2.0t A6 Mod Suggestions

[penjo1]

I have a newly acquired 2015 2.0t A6 and I'm starting to catch the mod bug. The only mod I have on it already is a K&N intake. I have been working on coming up with a list of things to do, and which ones to start with and I figured I should pose the question to the experts here and give me their suggestions on the best bang for your buck mods. Any mod type are welcome, however this is my daily driver and I would like to keep it that way so I don't plan on doing too many engine mods, or anything I would have to take on and off to pass inspections (unless the results are highly worth it lol; I live in Texas for reference).

Like I said, best bang for your buck is key, I'm currently in college and already broke as hell lmao so I will do what I can with what I have. (and these will be applied over a couple years, I plan to have the car for quite a while) Comments on any or all, or additions to my list are welcome! So, so far I have:

Performance:
1. Turbo muffler delete - I recently came across this mod on the forum and it sounds like something that is easy to do and would have nice results. Small performance gain, but also making the turbo sound better. I will probably make this the first thing I do, since it is relatively cheap. Any suggestions for the one to get? I know multiple companies sell them for various prices but at first glance they look identical to me...
2. APR stage 1 tune - I bought the car with this tune in mind so it will probably happen over the next couple months. I've heard good things from many, but I've also heard good things about the stage 2 tune with the downpipe. Is it worth going straight to stage 2, or just stick with 1? Also I think I read somewhere that I would have to remove the tune to pass inspection, is this true? or am I thinking of something else?
3. Intercooler - someone linked this intercooler in another thread and others approved. Pretty cheap but had good results: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Interco...-/172252048688
4. I've read around about a JB4 tuner but I don't know much about it and how it compares to an ECU tune like above, any info?

Visual:
1. Trunk lip - Haven't decided which one yet, but this will also be happening soon. It's super simple and gives the back some more edges, makes it a little less round
2. H&R Lowering Springs - get rid of the wheel gap and make her look a little more aggressive. Most likely happening over the summer
3. Honeycomb grille - Really like the idea of this since I love the style but idk if it'll visually fit my car since I have the fog lights that complement the lined grille style. Have others had good luck changing this/these?
4. Front lip to fill out the face a little more
5. Rims will happen eventually but the stock rims aren't bad so I'm not in a hurry. Also I'm not sure what color I would go with since I don't seem to have many options, with the moonlight blue paint with the abundant chrome accents, I don't think I should stray too far from the silver realm. Plus idk that black chrome delete with the blue paint would look good, but I'm open to suggestions from others who have done something similar.

Exhaust:
This is where I have the least info but would love to make my car sound better (and perform better where applicable). I've read about either doing a resonator delete or a muffler delete, putting in a whole new exhaust system (which would be pricey, but I'm open to it), test pipes and performance cats (test pipes are illegal, performance cats are not as far as I know). Has anyone done exhaust modifications and really liked their results?

Lmk what y'all think and what else I should do! Thanks!!

1614197265337.jpg

[A665]

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...oon-C7-A6-2-0T

[penjo1]

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...oon-C7-A6-2-0T

Yep I've been through it, it's just a little all over the place, 16 pages of info, and I was hoping to get something a little more specific to me.

[intplayboys]

You have a Gen2 engine so you have a few more options. I’m Gen3 C7.5 and we are limited to what is out there. I would recommend APR Stage1 off the bat. I believe Stage2 isn’t available anymore. You don’t have to do anything with stage1 to pass emissions. I live in Cali and the tree huggers are ok with stage1 LoL. With that said I just went with JHM DP not messing with the catalytic converter at all! The tree huggers would lynch me here. The only reason I have the JB4 is because when I got the car it was the only option available as far as tune. Later on you can do an intake and mess with the exhaust.

Hope this helps..hit me up if you have any questions.


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[silver3.8]

The jb4 stack is a good addition. George from BMS is very very helpful. I definitely live my jb4.

Regarding an exhaust, everyone has a specific sound. I'm putting a group buy for Cende. Think the sound clips are on page 26 or 27. Lmk if the links expire.

