headers
The headers on the intercooled cars are pretty darn good, however the headers on our hotairs are not, especially the passenger side header, which is basically junk. headers are a good mod to do, and so is a larger downpipe, either the atr 2.5" piece or if you can find one maybe a larger 3" keith mease or lee thompson downpipe, although the 3" units can be rather expensive. It would also be wise to upgrade the exhaust further back like you mentioned, if you are going to upgrade the headers and downpipe, that is the next link in the chain to replace. hooker makes a decent setup for a fair price.