Ok i have a limited amount of funds. I could either get a intake or the crawford v5 plenum. Im hoping to get the most bang out of my first mod performance wise. Given that i dont have much money i decided that maybe i should go with the plenum because i heard the plenum gives more hp gains than a intake. But, im afraid that if i get a plenum i really wouldn't be getting much gains because im still running on the stock air box and not that many air is coming in anyway. Can anyone give me their thoughts on what i should get first? Keep in mind im lookin for the most bang for my first mod, i dont have much money and i've narrowed it down to either the plenum or intake. Thank You.

 

If you are planning on eventually changing out the cats, get the plenum. If not, get the Z-Tube/K&N air filter (or intake of your choice). I've done all 3 and these mods (with exception to the K&N, I have the JWT-P/C) and they all work well together. The intake and cats were just o.k. together, but w/o the plenum I didn't really notice much of a gain other than improved sound and throttle response. When I added the plenum to that mix, the G really woke up and the butt dyno could tell a difference. The dynojet told me (via some calculations) that I gained ~17rwhp from these mods, or ~21bhp (measured at the crank).

-Fish did the same thing in reverse I believe. He had an intake and the Plenum, and didn't really notice the gains until he added his high flow cats. This shows that the 3 mods work much better together rather than separately.

The cheapest mod is the intake. The plenum and cats are each around $400 to $500 depending on what brand you buy. The general concensus seems to be that Crawford cats and Crawford Plenum are the 2 items which are currently on the market that everyone preferrs.

If you have the time, stick around awhile and see how this APS plenum works out. Another couple of days and we should know if it is going to be any better than the stock set up...

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>

 

The best advice bar none that I can give people is to do the high flow cats/plenum combo. Kinetix has the combo for about $700 and change. Crawford would be more expensive.
I know it may look steep to you but it will be the best bang for the buck you will get on the G.

2004 G35 Coupe/OB/Graphite interior/Premium and aero package/Popcharger/Z tube/Hotchkis sways/Tein H-tech springs/Kinetix plenum/Crawford cats

 

Wow thanks alot for all these advices. BUt, i dont know if im going to get high flow cats in the future. I would love to get it, but i heard high flow cats make your G sound kinda loud which is exactly what i dont want. So if i dont plan on getting cats, i should get the intake instead of the plenum right??

 

Or would the plenum still give more hp gains than a intake by itself?? Because if thats the case i would go for the plenum, im lookin for the most possible bang i can get.

 

Yep - Get the Crawford. IMHO, It is still the best bang for the buck out there.

Lou

 

First do K/N drop-in with Z-Tube. About $120 for both and a nice sound with better throttle response. Supposed to be good for 5 HP. Then do a good SS catback and potentially the APS plenum (a nice single cast piece instead of a sawed and welded Crawford). If you're really good, then you do a TS reflash at the end. All of the above should be good for around 25 RWHP.

Or just save your pennies ($7000-10000) and go FI. Then you get a 100 RWHP boost and a very fast car for the money spent. Just dont tell your insurance company.

 

the biggest bang for the buck = nitrous. Basic nitrous kit is about $500. Why mess around with spending big $$$ for a little HP like 5, 10, or 25 HP, when you can get 75+ for the same price or less. You can't even tell when you have an extra 10HP. You may be only slightly faster than a stock car. Why not make a difference and go for the gusto! Despite what all the people say about nitrous being safe, it is very safe. Of those people, how many have actually used nitrous or done enough research to validate what they are saying. We are running up 175-shots (175 HP extra) without any issues and without forged internals or all that other stuff. Don't get me wrong, to spray that much you need to spend about $1,500 or so to do it safely, given you do all the work your self. But for a 55, 65, 75, or 100 shot, you don't need much.

It'll take you a plenum, TS reflash, race cats, exhaust, pulley, intake to get even close to what a conservative nitrous shot would give you. Granted you have to refil the bottle periodically and you don't have the power all the time like you do with the naturally aspriated mods, but at least for me, I don't need the power all the time because I am happy with the power the car has without mods. I use the nitrous to embarrass the people that want to race or when I am the track.

Nitrous isn't for everyone, but you definitely get your money's worth. Good luck.

’03 G35S 6MT, black/black:
-Zex n20 Kit 150-shot & Bottle Opener
-Amsoil Air/Oil Filters & Oil
-Digital Nitrous Pressure Gauge & A/F Switch/Gauge
-Pressure-based Bottle Warmer
-MSD Window Switch

 

You stated the facts well - especially that Nitro is not for everyone. For 750 bucks you can get 25 or so horses tho and it will be there for you all the time. That does a significant amount to your times and the way the car faster is apparent to say the least. I would go through a can every day and blow my motor. I dont embarass people - i just drive and drive somemore and the additional power, easier revs, quicker passing is noticable all day. Many people spend 300 on intake and 1200 on exhaust and think that should add power - it may but not 25hp.

2003.5 DP 5AT Sedan
14.2 @ 97.18
Z-Tube
K&N Drop In & Airbox Mod
10 Wire Hyper-Ground
Crawford Plenum (V4)
UR Crank Pulley
Hotchkis Sways (M/M)
Polk EX-3500 Tweeters/Shock Sensor/H-Liner

 

tires, suspension, then add a supercharger if you want the three biggest bang for your buck mods.

intake, exhaust mods are not the best cost effective ways to increase performance

Better Life thru Chemistry
Black on Black 03.5 Sedan 6MT - Goodyear F1 GS-D3's 225/55/17, Custom Intake Tube, '03 "Z" Suspension, Magnaflow resonator, 6 Wire 4 Guage Grounding Kit

 

Well like i sed i really cant afford any of this right now, i can only afford a intake or a plenum, so which one should i get??

 

O.K. I'll flip a coin for you... Heads you get the Z-Tube and K&N pannel filter, tails you get the Crawford Plenum.

Wait...

OK it's tails. I honestly would have recommended the intake, but the coin has spoken...

I LOVE PINSTRIPES!!!!

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>