Help with CAI & Exhaust Upgrades

[Morrow]

Hi folks,

I'm still fairly new to my GTI but have decided I wanted to perform a few mods to it.

I was thinking of adding a Cold Air Intake with a new Exhaust System. Now, I know cheaping out on either will only hurt performance than help, so this is where you all come in. I was hoping some of you had some suggestions of what to go with.

CAI: Looking at the current air intake on this car, it's practically already a CAI without the standard air box, pulling air right from the grill through the engine cover filter. I could see how a cheap aftermarket CAI on this car could actually be a step backwards.

Exhaust: I've never upgraded an exhaust system before so this is where I need true guidance. Should I start at the header and go right to the muffler? I must note, I only have access to a hoist a few times a year, so this may be worth letting the shop do, thoughts?

What I'm looking for: I'm looking for more low end torque than anything. As for sound, something aggressive but on the lower end of the spectrum, I don't want to wake up the whole neighbourhood when I go out at night.

On another note; at one point I was truly pondering the idea of getting the ECU flashed but I eventually decided against it. I was worried if I got it flashed I would start chasing my tail around repairing / having to upgrade elsewhere. Anyone with flash experience that could provide me with some feedback?

Just trying to gather as much information as I can and to soak up some experienced knowledge from everyone here, so any suggestions or comments are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

 

[joelmlmkv]

The intakes on a stock motor really are for sound and aesthetics to be honest, IMHO.
As far as the exhaust, the vehicle does not have "headers" since its a turbo vehicle. The part you would be speaking about is called a downpipe. This goes from the turbo manifold to the back to the resonator and then back to the "suitcase" muffler.
Unless you are going to be putting a great deal of money in the car here are my choices for ya. I would start out with a TUNE. There are a lot of choices for this area. APR, GIAC, REVO, Unitronic, and I'm sure there are few more. This is your best bang for the buck. I have GIAC, but have had REVO on a prior vehicle and have loved both. You really cannot go wrong with stage 1. If you like that and would like more power, then go from there to a downpipe, and depending on the tune you have the ability to go to stage 2. Might consider from here a drop-in filter, or if you like the noise get an intake. If you are going to tune the vehicle you might also go ahead and upgrade the Diverter Valve to the most recent Revision D.

 

[LilRaverBoi]

Yup, I agree with the aforementioned views. Intake will not really give you any notable power increase, but looks nicer in the engine bay and will give you some cool engine/turbo noises that are muffled by the factory intake set-up. As far as exhaust systems, 3" turbo-back is the way to go. Stainless is better for longevity, but not essential. I wouldn't recommend anything without at least one muffler or some sort of resonators as it will just be super loud/droney and not really give you any advantages. If you do the downpipe, I believe you will need a tune or you will probably throw codes and get a check engine light. You can do just a cat-back exhaust without a tune with no issues (or you could have custom work done to delete one of the OEM mufflers.

As far as tunes go, I would highly recommend this, as it will give you a lot of bang for your buck with these cars, as they are tuned back from the factory and are capable of so much more with a slightly more aggressive tune. There are several companies that do tunes, read around the forums for feedback from other members. For most all tunes, you can go stage 1 without any equipment changes, stage 2 usually requires a 3" downpipe, 2+ consists of the tune plus the downpipe and upgraded high pressure fuel pump (HPFP).

Oh, and you might want to check your cam-follower if you have an FSI motor to be sure it's good. Check this periodically as it can cause some expensive damages if it is left alone till it fails.

 

[707Stang]

On the subject of the tune, I had the GIAC on my 08 FSI GTI and on an unloaded dyno I put down 225hp and 250tq at the wheels at 16psi (the GIAC peaked at 21 under load) this was with a Neuspeed intake, Forge DV, 3" DownPipe with no resonator (the little muffler before the suitcase shaped muffler at the back of the car)

 

[flat tire]

There's no header, it's an integrated manifold and turbine housing called a turbofold. You want a catless downpipe, as mentioned before the intake isn't a big deal on a stock turbo but will give you sweet noises.