Just picked up a 2001 C5 convertible and was told it comes stock 350HP. Although I am in no way bored of it, I would like to bump it up to 400HP just so I can join the club. After doing a bit of research here, it looks like the cheapest HP gain would probably come from a handheld tuner or an air intake. What do you guys recommend first? Also, does the tuner in any way harm the engine? Does it reduce/increase gas mileage? I pretty much spent my last dime on this car and don't want to pay for any major problems that may arise as a result of adding these components. Thanks in advance guys and gals.

 

Additional HP to the tune of 50 will not come cheap. The 350 is at the crank and you should expect to see between 290 and 305 at the wheels. You didn't mention if it was an A4 (automatic) or an MN6 (6 speed manual) which will affect how much driveline loss you have to the rear wheels. A 6 speed will lose about 52 hp to the driveline and an automatic will lose about 63 give or take a few hp.

Are you trying for 400 at the crank or 400 at the rear wheels? If you put on an intake you might make an additional 8-10 hp at the wheels and you can expect to pay between $200 -$400 for it. The handheld tune will usually come in the form of a dyno tune. You can expect to pay around $500 for the service. With a relatively stock car including an intake most will tell you that the tune is not money well spent since you should have it retuned after you add any more substantial mods (if you plan to do so). The tuner could net you as much as 20 hp depending upon the aggressiveness of the tune but you should probably expect only around 10-15 if you don't want to go too aggressive or hit your mpg too much.

Your best bang for the buck from a bolt on stand point will be to add an intake some Long Tube headers and an x-pipe along with a tune and you might see your 400 hp at the crank (about 340 rwhp for a MN6). An exhaust will change the sound of the car but won't net much in the way of hp - 5 or so additional.

So in summary:

$ 200.00 - $400.00 intake
$1200.00 - $2,200 Headers and X-pipe
$ 400.00 - 500.00 tune

To get you around 400 hp at the crank.

Paul

 

handheld tuner and air intake won't get you to 400hp even with a Vararam, especially if you are looking for RWHP. Head and cam package is the way to go, and get a tune with the package.

You can always go with NOS for fast/easy HP but you stand the chance of blowing up your engine and you can't run it on the streets legally.

 

I agree with Paul. 50HP is not cheap or easy. Lots of claims out there about this bolt on or that - and you could easily spend a couple of thousand dollars and not reach your mark.

Heads and cam will get you 400rwhp. You might think about changing the rear end. It won't give you more HP, but it will give you more SOTP power. If you have an MN6 with a 3.42 rear end - go to a 3.90 or even a 4.10 for more bottom end. If you have an A4 - you could have a 2.73 rear end, lots of guys here have upgraded to a 3.73 - again for better SOTP feel.

Guys in the Mustang world talk about underdrive pulleys and intake /exhaust upgrades giving them 50HP - it just doesn't seem to work that way with the LS1.

 

I would change the air intake, cat back exhaust, ( no headers, they are to load and DMV is checking for those mods. Get a tune, bump up the timing from 15 to about 28* and install WI (water and Meth) It will give you what you want and better torque. Its money better spent then heads or cam, plus better gas mileage! No sacrifice w/driveability

 

with everyone else.

My only $.02 is, if you wait and save up until you have enough to do what you REALLY want, in the meantime, collect some info from all the great people here, you'll be much happier when your done.

Doing a mod is like falling dominoes, once you changing things on your car, you'll have to do something else in addition to what you originally started.

Sorry, that was more like $.75... but I wish you good luck and hope your car turns out the way you want.

Dave

 

 

Thanks for the advise. I was looking for a quick easy fix but I guess with the vette there is no such thing. Nonetheless, even stock (and automatic) it still is the fastest car I've ever driven so I have no complaints. Also, I can't believe how good the gas mileage is on this thing. I filled up two days ago and have been ripping around town since and I still have over half tank.

I went to a parts shop today and the guy told me that the stock exhaust and headers are excellent on a vette and that the only reason to change it would be for the sound. He said I would notice only very minimal gains for such an expensive upgrade. Your thoughts?

 

When i first started my upgrades i installed a Hurricane intake, x-pipe, B&B Prts ovals, and a predator with the performance tune. My numbers from a baseline dyno were 305 rwhp and 326 rwtq. I did notice a difference in the power but were talking maybe 25 more hp at the crank and the same about for the tq. Plus i got bored with it really quick. If i was to do it over again i would wait and go the twin turbo route. Just had mine installed. Netted 450 rwhp and 500 rwtq and very streetable. At idle it sounds stock. Runs like stock until you tromp on the GO pedal and then hold on for life brother But, if you are short on cash i would consider going the used parts route. Should be able to get fifty percent off the top and if you are good with tools will save you even more cash...good luck ps going headers are a waste of money i think unless you are going the heads and cam route also. Plus they are soooo expensive. When you factor in the hp gain from headers seems to me not worth it. Heads and cam yes. Probably cost you around $3500 to $4000 including the tune from a reliable shop...

 

 

Just dont get caught up in the Ill advertised HP gains that you will see from all them so called bolt ons (like throttle bottle bypass,or throttle body wind cone, these type of HP hypes are jokes), bottom line is , for more power you need "More air In, and More Air out",Heads(higher lift valves for intake and exhaust)/cam(to make that extra lift for more Intake/Exhaust)/full exhaust to get rid of it all, these things will net you the best bang for the buck.

As far as a increase in Power/not Hp, that you can feel, reareand gears will accomadate that,remember gears do not add HP , it just feels that way due to the wheels getting the power to the ground much quicker,3:42's.3:73's,4:10's seem to be the choice depending on the amount of Power added, good luck

 

Thanks again for all your tips. I'm gonna go with the intake for now and then start saving up for something bigger. Maybe I'll see what a few car payments feel like and then determine what type of money I have laying around.

Thank God for McDonalds value meals!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Having just completed some bolt-on mods, let me tell you my results. I have a 2001 A4 coupe:

1. Blackwing air filter - $250
2. Dynatech Supermaxx LT headers - $1495
3. B&B Route 66 exhaust - $750
4. Dyno tune - $300

Added the exhaust purely for sound. Had the dyno tune done at Carolina Auto Masters in Durham, NC.

I didn't have a baseline of the car in its stock configuration. The first pull on the dyno, after I installed these components:

Max power - 297.1
Max torque - 271.4

After Jeff got through reprogramming the PCM:

Max power - 323.4
Max torque - 329.9

Which works out (if my math is correct) to about 380 hp at the flywheel.

This is exactly the figure that Evil-Twin said I should achieve with these mods. If you have any questions about this car, PM him...he has probably forgotten more about this vehicle than most of us will ever learn.

 

Everyone else has pretty much covered the topic you brought up, so welcome to the forum and congrats on getting the '01. Hope you enjoy the car and get many trouble free miles from it. Post a pic when you get a chance.

 

 

I plan to go heads, and cam. I already have intake and exhast. Hoping for 400 when done.

 

 

Even though it won't add to your horsepower and torque numbers, a 3500 stall coverter (with a TransGo shift kit), and a set of 3.73 gears will definately improve the SOTP feel of your A4 and make it feel like you've added to them. On my stock 01 A4, a Vararam intake helped out my 1/4 times by 3 tenths of a second. Maybe something to consider also.

 

Put some gears in and you'll think you've added 50HP. Gears really make a difference in pushing you back in the seat.