Originally Posted by NeverEnoughBoost

So I have a 2011 A5 that I couldn't be happier with it overall. Coming from an 08 Evo, the quality of the car inside and out and the ride comfort is just miles ahead of Mitsubishi which is what I expected, but there seems to be some untapped power from the 2.0T. Since the Evo also has a 2.0 with a turbo I just figured it would be pretty easy to get the A5 tuned to be relatively close to the factory Evo specs regardless of the difference in design and engineering. I came across the APR tunes and I found numbers that I would be more than happy with if I go ahead and get the tune. I noticed stage 1 and stage 2 aren't too far apart as far as power, but if all I need is an intake and a high flow cat I wouldn't mind getting the stage 2. If I need a whole new exhaust I'll pass and just get stage 1.

My questions:

As most probably already know, in the tuner world, an intake, exhaust, and tune will get a forced induction engine very noticeable gains (my Evo gained about 80whp from these alone). I have read a bunch of posts in this forum and I'm under the impression that getting any intake is just a waste of money and that the factory system is just fine unless you're upgrading the turbo and going all out. Is this true? I don't care about sound or an extra 1-2 HP. If it won't be complimented very well with a tune then I'll just leave it out.

Can I run the stage 2 with a high flow cat rather than a whole exhaust system? With under 300hp, I would think most stock exhaust systems can handle it without needing to be replaced. Are the stock systems super-restrictive or something?

I'm not looking to race this car or do anything crazy. I just like to have the option to accelerate better than the factory 2.0T when I need to, or when I just want to have a little fun. Thanks everyone

Lastly, if anyone wants to recommend another tune other than APR, feel free. This one just seems to have the biggest gains.