mplaczek

Hello everyone,

Just some quick questions for anyone that has PPPed their WRX 03, I'm considering it for my WRX, and rather than speaking to prodrive or my dealer who will be getting a great big wad of cash I would like a few less bias views.

Do you think it's good value?

They recommend 18" wheels and tyres, does it really make a big difference? I would probably like to keep the ride reasonably smooth as the roads can be really bad in my area, any suggestions??

How much did it bump up your insurance??

And finally... How much fun???

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!

wakeboardar

i had it on my 02 and was pretty good , not sure if it worth the money ,its a kind of got to have thing.

im looking at other options for my new car,

insurance was pretty simple with ppp they bumped up my excess to 750 and an extra 50 a year.

T4molie

Don't want to hi-jack the thread but I'm in a similar position at the moment. Have had my MY02 for a year and am toying with the idea of getting PPP fitted. The only thing I'm worried about is being disappointed with what I get.

Cos I'm a "like to keep my warranty" man I had WRX in for a service last Saturday and while waiting I took an STi8 for a test drive....now even in standard form that's the kind of power feel that I'm looking for.

Wakeboarder interesting that you obviously got it fitted to yours and have since upgraded to an STi8.

Andy

MJW

I've had it fitted to my 02, and its quite a marked improvement over the standard power level. The torque improvement feels great, and the car pulls a lot harder from 3000 revs. The back-box makes it sound great too (and not too loud - the missus didn't even know I'd had the kit fitted ) A PPP'd WRX has roughly the same power as the standard STi but without as much lag.
With regard to the 18" wheel issue, I don't think it's essential - I've kept my OE 17s and everything is fine.
If you want to keep your warranty, it's the only way to go !

whiteyisback

I was in the same position a while ago with my new WRX. I test drove a dealers PPP'd WRX and almost booked my car in there and then.
Then a mate of mine took my for a drive in his fully decatted, remapped (Ecutek) WRX and I was totally blown away, i just couldnt believe the difference, it even left my friends STi8 trailing behind.
Both routes are gonna cost you about the same, it's just that one will give you about 65 BHP and the other about 35-40 BHP. And don't forget the decat route gets you a brand new stainless stell full system exhaust (not just a back box) for a sound that just grows and grows on you.
One last thing (albeit probably the most important) if you're worried about your warranty then just remember that in the event something major goes wrong with your car then you can always get your old exhaust put back on the car and have an original (unmapped) ECU refitted......thats the atrrangement I have with Extreme Scoobies in Essex that did all the work on my car. I cannot recommend there work highly enough.
DO it, I promise you wont regret it.

Andy Hamilton

I have an MY03 with PPP and am very happy with it, well worth the 1600 quid if like me you want to keep your warranty.

I also had an MY01 bugeye with PPP and the MY03 is much better as it remaps the original ecu rather than a piggyback chip. Having said that I think the MY01 and MY02 PPP is now the done in the same way as 03's so you get the remap to 265bhp rather than the 245bhp from the piggyback. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong

I am running standard wheels and tyres with no problems, can't justify the cost of upgrading to 18's at the moment. Although I'm sure it would be an improvement with 18's it's by no means essential, after all the STi seems to cope pretty well on 17's

WRXJase

I've got the PPP on an '03 wagon with 18" wheels. Firstly the ride. I find it fine, wifey has suffered with a bad back for a while (the main reason my original classic went some years ago) and we both find it comfortable. Though I have to say I thought the 18" wheels were only recommended for the STi with the PPP but I could be very wrong there.

As for the performance, it's certainly willing. I haven't driven a none PPP'ed 03 but compared to an '01 car I had a go in a while ago there's no comparison. In case you're wondering noise is no problem either IMHO - I've done 20K miles in the car so lots on motorways and find it fine.

Only thing I would say is one mans meat is another mans poison. I'd ring round a few dealers. Quite a few of them run PPP'ed WRX demos (that's how I came by this one). Have a go and decide for yourself. This is the best advice I can give. The pack is a lot of money and I think "try before you buy" isn't asking too much.

