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Newly acquired Subaru enthusiast finally taking the plunge

5K views 35 replies 9 participants last post by  imaprobowler 
#1 ·
Well, as of May 18th, 2015, I officially own a 2015 Subaru WRX, silver in color with the dark carbon colored wheels, 6 speed, STi short throw shifter and all.

Always wanted to own a WRX.....

But she is a beaut. Kind of a life achievement for me. (Put aside my gopping tongue, I'm in love, okay?)

Anyway, Haven't really been a forum person... But I wanted to come here, and learn more about Subaru's and my car in particular. It's pretty factory. Haven't changed anything (yet), and it only has 161 miles on it. Bought it and it had 2. lol.

I have been thinking about some particular modifications like intakes, exhaust systems, tuning options, BOV's (not so quiet and tail-tucked), as well as other basic things to start. I didn't think I would like the wheels off the bat, but they are starting to grow on me. I was thinking of looking into trying to trade them for the STI wheels in black. However, I haven't given it thought really because these wheels have grown on me. I've basically owned this car for 3 weeks or so, slightly more than 3 weeks, as I waited for it to arrive at Subaru of Wichita (KS).

If you guys can direct me in the right direction to start learning, I'd appreciate it.

First thing I want to do is look into what knowledge I need to obtain in relation to changing BOV's to something louder and more aggressive. Nice and obnoxious... Sounds ridiculous, but hey... a man can dream.

Thanks for the welcome in advance...
I will try to frequent the forum daily...

Tim.
SWKS
In love with his car. :D


 
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#5 ·
Hey thanks man. I'll give it a full look over tonight on my computer.

Welcome. These 15s are limited to 144 mph. Don't ask me how I know I probably read it somewhere.
Haha, I may or may not have realized I can go 116... but I have a key to the local airport... I also went there to feel the real brute acceleration and while occasionally I wish there was more, at the same time for the type of lifestyle I have, it's stellar. I mean. Fun, compact, practical, looks good, feels good, and still brand new. Reliable. Just want to set it off a bit. :)

welcome to the forums,

and because @sleepr already posted what to do first it I don't have to : )

The biggest thing that concerns me is your interest in a Blow Off valve. Our cars come equiped with a Mass airflow sensor that tells the engine how much air is the intake path, when you release the throttle the stock bypass valve dumps that air from the high pressure side of the intake back into the low pressure side. It is so quiet because it dumps it into a polymer tube with sound baffles. If you use an atmospheric blow off valve you are releasing that air from the intake path and the ECU will pump fuel into the system based on how much air it "should" have, This leads to a temporary rich condition and can be bad for your engine. It is still a topic of debate on many forums as to how much damage they cause but it is pretty universally agreed on that atmospheric bloww offs are not good for your engine.

If you want more blow off sound I would start with an intake and a tune. The Cobb SF intake will increase the volume of the stock bypass valve considerably but still not so loud as to attract unwanted attention. You can view a video of a 2012 comparing the stock intake bypass noise to a cobb intake bypass noise here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2kM4aVp5kA

If you want louder than that there are a few companies that make hybrid blow off/bypass valves that you can tune from partially atmospheric to completely bypass. Go Fast Bits makes one thats pretty well vetted but again releasing any air that the ECU expects to be in the system will result in a temporary rich condition.

Hope that helps

and dont forget to wave
Yeah I realized but never correct this post last night... I wrote this up before reading. Still learning... I was going to look into bypass valves that would be a bit louder... just for the fun-aspect of the driving experience. any recommendations? I'll probably do some research tonight when I get home. I had training for work today and I'm sore as can be from it.




Hey thanks for responding guys. I appreciate it. I'll be back tonight.
 
#4 ·
welcome to the forums,

and because @sleepr already posted what to do first it I don't have to : )

The biggest thing that concerns me is your interest in a Blow Off valve. Our cars come equiped with a Mass airflow sensor that tells the engine how much air is the intake path, when you release the throttle the stock bypass valve dumps that air from the high pressure side of the intake back into the low pressure side. It is so quiet because it dumps it into a polymer tube with sound baffles. If you use an atmospheric blow off valve you are releasing that air from the intake path and the ECU will pump fuel into the system based on how much air it "should" have, This leads to a temporary rich condition and can be bad for your engine. It is still a topic of debate on many forums as to how much damage they cause but it is pretty universally agreed on that atmospheric bloww offs are not good for your engine.

