Help me spend money!

[Darek661]

Hey guys, so I've been on the forum for a few months now and from what I gather, I know what direction I want to go with my truck (Shadow Black XLT 4x2).My ultimate goal is to have my truck lowered and make it a drag/street slayer truck (I live like 5 miles away from Desoto Speedway so I grew up on the 1/4 mile drag strip.) Ideally I'd like to be in the high 11's - low 12's. Which from what I'm seeing is totally achievable with tune, bolt on's, upgraded fuel system, suspension, etc... Now obviously I'm not going to get there with only the money I've got right now, but I'd like to know where to start.

So, my question is, where do I spend my money first? I've got about $1,500 right now that I can dedicate entirely to my truck (that my wife doesn't know about of course!) I'd like to get the best bang for my buck so to say. I know that a tune is absolutely the way to go but I still haven't decided on a tuner box or a company to go with yet. I've got mixed feelings about 5-Star Tuning because of other users on here having hiccups and issues with theirs. On the other hand, I've heard pretty great reviews about Unleashed Tuning so I still have some things to consider before I pull the trigger.

Hoping you guys will have some insight and experiences or first hand knowledge of the parts I should start with. That said, the only mods that I have done so far is a muffler delete with resonator with side exit tip, its using the factory 2.5in pipe that ended at the factory muffler so I'm considering getting the MBRP 3" Catback to replace the stock 2.5in pipe (is it worth it for the extra .5in?) I've also got a GFB DV+ VTA already installed (love that damn thing!) Everything else is stock.

Sorry for the insanely long post! Just want to make sure that I cover all my bases before starting to really dig in and buy!

This is what I'm thinking so far, let me know if you guys have any of these parts and if so, what your experience with them has been!

Twisted Steel Race Series Catless down pipe - $379.99 from Panda Motorworks
BladeRunner Intercooler Hot and Cold Side Tubes - $349.00 from Panda Motorworks
MBRP Catback Exhaust - $189.99 from Panda Motorworks
SCT BDX Programmer - $399.99 From Panda Motorworks

Total: $1,320

This leaves me some wiggle room for other things or for a more expensive tuner. Let me know if I missed something critical or if you have any suggestions for better/different stuff! Thanks all!

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[GrayGen]

I'm not sure you have enough left for an Attorney when your wife finds out.

 

[Darek661]

I'm not sure you have enough left for an Attorney when your wife finds out.

You might be right, but at least I'll beat her to the attorney's office!

 

[Lunchbox88]

Im not sure about the exact parts your picking but it seems you are on the right path.
Tune and Exhaust are probably the good bets first.
Unfortunately I dont believe you can even touch the low 12's or high 11's without a turbo upgrade, injectors, and probably E85.
But we have a couple members who race their trucks, I think @Doc might have some better information for you.

 

[Doc]

Im not sure about the exact parts your picking but it seems you are on the right path.
Tune and Exhaust are probably the good bets first.
Unfortunately I dont believe you can even touch the low 12's or high 11's without a turbo upgrade, injectors, and probably E85.
But we have a couple members who race their trucks, I think @Doc might have some better information for you.

Ditto..
Regards

 

[Darek661]

Ultimately, that's the route that I'll end up going. E85, bigger injectors, bigger turbo, and a bigger fuel pump. Right now I'd like to start laying the groundwork for the future by getting everything ready.

One thing that I haven't seen too much info on is the heat soak of the AFE Charge pipes. I live in FL, which I believe you do as well right @Doc

Not sure how big of an issue that is, or if its even worth worrying about in general vs how much of a gain it gives.

Basically, I just want to make sure that I don't buy something now that I'll just end up replacing or upgrading again later lol.

 

[Doc]

Ultimately, that's the route that I'll end up going. E85, bigger injectors, bigger turbo, and a bigger fuel pump. Right now I'd like to start laying the groundwork for the future by getting everything ready.

One thing that I haven't seen too much info on is the heat soak of the AFE Charge pipes. I live in FL, which I believe you do as well right @Doc

Not sure how big of an issue that is, or if its even worth worrying about in general vs how much of a gain it gives.

Basically, I just want to make sure that I don't buy something now that I'll just end up replacing or upgrading again later lol.

Live oak here...looking forward to seeing Your upgrades!
Regards

 

[Darek661]

Live oak here...looking forward to seeing Your upgrades!
Regards

You and me both! Lol. You've got the Unleashed tune right? What programmer do you use?

 

[Doc]

You and me both! Lol. You've got the Unleashed tune right? What programmer do you use?

BDX/REVX

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm not sure you have enough left for an Attorney when your wife finds out.

That's why you spend all of it. She can't take what you don't have! lol

 

[Darek661]

That's why you spend all of it. She can't take what you don't have! lol

Truer words never spoken!

But in all seriousness, how the hell did you guys decide which tuner to go with? There are so many choices! I'd like to also mention that I'd like to make my own custom tunes as well once I get it on a Dyno, is there any programmer that's better than another in regards to this? I really like the Livernois touch but at $599 I can't really see what makes it any better than the SCT, BDX, or HP Tuners programmers. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[808matt]

IMO if you plan on upgrading your turbo, ide get all the supporting mods first. Dp, exhaust, intercooler, charge pipes etc. and hold off on a tuner till you upgrade your turbo and get what works best for that set up

 

[RangerCoby]

Maybe add a drop in filter also?

Maybe @13 Second Ranger can help.

 

[Darek661]

IMO if you plan on upgrading your turbo, ide get all the supporting mods first. Dp, exhaust, intercooler, charge pipes etc. and hold off on a tuner till you upgrade your turbo and get what works best for that set up

After obsessing over research all day today, I think I've decided to go with

aFe BladeRunner Charge Pipes
Twisted Steel Catless (race) Downpipe
HPTuners NGauge Custom Programmer from Unleashed

This brings my total with shipping and tax to $1,261.49

I figure that I've already done a muffler delete with a resonator and side exit. For now, until I can get it on a Dyno and start really digging in, these seems like the best upgrades in my budget range and still comes in less than I wanted to spend to get started. Seems like the HPTuners NGauge is perfect for now and future upgrades as I see fit to add to or modify later on, plus it comes with out of the box tunes as well as 2 custom tunes from Unleashed. I'll get ahold of Torrie from Unleashed before I pull the trigger.

Speaking of the NGauge, anybody that has one, how did you decide to mount it? I kind of like the idea of a gauge pod mount but at the same time, a little more discreet of a mount might be a better option.

 

[Darek661]

Maybe add a drop in filter also?

Maybe @13 Second Ranger can help.

Oh yeah! Add that to the list too! I was planning on throwing one in anyways, thank you for reminding me lol

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