[SnowmanFX]

Hey Guys i just bought my 02 WRX about a month ago and i am looking to buy some small upgrades that i can do in my driveway. Right now i am looking at the Blitz BOV and the cold air intake that goes into the fender. I was wondering if any of you that have WRX's have done any of these upgrades or others. I just want to know the scoop on what is good and what is bad.
I am also concerned about if i do add some parts i will end up loosing HP because of the ECU. I have seen a few post on this website and others saying that you have to get a new ECU to really increase your HP.

Let me know what you all think
Thanks

 

[graunie]

Most BOV rob you of power. It releases air into the atmosphere instead of back into the intake. I think it only does real help at high hp. I don't believe a cold air intake is the right path either. It messes with the MAF sensor (maybe it's a MAP, not sure) but it either riches or leans out your AF ratio. The deal is with the ECU is when mods are done to any extent the stock ECU needs some help. There is a few "kits" that package mods together. Some guys around here might be able to reccomend a few. But enjoy the car for awhile before going crazy. You will appreciate it more.

Look at me, I'm talking like I got one. I think I spend way to much time on these boards. I need help.

 

[Vanya]

Try www.cobbtuning.com. If you're looking for "small" mods to increase engine power, you can just get the Unichip (a piggyback ECU) tuned for your car; installed & tuned, it's probably less than $1000.

 

[SnowmanFX]

Well i am just looking for something small that i can do in my driveway and if i need to i can take it off for warrenty reasons. If the dealer sees somthing tagged onto the ECU they probably won't cover anything. I just want my car to accelerate a little faster instead of bogging down.

 

[graunie]

Alright... Here is the deal. If you want real gains get one of those kits I was talking about. Vishnu Performance seems to really have a great one. It gives uppipe, pulleys, ECU piggy back(just plug it in and unplug if neccessary), and cold plugs. This guy knows his stuff. Now for the life lesson. Buying cheap little parts isn't really gonna do anything. You get what you pay for. Also, go talk to your dealer about what is acceptable. Some seem really cool with mods and others not so. Just get a feel. BTW, Vishnu's kit runs about $1000. This is actually not that much for what you get. Anyway you can also buys the parts seperatly if you wish. Go check his website and you'll see what I mean. Hope this helps a little.

 

[SnowmanFX]

I did check them out and some other kits from Cobb Tunning and they all look nice but don't you have to take your vehicle to them so they can fine tune the Chip so it will work right. That is my only concern with the kits.
I am not sure where Vishnu is but Cobb Tunning is in Dallas and that is like 6hrs from me. I live in San Antonio TX.

 

[jbhebert]

You have to decide on what you want to gain overall, and then plan the best way to get there. If you're looking for 20-25 HP, that's pretty easy to get. In fact, I'm working on a kit for the WRX with a new boost controller and all the plumbing that can be installed in about 3 hours with common hand tools. If you're going to go much further than that, you'll want a well-designed kit that has components that are designed to work together. The Vishnu stage 0 kit is probably the best out there for under $1000. It's good for about 40 HP at the wheels and has no detrimental side-effects. I can tell you first hand that if you go far beyond the stock 227 HP, you're going to want to at least look into solid rear sway bar links and an anti-lift kit for the car or it can get pretty spooky.

Good luck.

J.B. Hebert
http://www.wrxtra.com

 

[SnowmanFX]

I am happy with the HP after the turbo but i am just looking for whatever to get me off the line without burning the clutch.
I am willing to do whatever to get more low end torgue so i can get that 3200 lb beast going.

 

[Growl]

The only way you're going to reduce turbo lag (because that's what you're experiencing when you talk of 'bogging down') is to
a) get a smaller turbo (which will reduce peak horsepower)
b) Get a unichip and a freeflowing exhaust.
c) Replace the engine with a larger displacement.

None of those options is cheap. Turbo lag is the price you pay for good overall performance at under 25k.