If you want to gain power and keep your warranty it's the only thing you can do. All I'd say is that when I bought mine the dealer was advising people to drive the PPP'ed WRX before signing for the STI8 as it's easier to live with. Performance between a non PPP'ed STI and a PPP'ed WRX is argued about a lot on here. Personnally I reckon the STI would have the edge overall but there's not much in it either way.

wakeboardar

the sti and wrx are totaly different cars ppp on a wrx bringing it up to the same power is fine but it still did not feel right on mine.
only the sti had the very fast car feel ,even though the sti and wrx are both 2ltd turbo the engines are very differant ant the sti lends it self better to upgrades.

if prodrive were a little more fair with there prices i think i would take the prodrive route
but last year i spent
£550 on some pd lights
£1600 ppp
£300 on various pd bits
and when you think about it theres not really much there for £2.5k


warranty does worry me a bit but if you have a good tuner they should be able to have the car back to how it was in hours if you really needed it

mplaczek

Thanks for all the info people. Good to know the ride is fine and the sound is not too over the top! I'll try to find a place nearby for a test drive and give it a go!
I'm surprised the insurance did not go up much higher, but I guess it depends on the person, and who you are with. No harm in asking my insurer I guess...

Thanks!

mattstant

03 ppp wrx wagon here as well from new so cant comment on 03 without ppp but i am more than happy.
It is better built (alot better) better riding and a damn site quicker than my old MY99 wagon .

Minor downsides are seats designed for the lardier person of which i m not one so i slide about a bit too much and no centre dash cubbyhole and errrrr thats it

wakeboardar

lol luckily im a bit lardier

Beefy

MY03 PPP here. Had it fitted at about 5000 miles from new. The first thing I noticed was the increase in noise from the exhaust, very nice and sounds much better than the standard car (not too loud though, just right for me).

2nd thing was how much better it accelerated, better pick up, less lag and much better overtaking potential in any gear. Fuel economy is slightly better than before the PPP was fitted and I partly attribute this to the fact I often overtake in 4th now when I used to have to drop into 3rd. There is plenty of torque available to do this which I like.

Overall it is expensive and if you arent bothered about the warranty then there are arguably better alternatives. For me however it fits the bill nicely and I can recommend it as a worthwhile upgrade.

Rog Ford

Well pleased with the PPP on my 03 WRX. It doesn't make a massive difference to the maximum (apparent) power, but it does come in significantly lower down the revs. That means that if you're in top at 80mph on a motorway, you've still got enough power to overtake comfortably. Before, you'd be just out of the power, and either have to drop down to 4th, or cruise at 90-95 instead.

The power also hangs on for a fair bit longer - it'll pull right through to the redline rather than dropping off above 6K.

You've spent 20K on a car mainly for it's performance. It seems silly not to spend the extra 1600 quid to make it work properly.

18 inch wheels? They might be better in some circumstances (mainly on the track, I suspect), but I can't see any reason at all why you should upgrade to them just because you've fitted PPP. I value my ride comfort, so wouldn't even if I did have another 1600 quid spare.

If you're using it on the track I'd STRONGLY suggest better front brake pads (I use Pagid 4-2s), and perhaps the Prodrive spring kit before you even think about wheels.

wakeboardar

i thought 18s were only recommended for the sti

Daz34

IMHO a WRX PPP with Prodrive spring kit is the best all round Impreza package taking into consideration uk roads & your warranty.
A brake upgrade would be worthwhile as well

WRX_Rich

iTrader: (5)

just don't make the same mistake as i did.. I have a car full of prodrive mods (02 wrx) then I added a tsl backbox, then a sports cat then a ecu tek etc etc. so there was no point in spending all that extra on a prodrive parts. I know a fair few people who have gone from a ppp to Ecu tek but not many go the other way

imho before the ppp go for the lowering springs and geometry - I found this as much fun as the extra power and cost u far less
( wish I had gone the aftermarket spring route now and saved money and got better results...but i did keep my warrenty) go for it make the car handle like a sports car before it goes like one