New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Worthwhile first mods?

In the next few weeks I'm going to be looking to purchase an SLP lid (already have a K&N filter but it comes with one anyway), SLP smooth bellows, and a Frost tune.

Are these three things combined worthwhile mods? Will the approximate $250-300 I spend make a difference?

just know that besides the air lid anything slp makes is over priced and way over rated, the bellow is more of an appearance mod and does nothing for performance, just start with bolt ons/and suspension, fyi if i could start over again i would buy a procharger from the start , after you spend a good ammount of money your going to wish you went with boost in the first place,bolt ons, boost cam, d1sc should get your car rolling pretty well,

just know that besides the air lid anything slp makes is over priced and way over rated, the bellow is more of an appearance mod and does nothing for performance, just start with bolt ons/and suspension, fyi if i could start over again i would buy a procharger from the start , after you spend a good ammount of money your going to wish you went with boost in the first place,bolt ons, boost cam, d1sc should get your car rolling pretty well,

Boost = not happening. Thanks for the advice concerning the bellows though!

Anyone else?

I am in the same boat. Just ordered my SLP lid, already have a borla catback, & extremely tempted to do a P&P TB. If you look in the "Stickies" there is a GREAT write-up called "So you wanna be fast" & it lists what you should do first & why. Good stuff!!

Here is the link.....(if you want a list of what to do first, just scroll down to #16, but reading the whole thread is highly worthwhile!!)
http://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-owners-newbie-tech/361959-so-you-wanna-fast.html

chrs1313 ram air or SSRA for CAI... slp lid and frost tune are good choices for sure. Best bang for the buck mods I've done to my car have been without a doubt Bilstein shocks, nitto DR's (if straight line is your thing), and TSP 1 7/8" stainless steel headers. The shocks made the car feel new again, the headers.. let's just say they made my but dyno happy lol (granted I did the lid at the same time as the headers, so I can't comment there).

Personally I would wait until you get headers to do the frost tune. Unless you plan to get headers within the next 3mo. Then he will retune for free.

Personally I would wait until you get headers to do the frost tune. Unless you plan to get headers within the next 3mo. Then he will retune for free.

I'll definitely have my headers within three months of the original tune. I really wanna see what I can get my car to do stock with just a tune, but chances are it'll have a lid and possibly smooth bellows and a P/P throttle body. :bang:

Stock enough right? ;)

If you want to spend the extra money to send it back to Frost to get it retuned after you get headers than go for it, otherwise wait until headers. A tune isn't going to do much to a stock car unless you have an automatic. My best purchases were Lid, P&P TB, LS6 intake, Headers, and exhaust with a tune. I have a bellow but it's just for looks. A good CAI goes a long way to.

Your a A4? Get a 3600-4000k stall and lid, headers, 3:73 gears,tune

Your a A4? Get a 3600-4000k stall and lid, headers, 3:73 gears,tune

This^^ once you get the money.

I'll say the ported TB is worth the money. I got mine from Photz6 (or something like that) on ebay. Great work, and a great price.

You prob won't notice anything at the track with it, but I definitely noticed an improvement in throttle response, which made the car at least FEEL faster.

In the next few weeks I'm going to be looking to purchase an SLP lid (already have a K&N filter but it comes with one anyway), SLP smooth bellows, and a Frost tune.

Are these three things combined worthwhile mods? Will the approximate $250-300 I spend make a difference?

Power per $ this isn't really going to kick you in your dyno seat, but it's a good start. You said boost is out, but maybe the SLP lid and a good cam will satisfy your needs for now. From there maybe some good heads. But IMHO, you get more per $ with boost. Just my .2 cents.

Personally I would wait until you get headers to do the frost tune. Unless you plan to get headers within the next 3mo. Then he will retune for free.

This!

Unless you don't want to get headers, or any serious modifications. There are people who are cat-back lid and tune only.

Also, if your LS1 is a 1998-2000 model, consider purchasing the LS6 intake. Nets you at least 10-15HP.

P&P TB is a good beginner mod. Expect 3-5HP and a little more throttle response
Lid is a good first mod, expect 5-8HP, and maybe better top end pull.
Cat-back is good early mod, expect 5-10HP, and better top end pull. But depending on the cat-back, can lose a little bit of low end torque.
Tune is a good mod, but wait until you've completely most if not all of your mods, I.E. headers, cam, heads, etc.
If you have 2.73's like mine, might want to consider swapping those out for 3.42's or 3.73's.

Since you have the auto, a stall will make a world of difference in launches. The automatics are already pretty good from a launch, with a stall you will kill any equally equipped manual.

I appreciate all the advice guys! However I see some of you missed my post stating I would have my full exhaust within 90 days of the original tune so my retune is free (and if not, I'll pay another $150). I've also rethought my original plans and have decided to do ALL free mods, an SLP lid, as well as a POTZ ported and polished stock throttle body instead of the smooth bellows.

And yes, my car is an automatic, so I feel a tune should help at least a little with torque management and shift points alone. I expect realistically a solid 8.5-8.6, provided weather is decent and DA is close (+/- 300FT) to the track's actual elevation.

I appreciate all the advice guys! However I see some of you missed my post stating I would have my full exhaust within 90 days of the original tune so my retune is free (and if not, I'll pay another $150). I've also rethought my original plans and have decided to do ALL free mods, an SLP lid, as well as a POTZ ported and polished stock throttle body instead of the smooth bellows.

And yes, my car is an automatic, so I feel a tune should help at least a little with torque management and shift points alone. I expect realistically a solid 8.5-8.6, provided weather is decent and DA is close (+/- 300FT) to the track's actual elevation.


You said youll have your full exhaust within 90 days of the original tune..why dont you just wait and do it all at once. ik you said you dont mind sending it back for free or even pay for a retune, but why dont you just do it once and be done with it? if you dont have to pay for shipping for second tune why would you

You said youll have your full exhaust within 90 days of the original tune..why dont you just wait and do it all at once. ik you said you dont mind sending it back for free or even pay for a retune, but why dont you just do it once and be done with it? if you dont have to pay for shipping for second tune why would you

I honestly don't have a way of justifying paying more, it's just what I wanna do. It's killing me to know shift points, fuel, torque management, etc. is slowing me down as much as it is.