If you want more blow off sound I would start with an intake and a tune. The Cobb SF intake will increase the volume of the stock bypass valve considerably but still not so loud as to attract unwanted attention. You can view a video of a 2012 comparing the stock intake bypass noise to a cobb intake bypass noise here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2kM4aVp5kA

If you want louder than that there are a few companies that make hybrid blow off/bypass valves that you can tune from partially atmospheric to completely bypass. Go Fast Bits makes one thats pretty well vetted but again releasing any air that the ECU expects to be in the system will result in a temporary rich condition.

Hope that helps

and dont forget to wave
 
#6 ·
as far as louder bypass valves most aftermarket bypass units will open quicker than stock so that should lead to some extra volume. As for the pshhtt noise you can get pretty close with an intake. Guys that don't know any better hear my 13 with the cobb intake and think it has a fast a furious sound.
 
#7 ·
Might sound a bit... Nerdy... But would you happen to have any videos of this?

When I was looking up COBB parts, I saw everything was rated for the STi... Now I have a normal WRX, and I know the engines are different all together by 500cc, but I'm a newb... so would the STi COBB intake fit properly on the WRX? If not, I am going to look for someplace that makes it strictly for the WRX... just because I want proper functionality.

Also, with just an intake, or say an upgraded bypass valve... is tuning necessary?
 
#8 ·
I dont have any videos of stock subarus with only aftermarket bypass valves mostly because they are unnecessary until you are running considerably more boost than stock.

the 2.5l STi intake wont fit the new WRX, you'll need to wait till cobb releases an intake for the 15 if you want to go the cobb route.

tuning is necessary for any part that interacts with the intake or exhaust path so yes an intake would require a tune.
 
#9 ·
10-4. I saw Cobb had tuners on their website they had bundles with intakes too... I might just do that when they make an intake unless you think there's a good alternative intake tuning and louder bypass valve option. I have plenty of research to do still I've done a little but not a lot. I just know the car is new enough there isn't a ton of stuff out for it yet.
 
#10 ·
Im biased towards Cobb just because they seem to be very detail oriented, their exhaust welds all look great, their intake hoses are sturdy and everything has a nice finish. Looking at their intake vs most of the competitors their setup came with an OTS tune for their accessport that was configured to work safely with their hardware and their product support has been pretty fantastic. The also have a retail location spitting distance from my fiances house so thats a plus.

There are a handful of companies that make intakes and Im sure a majority of them would make the stock bypass valve a bit louder but I lean towards cobb if only for the fact that they offer maps to go with their hardware.

IMO its worth the wait to get a cobb unit and an accessport to start your modding journey at stage 1
 
#11 · (Edited)
Cobb,Cobb,Cobb... Dare to be different. If we only make one choice than one choice is all we'll ever be able to get and we won't learn or discover anything. I think this sucks the fun out of modding.

And it still concerns me that everyone goes straight for the CAI and BOV even tho it has been proven time and time again they don't do squat and in most cases do more harm than good.
 
#12 ·
Cobb,Cobb,Cobb... Dare to be different. If we only make one choice than one choice is all we'll ever be able to get and we won't learn or discover anything. I think this sucks the fun out on modding.

And it still concerns me that everyone goes straight for the CAI and BOV even tho it has been proven time and time again they don't do squat and in most cases do more harm than good.
I with you on the cobb thing but even I ending up going with them due to there rep, support, my tuner and the fact I now have 100 gauges in 1 handy unit.

As far as the CAI and BOV statement these have been harmful for those who do the mod and not do it correctly. It doesn't really do much until you are in the higher stages of modding but is a great starting point for those looking for the sound they so crave. Me personally wanted the rumble more than anything so I went with the TBE first.

But in the end to each there own. I will always respect other peoples opinions and wants even if they are wrong >:D :D ;)
 
#13 ·
I agree that if everyone goes with cobb we will push other companies out of the market, but in most cases we do our research before making a purchase and Cobb jut so hppens to have great reviews. They lso have great service and they make on e of the most populat tuning options that come with tunes for their other hardware. I cant say that about any other parts manufacturer.

Also I think OP was more interested in sound so as long as he tunes for the intake he should be ok.
 
#14 ·
Tuning options that come with tunes for their other hardware. Sounds like a good marketing ploy to me...Boy,everyone seems to know an awful lot about a car that came out 6 months ago.:laugh:

Almighty Cobb...We bow down to your glory! We can ignore the fact that your Accessport is overpriced, intake is useless without the box and your downpipe has a bung for a censer that is only suppose to be used during a tune, your heat shield is ineffective And you offer no uppipe. All hail Cobb,all hail Cobb. Sieg Heil!!! OK,I have my asbestos underwear on. Flame on!!!>:D

Anybody ever heard of Perrin or Grimmspeed or IAG?
 