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[19birel]

So I have an A4 with your motor and done a reasonable amount to it.

1) Turbo muffler delete- honestly for how much they cost vs what you get I wouldn't really consider it a value mod, especially since you have an intake already which improves throttle response and adds some turbo noises. for $15 you can get a diverter valve spacer on ebay (literally an aluminum spacer with vent holes so no quality difference from an expensive one) and it will give you more turbo "Spshhh!!!" noises, this was my first mod and I still love it.

2/4) APR Stage 1 is a great tune but they no longer offer Stage 2. Integrated Engineering offers both though and will give you a discount if you decide to upgrade to stage 2 later which is nice. I have their stage 2 tune and I'm pretty happy with it. That said, before IE stage 2 I had just a JB4 (I was the beta tester for JB4 on this motor) and the JB4 on it's own matched the numbers IE quoted for the stage 2 tune (I had my car put on a dyno). I have since stacked the JB4 on the iE tune and have extracted even more performance, but bang for you buck I was very impressed by the JB4, and power delivery was super smooth too. I'd either go JB4 or straight to stage 2 personally, either way you'll love the extra power.

3) I have that exact intercooler on my car, again another great value mod that i have been very happy with!

Some other mods I would consider
Transmission mount insert- top tip search ebay for a B8 A4 transmission mount insert, the same part fits a C7 but ebay sellers seldom list that, $20 that tightens up drive train slop and take 15minutes to install it's literally a machined piece of aluminum so it's another rare chance to save money on an ebay part and get comparable quality ahaha

Sound box delete- Essentially there is a sound box on the intercooler pipe on your driver's side that is supposed to reduce turbo noise. deleting this didn't add much sound for me, but it reduced lag from the turbo. You literally just need to remove the box and plug the hole with a rubber stopper and a hose clamp to hold it in place. I have pics in my build thread linked in my signature, but I think there is a DIY somewhere on the B8 forum too. A $5 trip to the hardware store and you have a mod that makes a small but noticeable difference!

Pedal Tuner- Sprint Booster makes one, Burger Motorsports has one (which I have), it essentially makes your throttle pedal more sensitive. It's amazing how much of a difference this makes to the car, less pedal travel required to get the car respond makes it feel like it's delivering its performance more effortlessly. I would recommend this even on a stock car. They're about $180 from Burger, which relative to other mods for these cars isn't bad at all, but on a college budget (me up until graduating at the end of summer) it's a little pricey. Totally worth it though in my book.

Having said all that don't forget maintenance, that is paramount. Change your oil every 5k miles or so (don't wait 10k like Audi says) and don't ignore issues. If you take care of these cars, they generally take care of you!

Happy modding and if you have any questions about anything I've mentioned I'm happy to help further!

[penjo1]

The jb4 stack is a good addition. George from BMS is very very helpful. I definitely live my jb4.

Regarding an exhaust, everyone has a specific sound. I'm putting a group buy for Cende. Think the sound clips are on page 26 or 27. Lmk if the links expire.

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Okay I'll have to look into the jb4 a little more. Idk that I have the money to front for an exhaust system rn, but I'd love to hear what it sounds like if you can repost the recordings, the link expired.

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[silver3.8]

Okay I'll have to look into the jb4 a little more. Idk that I have the money to front for an exhaust system rn, but I'd love to hear what it sounds like if you can repost the recordings, the link expired.

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Sure thing. Putting up the link again.

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[Valpo A7]

Your in college with limited funds?

Just drive it and enjoy it. Save your money for Larissa that will come up along the way and for relocation expenses after school. Then once you are out of school treat yourself to a newer A6 and get the 3.0 engine. Soooo many more options for that engine. And at that point you will actually be able to afford the mods.

[A665]

Your in college with limited funds?

Just drive it and enjoy it. Save your money for Larissa that will come up along the way and for relocation expenses after school. Then once you are out of school treat yourself to a newer A6 and get the 3.0 engine. Soooo many more options for that engine. And at that point you will actually be able to afford the mods.

I wish someone had given me this sage advice when I was a young lad. Seriously.

[A6sport]

Your in college with limited funds?

