Brand New Impreza WRX STI mods ?s

I'm looking at buying a brand new (probably 2007) Impreza WRX STI. I've been doing a lot of research and all i can say is, I CAN'T WAIT! lol. I know i will go ahead and buy a new rear sway bar to eliminate the under steer problem. And i would like to buy an electronic boost controller to get the full effect of my turbo and maybe even an HKS super sequential blow off valve just because i love the sound. (if this is not a good choice, let me know). And probably carbon TI cat back exhaust. Also later down the road i would like to get a bolt on turbo, maybe one from www.blouchturbo.com. Now comes the questions that i don't know the answers to. I'm not trying to go overboard because i'd like to keep the stock internals, just a bit quicker than stock. So how much bigger of a turbo (or how much horsepower/torque) can i go before i run into the problem of needing a front mounted intercooler and upgraded internals like forged pistons and rods. and clutch. And in getting this new turbo, how would i go about tuning it? Would i be best off getting a lap top with a program to do this( if so, what is a good choice)? or what? I don't really have a clue on that part. Thanks ahead of time!

Turbo Timers..subarus Are Built So The Turbo Has Enough Heat Disapation. The Only Time You Would Need One Is If Your Going To Drive The Hell Out Of It And Shut It Down Right After...which Im Sure Your Smarter Than That. And As For The Bov...if You Want A Cool Sound Buy A Srt4 Or A Honda...the Sti Is About The Performance Not The Cool Looks And Sound. A Bov Will In Turn Casue Your Engine To Run Rich And Eventually Run Into Engine Problems. If You Want A Cool Sound Get Aftermarket Air Intake. As Far As Turbos...well Ill Wait For Someone Else To Help You..good Luck

wow, i said turbo timer and i meant electronic boost controller, sorry, don't know what i was thinking. I went ahead and edited that out. I keep hearing that about the blow off valve, so.... bov aside, out of the question. And i didn't mention an aftermarket air intake because, like i said, i did do a lot of research on here and i read that imprezas don't like there intake messed with and the fact that there has been no evidence to prove any air intake mods (cold air, short ram, or just a drop in filter) even have a bonus to performance at all. Though i have to disagree with your statement "the Sti Is About The Performance Not The Cool Looks And Sound." , i know the STI is all about performance, that is why its my choice, but i have to say it also looks and sounds amazing ;) . Thanks.

I'm just trying to figure out what all mods i can do before i run in to having to change major things like pistons and rods/ clutch, etc.

Ok, i have found that my best choice for tuning is just to buy a motec m800 and never have to worry about it again lol. Now, i'm just wondering how much more power i can stack on with stock engine internals.

What makes you think the motec m800 is the best choice?

I'm looking at buying a brand new (probably 2007) Impreza WRX STI. I've been doing a lot of research and all i can say is, I CAN'T WAIT! lol. I know i will go ahead and buy a new rear sway bar to eliminate the under steer problem. And i would like to buy an electronic boost controller to get the full effect of my turbo and maybe even an HKS super sequential blow off valve just because i love the sound. (if this is not a good choice, let me know). And probably carbon TI cat back exhaust. Also later down the road i would like to get a bolt on turbo, maybe one from www.blouchturbo.com (http://www.blouchturbo.com). Now comes the questions that i don't know the answers to. I'm not trying to go overboard because i'd like to keep the stock internals, just a bit quicker than stock. So how much bigger of a turbo (or how much horsepower/torque) can i go before i run into the problem of needing a front mounted intercooler and upgraded internals like forged pistons and rods. and clutch. And in getting this new turbo, how would i go about tuning it? Would i be best off getting a lap top with a program to do this( if so, what is a good choice)? or what? I don't really have a clue on that part. Thanks ahead of time!
I'm no expert on the new 2.5L STi's, but I'd imagine you'd take the same route of any turbo car i.e. full turbo back exhaust, uppipe and ECU tuning for marginal but decent power gains.

If you're looking at bigger turbos, anything in the IHI family VF series turboes will drop right in depending on how much more power you want.

Oh and in future, please have some structure to your posts. You either just realised it was your birthday and Christmas at the same time or you didn't really finish 3rd grade.

And to the other guy...capital letters are to be used sparingly - otherwise, they lose their effect.

i just noticed that...im not sure why theres a capital letter everyword...i know i for sure did not sit there and do that.

What makes you think the motec m800 is the best choice?

Well, the first reflashing package I looked at was this ECUTEK reflashing tool http://www.perrinperformance.com/products/show/356/ECUTEK-STI-Reflashing-Tool which seems like a great package.

I kept searching and came across the motec m800 in this forum http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=115685

That forum is what made me think the motec m800 is the best choice. I'd love to know any other options though. What did you have in mind?

I'm no expert on the new 2.5L STi's, but I'd imagine you'd take the same route of any turbo car i.e. full turbo back exhaust, uppipe and ECU tuning for marginal but decent power gains.

If you're looking at bigger turbos, anything in the IHI family VF series turboes will drop right in depending on how much more power you want.