#15 ·
In Cobb's defense they do have the most complete, advanced, and easy to use tuning tool on the market for our vehicles. I really don't think the price is too bad for what you get. You get several tunes, tons of gauges to monitor, launch control, flat foot shifting, shift light, code reading and clearing abilities, a dyno(for what its worth lol), and many other features. You also get their top notch customer service and tech support. They have years of experience when it comes to this!
As far as their other stuff goes, I don't care for it. You can get many other brands who offer the same or better stuff and some of them is still compatible with cobb maps. A wideband is not useless when your not tuning! It can alert you to boost/vac leaks and fueling problems before you go too long and really screw something up! All short ram intakes are junk without a box or shield. Most aftermarket turbo heat shields are nothing but bling.
 
#16 ·
It's hard for me to talk crap about something I don't have, So let's do a little test...Look on your Assessport and see if it can tune for...
91 octane
Intake silencer delete,
K&N drop-in air filter,
Samco airbox Hose,
Samco intercooler hoses,
Borla cat-back,3"twin tip
Invidia V2 Downpipe Bellmouth (catless,no wideband,Big daddies CEL fix)
Invidia Uppipe,(catless)
Cobb lightened crank pulley,(did he say Cobb?)
Walbro fuel pump,
Grimmspeed 3-port EBCS

Boo,You tried to explain the whole wideband thing to me before and I feel stupid but it's just way over my head. And the only reason I said that about that bung is psinuse Said it here. http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f52/what-gauges-59689/index2.html#post513113
 
#18 ·
It's hard for me to talk crap about something I don't have, So let's do a little test...Look on your Assessport and see if it can tune for...
91 octane
Intake silencer delete,
K&N drop-in air filter,
Samco airbox Hose,
Samco intercooler hoses,
Borla cat-back,3"twin tip
Invidia V2 Downpipe Bellmouth (catless,no wideband,Big daddies CEL fix)
Invidia Uppipe,(catless)
Cobb lightened crank pulley,(did he say Cobb?)
Walbro fuel pump,
Grimmspeed 3-port EBCS
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Mine does not have a tune for that but with the free access tuner race software you get with your purchase you can make your own custom tune for anything your heart desires.
 
#17 ·
not to sound like a wise ass, lol but the accessport has a map that ALMOST tunes for you, the stage 2 plus ebcs map. but in your defense the map is only compatible with their 3 port cobb ebcs though of course. i have the v2 and there is like 100 gauges you can monitor and you can datalog your car with a mess of different gauges that let you know if there is a problem beforehand. this has saved me b4. its not too hard to use and its very handy.
 
#19 ·
Your not being a wise ass. I truly want to know. Datalog? Just a bunch of random numbers to me. Might as well be Chinese algebra. Access tuner race software? I didn't know this. Is it free? My tuner will give me a new engine if he blows something up. Will Cobb? I was told the Assessport can't get past the 91 oct thing. Is this wrong?
 
#20 ·
ok, you can learn the basics off of the cobb website as far as datalogs go. i personally can do that but im def no expert. i send all my logs to cobb and they review them for free. or post them here, there are a few guys who can read them. its not hard to learn its simple stuff like boost and other simple stuff. the best vid to see is... https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rjEGZ-4dsDY this should answer questions. but yeah it also tunes for 91 oct. check out the site as well. oh and as far as tuning yourself using access tuner race (which is free) i wouldnt tune it myself unless i knew exactly how to tune myself.
 
#24 ·
He was talking french before his third sentence. All those numbers made my eyes roll back in my head. Can they E-mail me back in time to prevent a catastrophic failure on the way home from work? If not what's the point? Or I could look at the little gauges on it instead of looking at the road and hit a deer.
 
#27 ·
I think I understand your point of view now. Correct me if I'm wrong but, you are just stubborn. You will never use an access port and have known Pennzoil dino is terrible since you were 9 (41 years ago which advancements have came a long way since then). Also you throw parts on your car without tuning or a way to even know if your car is happy with them because "the numbers make your eyes roll back in your head" or "might make you hit a deer looking at them". You would rather just put a big ol' spark plug anti fouler in your exhaust than turn the light off the proper way. :roll eyes:
 
#25 ·
what did I start..........

haha...