Just drive it and enjoy it. Save your money for Larissa that will come up along the way and for relocation expenses after school. Then once you are out of school treat yourself to a newer A6 and get the 3.0 engine. Soooo many more options for that engine. And at that point you will actually be able to afford the mods.

Great advice!

[penjo1]

Your in college with limited funds?

Just drive it and enjoy it. Save your money for Larissa that will come up along the way and for relocation expenses after school. Then once you are out of school treat yourself to a newer A6 and get the 3.0 engine. Soooo many more options for that engine. And at that point you will actually be able to afford the mods.

Yeah I am enjoying it :) every time I get in and drive I remember why I love it so much. And I'm definitely not in a rush to change things, I just have never had a car with opportunity for modding and that's exciting so that's partially why I really want to do something. I am definitely being fiscally responsible and not throwing all my money into this (also paying off the car itself so that's where my main focus is rn). This list was meant to be extensive just to show me my options and is by no means a checklist of everything that I'm definitely doing, just a list of possibilities. I appreciate your thoughts, it's a good reminder

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[penjo1]

So I have an A4 with your motor and done a reasonable amount to it.

1) Turbo muffler delete- honestly for how much they cost vs what you get I wouldn't really consider it a value mod, especially since you have an intake already which improves throttle response and adds some turbo noises. for $15 you can get a diverter valve spacer on ebay (literally an aluminum spacer with vent holes so no quality difference from an expensive one) and it will give you more turbo "Spshhh!!!" noises, this was my first mod and I still love it.

2/4) APR Stage 1 is a great tune but they no longer offer Stage 2. Integrated Engineering offers both though and will give you a discount if you decide to upgrade to stage 2 later which is nice. I have their stage 2 tune and I'm pretty happy with it. That said, before IE stage 2 I had just a JB4 (I was the beta tester for JB4 on this motor) and the JB4 on it's own matched the numbers IE quoted for the stage 2 tune (I had my car put on a dyno). I have since stacked the JB4 on the iE tune and have extracted even more performance, but bang for you buck I was very impressed by the JB4, and power delivery was super smooth too. I'd either go JB4 or straight to stage 2 personally, either way you'll love the extra power.

3) I have that exact intercooler on my car, again another great value mod that i have been very happy with!

Some other mods I would consider
Transmission mount insert- top tip search ebay for a B8 A4 transmission mount insert, the same part fits a C7 but ebay sellers seldom list that, $20 that tightens up drive train slop and take 15minutes to install it's literally a machined piece of aluminum so it's another rare chance to save money on an ebay part and get comparable quality ahaha

Sound box delete- Essentially there is a sound box on the intercooler pipe on your driver's side that is supposed to reduce turbo noise. deleting this didn't add much sound for me, but it reduced lag from the turbo. You literally just need to remove the box and plug the hole with a rubber stopper and a hose clamp to hold it in place. I have pics in my build thread linked in my signature, but I think there is a DIY somewhere on the B8 forum too. A $5 trip to the hardware store and you have a mod that makes a small but noticeable difference!

Pedal Tuner- Sprint Booster makes one, Burger Motorsports has one (which I have), it essentially makes your throttle pedal more sensitive. It's amazing how much of a difference this makes to the car, less pedal travel required to get the car respond makes it feel like it's delivering its performance more effortlessly. I would recommend this even on a stock car. They're about $180 from Burger, which relative to other mods for these cars isn't bad at all, but on a college budget (me up until graduating at the end of summer) it's a little pricey. Totally worth it though in my book.

Having said all that don't forget maintenance, that is paramount. Change your oil every 5k miles or so (don't wait 10k like Audi says) and don't ignore issues. If you take care of these cars, they generally take care of you!

Happy modding and if you have any questions about anything I've mentioned I'm happy to help further!

Wowow thank you for all the info!!
I'll definitely have to look into those cheaper mods, those will give me a chance to have fun doing something to my car and getting my hands dirty without breaking the bank. Appreciate it!

