I have an r53 with an alta cai, borla exhaust, and cravenspeed 17% pulley. Question is, should I go for a header next? Camshaft next, or just forget the two of those and get it on the dyno to tune it? I see i can get an obx header for 155(which i think is very cheap), but how much would a shop charge to install it? I know a dyno tune is like 550 or around that at swift performance in norwich,ct, dont know too much about cams though but they seem expensive... I'm on a tight budget as a college student, so what would be the best thing to do for my car at 100,000 miles? thanks!

 

100,000...college student....need transportation....be smart & save your money for something that could go wrong.

 

100K...Putttn had the best advise. Start saving your money in case something goes wrong...it will, trust me.

 

I third what Putttn has offered for advice. Besides, a tune would not make much sense if you plan to further mod the car in the relative near future. And my sage advice would be to invest in a performance driving school. The benefits will pay off no matter what you drive the rest of your life.

 

all of that put aside, i realize something might go wrong but i'd still like my question answered.

 

If it's a budget oriented decision then the header is probably the best thing to start with. From a performance stand point it's usually the last of the three.

The cam would be good for power in most cases, but it will require the tune too plus injectors.

Tuning would enhance the bolt ons you have already, but obviously the more things you install before hand the better as it will make the most of your dyno time.

From a performance stand point I would actually go with bosch injectors, GP intercooler and a tune. If you like the power out put that gives then you can leave it as is. If you plan to go with a cam, head, ect then the ground work is already set to do so.

 

so pretty much this is my main question, what should be my next move, header or tune if i didnt do both

 

If those are the only choices then do the tune, how ever I would strongly suggest getting the IC at least, but would really recommend the injectors too.

With the 17% pulley you should be seeing a 5-6 PSI gain in boost, the stock IC is no longer cooling the intake charge effectively and your not getting the most out of the pulley or the tune. The injectors are not priority, but again to maximize performance it's recommended as the stock injectors can be maxed out even with just these mods. Also like I said the larger injectors will allow for further mods down the road if you care to do so.

 

Im in a similar boat as you... I plan on going for an RMW street cam next. If I were you, I'd look into doing some suspension stuff: rear sway bar, lowering springs, camber plates. Makes a huge difference in how the car drives. I decided to wait on power upgrades till I had the suspension stuff set up... even though I will eventually switch to coilovers. Also at 100k, most of you're bushings are gonna be toast... Might be good to get some powerflex in there. As far as the power thing goes though, I'd vote with going for a camshaft. It should yield the most added fun/power, I'd think... Then a tune and you're set!