New WRX - Optional Extra's
 

hi all

i am planning to place an order for my new scooby soon :D .

this is what i am thinking of having as my "optional extra's"

Clarion 12 CD Changer
Stainless Steel Sill Guards
Anti Dust / Pollen Filter (i suffer from hayfever)
RAC Trackstar
Quickshift
Rear Diff Guard
Mesh front Grill Set.

my questions are:

1) is there a better tracker than the RAC one ?

2)have i missed anything obvious out ?

thanks folks

Chris

What about:

Mud flaps

PPP

PPP

Ally gear knob - gotta change that 'orrible leather one ;)

and while your having the quickshift done how about the ally gear surround :)

i'll probably go for the PPP after i have done about 10k miles (currently driving a Pug 206 HDi 2.0 ! )

as for the ally gear knob, tempting, but bl**dy cold first thing in the morning !

mudflaps..... not convinced as yet. i have yet to see a piccy with mudflaps that i like

thanks for your suggestions
keep 'em comming !

Chris

PPP is a must.
then.....
De tango
prodrive springs
and install a decent hi fi.

maybe new rims if your feeling flush

are you gong to keep the standard head unit?

do you really need a rear diff guard?

quickshift is worthwhile (although expensive), sill guards possibly worthwhile, as is pollen filter. front mesh grill is not for me, but I ain't buying or driving it and thats your call matey.

gearknob (although prodrive round one wears quite heavily), flaps and mats, as above.

Also armourfend on the front end and up the sides to quell the stonechips, this is possibly the best addition.

PPP is a must.
then.....
De tango
prodrive springs
and install a decent hi fi.

maybe new rims if your feeling flush

you need the mudflaps but get them from Scottelowe - they are cheaper. Subaru paint work is wafer thin.
You will want the PPP makes the car much a better drive. Would personally forget the 12 cd changer as the standard HU and speakers are next to useless. Spend the money on upgrading the HU and speakers Would not bother wih the rear diff guard unless you.

springs springs springs.....

Get an mp3 head-unit: you won't need a CD changer then, and the sound will be much better.

When I ordered mine I asked for the black body sills to be painted same colour as the body (silver) and for a different back box (Prodrive). Also they threw a set of car mats in as well.

What have I done to my 04 Wagon since purchase...

STI fog lights covers
Ninja BB
Prodrive Springs and Geo
Blitz Boost and Oil temp gauges
Scott Lowe front lip

...of which the springs, lip and fog covers make the car look totally different IMHO.

If I was you I'd ditch the...

Clarion 12 CD Changer
Stainless Steel Sill Guards
Quickshift
Rear Diff Guard
Mesh front Grill Set

...and get the springs done. I only wish I'd had mine done earlier.

Only problem now is... I want a nice set of solid rear drop links and stiffer ARB to compliment the springs :D

J.

PPP and Quickshift definitely. PPP transforms the car, and fitting was Free when purchased with the car.

I only got 6 disk changer, but ignore advice about better quality head units and speakers because with PPP you get a nice sounding throbbing exhast note, and once going the added tyre and wind noise means that you cannot hear the quality of the sound system anyway! The only way it could make a difference is if you are a chav and want to drown out the telly in the houses you are passing.

Would not get Stainless Steel Sill Guards or Rear Diff Guard (unless you are planning on grounding it or driving on lots of gravel.

Anti Dust / Pollen Filter if it helps

Mesh front Grill Set I have considered as it is a bit odd that the top of the radiator is protected from stones while the bottom half is not despite being more vulnerable.

I am however now seriously considering two areas - suspension and brakes. The front tyres have worn down a bit and the car is demonstrating understeer on greasy roads especially when a bit of power is applied. Will talk to Powerstation about it as just some fine tuning of the set-up might cure it, or it might need bigger rear Anti-roll bar and solid drop links. The latter will help reduce some of the body roll which is also a bit annoying, but I do like the way the current set-up handles potholes and can ride many speed bumps. Brakes haven't really been that much of an issue, and I suspect that the tyres are more of a problem than the brakes themselves as when testing emergency stops the car squirms about at the back. My current position is that I am waiting for the tyres to wear out so that I can replace them with Toyo T1-Rs or Goodyear F1s and then look at suspension and brakes with the new rubber on.

The reason you can't hear the quality of the stereo is because there isn't any quality, and because it hasn't got the power to drown out an OEM exhaust, let alone a PPP one - fit a Blitz or whatever exhaust, you'll never hear that the stereo is on.

