung up on getting an intake or downpipe you need to hunt the forums for deals. Intakes make near to no difference performance wise so don't spend a ton of money on one. Check the classifieds here and on vwvortex (the only thing I use the tex for).

 

[zrickety]

I agree with these guys. An HKS catback gave me the sound I was looking for, found a $400 deal on the forums. It essentially deletes the muffler and has it's own resonator. I did a drop-filter and tune first. Stage 1 is awesome, haven't felt the need for a downpipe. I have tried a number of intakes and other small mods can be better, like the subframe mount and control arm bushes.

 

[Das Gespenst]

Would also like to save you the hassle down the road and tell you to avoid the K&N intake. They are known to cause issues and don't play nice with our cars. If you have to get one, stick with the P-flo, Evolution Motorsports Vflow, Unitronic, Etc.

 

[zrickety]

There are at least 2 K&N intakes, I have the 57i or something. It uses the stock MAF which is important, whatever intake you choose. It has a velocity stack under the cone filter inside a box. This on the TSI engine.

 

[Das Gespenst]

If he has a TSI then it's really important if it's CCTA or CBFA. One has the extra filter. I love my FSI, no BS to deal with.

 

[zrickety]

I love my CCTA TSI, both engines have their pros and cons.

 

[Zach@etektuning]

Wanting to start doing some mods to my 2008 GTI.

I saw a thread that said get an intake, ECU upgrade, then DP in that order.

But don't have the money to get the ECU tune quite yet and not looking for a huge performance booster because I don't want to replace my PCV valve quite yet?

But mainly lookin for a good sound, and want to get my hands dirty this will be my first real car that I'm going to start working on. I've down oil changes and other basic maintenance things, but I want to jump into the performance end.

Okay thanks,

And looking into the nuerospeed Pflo just because I think it sounds nice for its cost.



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Nesuepeed P-FLO is great for induction noise

Milltek makes great resonated and non-resonated systems to suite your exhaust tone

But if your looking for HP i would get a tune first then CAI then Exhaust

We can help you get any of the parts!
:w00t:

 

[ModdedEuros]

Would do an intake, downpipe/tune and than catback.

As far as intakes go, Unitronic's are on sale now for their summer sale through August so you can save on those if you want the full hard piping. Or could go with Neuspeed which does not replace all the piping. All the FSI intakes are up here if you want to check it out:

http://www.moddedeuros.com/volkswagen/golf-gti/mk5-06-09/intake/cold-air-intakes


For a downpipe, I am a fan of CTS's downpipes. Good price and they sounds awesome. If you need to worry about inspection you will need to get a catted downpipe:
http://www.moddedeuros.com/products/cts-turbo-catted-downpipe-2-dot-0t-fwd-cts-exh-dp-0001-cat

Or if you can run catless:
http://www.moddedeuros.com/products/cts-turbo-catless-downpipe-mk5-2-dot-0t-fwd

 

[Qwoz]

How I did it:
1. P-flo intake
2. APR stage 1 tune. Drove happy with this configuration for about 30k miles.
3. Catless Eurocustoms DP
4. Stage 2 tune. Drove happy with his config for about 15k miles.
5. Resonator delete. Loved it at first, grew to hate how loud it was and put it back on.
6. HPFP upgrade, stage 2+ tune. Definitely noticable difference, however now I am fighting engine issues and check engine lights. Not sure if it is the extra pressure of the tune, or just mileage (currently at 65k).

If I were to do it again I would do this:
1. Quality CATTED Down pipe. Hassling with emissions is not worth the cost savings on the DP. Just doing a downpipe will really transform the sound of the car in a great way.
2. Stage 2 tune.
3. Intake if you wan't more noise, not convinced it will make your car much quicker. Probably beneficial for stage 2. BSH true seal is a great choice because it fits better than the P flo, and actually pulls cold air from the outside of the car.

Final note, enjoy every stage of your car. Its about the trip, not the end result and how much money you can put into it at once. Think of it this way, if you do a mod one at a time you are truly enjoying each one.