Oh and in future, please have some structure to your posts. You either just realised it was your birthday and Christmas at the same time or you didn't really finish 3rd grade.

And to the other guy...capital letters are to be used sparingly - otherwise, they lose their effect.

I will get a complete new exhaust and I am hoping to figure out the best way to tune my E.C.U.

I was thinking about getting around 400 horsepower but, like I said, I don't know how much horsepower/torque the stock engine internals, clutch, and inter cooler can handle.

As for the "structure" of my post... I didn't realize I was back in English class again. I don't really know what you meant by this either: "You either just realised it was your birthday and Christmas at the same time or you didn't really finish 3rd grade." Maybe you took my excitement of getting an amazing car the wrong way. I'm sorry that it did not meet your post structure specifications. I don't know what would have made you think I do not have an education. Your post is not in perfect order either i.e. You misspelled turbos "turboes", realized "realised" and your punctuation isn't perfect but I couldn't care less about your literature and grammar, as long as I understand what you are saying.

I appreciate your reply but why try to make someone feel like an idiot?

I will get a complete new exhaust and I am hoping to figure out the best way to tune my E.C.U.

I was thinking about getting around 400 horsepower but, like I said, I don't know how much horsepower/torque the stock engine internals, clutch, and inter cooler can handle.

As for the "structure" of my post... I didn't realize I was back in English class again. I don't really know what you meant by this either: "You either just realised it was your birthday and Christmas at the same time or you didn't really finish 3rd grade." Maybe you took my excitement of getting an amazing car the wrong way. I'm sorry that it did not meet your post structure specifications. I don't know what would have made you think I do not have an education. Your post is not in perfect order either i.e. You misspelled turbos "turboes", realized "realised" and your punctuation isn't perfect but I couldn't care less about your literature and grammar, as long as I understand what you are saying.

I appreciate your reply but why try to make someone feel like an idiot?

I don't mind typos and misspellings as long as it doesn't give me a headache trying to figure out what you mean (and btw, American english spelling is not universal).

However, in your excitement, you failed to use any kind of paragraphing and it honestly gave me a headache trying to figure out what you were trying to say. And why do you have to be in English class to write in proper English? I thought it was a life long skill?

And my joke about being in 3rd grade was not to suggest you were uneducated. To the contrary! I was suggesting that in your excitement, you had forgotten what you learned in 3rd grade i.e. you must've been very very excited!

You came on here asking for help, the least you can do is use paragraphs.

As for ECU tuning, I have used EcuTek. If you're not going for huge mods, it's much more worth it then a stand alone aftermarket engine management system - because you have to pay for the unit and the tuning, whereas with EcuTek, they just tune your existing ECU. Imo, for simple tuning EcuTek is quite good because it can tune pretty much every aspect of the engine managment system. I didn't go for the interceptor style/piggyback ECUs mainly cos it's easier for cops to defect - don't know if that's a problem with where you're from. Plus I didn't see the point of having something else in the engine bay when the EcuTek was gonna do it anyways.

i just noticed that...im not sure why theres a capital letter everyword...i know i for sure did not sit there and do that.

hahaha, who knows the mysteries of the internet but it sure would have taken a much longer time to do write it like that.

I don't mind typos and misspellings as long as it doesn't give me a headache trying to figure out what you mean (and btw, American english spelling is not universal).

However, in your excitement, you failed to use any kind of paragraphing and it honestly gave me a headache trying to figure out what you were trying to say. And why do you have to be in English class to write in proper English? I thought it was a life long skill?

And my joke about being in 3rd grade was not to suggest you were uneducated. To the contrary! I was suggesting that in your excitement, you had forgotten what you learned in 3rd grade i.e. you must've been very very excited!

You came on here asking for help, the least you can do is use paragraphs.

As for ECU tuning, I have used EcuTek. If you're not going for huge mods, it's much more worth it then a stand alone aftermarket engine management system - because you have to pay for the unit and the tuning, whereas with EcuTek, they just tune your existing ECU. Imo, for simple tuning EcuTek is quite good because it can tune pretty much every aspect of the engine managment system. I didn't go for the interceptor style/piggyback ECUs mainly cos it's easier for cops to defect - don't know if that's a problem with where you're from. Plus I didn't see the point of having something else in the engine bay when the EcuTek was gonna do it anyways.

Oh, I understand what you meant about my post now haha. I see it definitely would have been easier to understand in sections. I will do that from now on.

Now the EcuTek package looks like my best choice. With the m800 i just assumed it was all that and more, as if i wouldn't even have to tune it lol, a dumb assumption.

Now my only question about the EcuTek is about the maps you also have to purchase with it(s1, s2, s3, and/or s4). From what i read on the website, I will have to purchase the s4 map in order to map a larger turbo and all supporting mods. But... does that mean that I must have all the supporting mods as well, like bigger injectors, front mounted inter cooler, etc. ? Because I really didn't plan on going that much bigger...