This is just the beginning of an adventure for my scoobaru.

I saw a quote about tuning for 91... However, that's what I was advised to use straight from the factory. Haven't put anything else in it.

I'm at about 570 miles on the car now. I'm selling a set of Centerline's I had on my dropped truck and putting the money towards starting a budget for this car. I get paid next saturday too :D

I will probably contact COBB this week and ask about when intake options will become available.
I was also going to contact BORLA and look into some of their exhaust options for the car, because granted the stock is a nice quiet rumble, I like a little stirring in my trousers from time to time, and the flat 4 has just the right sound for it...
 
#26 ·
I pay gas, electric, cable & internet tonight... next saturday I get paid and dump 1/3 of it on rent... if I sell Centerlines... I may look into buying parts right away.

Any small DIY things you guys think may be worth my attention in the meantime? I'm also a glass half-full type of guy... I try to make the best of things.

I was honestly looking for a louder bypass valve (just for the trouser department), and the intake to help me hear that (totally stock) turbocharger a bit better, and the COBB exhaust is quite out of my price range for now...
 
#29 ·
Fidrat, Im in a similar boat, I dont like the idea of pushing other companies out of business and Im on the fence about the distraction of more gauges and more lights. To be honest until I loaded a 3rd party tune on my accessport I was under the impression that i was stuck with Cobb everything as well. What Ive found is that the accessport is just a replacement for having a full time car laptop. A tool that tuners can use to easily transmit tunes for my specific vehicle and one that doesn't require a lot of accessory hardware to work correctly.

As far as price is concerned I still think the accessport is the most cost effective in car tuning solution on the market.

To compare with rom raider for example for rom raider you would need a $150 USB to ODB2 cable and a PC laptop with a solid state hard drive ( so the vibration doesnt damage the Hard Disk) . Hardware is getting less expensive but most laptops that come with solid state drives come at a premium price. the cheapest model I could find was a Dell for $850 so ROM raider + dedicated laptop for $1000 vs Accessport for $650

Im not saying that Accessport is the best option, just that its the easiest tuning solution that I have found. Its not cheap but it is effective.
 
#31 ·
I was probably going to invest in the COBB tuner that is 650 when it comes time to start doing tuning... I know there's other options out there... but the COBB one really seems the most accredited.

I found some intakes for the 2015 WRX from AEM and mishimoto. with heat shields and everything.

I also found a BOV that's supposedly made for the 2015 WRX from TurboXS. Not too sure about that... Would you guys recommend a specific Bypass or BOV type alternative if I'm going for loudness and noise like that signature sound? You guys are the experts... I'd rather ask you guys, since you all have the brains about this kind of stuff. I've been researching some stuff. Been looking into upgrades from Mishimoto, Grimmspeed, Perrin, and Cobb so far.
 
#33 ·
I also found a BOV that's supposedly made for the 2015 WRX from TurboXS. Not too sure about that... Would you guys recommend a specific Bypass or BOV type alternative if I'm going for loudness and noise like that signature sound? You guys are the experts... I'd rather ask you guys, since you all have the brains about this kind of stuff. I've been researching some stuff. Been looking into upgrades from Mishimoto, Grimmspeed, Perrin, and Cobb so far.
There are no loud BOVs that are good for your car, By definition they are bad for your car because they dump air that is accounted for out of the system and the ECU doesnt know the air is missing. Bypass valves on the other hand are replacements for the stock unit, they dump air back into the intake path and work in similar ways to the stock unit. They are typically faster than the stock unit and can cause some additional noise ( which the high school boy in all of us loves ) Combined with a smooth air intake path and a POD filter you should have enough volume to enjoy without alerting the authorities to your presence.
 
#32 · (Edited)
How is it a signature sound if you have mod to get it? My vote it to leave it alone. And get an open source tune from a tuner when it comes time to start doing tuning. But don't listen to me...Listen to them.;) BTW...The car you saw in that movie was a Nissan Skyline:D
Link... http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f103/2015-bov-54074/#post480882

Link...http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f72/go-bov-yourself-41337/

Link... Unabomber's Manifesto - NASIOC BOV FAQ Read it, Know it, LIVE IT!:)

Link...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pbUMXZvfi8#t=16
 
#34 · (Edited)
Hahaha, I haven't settled... I'm still searching around. There's a shop 2 hours from where I live (closest to me) that I'm going to give a visit and see what they say in terms of tuning options... I'm keeping an open mind for now. I found the Turbosmart valve as well which is a recirculating valve as well. Looked at reviews and it is only a little louder than stock. The intakes really seem to be what set the car off in terms of what I've been searching for in terms of noise. I found some, including one from SDMotorworks for the ETS intake that I could get with a heat shield too... some promising videos on youtube about it. They claim it doesn't require tuning to use. Not sure how I feel about that. I'm thinking intake and tuner are going to be the first avenues I explore, before engaging in exhaust options.


