I took the long route and it took 4 years. But I did much reading and deciding on where I wanted to go before even getting started so to not ever need to replace one mod for another later on so to avoid redo's. I wanted everything that went on to be able to be used on the end goal. I decided I didn't want many internal and external mods...wanting it to remain nearly oem looking...but be more Daily Driver-performance minded in the end. I wanted to just go to an oem K04 rather than a big turbo build. As a daily, I wanted the car to have usable power and torque rather than an excess of power I would only get to use a handful of times or need to get to a track to enjoy. So, I began with suspension, intake, and a tune...and went with a tune that could be upgraded to a K04 tune for a minimal additional fee when I got there. GIAC only charged an additional $100 over the K03 pump tune to add a K04 tune as well as all of their tune switcher and additional modes (kill, valet, stock, pump, and race). Most of your additional power is going to come from a tune with the stock K03 and their will be required hardware for the tune and you need to search tuners sites for those lists.
After you look into what turbo you will retain or upgrade to to have the power you want...pick a tuner and see what hardware will be needed for the tune. Some you may add before a turbo swap. Look for real HP results rather than tuner site HP claims. Put together a plan and work towards it in whatever manner suits you....adding a bit here and there, or do all at once. Remember, added power will need brakes and suspension to get the most from the power once you have it. You goo ast...you need to stop fast. You corner fast...you need better suspension and more traction. There's no need to add unnecessary bits just because they are available...so research is your friend in determining if you need that part or if they really do anything positive for your build...many oem bits are sufficient or adequate.
Big Turbo builds require much more than a K04 build and usually cost more than double the cost of hardware to get installed and tuned. Remembering that internals need addressing when power gets post 400 HP or above 375 WHP.
After you look into what turbo you will retain or upgrade to to have the power you want...pick a tuner and see what hardware will be needed for the tune. Some you may add before a turbo swap. Look for real HP results rather than tuner site HP claims. Put together a plan and work towards it in whatever manner suits you....adding a bit here and there, or do all at once. Remember, added power will need brakes and suspension to get the most from the power once you have it. You goo ast...you need to stop fast. You corner fast...you need better suspension and more traction. There's no need to add unnecessary bits just because they are available...so research is your friend in determining if you need that part or if they really do anything positive for your build...many oem bits are sufficient or adequate.
Big Turbo builds require much more than a K04 build and usually cost more than double the cost of hardware to get installed and tuned. Remembering that internals need addressing when power gets post 400 HP or above 375 WHP.
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