I noticed on the APR website that they didn't have stage 2 anymore but I saw people talk about having it so I wasn't sure if they just discontinued it in house and other people still had it to flash or if it was discontinued entirely, so good to know. What does the price vs performance look like for the APR stage 1 vs IE stage 1 vs JB4?

That might have been your intercooler you linked or one you bumped, I found it in the big thread linked above haha!!

Again, thanks so much, it's super exciting to finally be a part of a car community, I've been looking forward to this for years :)

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[19birel]

Wowow thank you for all the info!!
I'll definitely have to look into those cheaper mods, those will give me a chance to have fun doing something to my car and getting my hands dirty without breaking the bank. Appreciate it!

I noticed on the APR website that they didn't have stage 2 anymore but I saw people talk about having it so I wasn't sure if they just discontinued it in house and other people still had it to flash or if it was discontinued entirely, so good to know. What does the price vs performance look like for the APR stage 1 vs IE stage 1 vs JB4?

That might have been your intercooler you linked or one you bumped, I found it in the big thread linked above haha!!

Again, thanks so much, it's super exciting to finally be a part of a car community, I've been looking forward to this for years :)

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No problem!

Those who have APR Stage 2 got it before it was discontinued a few months back. APR Stage 1 is ~$400 and you have to go to an APR dealer to have it flashed (I think they generally charge an hours labor to flash the tune), IE is $450 + $150 for their flash cable and you can flash it yourself at home. Also it's only $50 to upgrade to stage 2 later (requires high flow cat). JB4 is $429 and you can either get their cable for $30 or like $120ish for bluetooth capability(bluetooth is worth it if you plan to tinker with it), that said you can also remove it from the car and resell later if you get rid of the vehicle.

JB4 is comparable to IE stage 2 but doesn't require any extra hardware IE Stage 1 & APR Stage 1 are pretty close (some say APR is slightly stronger), JB4 should give more power than Stage 1, but the flash tunes are a little more refined. The JB4 also allows you to make adjustments to the boost mapping which is fun to dive into too (kinda like custom tuning for beginners haha).

Personally I would either go IE or JB4. IE will give you the option to go stage 2 down the road later if you want to (in an economical way too). JB4 will give you pretty comparable performance to Stage 2 and give you the ability to tinker with it a little more. Also you can clear check engine lights with the JB4, and with the app see boost gauges etc.

Can't go wrong no matter which way you go, but different options have different benefits!

[Nebby58]

I have a newly acquired 2015 2.0t A6 and I'm starting to catch the mod bug. The only mod I have on it already is a K&N intake. I have been working on coming up with a list of things to do, and which ones to start with and I figured I should pose the question to the experts here and give me their suggestions on the best bang for your buck mods. Any mod type are welcome, however this is my daily driver and I would like to keep it that way so I don't plan on doing too many engine mods, or anything I would have to take on and off to pass inspections (unless the results are highly worth it lol; I live in Texas for reference).

Like I said, best bang for your buck is key, I'm currently in college and already broke as hell lmao so I will do what I can with what I have. (and these will be applied over a couple years, I plan to have the car for quite a while) Comments on any or all, or additions to my list are welcome! So, so far I have:

Performance:
1. Turbo muffler delete - I recently came across this mod on the forum and it sounds like something that is easy to do and would have nice results. Small performance gain, but also making the turbo sound better. I will probably make this the first thing I do, since it is relatively cheap. Any suggestions for the one to get? I know multiple companies sell them for various prices but at first glance they look identical to me...
2. APR stage 1 tune - I bought the car with this tune in mind so it will probably happen over the next couple months. I've heard good things from many, but I've also heard good things about the stage 2 tune with the downpipe. Is it worth going straight to stage 2, or just stick with 1? Also I think I read somewhere that I would have to remove the tune to pass inspection, is this true? or am I thinking of something else?
3. Intercooler - someone linked this intercooler in another thread and others approved. Pretty cheap but had good results: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Interco...-/172252048688
4. I've read around about a JB4 tuner but I don't know much about it and how it compares to an ECU tune like above, any info?

