Hello iwsti! Not a new member, but a new poster now that I'm 'getting into' this car a little more.
I figured I should start a build thread at this point, as my sti ‘build’ has changed direction, and is more valid now in that regard.
Many years ago, I owned a Volvo c30, and went crazy with the mods, doing absolutely everything I could do to it, and stuff that nobody would dare try. I was swapping in Mazdaspeed 3 and Focus ST aftermarket parts (same chassis) and cutting into bumpers for custom diffusers, custom interior stuff, etc. I was a big member of that community, and was a moderator on those forums. I even made two trips down to the dragon (in NC) from up here near Toronto, just for a couple long-weekend ‘meet and drive’ type get togethers. I had a lot of fun on that car, but by the end of it, I realized that even if I did a built motor swap and took it to the next level, it would still be a fwd based chassis with no resale market, so I decided it would be best to part it out and sell. Then I got my Cayman!
The 987.2 Cayman (Porsche) checked all the boxes of what I wanted in a car. It was small, light, fast, and insanely precise and incredible to drive. However, it only took about one and a half Canadian winters of babying it (eventually on coilovers) that I realized this isn’t gunna work. I got a killer deal on the Cayman, and my build was moving along tastefully and swiftly, so instead of selling it and buying a fancy, more reasonable daily, I thought to myself, 'Hey I can get a Tdi for a reasonable price, and I can daily that and keep the Cayman.'
Fast forward through endless evenings on kijiji (like craigslist but better, to you Americans), and Autotrader, and I decided the Tdi wasn’t for me (go figure). I found an absolutely flawless Sti hatch, and contacted the owner to test drive it. Thing was stock (except for a dash cam, mudflaps, etc.) and on top of that, he had an envelope of every receipt that was tied to the car (in order), every gas receipt since he picked the car up at 30xxxxKM (it was at 95k now), a digital maintenance list of everything that was ever done to the car and when, and it had the front end wrapped, and came with a brand new set of winters, and nearly new summers. I was sold!
Originally when I picked the car up, I figured I would keep it tame, and focus on the Cayman. I set out to do a mild stage 1 with some tasteful cosmetic tweaks here and there, but that was nearly all…. I drive the car to the ski hills, and use it to commute to work (not far), and just daily duties. The car has obviously been creeping up on me, because it wasn’t until I started the below mod list that I realized just how much I have done to this car, even though I said I would refrain!
Now with Covid going on, and lots of time spent staring at the computer, I decided to change direction. Instead of mild stage 1, we’re doing tasteful stage 2 (Update: FBO Stage 2+ with headers), with even more dramatic cosmetic mods and tweaks, and so I made a giant list. This is where this thread comes in. So far, between Newyears and now, I’ve installed 3 things, have 4 things waiting for install, and have 7 more things coming to me in shipments (Update: Easily over 30+ mods as of the original posting), and a few more things to order. I figured I would document this process, as I know how communities work, and everyone likes to see mods happen, especially if they are done cleanly and tastefully (as I intend).
Here is a "before" photo, aka right before things got 'serious':
![61452]()
Please see below for my mod list, and stay tuned for what’s to come (no spoilers, or is there eheh
)
2012 Subaru WRX Sti (Sport-Tech, I think)
Satin White Pearl
Exterior:
35% window tint
X-pel clear bra
RallyArmor mud flaps
Lightwerkz LED high beams
Lightwerks LED interior lighting
Morimoto LED yellow fog-lights w/ yellow lamin-x wrap
DRL foglight harness
Hella sharp-tone horns painted body colour w/ Perrin hella bracket
Bayson-R front lip
Bayson-R CS style side skirts
Bayson-R CS style rear aprons
AVS window Vents
Carbon mirror caps
Carbon spoiler extension
JDM engine bay covers
R205 fender garnish
Valenti Jewel Taillights
Circuit Demon OEMassive Xenon retrofit headlights
PIAA silicone wiper blades
OLM convex anti-glare mirrors
Red RA-inspired grille and bumper pinstripes
LED lower bumper reflectors
Interior:
FactionFab steering wheel
Raceseng reverse lockout
Raceseng Slammer shift knob
Billetworkz climate knobs
Billetworkz e-brake handle
Billetworkz e-brake button
Dialed accessport mount
Kartboy poly shifter bushings
Turn-In Concepts shifter linkage bushings
Group-N transmission mount
Turn-In Concepts crossmember bushings
Cobb double-adjustable short throw shifter
S206 AV trim panel
Overland Designs shift boot
Overland Designs e-brake boot
Auto-dimming homelink mirror
JDM dual-console armrest
Custom painted shifter panel
Engine:
Cobb access port (Pro-tuned at neetronics)
Cobb 3" down pipe + heat shield
IAG air-oil separator
Killer B oil pickup + baffle
AEM 340 fuel pump
Tomei ELH w/ Cerakote finish
Grimmspeed silicone intake couplers
Cobb FPR
NGK step-colder spark plugs
Cobb 1050x injectors
Cobb EBCS
KillerB hard inlet pipe
Wheels/ Suspension:
Summer: BBS MR (18x8.5 et38) powdercoated BBS gold
245/40/18 Michelin PS4S tires
Winter: Enkei RPF1 (17x8.5 et30) in SBC
225/50/17 Michelin Xi3
Stoptech high-carbon rotors
Hawk HPS 5.0 pads
Gorilla shank lugnuts
15+(VA) Sti steering rack (quicker ratio, and more refined)
2018 VA Sti struts/springs/tophats (closes the wheel gap, and lowers the front so it's level. Also valved and sprung better)
Whiteline swaybar set
Electronics:
Pioneer DMH-W4660NEX
I figured I should start a build thread at this point, as my sti ‘build’ has changed direction, and is more valid now in that regard.
