fixing to buy first mod for my 2012 eclipse gs, need some advice!?

[xtreme4g2012]

I only have money to do one mod right now, and it consist of 3 choices that i've narrowed down.......

window tint.....

AIT BLACKOUT SPOILER *im gonna paint the sides to match and leave carbon fiber center peice*

2 mufflers, prob aero turbine 2540i * since i have fake dual exhaust *


Im stuck on which mod to do, first at the moment im leaning towards the spoiler since looks are prob more important than performance since i have a gs obvously

[sdrn]

i did mine tint first, spoiler then mufflers - hehe but if i were to do it again probably id do mufflers first, tint then spoiler

[phenom]

A lot of people go tint as their first visual mod because it makes such a big difference.

[nokiauser]

If you don't already have it, the first mod should be intake. One of the more noticeable mods in terms of power and looks (when you open the hood).

Cheap mods:
1. Cold Air Intake / Short Ram Intake
2. GT Throttlebody for GS
3. RRE Underdrive Pulley for GS

... everything else is a bit pricier. Search the forums for those 3 options and you will find plenty of information on where to buy, how much they would cost, and how to install.

[Ratskat]

I want a cold air intake bad but the first thing I did was tint - actually had the tint done before I even picked her up from dealership.

[adamcky90]

First thing I did was tint, then CAI.

[phenom]

I wish I could say my first mod was a CAI - but my car came with tint and.. well... neons. lol. So I installed a stupid loud sound system because I got most of the parts new for half off.

Anyways, it all comes down to if your going for performance or looks.

[mwaterous]

Cars come untinted? Since when?

Thread jack: I recall seeing somewhere that putting a GT throttle body on the GS messed with the mounting of the CAIs we have available (don't ask me how, I just read it somewhere; I'm thinking the GT throttle body has a larger bore but that shouldn't make a dramatic difference). Confirm or deny?

[nokiauser]

^ only if the TB spacer is too thick

[FeaRlezZ]

^ i have cai with gt tb. its perfect.

[joeyb]

Wttc.

Originally Posted by joeyb

so just thinking about people coming on here wanting advice on what to do as far as mods. Obviously, everything depends on how much $ you have to spend, and how savvy you are under the hood. But if you have a good head on your shoulders you should be able to learn and eventually take care of your car yourself for the most part. Some things are harder then others, of course, and also depends on having the tools to do the job. But if you love cars and your 4g, you can look at the tools as an investment that will pay you dividends for the rest of your car-tinkering career - every time you do a job at home you get some of that money back - and you gain the experience and wrench time that is invaluable. You can take car of your car, family and friends, and it's a pretty good feeling. Also, if you ever need a second job or change in career, you'll have a head start on your application. All kinds of benefits!

Anyway, here is a list of mods that if i could do over, i would do them in this order. This tries to take into account everything - $, skill, time, tools, etc. So from a totally stock 4g this is what i would recommend as far as improving both the looks/style & performance of the car:

1. tint
2. cold air / short ram intake (cai / sri)
3. lowering springs + paint the stock hubs a different color
4. de-badge to your taste (cheap)
5. exhaust system (cat-back or axle back) + performance cat or cat delete
6. hids for headlights and/or fogs or new halo projectors (or totally custom)
7. fog light adapter kit (allows use of fogs w/out head lights on)
8. rims & tires (this will be your first big outlay, i.e. - > $1000)
9. paint calipers a color to accent the wheel wells (cheap)
10. engine mounts / roll stops
11. drl delete (cheap)
12. throttle body by-pass (cheap)
13. eyelids (if you want them)
14. header/headers
15. led tail-lights
16. stereo system improved (if you want this - will add weight...)
17. fuel controller (aem f/ic 6) + harness
18. wideband air to fuel ratio gauge + flush mounted inside however you choose
19. new tune using aem f/ic or your choice of fuel controllers - lean out mix
20. spoiler of some kind (if you want this)
21. engine torque dampener / stiffy (by ingalls)
22. rear sway bar
23. short shifter + aluminum shifter base bushings + knob of your choice
24. tower strut bar + under brace
25. improved spark plugs
26. intake spacers
27. hood props (if you want)
28. dress up engine as much as you want (colored hoses, oil cap, etc.)