Visual:
1. Trunk lip - Haven't decided which one yet, but this will also be happening soon. It's super simple and gives the back some more edges, makes it a little less round
2. H&R Lowering Springs - get rid of the wheel gap and make her look a little more aggressive. Most likely happening over the summer
3. Honeycomb grille - Really like the idea of this since I love the style but idk if it'll visually fit my car since I have the fog lights that complement the lined grille style. Have others had good luck changing this/these?
4. Front lip to fill out the face a little more
5. Rims will happen eventually but the stock rims aren't bad so I'm not in a hurry. Also I'm not sure what color I would go with since I don't seem to have many options, with the moonlight blue paint with the abundant chrome accents, I don't think I should stray too far from the silver realm. Plus idk that black chrome delete with the blue paint would look good, but I'm open to suggestions from others who have done something similar.

Exhaust:
This is where I have the least info but would love to make my car sound better (and perform better where applicable). I've read about either doing a resonator delete or a muffler delete, putting in a whole new exhaust system (which would be pricey, but I'm open to it), test pipes and performance cats (test pipes are illegal, performance cats are not as far as I know). Has anyone done exhaust modifications and really liked their results?

Lmk what y'all think and what else I should do! Thanks!!

1614197265337.jpg

Your mod list looks similar to mine. I will say I did a rear sway bar and that really tightened up the rear, along with the Eurocode drivetrain mounts. As just a general rule, when I am driving to have fun, make sure that traction control is off and you control the shifts yourself. Really allows the car to do its thing. One other thing you may consider is a GFB diverter valve. I bought the one with the built in spacer, it when I let off the gas it releases pressure in a cool puff sound. JH Motorsports has a DP and HFC for our build, waiting for that to get installed.

The biggest thing I’m doing right now though is acquiring Audi tools that I can use when I eventually upgrade. The tools have been my biggest expense.

Just remember that any money you put in this car, just assume you’ll never see it again. But working on this four cylinder engine has been a great learning experience for me, I say go nuts within reason.

The 3.0 is roughly $6-7k higher than what I paid for my 2.0 same year and mileage. I’m hoping to get 350 hp after the build is completed and I’ll still be around 3k under a stock 3.0.


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[19birel]

I just noticed you're in Texas, just to confirm, does your car have Quattro?

[penjo1]

I just noticed you're in Texas, just to confirm, does your car have Quattro?

Unfortunately it does not. Why?

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[19birel]

Unfortunately it does not. Why?

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The fwd pre-facelift cars like yours are equipped with a CVT Transmission which isn’t capable of handling as much torque as the ZF8 in the Quattro cars.

This is important because if you tune the car the transmission might have trouble handling the extra torque and potentially fail which would make for an expensive repair.

Some people have tuned the cars with CVT transmissions and been trouble free, others not so much. I’m not trying to scare you out of modifying your car, but want to make sure you know that those transmissions can be finicky.

My parents had a B8 A4 with that transmission and while it was reliable it got a little rough whenever it was close to needing the fluid changed (every 35k I think), and that was at stock power. I would be hesitant to tune it at all, but it might be able to handle stage 1. For reference though it’s only rated to 295ft lbs of torque and stock is 258.

You might want to do some research and see what your comfortable with doing mod wise after reading more.


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[penjo1]

The fwd pre-facelift cars like yours are equipped with a CVT Transmission which isn’t capable of handling as much torque as the ZF8 in the Quattro cars.

This is important because if you tune the car the transmission might have trouble handling the extra torque and potentially fail which would make for an expensive repair.

Some people have tuned the cars with CVT transmissions and been trouble free, others not so much. I’m not trying to scare you out of modifying your car, but want to make sure you know that those transmissions can be finicky.

My parents had a B8 A4 with that transmission and while it was reliable it got a little rough whenever it was close to needing the fluid changed (every 35k I think), and that was at stock power. I would be hesitant to tune it at all, but it might be able to handle stage 1. For reference though it’s only rated to 295ft lbs of torque and stock is 258.

You might want to do some research and see what your comfortable with doing mod wise after reading more.


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Gotcha, good to know, I wasn't aware of that. Appreciate the warning.

