Subaru WRX Forum banner

Top beginning mods to do

56K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  guddi 
#1 ·
So I just got the 2015 wrx and was wondering what would be the best mods to start out with?
 
#3 · (Edited)
driving school
+1

before you start ANYTHING, tighten the nut behind the wheel.

then TIRES

then Cobb Accessport.

then look at the cobb maps thoroughly on their website and see what you want to achieve then buy the parts according to whatever cobb map you want to run.

then get a protune.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oldspower71
#7 ·
Suspension, Braking then Power.

The 15-16 also has some crazy thermal management issues that should be sorted out before you go trying to make more power. An oil cooler is a great start as is a performance radiator.

Also sorting out the nut between the wheel and the seat is vital. treat yourself to a high performance driving course and get your head screwed on straight, Find the end of your cars chain then go for more.
 
#8 · (Edited)
you can get protuned through the cobb accessport. its usually recommended to get protuned when your all done modding. regardless of your engine management.

also this way he can buy parts slowly over time and tune them with the accessport and then get a protune when he feels hes got enough bolt-ons
 
#9 ·
I agree with titter. I recently started modding my 08 wrx and started with the cobb sf intake and the accessport and it really is a good route to go. the amount of gauges the accessport allows you to monitor is very helpful (and there are no wires or tubes to squeeze through the dash) and if you ever have any questions about what your car is doing you can perform a datalog and send it to cobb and they will analyze your data and tell you exactly what your car is or isnt doing right. They've helped me with a few overboosting problems already. But let it be known that swapping a cobb downpipe for an invidia downpipe will cause your car to overboost even on the lwg maps (coming from experience ;) ) The maps can be easily downloaded from their site for free and flashed all in a matter of a half hour. I will definitely recommend you stick to what cobb has listed for each stage, but if you like to live dangerously and go with a different brand of perfomance part DO NOT run it like a race car until you get it tuned by a cobb protuner (usually around 400 through the accessport depending on where you live).

As for handling and braking experience I would definitely recommend getting a set of drop springs or heavier sway bars (or both) just to limit squat and body roll when you get happy with the america pedal. My car tends to dart when moderately braking at speeds over 100 which is deadly if you arent on a 3 lane highway. As for brake components I swapped to a set of slotted rotors and platimum grade pads and put a master cylinder brace on it (as my body style scoobie is known for firewall flex) and the difference was amazing. the braking power is great but if you feel the need to go 4pot with steel lines nobody would stop you, plus they look better than the stock calipers IMO.

And to backup what everyone else is saying the driver needs to know its cars limits whether its stock or modded. Luckily you can't pull a mustang and get lost in a burnout (yet). And if this is your first standard sports car I wouldn't even attempt to go stage 2 until you've had some seat time to get the hang of things. even though its awd I've seen people get caught in the moment and end up kissing the curb.

Get an accessport an the sf intake WITH THE BOX and start there. you won't get much performance out of the intake BUT it will make cool turbo noises plus the box looks really clean under the hood. The intake is somewhat tricky to assemble but cobb makes a video to follow along.
Hope this helps and good luck
 
#12 ·
My route for upgrades was:

Intake & Air box (cobb) + v3 AP
Cobb Downpipe
Invidia q300 quad tip catback

And this is where i sit now, has been a good route notice improvement in the cars response and power with each mod for sure (maybe not the intake but since it was pair with the AP it was the biggest gain so far).

As for everyone saying the AP makes for a good monitor it dosnt. its actually a very bad way to monitor alot of the things is claims to monitor.

For example the Air / fuel monitor...You dont have a wideband installed in the car so wheres it getting its info from? a standard downstream O2 sensor that isnt equipped to tell you specific numbers about the amount of oxygen, just is there is oxygen or isnt there, based on electronic signals.

Same with the boost, Did you tap into your vac system and run a line to your AP? i didnt so where is it getting this info from? the ECU that just digitally produces a number based on electronic signals.

These are generalized numbers, this is not an end all monitor, If you gonna drop a bunch of power and 50%+ more boost into your stock motor dont trust the AP as a gauge.
 
#13 ·
I don't know where your knowledge of the AP comes from but my wideband only shows a .1 difference from my onboard narrow band o2. The boost comes from the MAP sensor which is also very close to exact for me and I am far past stock. Go down all the monitors it shows you and then look at how much it would cost not only in gauges but sensors and pods to put those gauges. The AP is a very useful tool to help monitor your car for a fraction of the cost for the gauges, being able to check codes, switch maps, log and to modify a log list of other things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mosc
#15 ·
correct when talking about wideband an narrow or actual boost vs MAP sensor boost. Hence why I have a wideband o2 and a boost gauge for monitoring as when tuning you want to be sure....

I don't think I said you should use the AP's monitors to tune. But your right sense those 2 aren't the best then the rest must be too far off to use. I guess you have a better way of watching feedback knock, fine knock learning, coolant temp, DAM, AFR correction... should I go on? Besides the 2 you mentioned there are still a long list of monitors that are needed and a useful way of checking the health of your engine.

I could go on... but to go any further into this is a waste of time. If you believe the AP is not a good monitoring tool you should sell it to someone. Its not the AP is the on board ECU an sensors that are limited which is the issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mosc
#18 ·
I can only imagine what the OP is thinking while reading this, as this conversation has gotten a little crazy and probably way over his head. He's probably trading his car in for a Prius as we speak. My advice is to read and then read some more. You will find a lot of conflicting info. Nice right? In the end you will want to do what I did when I started. Find a reputable local tuner, then call and ask for his advise. When asking questions on forums, it is best to ask questions with a more narrow focus. Articles and forums are helpful so you can have an intelligent conversation with your tuner and understand what he/she is talking about.
 
#19 ·
07 Impreza WRX Wagon Radiator HELP

Hey guys i need some help with my Radiator, it recently started leaking and i need a replacement ASAP and i was wondering if any of you guys would happen to have one laying around. I'm still in high school so i'm tight on money but let me know. i need it ASAP!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top