WRXtra power

Hi everyone, Just sold my 1999 BMW 328ci and got a silver 1995 WRX saloon and have a big grin on my face . Friends thought I was mad to sell the BMW but I now know I did the right thing.
Fresh into the country and from what I can tell a well looked after example with only Blitz Turbo Gauge and Timer added from standard. 60k on the clock and totally immaculate. Driving is fun again...........
The choice for mods is overwhelming and really I dont know where to start so I am asking for some friendly help to make some decisions. I'm not loaded so dont want to be spending a fortune on stuff just cos its got a cool name on it but at the same time need it to do the job and do it well. Im going to need the basics first so any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

So what is a good choice for air filter (cone or panel)?

backbox (followed by half de-cat system)?

BOV (not too noisy)?

I have picked my wheels out but don't know what to go for, 17"s or 18"s?

spark plugs?

also I have seen the bonnet scoop air deflectors for sale on ebay. Are they worth having?

I hope you guys/girls don't think im being lazy asking but just thought you could help a guy lost in this new scooby wonderland.

Thanks for reading & see you on the streets

Mr Sympathy

go to SIDC site and read the FAQ's they will give you lots of tips on tuning mods which you will find more informative and impartial. welcome to the fold!

WRXtra power

Thanks for the welcome, I will take a look. What are you running?

corradoboy

Welcome to Scoobynet, and Scooby ownership You'll never have any money now

Air filter - Stick with a panel (JR Racing/Green/K&N (NOT ITG)), as induction kits are bad in a few ways. 1st they tend to pull in more hot air from under the bonnet unless combined with a good supply of cold air ducting, and thus can actually reduce power. 2nd they have a tendency to shake the MAF sensor to pieces, and if that goes un-noticed you will be needing at least a new MAF (£80 ish) or potentially a £4k rebuild

Exhaust - The world is your oyster. Loads of good stuff depending on what noise/power you'd like to achieve. Hayward & Scott or Scoobysport are particularly respected.

BOV - Personal choice, but generally regarded as a CHAV mod. You either love it, or hate it. Many love it for about a week, then it gets on their nerves. The thing to bear in mind is the potential for engine damage. There are many whom have run VTA DV's for many years without noticing any negative apsects, but they can cause engine damage. The air being released from the system without the ECU knowing results in brief excessive overfuelling. This does 2 things. Unburnt fuel gets pushed past the piston rings removing the lubrication (bore wash) and slowly thinning the oil in the sump. More excess fuel gets pushed through the exhaust and detonates there due to the heat, potentially damaging the cats. I'm not saying it will, but it could leave you with a very big bill for the sake of a silly noise. Many people also believe the performance benefits are purely placebo, and on returning to the perfectly adequate OE recirculating DV find it improves performance, in particular throttle response on gear changes.

Wheels - The car will look sweet on 17's and the handling will be good. Go up to 18's and you will compromise handling for looks. Look at lightweight wheels such as OZ Superlegerra's.

You seem to have set out your stall looking at power and cosmetic mods, but don't you think the car could benefit from being able to utilise it's existing power better ? Maybe worth considering suspension and brake enhancements, after all when all that power leaves you in a ditch it won't look to pretty then One of the best mods worth considering (I do it myself often) is driver training from a professional. It's amazing what you can learn

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Congratulations on your purchase.

Before we get to carried away discussing mods, you are running it on SUL (preferably Optimax) AND an octane booster aren't you?

If the car doesn't already have one a knocklink would be a very wise precaution.

All the best,

NS04

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

I've had MY94 WRX for a couple of months now

Enjoy! Just remember to look after it before you start modding it..Get the belts changed..Get some decent oil..all the filters (i've got a green panel) and i'd save also just incase you need to replace the box or clutch in the near future You never know!

Oh and get a decent jap exhaust on there and release the power!!! And the noise

WRXtra power

Wow thanks for the quick response guys, some very usefull information. As for the brakes corradoboy, I had noticed how cr*p they were for such a powerfull car. Only the thing is the discs on the car are brand new (no lip on them what so ever) so I dont really want to replacace them just yet due to the expence. The pads on there at the moment are also very new looking but dont know what brand they are, all I know it that they are red. Any advise on a set of pads that would really make a difference?

The only reason I inquired about the BOV was not because I like the noise (I actually think it does sound quite boy racer like) was just concerned about the turbo having problems as I had heard the OE recirculating dump valve was not good enough and could cause the turbo to back spin.

Yes I am using Shell Optimax ( 94.99p per litre!!!!) but hey in the long run I guess its worth it. Not got any booster yet. However what is a knocklink? how much is it and what does it do?

I have heard good things about the green pannel filter so will probably go with that although the raw sound of the induction is tempting....

My cam has just been changed 10k ago so I think im ok for a bit, was going to get new HT leads but after looking I don't have any? (that confused me)
What are the spark plugs I need? I understand that they need to be a bit special...

Thanks for all your help, its obvious to me that owning a scooby is a lifestyle not just a car

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

Rrrrrrright..

Plugs you can get NGK 6B's or like i have 7B's but they are expensive and relatively hard to fit if you ain't got much skill.Basically you need to remove the airbox ans the battery and water bottle as there are 2 plugs on either side of the engine.You will have a coil pack for each plug also which have a habit of packing up but don't worry about them till you get a misfire etc.