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[penjo1]

So I have an A4 with your motor and done a reasonable amount to it.

Transmission mount insert- top tip search ebay for a B8 A4 transmission mount insert, the same part fits a C7 but ebay sellers seldom list that, $20 that tightens up drive train slop and take 15minutes to install it's literally a machined piece of aluminum so it's another rare chance to save money on an ebay part and get comparable quality ahaha

Sound box delete- Essentially there is a sound box on the intercooler pipe on your driver's side that is supposed to reduce turbo noise. deleting this didn't add much sound for me, but it reduced lag from the turbo. You literally just need to remove the box and plug the hole with a rubber stopper and a hose clamp to hold it in place. I have pics in my build thread linked in my signature, but I think there is a DIY somewhere on the B8 forum too. A $5 trip to the hardware store and you have a mod that makes a small but noticeable difference!

I'm revisiting this thread now that I'm out of school and have the time to work on my car. I'm definitely trying to find budget things to do that won't cost a lot but will let me spend time working on her (for ex. just painted the calipers). I wanted to ask about these 2 things.
Since I have a CVT trans (hissss lol) is the transmission mount insert still worth doing? Idk how much "drive train slop" there is in the CVT vs the manual or others.

As for the sound box delete, I'll probably do that in the next day or 2 since it seems relatively easy and cheap. I looked through your build thread and the DIY thread and I'm still a little confused as to what to do, I'll have to go look at it later today. What all am I removing? I noticed that you had to replace the rubber stopper after about a year, did you find it held up well enough or did you find something else that worked better?

[TexasDfwS4]

Time to upgrade to the 3.0. If you spend any money trying to get to the 3.0 it will be in vain. No AWD an 2.0 is just a utility vehicle to and from work. If you like the 2.0 then move to the A4 and it will do you right.

[19birel]

I'm revisiting this thread now that I'm out of school and have the time to work on my car. I'm definitely trying to find budget things to do that won't cost a lot but will let me spend time working on her (for ex. just painted the calipers). I wanted to ask about these 2 things.
Since I have a CVT trans (hissss lol) is the transmission mount insert still worth doing? Idk how much "drive train slop" there is in the CVT vs the manual or others.

As for the sound box delete, I'll probably do that in the next day or 2 since it seems relatively easy and cheap. I looked through your build thread and the DIY thread and I'm still a little confused as to what to do, I'll have to go look at it later today. What all am I removing? I noticed that you had to replace the rubber stopper after about a year, did you find it held up well enough or did you find something else that worked better?

Seeing as you'll likely stay at stock power levels I'm not sure how noticeable it will be, for $20 I'd still do it, but you won't be majorly missing out if you don't do it.

As far as the sound box delete goes, I'm still using the rubber stoppers since they're so easy to replace and I had a 4pack which gave me plenty of spares haha. I've had a couple ideas for better solutions but haven't really been fussed to try them out yet, as these have never completely failed me (I just replace the stopper preventatively).

In terms of what to actually do, just pull the hard plastic charge pipe out (driver's side, the only hard pipe), once that's out of the car the removal of the sound box is pretty self explanatory.

[penjo1]

Seeing as you'll likely stay at stock power levels I'm not sure how noticeable it will be, for $20 I'd still do it, but you won't be majorly missing out if you don't do it.

As far as the sound box delete goes, I'm still using the rubber stoppers since they're so easy to replace and I had a 4pack which gave me plenty of spares haha. I've had a couple ideas for better solutions but haven't really been fussed to try them out yet, as these have never completely failed me (I just replace the stopper preventatively).

In terms of what to actually do, just pull the hard plastic charge pipe out (driver's side, the only hard pipe), once that's out of the car the removal of the sound box is pretty self explanatory.

Okay gotcha thanks!!

Yeah going into this a while back, I was definitely on the hunt for how to give it more power, and I feel like sometimes that's everyone's answer on here, give it more power or get a new car. But at this point I'm really enjoying the car for what it is and just enjoying learning and getting my hands dirty.

If you have any more budget mods you suggest, lmk! I'm having a blast doing as much as I can! :)

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