First thing I am thinking about getting is the SCT Tuner.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/sct-x3...ash-tuner.html

Is this the best one available for our cars? I have a manual transmission so that shift adjustments are mute....

Any preference on cold air intakes? The only mechanical change I've done is put some Borla Stingers on the back and I don't think bolt on mufflers probably did or will do anything performance wise.

If I put a supercharger on later, will this sct tuner be able to do what needs to be done to the computer after a mod like that?

I'm really torn on the whole supercharger thing. Are they hard on the engine? They have to be a little more rough on things. I was thinking of going with one of the smaller boost superchargers without intercooling as they can be picked up for around 5K. Does intercooling make the process less harmful to the engine or does it just cool the air so you can have more PSI?

There are a lot of superchargers out there. Are they all decent? I love the whipple personally but really don't know what differences there are between the saleen, the roush or the whipple....

I've done a fair amount of cosmetics to the car (still not done) but am thinking I need a few more horses now. Any advice from you guys would be great.

 

A tune and a CAI is the best bang for the buck. As far as a preference on a CAI, it comes down to what you think looks best or what you can afford. I had an '09 and went with a JLT CAI / SCT tuner combo. Looked good and performed well. As for the axle backs, you are correct. The only benefit they give you is sound. You may pick up a couple of HP if anything at all.

 

Tons of great info on this stuff on the site

CAI/tune is by far, best bang for the buck.

BUt nothing beats the 100-200+hp of bolting on a supercharger, of course it does not come without risks but if you have a solid tune/set up and don't drive like a complete lunatic, you should be okay.

 

What I'm seeing from most of people's mods are definetly the CAI/tune mod which seems to be the real given. I'd say gears are probably up there next too whether that be the 3.73's or 4.10's. Underdrive pullies mayhbe next? I'm not too sure and was wondering myself what are the smartest bolt-ons to get in order. Not necessarily one order because people will vary in opinions but the main idea of what should come before other things.

 

You really need to have your final goal in mind, as there are some mods that conflict future mods. Such as a CAI is pretty much wasted money if going to a twin screw supercharger, you definitely wouldn't want an underdrive pulley with any supercharger, and if you plan to supercharge, you may not want a 4.10 gear ratio (but that's personal preference) do to losing traction in the first few gears.

 

Your best bet is too do loads of research before you purchase anything. A year ago I bought my car and added a cai/brenspeed tune. Fantastic results. Then, longtubes, then cams and now a roush m90. The cai has to come off as it won't work with the m90. The ceramic hf cats gotta go too, as the m90 will melt them. My point is don't waste money, plan for long term.

The good news is the 4.10 gears will rock with the m90.......woohoo!!!!

 

The SCT is simply a tool for uploading/downloading tunes. The quality of the tune is most important. AM/Bama and Brenspeed are 2 of the best for custom tunes. Stay away from the canned SCT tunes.

All of the tune-required CAI's are equivalent in performance. As stated above, choose based mainly on price and looks.

If you go FI, you'll be at the mercy of whatever handheld your shop uses. Fortunately, many support the SCT.

 

+1 on what he said on the QUALITY of the tune..............

 

Well, I'm planning on the SCT with the BAMA tunes and a CAI at this point. I can't afford the 5K plus for a supercharger anytime soon so I'm going to start here. Do the underdrive pulley's really make a difference? They won't affect the charging system for day to day driving will they?

One other thing....anybody install Steeda Billet Charge Motion Control Plates? Another 10 Horsepower....

 

Okay, I may be out of league here, but. Does not an under-drive pulley slow the accessories down? Would this also slow the oil pump down? Doesn't the oil do more on the 5.0 than just lubricate the engine. Such as operate the variable timed cams etc. Just wondering if this is so and if we should not fool with the oil pump?
Can anyone elucidate?

Cheers.