hi all I am upgrading my blobeye 03 impreza wrx turbo and I have just purchased an STI Intercooler before remap has anyone got any info out there as this is my first scooby

need more speed

 

did you get it from ebay by any chance ? listing finished just after dinner ?

im no expert neither but im currently trying to collect: sti intercooler, sti fuel injectors, sti turbo, walbro fuel pump, k&n panel air filter, full de-cat exhaust, de-cat up pipe and then finally re-map it, should be pushing 300 bhp then apparently ! ( so ive been told )

 

yes mate bought it brand new for a steel of a price
just wanted some advice on what to upgrade

 

best thing is to talk to a local specialists. where are you from and what would you likr to get from the car. what mods so far etc

 

STI 03> TMIC is a very good & easy upgrade for a WRX, but you also need the matching scoop and undertray to get the benefit of cooler charge temps..

As for other things to do before the remap, full (3) decat exhaust system, walbro 255 fuel pump and a decent PANEL filter (K&N/Green). With a good map you should see around 280/270 with blistering turbo response, which in reality, for the road is very effective..

Other than this, fitting a rear 22mm adj anti-roll bar (eg whiteline) and solid drop links will dial out a lot of understeer and for ~£100 so easy to DIY fit is one of the single best mods/£££ you can do to a WRX..!

After that it depends on how much you want to spend, brakes really do need attention and should be the next priority, you could argue they should be done first, but TBH not many do..

IMO, anything else after this is a game of diminishing returns, as the next step is a lot more money to do properly and TBH, for fast road, the above with the std brakes issues addressed, is hard to beat..

Purely out of interest, who's doing the mapping..?

 

> this might sound daft, but will there be much difference from the standard 225 bhp then ? i mean like acceleration / torque ect ?

> and i have been wondering about this, but i dont know what i exactly i need to buy, i know you have listed it above but when i price it up its way over £100 ?

cheers nick

 

AndyForrestPerformance

read the site
work out what you want

Fast road track?

have your car mapped on the road with you driving
don't be to fast to spend untill you know where you are going

 

not sure i agree with you on that. if your try to get big power then the above parts will help but at 330 range then if its fitted well i dont see there being any issues

 

I have done most of the basic mods to my Blobeye WRX a while ago and the car still makes me grin.
Parts fitted.
STI intercooler, which gives no performance gain on its own but does help keep the charge temps a little lower especially when its hot and as a by product will stop the ECU taking timing out to protect the engine when the inlet temps rise. The WRX scoop and undertray do not provide the full area of the sti intercooler with air and as such you have an area that is not being subjected to ram air flow from the scoop. So yes to get the FULL benefit you do need the undertray and scoop.
I removed the catted up-pipe and replaced it with a standard classic up pipe without a cat. This mod on its own is well worth doing as the cat in the uppipe is restrictive and this really does help the turbo spool quicker. When you remove this cat you also remove the EGT sensor which will give a cel light so you need to put a 2.2K ohm resistor across the pins on the plug to fool the ECU into thinking the sensor is working fine. This sensor is effectively a cat on fire sensor and all you are doing is giving a resistance equivalent to a normal operating temp.

I also replaced the Downpipe with a Prodrive PPP sports cat downpipe. When using this downpipe you have to mod the downpipe inlet to fit the TD04. The downpipe comes with a seperator built into the flange. This protrudes about 20mm beyond the face of the flange. This has to be ground back just below flush with the flange and the the seperator reprofiled to make the exhaust gasses flow smoothly around the sperator. This is an easy job with a grinder and a dremil. I also put in the PPP decat centre section, removed the centre exhaust silencer and replaced it with a straight through pipe and finally Prodrive back box.

I fitted a green panel filter to help inlet airflow a little.

Replaced the plugs with the slightly cooler running PFR7b's - job done.

Andy F remap completed the mods. The car is around 280/280 as estimated by Andy and on the limit of the Turbo and standard injectors but is fine for my needs. The car was totally transformed, considering these are not big power gains over standard. It made the car much more responsive and easier to drive as the extra torque means you are not constantly changing gears around town. I must admit that I do not drive the car hard, I have the RA for that, but it does make the car a pleasure to drive. The car also passes the exhaust emissions check no problem with just the Prodrive sports cat fitted.

 

OK as Arch says, to get the full benefit you need the matching scoop and tray.. lol.