You can get a large quantity of Millers octance booster from Scoobyworld(i think) which is a crate of 10 for about £25.

I've been looking into Knocklinks also.It's really just a snsor that screws inot a hole already in your engine block.A unit is put on the dash which houses LED's and tells you if your engine is heading for detonation! Not really sure on the science ide of it but i'm sure somone will fill you in..there about £150 all in.

If you get a full decat exhaust (decent make) you can hear the standard DV and the turbo spooling up good and proper like mine does Sounds really really nice when opened up.

Sounds like you have Red Stuff pads too, You can use 4 pot barkes from other scoobs for the best upgrade.There is usually some for sale on here and they are usually about £350 ish with discs/pads and callipers.

If your ever down my way (Wirral) your welcome to hear what my motor sounds like

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

For the Knocklink mate

http://www.dpmotorsport.com/parts/knocklink/home.htm

WRXtra power

Thanks AlanPPP, sound like an invaluable piece of kit, will add it to my ever-growing list. Good deal on the booster as well, is it one bottle per full tank? Have you seen the thread about Tesco 99 ron?

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

Yep use a full bottle every fill up mate Ain't read the thread but only optimax is ever going in my tank

It ain't scoobyworld either sorry! Must be one of them though.

WRXtra power

ok i'm sure i'll find it.

Thanks

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Just to re-iterate: Do get the octane booster into the car with the petrol as soon as possible. Your car will most likely det if you're not bringing the fuel up to 100RON and since you don't yet have a knocklink, the first you'll know of it is when you get handed a bill for an engine rebuild!

If you don't fancy using Octane booster as a permanent solution, you can always get the car remapped for UK fuel.

NS04

WRXtra power

Thanks, but dont worry. Bulk order of Booster being ordered very soon. Do you know of a good place to buy bulk?

dj219957

IMO and from experience he should be OK without OB. The 95 car will have the later ecu which is "OK" for Uk fuel. I have the same car and i see little det on the KL.
Provided he applies some mechanical sympathy it should be fine on just optimax.
Brakes would be my first mod if i could turn back the clock. Mine cook very easy but i have spent all my money on other mods first
Enjoy the car mate.
Oh a good tip:
Dont take it out and test the top end out! A sure way to imcrease the risk of the big bang! The factory IC is crap past 100 mph.

First mod: brakes
Second:KL
Third: Wheels
........

Andy

96 wrx wagon with ts05 upgrade and z4 map

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

1) I'm guessing that someone like David at API would probably argue that you've just been lucky....so far!
2) Even if he wouldn't the point is that you have a knocklink to give you warning should det rear its ugly head, the newbie doesn't! It should be his first mod, you can drive around the brakes for now and will be aware of their limitations. As I said, the only clue he'll get of Det is when he's at the side of the road with a Scooby sporting a knackered engine!

IMHO its not worth the risk!!

Al the best,

NS04

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

Jeezuz you got me panicing now!

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

There you go mate! Found it £24.40 for 10 bottles.

http://www.scoobymania.co.uk/performance_info.asp?c=2

dj219957

lol david rebuilt my engine! Yeh i hear ya mate. OB is a safe bet but it is a pain in the *** and expensive. My thiniking was that if his car is standard then really i would say he is OK. Rumour has it the z4 map is very simular to the UK prodrive map that was out that the time. However that is hearsay.
Guess the only way to be sure is to get some det cans on there.
Ill be sorting my brakes next and then maybee a custom map to run a tad more boost. I want to run the engine in for a bit longer on stock boost first though.
Agree jap car plus decat plus other mods = remap to be 100%

dj219957

oh ..my engine didnt go bang using the z4 map! This was brought after!

Big Guy

Can anyone recommend a cat-back system or back box (are these the same thing) for my2001 WRX, and is it a worthwhile mod - I don't want de-cat/re-cat hassle at MoT time, but would like a few more BHP's?

Roughly how much difference would the back box make, maybe if I upgrade to a better panel filter as well (feel free to recommend one of these too)?

A few names that I've picked up on already are Scoobysport and Vortex Afterburner back boxes and Cybox for the cat-back system. Are any of these good (I don't really want mega volume)?

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Cheers......

corradoboy

Big Guy, you don't have to go the full decat route. You can get a centre high flow sports cat which is designed to give as much performance as you can get but still just about limp it through the MOT, although like all replacement cats they can be expensive. As for BB's, Scoobysport and Afterburners are very good, but you may find the Afterburner loud. The Prodrive BB is a superb compromise and you can often find people selling them on here as they move on to newer stuff. I believe Scorpion make the Prodrive box's, so they may be worth a look, and Magnex too. Hayward & Scott are very highly regarded.

As for the filters, I've been running a JR Racing for about a year now with satisfactory results, but you could also consider a K&N or Green. There is also an STi filter (check Group Buys, there's usually one ongoing) which is well respected, but isn't a lifetime filter so needs replacing at each service. DO NOT go for an ITG unless you want to kill your MAF.

M444GY

iTrader: (72)

sold my bmw to buy a scooby and i have never looked back best thing ive ever done

Big Guy

Thanks very much for the advice. It's really useful to have such a great deal of experience and expertise to call on. As for performance gain, will the BB & filter make a noticable difference; The marketing blurb on the dealer websites suggests that it's a worthwhile mod, but they're not likely to say anything else?

Cheers.......