Ok, so here's the scenerio I was passing some cars in 5th gear @ 4000RPM pedal half way down goin at 90MPH making passes on some cars, but its not pulling as hard as I would like (Not saying theres anything wrong with the car). Currently I feel that I have plenty of Low end Torque and I know if I had downshift to 4th Gear it would have been more power to me. But the truth is I need more Top end pulling power

any suggestions on Mods? Currently I just have a Injen intake installed.

I was thinking maybe if I lose some back pressure it would help me a bit, but I'm still not sure which is the best way to go. (Replace my current Injen filter w/ a bigger K&N Extream filter -> Racing Straight pipe from "Custommaxima" and Greddy EVO Cat-Back exhaust)

My budget is maybe around $500 or so not including install.

any help is appreciated

 

You're on the right track. Exhaust mods will add more power to your top end, more than they do the bottom end. Start with a Y pipe or go for the complete shebang with a full exhaust: Y,B, and muffler. Do just the Y and B pipe and leave your OEM muffler to keep the car stock-like-quiet.

Replacing the filter with a K&N won't do much, really, in your setup.

DW

 

a y for 2k2 has not proven to gain much if any power. i would think about replacing the filter with a larger and higher quality one or getting a frankencar type setup. the straight pipe will help a little as well as the catback but dont expect a world of difference. the biggest difference will be the sound. like dwapenyi said, go with a b pipe and keep the stock muffler if you want to keep the sound down and add a few hp. i would keep away from the y at least until some facts come out on the headers that are coming down the line.

 

dude, 4k rpm is not top end, its mid. the 3.5 has plenty of low and midrange torque/hp, top end is more like 5.2k rpm+ and thats what you are talking about. if you were in 5th gear at 4k rpm, its not because it doesnt have power , its because of the high gear(5th) and the speed(90mph). you need rpms to speed up when you go fast because at high speeds, every mile is really hard to gain

 

a y-pipe and catback exhaust should free up more hp in the top end..

 

Thanks for the comment, I'll wait a bit longer on the Y-pipe since I don't have enough budget to get it anyways, but I'll be getting a EVO exhaust for sure, I hope it won't be crazy loud~ Straight pipe would probably be a good attachment to go along with the exhaust.

My current Injen filter is kinda small and I "personally" do feel the flow could be better, and I already have 15K miles since I had the filter installed, its about time I change it anyways.

 

I'll keep my Injen setup since I already spend the money on it, eventhough I know FrankinCar setup gives our cars much more Pull on top end, but I just want to get the best result out of my current setup.

 

Yeah I know car begins to pull slower once you get to higher speed, and I wasn't saying why my 5th gear isn't pulling like crazy at @4000RPM, but I still like to have more high end power to me without shifting so much(If I want to downshift from 6th gear to 4th Gear just to make a pass I would get a S2000 )

Just as a comparo, my friend owns a 2001 S4 6spd and that thing pulls very nicely even without shifting using his 5th gear during highway cruses.

 

lightweight flywheel and underdrive pulley

 

I just switched out the Injen filter element with an Apexi power intake. I felt added power everywhere.

 

Where did you get the filter element from? How much does it cost? Do you have the Part#? Thx~

 

Were you able to rule out the effect of going from a dirty filter to a brand new clean one?

DW