You can chop and customise an STI undertray to fit the wrx smaller scoop (been there), which at least directs the air flow onto all of the intercooler, but the smaller scoop simply cannot supply the same kind of airflow as the huge STI version. This becomes apparent at higher speeds where the turbulence of the front end pushes the airflow higher, and therefore out of reach of the small scoop. I've tested the airflow theory- some of you may remember the pics of my bonnet with the bits of wool taped all over it.. So in my opinion, if you're going to buy an undertray to chop, you may as well fit the scoop. At least this way you can always sell both on should you ever wish to- very few people will want a chopped undertray IYSWIM..?

Like Arch I've been there and done all of this (largely based on AF's projects) although I went onto the next stage of a VF35 (inj/ported headers etc) which incidentally was mapped at 348/333 with 1bar at 2700rpm and 1.6bar by 3k and I have to say it's a great package..

HOWEVER, as quick and responsive as this setup is, on the road IMHO a well mapped TD04 is just as capable. Yes it may run out of puff earlier and not pack quite the punch the VF35 does in the midrange, but the response is ridiculous.. It does make for an exhilarating drive, believe me..

n_12ead:

Hmmm, seems prices have (understandably) increased since I bought mine 5 years ago, but after a quick google they're available here http://www.balancemotorsport.co.uk/products.asp for £134 (ARB) and £50 (droplinks), with free delivery before the 31st, which TBH isn't far from what I paid inc delivery..

I'm sure if you phoned one of the main specialists (API/scoobyclininc/power station/RCM etc) you may well fine they'll match the price..

Oh and the difference between standard is night and day..! It's how the car should have been from the factory, but then it's faster than an STI (even a PPP'd one) so they couldn't.. Just don't outbrake yourself..

 

So I guess a WRX with PPP used daily is not really worth fiddling with?

 

Lol, our car is our only family car and is used daily. It's driven more by the wife than me..

It comes down to what you want, but for around £1000 you can transform the car into another animal altogether..

FWIW, most PPP cars don't produce the goods anyhow..! I'm sure there are lots of members on here who've had a PPP car ekutek'd and not regretted it one bit..

 

It is cheaper to do the mods I have done and have a "proper map" put on the car than it is to buy the PPP. It does give more performance and a better set up than the generic PPP and in my opinion it does not produce the same results as can be achieved going down the route I and many others have with a custom remap and supporting mods.

 

not too surprised there Prodrive would go safe I guess.
So on a 55 WRX with PPP there are gains to be had that's good to hear
Just need to make sure it doesn't get out of hand
So I guess K&N panel filter, CAI of some sort and remap would get me some more!
Maybe I should strip the PPP kit off and start again now it's out of warranty

 

The problem with the WRX PPP is it retains the cat in the uppipe and the standard downpipe cat the rest is fine but both these are restrictive. The STI PPP uses a high flow sports cat downpipe and the STI does not have a cat in the uppipe as standard. Whether a cold air induction kit will get you more power on a lightly modded car is debatable there are hundreds of conflicting scenario's.

 

Thanks for that!
Looks like I'd be better off removing the PP kit and using it to fund a full decat, K&N, Walboro and remap then
Any recommendations on a quietish full decat system?

 

My 03 WRX got 187 at the wheels with just the PPP, nurspec and a panel filter and 218 at the wheels after an ecutek.

I've been told another mod you need on a wrx when flirting with 300+ is a stronger head gasket, apparently the standard ones don't last a second over 320bhp.

 

That's the first time I've heard that one..!

Well mine have been handling near 350 at 1.6bar peak for 25000 miles without issue, as are many others..!

Sounds like someones touting for business if you ask me..lol..

You don't need an induction kit, just a decent panel filter, the standard intake is very good from the factory..

 

i own an 05 wrx, i'm running 280bhp with turbo back exhaust decatted, sti panel filter, and remap, difference is amazing!!! shocking at first! whiteline swaybars with droplinks and an anti lift kit are an excellent buy too.
Only thing i will say is if/when your clutch starts slipping dont get an exedy single plate hyper, i blew up 3rd gear 2 weeks later, managed to get it done on warranty and then a month later 3rd gear BANG! again so i bought a ppg straight cut gearset 1-4 it sounds wicked, but was very very expensive.

Zen Performance in Wellingborough are the only firm i trust with my car.

 

^^^^

that's the setup I would recommend for anyone thinking of modding a WRX, as I've said it's hard to beat for the money, gearbox apart that is..

Lol, I recon you must be a bit of an animal to break that oe box with a TD04..