This:
ORIGINAL: Totty
funds are tight at the moment after just purchasing the 44, so i am looking at low end/big difference quality tuning options,
does not line up with this:
ORIGINAL: Totty
i feel buying the parts seperate rather than the kits from promax & Jm will work out better, viewed them a while ago & from what i can see there's better to be had ?!!
Better for what purpose? Better for the purpose of a low cost / big difference, proven, working tuning option, then no, I don't think you will do better than an off-the-shelf Promax or JMG set, providing your engine is 100% fit in standard form (no air leaks, bores in good nick, good compressions,good oil pressure, recent head gasket and belts, and nice clean cylinder head that doesn't need a decoke, etc)
It is not a good idea to modify these things in an unfocused way, without a specific set of objectives. Throwing an assortment of parts at a car in dribs and drabs one at a time is not going to give you a better low cost / big difference tuning option than a proven kit from JMG or Promax, especially since you cannot safely do anything that makes a serious difference to the power unless you chip the car or have it remapped, which is currently not even on your list.
All of the things on your list have their purposes but deciding the best upgrade path depends very much on where you ultimately want to go. What is your actual end objective? 12 months from now what power and torque output do you intend to have, what sort of use will you be putting the car to, what sort of driveability characteristics do you want, and how much are you prepared to spend overall?
If what you want is a reliable 300 bhp road car at modest cost and that's going to be the end of it, then that's an off-the-shelf Promax Level 2 kit or equivalent from JMG, job done. If you are embarking on a long expensive multi-year journey to 400 bhp then you will be getting into a world of much more profound changes: changing the turbocharger, bigger intercooler and a bigger exhaust and other things, and accept that you will be in for a series of custom remaps as you go.
Actually the exhaust is a good example. Does it *need* a new exhaust because the old one is falling to pieces? If not, and you are short of money, why spend a four-figure sum on a three-inch exhaust that really only becomes necessary once you are well beyond 300 bhp and aiming for 350 bhp plus? On the other hand if you know you are working towards 350 bhp and your existing exhaust is rotten, then yes, you might as well get a 3" rather than a standard replacement.
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