There are no loud BOVs that are good for your car, By definition they are bad for your car because they dump air that is accounted for out of the system and the ECU doesnt know the air is missing. Bypass valves on the other hand are replacements for the stock unit, they dump air back into the intake path and work in similar ways to the stock unit. They are typically faster than the stock unit and can cause some additional noise ( which the high school boy in all of us loves ) Combined with a smooth air intake path and a POD filter you should have enough volume to enjoy without alerting the authorities to your presence.
It's funny because in my region I am the authorities... :) Yes, I'm a cop... I said it... EDSO.

Anyways... Yeah, I found recirculating valves like the Turbosmart one which can be set up either way for full atmosphere release or to recirculate. I'm not worried about it being too loud. It's the noise I'm seeking. I'd rather being making noise with releasing some atmosphere than with subs in my truck or something silly like that... (that's what the drift pickup is for... custom audio in that thing)... I'm wanting to flip a set of wheels I have laying around to buy either a tuner or an accessport so that I can install an intake with confidence, since as I previously mentioned, most intake sellers claim that an intake doesn't require a tune... AEM claims you don't need one, but reccomends it, and ETS says their intake doesn't require one either, and granted I could probably get away with it for a while, I'd rather be safe and get a method of tuning... the accessport just seems like the best idea in terms of user-friendliness right now. Plus I want something that I can work on easily myself and not worry that I'm breaking anything. But I'm still searching for various things. I found the PERRIN hose replacements that supposedly reduce some restriction around the car... doubt it's anything significant but if I get some overtime this summer, I'll have money to squander here and there...

Intake and tuner is my main focus for now since I can seem to find a bypass or recirculating valve that suits my fancy right now...


I heard this guys car when he has the camera in the car later on in the video and thought to myself... that's the sound I'd like, just a little quieter than I'd eventually like to have. However, I'd want to have a heat shield on any intake that I bought for my car. I don't want a hot air intake.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Hey I'm perfectly fine with that! But that's not the fiddy... haha that's my drift truck, a Ranger, in the driveway. I was sitting in my F150 when I took my photo though. hahaha The F150 is the take home truck for work anyway. It never gets covered! haha Scoobie needs full protection, I've been washing it and trying to keep it clean constantly. A bird relieved itself on the truck lid yesterday and I nearly had a panic attack... Had it washed bright and early this morning like it was my job to get up and do it...

Here's some recent pictures from home... Scoobie & others. Because who doesn't like pictures??






Here's the fun truck..



Here's all three. Don't mind the Ram. It's my buddies truck.



And here is the two personal cars. Had a third but got rid of it a little while back... total hooptie...


















In other news, what do you guys think about this MISHIMOTO intake?

I've been looking into them, and since COBB doesn't make any for the car yet, I found intakes from MISHIMOTO, AEM, and ETS... This one from MISHIMOTO is also Prime eligible on Amazon.com, which I am signed up for which wouldn't be a bad deal...

This is the cheapest of them all, but I don't really know if it would be a satisfactory option. Here's the link to it. Thoughts, comments, concerns, all appreciated!

MISHIMOTO INTAKE -

AEM INTAKE - (This one comes up when I search Amazon and Google, yet Amazon claims it doesn't fit, however they're notorious for not always being correct on Amazon... Any input would be awesome.


(ETS) EXTREME TURBO SYSTEMS INTAKE-
ETS 2015 Subaru WRX Air Intake Kit


I found all of the same intakes on Rally Sport Direct's website and the MISHIMOTO one was 355 there, as opposed to 132 on Amazon... so if that really is a good intake, (which Amazon claims the MM one will fit), I'll go ahead and purchase it. I've seen some YouTube videos of the ETS one and it makes the car sound really nice though... So I've been rather torn about it all lately.


Would really like some input that will help me make an educated decision about it. And not really wanting to wait for COBB to make an intake that's going to start off costing 450 dollars and not be sold without an AccessPort for it's first 6 months on the market either... #Logic

Thanks in advance.

Tim :D
 
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