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SPT Intake

28K views 103 replies 32 participants last post by  Jamo06TR 
#1 ·
I know that this subject has been beaten to death. However, most of the information is speculation. I installed the intake and heat shield on my 06 WRX wagon a couple of days ago and I thought I would share my first-hand experience.

First off, the fit and finish is excellent. Installation was a breeze. It took me all of 30 minutes. The hardest part was applying the rubber trim to the heat shield, which wasn't hard. The stock box and hose came off easily, and the heat shield and intake went on very easily. The fit was perfect. No problems - as is to be expected on a factory-sanctioned part. The kit comes with the CARB label and three SPT decals. If you are going to apply the CARB label, I would advise that you carefully clean the spot where you are going to apply it. Everything has a light film of oil on it.

I was a little concerned about the sound, since I am an old fart who has to act my age at times. I didn't want it to be too loud, and I wasn't looking for sound effects. As it turned out, the sound is perfect for my tastes. You can hear a little more engine growl, and with the radio off, you can easily hear the hiss of the turbo spooling, and occasionally hear a sharper hiss when coming off throttle from the BPV. It is enough to let every passenger know that the car is a turbocharged performance car, without any gimmicky squeals or whistles.

As for performance, it is probably a bit early to tell for sure, since I reset the ECU during installation. However, I have noticed an obvious increase in power and quicker turbo spooling. It is subtle, but it is definitely there. I hope this gets better asthe ECU adapts. I am still running stock exhaust, but will install the SPT cat-back next weekend.

On a side note, the parts guys at the dealer told me that I needed to reset the ECU after install. They told me to go talk to the service guys about how to do that. I played dumb and went along. The service guys told me that I could not reset the ECU myself, even after I asked about disconnecting the battery, and they told me that I would need to pay them $40 to do it. I asked specificially if they would just reset the ECU or reflash to a newer map, and they said reset only. They said that the battery disconnect would *not* reset the ECU. I got pretty testy about them trying to charge me $40 to do something that I was pretty sure I could do myself, and they told me I could go to AutoZone and they could hook up a reader and reset it for free.

It was at this point that I realized that I know more about my car than they do. I must say that they did not inspire a lot of confidence for any future work they might do.

At any rate, I like the intake, and it definitely will add a modest amount of hp to a stock 06.

Tim
 
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#2 ·
It's nice to have someone give a quality write up on a product that alot of people have questions about, I'm thinking about purchasing one myself, and your "old fart" opinions might have swayed me to go out and buy it.
 
#4 ·
I've been running the complete power package for a week now and have noticed the increase in performance. It's not the "fastest mod" i could of done, but usuing this wagon as an everyday driver with a 100 lb. dog, makes it right for me. My racing days are over and fun reliable driving is the ticket for me. I agree with Tim that installation was a breeze. The only diappointment was that the mid-pipe on the SPT exhaust wasn't stainless steel. Other than that I'm happy with the mod. Tim, you should reset the ECU again after doing the exhaust. Steve
 
#6 ·
hey man, nice post. i was happy with my intake and heatshield as well. unfortunatly i had to sell it to pay some bills, but if your lookin to sell that one because its to loud or anything, pm me. lol

that heatshield is the hardest part, puttin on the rubber, which is all of 3 minutes. which is why i like that the install on the wrx is easy, intake install, 10 min or so.
 
#7 ·
kmjd said:
I've been running the complete power package for a week now and have noticed the increase in performance. It's not the "fastest mod" i could of done, but usuing this wagon as an everyday driver with a 100 lb. dog, makes it right for me. My racing days are over and fun reliable driving is the ticket for me. I agree with Tim that installation was a breeze. The only diappointment was that the mid-pipe on the SPT exhaust wasn't stainless steel. Other than that I'm happy with the mod. Tim, you should reset the ECU again after doing the exhaust. Steve

Ummm, I've never heard anything about resetting the ECU after mods...I put the SPT intake on my 06 the day after I bought it...and I put Invidia CBE on this last weekend....how do I go about resetting the ECU??? Can I do it myself...sorry if the answer was somewhere allready in this post but I didnt see it....Z
 
#9 ·
or instead of waiting disconnect the neg terminal and press the brake pedal down for like 10 or 15 seconds then reatach the battery. it helps with your advance timing multiplier, theres a thred about it but i dont want to try and find it sorry.
 
#10 ·
i HEARD that a ecu reset doesnt really do anyting because the ecu is constanly adjusting trim levels on the sensor imputes it gets from the engine so it always is learning and trying to make your car run the best it can. thats why when you re-set your ecu the car takes a little longer to turn over, because the ecu returns all its trim levels to a neutral setting that is sure to get your car running. also that it could take your ecu 1 to 2 days to get the your car to run at its most optimal performance. this is just what i read by the way.
 
#12 ·
Step 1 on the installation of the SPT CAI is to disconnect the battery....that resets your ECU. It's always hard to start your car when the ECU is reset (meaning it takes 2 or 3 turns of the key). It takes a few hundred miles for the ECU to relearn completely.
 
#16 ·
basically i think the overall consensus on the spt intake is...if you want to spend the money and get it fine, you wont hurt your car at all, BUT the increase you see in power is very minimal. its under wanantee so thats always a good thing and it wont make your stock wrx with no EM run bad so i think if i get a little extra spending money i will go for it! ....i got the dreaded "you spend to much money on your car" speech from my girlfriend today while we were going to the mall...going stealth with the mods now lol!
 
#19 ·
kh15 said:
basically i think the overall consensus on the spt intake is...if you want to spend the money and get it fine, you wont hurt your car at all, BUT the increase you see in power is very minimal. its under wanantee so thats always a good thing and it wont make your stock wrx with no EM run bad so i think if i get a little extra spending money i will go for it! ....i got the dreaded "you spend to much money on your car" speech from my girlfriend today while we were going to the mall...going stealth with the mods now lol!
just wait until you get married!!!!! I've found that it's much easier to ask for forgiveness for my addiction (car parts) than to ask if I can buy the part.:)
 
#24 ·
would a used spt intake be just as good as a new one??? are there any parts besides the filter that i have to worry bout on the intake or is it just the pipe and the filter??? the intake is about 6 months old that i am looking at buying. any input would help please thanks ahead of time for any help
 
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