Many years ago, I owned a Volvo c30, and went crazy with the mods, doing absolutely everything I could do to it, and stuff that nobody would dare try. I was swapping in Mazdaspeed 3 and Focus ST aftermarket parts (same chassis) and cutting into bumpers for custom diffusers, custom interior stuff, etc. I was a big member of that community, and was a moderator on those forums. I even made two trips down to the dragon (in NC) from up here near Toronto, just for a couple long-weekend ‘meet and drive’ type get togethers. I had a lot of fun on that car, but by the end of it, I realized that even if I did a built motor swap and took it to the next level, it would still be a fwd based chassis with no resale market, so I decided it would be best to part it out and sell. Then I got my Cayman!
The 987.2 Cayman (Porsche) checked all the boxes of what I wanted in a car. It was small, light, fast, and insanely precise and incredible to drive. However, it only took about one and a half Canadian winters of babying it (eventually on coilovers) that I realized this isn’t gunna work. I got a killer deal on the Cayman, and my build was moving along tastefully and swiftly, so instead of selling it and buying a fancy, more reasonable daily, I thought to myself, 'Hey I can get a Tdi for a reasonable price, and I can daily that and keep the Cayman.'
Fast forward through endless evenings on kijiji (like craigslist but better, to you Americans), and Autotrader, and I decided the Tdi wasn’t for me (go figure). I found an absolutely flawless Sti hatch, and contacted the owner to test drive it. Thing was stock (except for a dash cam, mudflaps, etc.) and on top of that, he had an envelope of every receipt that was tied to the car (in order), every gas receipt since he picked the car up at 30xxxxKM (it was at 95k now), a digital maintenance list of everything that was ever done to the car and when, and it had the front end wrapped, and came with a brand new set of winters, and nearly new summers. I was sold!
Originally when I picked the car up, I figured I would keep it tame, and focus on the Cayman. I set out to do a mild stage 1 with some tasteful cosmetic tweaks here and there, but that was nearly all…. I drive the car to the ski hills, and use it to commute to work (not far), and just daily duties. The car has obviously been creeping up on me, because it wasn’t until I started the below mod list that I realized just how much I have done to this car, even though I said I would refrain!
Now with Covid going on, and lots of time spent staring at the computer, I decided to change direction. Instead of mild stage 1, we’re doing tasteful stage 2 (Update: FBO Stage 2+ with headers), with even more dramatic cosmetic mods and tweaks, and so I made a giant list. This is where this thread comes in. So far, between Newyears and now, I’ve installed 3 things, have 4 things waiting for install, and have 7 more things coming to me in shipments (Update: Easily over 30+ mods as of the original posting), and a few more things to order. I figured I would document this process, as I know how communities work, and everyone likes to see mods happen, especially if they are done cleanly and tastefully (as I intend).
Here is a "before" photo, aka right before things got 'serious':
Please see below for my mod list, and stay tuned for what’s to come (no spoilers, or is there eheh
)2012 Subaru WRX Sti (Sport-Tech, I think)
Satin White Pearl
Exterior:
35% window tint
X-pel clear bra
RallyArmor mud flaps
Lightwerkz LED high beams
Lightwerks LED interior lighting
Morimoto LED yellow fog-lights w/ yellow lamin-x wrap
DRL foglight harness
Hella sharp-tone horns painted body colour w/ Perrin hella bracket
Bayson-R front lip
Bayson-R CS style side skirts
Bayson-R CS style rear aprons
AVS window Vents
Carbon mirror caps
Carbon spoiler extension
JDM engine bay covers
R205 fender garnish
Valenti Jewel Taillights
Circuit Demon OEMassive Xenon retrofit headlights
PIAA silicone wiper blades
OLM convex anti-glare mirrors
Red RA-inspired grille and bumper pinstripes
LED lower bumper reflectors
Interior:
FactionFab steering wheel
Raceseng reverse lockout
Raceseng Slammer shift knob
Billetworkz climate knobs
Billetworkz e-brake handle
Billetworkz e-brake button
Dialed accessport mount
Kartboy poly shifter bushings
Turn-In Concepts shifter linkage bushings
Group-N transmission mount
Turn-In Concepts crossmember bushings
Cobb double-adjustable short throw shifter
S206 AV trim panel
Overland Designs shift boot
Overland Designs e-brake boot
Auto-dimming homelink mirror
JDM dual-console armrest
Custom painted shifter panel
Engine:
Cobb access port (Pro-tuned at neetronics)
Cobb 3" down pipe + heat shield
IAG air-oil separator
Killer B oil pickup + baffle
AEM 340 fuel pump
Tomei ELH w/ Cerakote finish
Grimmspeed silicone intake couplers
Cobb FPR
NGK step-colder spark plugs
Cobb 1050x injectors
Cobb EBCS
KillerB hard inlet pipe
Wheels/ Suspension:
Summer: BBS MR (18x8.5 et38) powdercoated BBS gold
245/40/18 Michelin PS4S tires
Winter: Enkei RPF1 (17x8.5 et30) in SBC
225/50/17 Michelin Xi3
Stoptech high-carbon rotors
Hawk HPS 5.0 pads
Gorilla shank lugnuts
15+(VA) Sti steering rack (quicker ratio, and more refined)
2018 VA Sti struts/springs/tophats (closes the wheel gap, and lowers the front so it's level. Also valved and sprung better)
Whiteline swaybar set
Electronics:
Pioneer DMH-W4660NEX