when you are serious about performance & can afford, do these (after all above):

1. clutch + lsd, installed at the same time to save ~$500 - $600
2. front sway bar + all remaining bushing upgrades
3. coilovers - then fine tune to your preference on height/grip/etc.
4. 50 - 100 shot of nitrous + all needed additional parts for this
5. oil pressure gauge + oil catch can
6. drilled/slotted rotors (if you want them)
7. big brake kit (if you want this)
8. stainless steel brake lines
9. pistons, rods, bearings, gaskets, springs, retainers, valves, head bolts/studs
10. port and polish all intake parts as appropriate + 3 angle valve job
11. bore and build out the engine completely - including crank off-set + engine balance job when put back together.
12. upgrade nitrous shot to 150 - 200
    or
13. go forced induction w/ turbo or supercharger
14. boost/vacuum gauge
15. turbo will need a turbo manifold + blow off valve
16. sc will need long tube headers (hopefully you have them from above) + bypass valve at least, if not a blow off valve
17. cooling unit of some kind - turbo should use front mounted intercooler, high output blowers can also use fmi
18. methanol injection cooling to supplement a fi profile or fmi.
19. oil cooling unit
20. retuned at the dyno shop
21. data acquisition system of some kind - i.e. Dashdaq
22. may need new injectors + fuel pump upgrade (depends on how much boost)

may refine the list a bit in the future, but more or less this is what i would recommend to someone wanting to start modding from a stock 4g eclipse.

[adamcky90]

Originally Posted by phenom

I wish I could say my first mod was a CAI - but my car came with tint and.. well... neons. lol. So I installed a stupid loud sound system because I got most of the parts new for half off.

Anyways, it all comes down to if your going for performance or looks.

I am probably going to just go for looks with my car cause some of these people on here keep dogging on the GS's and how slow they are and its really making me feel like I'm wasting my time and money on this car doing any more performance mods, its just seeming to be pointless to me . I'm probably going to get a set of wheels, lowering springs and eyelids for christmas. Thats my plan, probably wont go any further with it.

[ensiferum0]

Originally Posted by adamcky90

I am probably going to just go for looks with my car cause some of these people on here keep dogging on the GS's and how slow they are and its really making me feel like I'm wasting my time and money on this car doing any more performance mods, its just seeming to be pointless to me . I'm probably going to get a set of wheels, lowering springs and eyelids for christmas. Thats my plan, probably wont go any further with it.

Well, a gs will never beat a gt with the same money in each but you can go turbo and do it right and hang with more than you'd think. Every little mod counts and it all adds up. I'm sure glad I have a gt lol!

[adamcky90]

I wish I would have been able to get a GT, I only got the GS cause my 93 subaru legacy's tranny went and I needed to get a car ASAP. I had 1 day, a saturday to find a car for work, and I wanted a newer low mileage car. I had it all planned out to get this 05 WRX, I told them we were going to come look at it on the weekend, and the day my dad went with me to cosign on it they sold it. I was soooo fucked off cause they said there was nobody else looking at the car. So I went to this little dealership that only sells newer low mileage cars, and the GS was the only thing that appealed to me that they had. I'm happy with the car, I just wish I would have gotten a GT. It was pretty much 'its this or nothing' cause it was getting late in the day and they were about to close. It felt great driving out of there with it, even though I wasn't all that at driving a stick, pulling out on hills was really my only problem. But after a few days I had it mastered for the most part. The dealer was great, they hooked me up with all the service records for the car.

[Moyer627]

I have a dc sport cai and gt throttle body. On my gs and it sounds awesome when I'm on the throttle. Cai was about 130 and I used www.car-parts.com that site lets you search for used parts in your area. I found my gt throttle body for 80 bucks. Dunno if that does all that much hp wise but it definetally helps throttle response. That was my first and it was pretty cheap.

[bobadim24]

Hahaa wish I can start modding my car,
But still thinking about my free oil change and nitrogen air refill, =_= already have parts in my garage just waiting lol


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