IMO, K04 isn't worthy of being called Stage 3. A K04 is more of a Stage 2, and with FMIC, exhaust, DP and clutch maybe a Stage 2+.

28 series IS considered a BT. This is how it is...

K04= NSTT (Not so tiny turbo. lol jk, I made that up)



BT= 28 series
BAT= 30-35 series
BAFT= 35.88-40 series
BAMFT= 40.88+ series

Other turbo's fall into these categories relative to their size. Of course there are other types of snails besides the Garrett's but this is just an example.

 

^ haha i love the acronyms.

 

I would probably have around 4-5 grand to put into it, and pretty much no technical experience. That's why I ended up going with the APR guys b/c they gaurantee all the work and they are nearby. Only negative thing is they seem to sell everything together which makes it pricey. OTOH this seems to be better insurance against things failing from incomplete mods, right? They have done right by me up to now.

Not looking for huge power increases, just a daily driver that can get me around traffic, and not get walked by late model grocery getter SUVs and still keeps decent mpg.

Already have the sport suspension, so hoping not to put much into that area until replacements/repairs are required. Also not looking to do exterior mods, want it to look stock.

 

+1 to this. I saw you said your front brakes were rebuilt recently - calipers only, or did you put in new pads, rotors, etc? I'd sell the rotors and pads to someone and get the A8 upgrade. Big-time worth the money. HIDs are also worthwhile, and maybe a short-shifter assembly.

 

They did pads, hoses and one caliper--the one that was binding up. I thought about a brake upgrade but with it kind of urgent and not much choice in local shops, I just went with OEM stuff. Braking is much better now so I'll use what I have until it wears out.

Already have xenons so mainly looking at a turbo upgrade and the associated plumbing.

Is the intercooler a necessity for folks running stage III?

 

Most likely the FMIC is necessary - the OEM intercooler is pretty small and I imagine it'd heat-soak pretty easily at that power level. Look at the DIY section of this forum - there's a $150 FMIC upgrade procedure. Plus, the added "cool" of the FMIC is nice lol.

 

Yeah, your definately going to need the FMIC. If you dont want to do any modifications to the engine than stick with the GT2871 elim kit, or the gt2x kit. These will bolt right up to the stock manifold, the kits come with new lines, just about everything you need. And it wont break that bank, too bad that is. I will probably cost about half of what you have to get it. That still leaves a good chunk of change to do whatever else youd like with it. Probably an exhaust since the stock one will really restrict the bigger turbo. Dont shy away from the exhaust either, if you think its going to sound ricey your wrong, our cars with an exhaust have a nice deep tone to them. They will also be fairly quiet until you really step on it. Then it sings.