MS4 Cam, Dual Springs, and pushrods. Its a bone stock C5 A4. Now before i get on the flame suit for buying a MS4 and having no other mods, I got a great deal on the set up and I plan on building the motor around the cam.

So with that being said I know intake and exhaust are a must. I will loose down low power with the cam, so should I spring for a stall, gears or a tune first?

I went from modding a twinturbo car to trying to extract max na power out of this so go easy on me lol.

 

You'll definetly need a tune. You will want a stall also. Maybe get a mail order tune until you get the stall in and then get her dyno tuned. Gears would be a good option too but not nearly as important as a stall

 

A tune is a must with that cam as well as exhaust/intake, so that would be the very first.

Next, I'd say LS6 intake if you don't have it, then bolt ons, heads, etc.

Or sell/trade that setup and get a 228 or something smaller.

 

Yeah, I would definitely get a stall/tune on the car first thing. Also, with that cam, I would probably pay the extra money for getting a good dyno tune done versus a mail order. After that's done, I would get the exhaust sorted out. Then, I think at that point you would be in relatively decent shape. LS6 intake is probably not needed but you would be leaving a decent amount of power on the table if you just leave your stock LS1 on there.

 

here is a list of stuff i think you need

LS6 intake (at least, recommend a FAST if you can afford it)
Long Tubes
Y pipe of your choosing
good cat back or cut out
Lid
3600-4000 stall
4:10 gears
tune

optional
ported/aftermarket cylinder heads
shift kit

 

Thanks for all the help guys! I might do the mail tune just for now till i find a decent tuner. Im gonna search around on who and what size stall to go with. Right now im thinking 3600.

How does a mail tune work? Do I need to buy a programmer or is this something they will send me that i download throught the obd2 port? Do i have to send my ecu out?

 

I just bought the MS4 and bought a mail order tune for now from Texas Speed you have to seen in your PCM and a list off your mods. you get a yr of free tunes with in the purchase date can't beat it

 

How we tend to do the mail order tune process is that you simply send in your computer to us with a full list of all the modifications done to your car and we tune it accordingly and send it back. Any tune changes you need for the following year will be free.

 

Here is the order you should proceed in, as your budget allows:

- put your MS4 cam and hardware in a safe place while you complete the next several steps
- buy and install long tube headers of your choosing (other exhaust parts optional)
- buy and install 3.73 to 4.10 gears
- get a tune and enjoy the car while you and your wallet recover from phase one
- find and install converter with minimum 3500 stall speed, better still 4000
- get a retune
- buy all the gaskets, bolts and fluids you need for the install
- if hi-mileage, buy a new ported oil pump, O-ring, timing set, spark plugs and wires
- confirm that you have the correct length pushrods for a stock longblock
- arrange for any tools you will need to degree the cam and check PTV clearance
- pull stock cam and springs, swap in new hardware
- get another retune

If you want to add ported heads and intake down the road you certainly can, but full exhaust, gears and a stall are the bare minimum requirements for any cam of that size. Any compromise made on the supporting mods or install increases the likelyhood of you either missing the mark on your power goals, having a car that runs like a turd until it finally reaches its narrow powerband, or physically damaging something by installing the cam incorrectly - no room to spare on a max effort grind like this.

 

Stall is a must as is a tune. Gears are going to be your next best mod. I'd go 3.90's if it's a DD.

Edited: Didn't see it was bone stock must've skipped that, I at least thought it had bolt ons and since it's a C5 it already should have a LS6 intake on it. Your going to need Headers, exhaust(I'd personally find a Ti stock exhaust they work well and sound great with an ORX and LT's), and a tune for sure. I'd also grab some injectors and a fuel pump when the cam goes in. Dual springs are also a must with that cam and a good one at that. LSK intake lobe doesn't play around, nasty little bugger.

 

Cam only in an auto is like eating cake without icing. Sure it is good, but the COMBINATION of icing makes it so much better.

If you are starting with a cam first, then a tune and a stall must directly follow.
There is no reason to drive a cammed car without a tune. Too many risks. Honestly a cammed auto without a stall is a just a wicked sounding car that is not any faster than it was without the cam.

I believe you will gain more from exhaust than the intake swap.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is why I ask questions before I made any moves. Theres a great wealth of knowledge on this forum and i appreciate all the input. Measure twice, cut once!

 

1. Longtubes,full exhaust
2. Intake mods (didn't the C5s have a LS6?)
3. 373
4.Cam installed,tune,4k stall at once.

 

Mmmmm. I don't think you will be able to put it in gear without it dieing with that cam and no converter. It will idle at all most your coverter stall speed.
Good luck!

 

Not all c5's came with ls6 intakes only 01-04, 97-00 had regular ls1 intakes!!!

 

+1 I agree with everything hammertime said!!

I have an MS4 and don't think i would have liked it very much if i didn't have all the supporting mods done first.

 

Get a stall before you even touch the motor. I have the 228R without a stall and its not easy to drive in stop n go traffic.

 

Lots of good advice here, I can tell u from my experience that headers will make a dramatic difference. I have a 99' c5 with an A4 had 2.76 gears and a CAI on it. The first thing I did was gears 3.42 (used for $500,if u have 3.15 ratio already and the car is a driver i would leave the gears alone) and a re-stalled factory converter taken to 2500rpm ($125 for the converter) it's a lot of work to get to it, I would definitly go with a 3600 yank if I were u, thats on my list to do as I can hardly tell my 2500 is there. Next was LS6 intake 160 stat, and a mail order tune from ECS u need the tune with the stall to keep from throwing trans slippage codes, also to get the car to shift correctly with gear change. Those made a decent seat of the pants difference. Next I did headers cat less x pipe and Cora's cat back & holy crap.. The headers made a much more noticeable difference even without a tune. Then I got it tuned again (didn't notice it much other than the car was not running as rich) now I am looking for heads to replace my 241s after that will be a cam and bigger stall. From all the research I have done i think that MS4 is too big for an A4 weekend driver with little track time. But it all depends on what u want.. I'm considering a MS3 or Texas speed 228r. So if I were u I would do (in order) CAI,headers, gears & stall, heads & cam. Also throw a LS6 intake and 160 stat in there somewhere (get it tuned to turn cooling fans turned on earlier) . Keep in mind if u don't do them all at once plan on getting a tune for all mods, a mail order will do u fine for bolt ons, u will want a dyno/street tune for the cam and or heads. Also consider learning to tune with efi live or HP tuners yourself, or get an autocal from chuck @ corvettes of westchester (Chuck Cow has been referred to as THE MAN when it comes to A4 tuning) then u can data log and get custom tunes emailed to u.
If u follow advice from all the people who have experience on this forum and corvetteforum.com (<good source of used parts too) U will be happy with the results. Good luck