The exhaust is nice to listen to when you're "playing" on back roads. For long journeys particularly on motorways etc, IMHO you can't beat a decent stereo; doesn't need to be loud, just loud enough with power to spare so it isn't straining / compressing / distorting. Unfortunately, there is no way that you can call any of the Impreza standard fit items decent. Decent speakers and head unit don't need to break the bank (say ~£2-300 for head unit, £100 for front speakers plus £20-30 for dynamat will be very nice), and will be loud enough without going to the "boom box" type stuff.

the standard stereo is rubbish absulote cack, dont bother with the dealer fitted cd changer, by something better and fit afterwards.

i went for the blupaunkt mp74 and in dash changer. that way you have a mp3 player head unit and a cd changer in the double din slot of the standard stereo space.

Total agreement here. Don't waste your money on a 12 disk changer, sell the original double-din unit on ebay (mine went for about £100) and get a decent MP3 unit with the money.

Definely get the PPP and spring kit and you have a seriously good motor.

WRX SL with the PPP, heated seats are a must in winter.

Pioneer Avic -x1 Sat Nav/ DVD player, Handfree kit (don't want to get nicked now do we) and a Road Angel (don't want to get nicked now do we)

Don't buy the Subary WRX mats they are crap and not worth a penny, think I will change mine under warrantte for two doilies (If thats how you spell it)

pbee - good choice on the stereo . . . . I wonder what friendly person was giving free fitting advice for that set up almost 2 years ago? ;) Working well I hope?!

Agree - dump the stereo, do not go for the cd stacker as it's overpriced versus what a decent ICE shop will sell and install for you, the quickshift is good but there are far better aftermarket ones out there.

And how many people really drive listening to the exhaust noise or the time???? So you;re sitting in a traffic jam in any number of cities, towns or motorways and blipping your engine to give you something to listen to.... hhhmmm right. What fun you must be at a party. Get a decent stereo and listen to both!

Would reconsider the pollen filter. I too suffer from hayfever, and found absolutely no benefit from fitting the pollen filter.

It may work for you, and it isn't expensive, but it was a was of money in my case....!

thanks for the replies folks.

my intended scooby is a WRX SL and i'll probably ditch the stereo as you have suggested, but i'll run with it for a bit.

any other suggestions ?

defi guages maybe ?

Chris

Chris,

I have the WRX SL + PPP, Quickshift and 6 disk changer under passenger seat (not in boot). I also made the decision to wait on the stereo, and although given some grief above, I will stand by the decision. CD changer is for saftey rather than quality because I don't like changing CDs at high speed.

I am actually very critical of sound systems, and if my Impreza stereo sounded anything like the thing in my wifes Forrester, then it would have been replaced instantly, but it isn't. With the engine off, and at low volume, mine sounds fine, at higher volume it compresses, but little sign of other forms of distortion. Compression is actually good in a car stereo, while bad elsewhere, because when the engine is running there is a relatively high noise floor below which you can hear nothing, and compression raises the level of the lower level sounds while stopping the high level signals going over the top. And a PPP Impreza has a relatively high background noise level. All source signals will have a degree of compression anyway, especially FM radio which is compressed to hell before broadcast and is dynamically re-EQ'd too to give a standard mix - if you have ever played CD tracks from 3 or 4 different artists especially across 20 years they will sound dramatically different in terms of tone, and the dynamic multi-band EQ treatment fixes this for radio stations so that they sound "good" all the time. They do however sound nothing like the original source track. Most CD source could do with compression especially classical music which is virtually impossible to listen to otherwise (as a good example of music with a large dynamic range). My old Ford stereo (OE) even came with a user controlled compressor and speed controlled volume, which were great features, but unfortunately not available from Subaru.

Anyway to avoid long and technical discussions, Subaru change things all the time (continuous improvement) and the Stereo has been criticised many times, and so is likely to have been improved. The one in my 04 WRX SL is not great, but it is also not that bad, it compresses, but doesn't introduce other distortions and is not fatiguing over long period. I like my hearing, and want to avoid ringing ears after every drive, so I do not want to drown out the exhaust.

I discussed alternatives when ordered and decised to try the standard set-up; after a year, I have decided that I can live with it. You should try living with it, if you can't, then aftermarket stereo options are better than dealer options anyway, so no loss for waiting is there?

Definately PPP

The RAC trackstar is good, but I got the full package with the camera detector etc and it confused the hell out of the insurance. When you insure just tell them it's trackstar.

I have found that the speakers are a bit naff and will probably need replacing. They are awful if you like a bit of bass.

The 05 model has body coloured trim as standard but I would consider a wheel upgrade, which you should anyway if you get PPP.

You must, must, must upgrade those Sh1te brakes. Their worthless with PPP fitted. Get the upgraded prodive pads approx £160

Get the PPP - sort out those gti nobbers

as above trackstar will give you more choice and possibly cheaper insurance

check out A-Plan insurance

Has to be PPP first, otherwise you will be beaten by most TDi's now days.
Most annoying.

Totally agree, pollen filters do nothing in my experiance. Had one on my CTR and that also cost me £40 and did nothing apart from keep the dashboard cleaner.