The WRX isn't made for drag racing, so it isn't equipped with low end torque. The 2.5 engine is made for low end torque. 2.0 just isn't enough to generate the kind of torque that allows you to stomp on the gas from a stop.

If that's what you're after, you really should've bought a mustang. The WRX is a different beast.

 

[SnowmanFX]

The Day i buy a mustang will be NEVER! I am not talking about turbo lag i am talking about 1st gear from 0-2500rpm where if you drive it like a normal car you get beat by school buses.

I guess i should put it this way. What would make a non-turbo 4cyl car accelerate faster. That is what i am looking for.

And watching someone drive a strait line and stop is about as much fun as watching identical cars drive in a circle.

 

[SnowmanFX]

The Day i buy a mustang will be NEVER! I am not talking about turbo lag i am talking about 1st gear from 0-2500rpm where if you drive it like a normal car you get beat by school buses.

I guess i should put it this way. What would make a non-turbo 4cyl car accelerate faster. That is what i am looking for.

And watching someone drive a strait line and stop is about as much fun as watching identical cars drive in a circle.

 

[Growl]

The Day i buy a mustang will be NEVER! I am not talking about turbo lag i am talking about 1st gear from 0-2500rpm where if you drive it like a normal car you get beat by school buses.
I guess i should put it this way. What would make a non-turbo 4cyl car accelerate faster. That is what i am looking for.

.

That's what I said. Before the turbo kicks in, you're dealing with the natural power of a 4 cyl 2 liter engine. So the suggestions I mentioned will help you.

 

[91TB78]

snowman,

There are a couple ways to reduce spool-up time of the turbo. One of the cheapest ways is to get a lightweight flywheel. This isn't too difficult to install either. Other than that get a kit like the Vishnu or Cobb. The drive from San Antone isn't too bad especially getting it professionally installed. Another thing to be wary about is WRX gearsets aren't the toughest around. If you later on decide on getting much higher horsepower look into MRT gearsets or other replacements. This of course would be something when "it happens."

jbhebert,
what exactly does an anti-lift kit do? Could the STi benefit from this too? I am looking into mods for the STi..nothing big, but anything to help it be the car it is.

Todd

 

[jbhebert]

Bear in mind that by lightening the flywheel, you are also loosing some rotating mass, so driveline lash will be accentuated and you may loose some low end torque. Not sure it's really worth it.

An anti-lift kit is designed to prevent front end from lifting during hard acceleration, and more importantly the inner front tire from lifting while accelerating around a corner. This is most noticable starting from a standstill. It is usefull for any AWD or FWD car that has noticable traction issues in corners. I'm not sure if the suspension geometry on the STi has been tweeked a little to prevent this. If it hasn't, I would recommend the kit. White Line makes a good one.

J.B.

 

[super_bean21]

You could always get a little nitrous (spool up kit) to use down low while the low compression engine is off boost (2.0 liters can make plenty of torque, just not with 8.0:1 compression), but that isn't feasible for every day which is what I take it you want. If you want more oomph off the line, you shouldn't be engaged from 0-2500 RPM in first anyways, (my opinion) I'm not saying take it to 5k and dump the clutch, just that you can go to 3, 3.5k, or wherever you feel there is enough power, and feather the clutch out just fast enough to get a great launch. It is very possible to do so without excessively shocking the drivetrain. Just takes gettin' used to. .....unless you got an auto, then you're just stuck waiting for boost.

 

[SnowmanFX]

turbo forrester

I'm not saying take it to 5k and dump the clutch, just that you can go to 3, 3.5k, or wherever you feel there is enough power, and feather the clutch out just fast enough to get a great launch. It is very possible to do so without excessively shocking the drivetrain

Well super_bean21 that is what i am doing now and i read in the little book i got when i purchased the REX that doing that will cause you to replace the clutch perodicly.
I think i am going to to the turbo back exhaust. That seems to be the way everyone else is going that i see online.[/quote]