I'd like to leave everything stock other than a complete new exhaust, after market air intake(if i need that to meet about 400hp), a little bit larger turbo and hks super sequential bov, and of course the EcuTek package to tune all of that correctly.

as far as new exhaust...whats your opinions of the best way to go...ive heard a few. i got a hook up for the spt system at cost, but from what i heard it wasnt much different from stock. I cannot find any clips of the sound for the spt either, any suggestions?

I like the hks carbon ti and blitz nur spec and after hearing a clip of spt, i like it as well. You can hear lots of exhausts on www.youtube.com

Oh, I understand what you meant about my post now haha. I see it definitely would have been easier to understand in sections. I will do that from now on.

Now the EcuTek package looks like my best choice. With the m800 i just assumed it was all that and more, as if i wouldn't even have to tune it lol, a dumb assumption.

Now my only question about the EcuTek is about the maps you also have to purchase with it(s1, s2, s3, and/or s4). From what i read on the website, I will have to purchase the s4 map in order to map a larger turbo and all supporting mods. But... does that mean that I must have all the supporting mods as well, like bigger injectors, front mounted inter cooler, etc. ? Because I really didn't plan on going that much bigger...

I'd like to leave everything stock other than a complete new exhaust, after market air intake(if i need that to meet about 400hp), a little bit larger turbo and hks super sequential bov, and of course the EcuTek package to tune all of that correctly.
Since you're getting the STi, the "supporting mods" like fuel delivery don't really need to be upgraded if you're only going for a slightly bigger turbo. However, 400hp (i assume at the wheels) is not a small upgrade. For 400 wheels hp, you're looking at 460-480 hp at the engine.

I doubt you can achieve this with a small turbo upgrade - keep in mind my knowledge on the 2.5L engines is not as good as the 2L, but I can't be that far off the track.

If you're looking for 400whp, you should be thinking about a pretty big list of mods AND an engine strenthening project i.e. forged insides. For that much hp you'd be looking at a pretty big turbo like VF22 or VF23 size (probably bigger).

In regards to the EcuTek, regardless of what the tuning workshop calls it, they get the 3 basic preset maps which are made for light, medium and heavy mods. They also offer a 4th option of a custom tune where they put your car on a dyno and squeeze out the last few hp. Generally, using one of the preset tunes, you are usually within 20hp of the custom tune. However, if you've got heavy mods, it's much better getting an aftermarket standalone ECU and tuning that rather than getting a custom tune of the factory ECU.

Since you're getting the STi, the "supporting mods" like fuel delivery don't really need to be upgraded if you're only going for a slightly bigger turbo. However, 400hp (i assume at the wheels) is not a small upgrade. For 400 wheels hp, you're looking at 460-480 hp at the engine.

I doubt you can achieve this with a small turbo upgrade - keep in mind my knowledge on the 2.5L engines is not as good as the 2L, but I can't be that far off the track.

If you're looking for 400whp, you should be thinking about a pretty big list of mods AND an engine strenthening project i.e. forged insides.

In regards to the EcuTek, regardless of what the tuning workshop calls it, they get the 3 basic preset maps which are made for light, medium and heavy mods. They also offer a 4th option of a custom tune where they put your car on a dyno and squeeze out the last few hp. Generally, using one of the preset tunes, you are usually within 20hp of the custom tune. However, if you've got heavy mods, it's much better getting an aftermarket standalone ECU and tuning that rather than getting a custom tune of the factory ECU.

Yea, that's a bit too much to be looking at so soon. I don't plan on getting the turbo right away, so i will just keep all this information on the back burner for now.

I will definitely get a complete new exhaust and the ecutek package with a stage 2 map. Probably the super sequential bov as well just for the sound. But i noticed the stage 2 map says "S2-Stage 2 maps are for cars with Turbo back exhaust systems installed, and no other parts installed." Would i be able to map in the bov as well?

Yea, that's a bit too much to be looking at so soon. I don't plan on getting the turbo right away, so i will just keep all this information on the back burner for now.

I will definitely get a complete new exhaust and the ecutek package with a stage 2 map. Probably the super sequential bov as well just for the sound. But i noticed the stage 2 map says "S2-Stage 2 maps are for cars with Turbo back exhaust systems installed, and no other parts installed." Would i be able to map in the bov as well?

Probably not. It's best not to get an atmosphere venting blow-off valve. It'll just make your car run rich. If you want the wooshing sound and sucking sound of the intake, just remove the silencer.

You won't be disappointed with the new exhaust and stage 2 map. The power gain is not huge, but it gives a smoother power delivery.

Probably not. It's best not to get an atmosphere venting blow-off valve. It'll just make your car run rich. If you want the wooshing sound and sucking sound of the intake, just remove the silencer.

You won't be disappointed with the new exhaust and stage 2 map. The power gain is not huge, but it gives a smoother power delivery.

Thats cool, i'll just forget about the blow off valve. I'll just get the new exhaust and stage 2 map. Later on i will get a little larger turbo (let me know if you know a good one to recommend) and the stage 4 map. Thanks so much for all your help.