Why what is wrong with the power programmers?

How much HP/Torque gain would I expect if I get the MAC catback system along with an electric cutout?

 

Yeah I agree with SteveO. If you don't mind buying used, that's the way to go. Most of the mod's I've bought were used and I saved myself more than half the prices new. Well worth it if you are on a budget. I'd look into that.

 

If I were you i'd save up just a little more and get long tubes.

I've got a 97 A4 T/A with stock manifolds, and one of my buddies has a 94 A4 Z28 with long tubes and less mods than I have and his car feels like it has alot more getup/power than mine.

 

Nothing is wrong with programmers. They just don't give you the gains you will expect. Also tunes are a great thing, but you just aren't at the point yet mod wise where you'd need it. Add some more fairly major mods to your list and then you'll see a gain with a tune. Also like I stated earlier, I HIGHLY recommend you save some cash and not do two seperate exhaust mods. It's not like killing two birds with one stone because you can never use both at the same time. A cutout on an otherwise stock exhaust sounds very good, plus you get a pretty decent hp gain for what it is. I've seen dyno #'s where people are getting 10-12 rwhp with just that alone. A catback you'll probably get a little less just because there's more restriction. Both mod's will give you some very good sound, the cutout being a little louder but nothing major with stock manifolds. Save your money and either do a cutout or catback. If you go for a cutout you can get it pretty cheap and still spend some cash on another mod.

 

Well I decided to get a catback system.

I just bought a SLP Loudmouth Dual/Dual off the for sale forums on here.
Thanks for the help.

Anyone have anything to comment on about the Loudmouth system???

 

Very nice system. Beware it sounds MEAN Your gonna love it. Good choice. Probably one of the least restrictive aftermarket catbacks also. You'll notice a difference.

 

Awesome, thanks for all the help!

 

Nice choice. The loudmouth's name says it all. If you don't mind the noise, its a great exhaust. When you get headers, you might want to look into one of those bullet mufflers to weld somewhere in there though.

 

Well, you ought to have enough $$ left to get a Cold Air Kit and 160 stat, and a program.

 

He's already got a CAI and yeah your right, he probably still does have cash for a 160 thermo and tune. But it's probably not vital right now. If you wanna get the lower temp setup it will help your car run cooler. But depending on where you live in the US( can't remember) you might want to consider not going that route. If it snows where your at and the car gets driven in that weather you might have problems with it heating up. Just keep that in mind. In my opinion I wouldn't waste your money on a tune unless you have about 3-4 things or more that you need one for. Put your money to better use. Once you possibly have a cam, maybe change gears, etc. Those things almost require a tune. At that point is where you can have the lower temp settings thrown in there. Then it's only one purchase for multiple things. Not a purchase every time you change something. Good luck on the catback, again your gonna love it.