Is it a good idea to drop in a vf34, sti injectors and larger fuel pump in a stock wrx by it self, or should i only get the bigger turbo after i get a up/down pipe and exhaust

 

I would get exhaust system either before or at the same time as turbo upgrade is installed so that engine management upgrade for all of these mods can be done at the same time.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

^^^What he said and it's also the best bang for the buck.

 

is it hard to use a EMS... if i got one i have no idea how to use it

also.. what are ur guys favorite EMS's

 

Get a Cobb Accessport or go to a local tuner to have them do an ECU reflash (ECUTEK). Those are two pretty common ones but they are many others. If you are not familiar DO NOT try to tune your own car unless you like buying new engines.

 

Use your stock ecu and get it flashed and a proper tune.

 

i would recommend that you get the turboback and up-pipe first, which would be considered a stage 1. then upgrade the turbo and EMS. the reason for the better exhaust flow would be to maximize your power potential as backpressure tends to cease this potential, which is caused by a "choked up" exhaust.

do a full exhaust upgrade and get the accessport stage 2 map. see how you like it there. if you don't like it, then you can upgrade to the stage 2.5 map, and let me just say, stage 2 is fun, but stage 2.5 is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Engine Management for the popular ones are plug'n'play if off-the-shelf maps are available for your mods. I have an off-the-shelf EcuTek reflash, which reflashes the factory ECU. If I were to start over again today, I'd lean towards the Cobb AccessPORT because of its capability to store many different maps for a multitude of purposes such as fuel octane (91, 93, 100, etc.) or altitude (Denver CO or Lake Tahoe NV) as long as you have a tuner who is a Cobb dealer and can tune for those conditions.

If I were building a track only car (either road course or drag use), I might look into a standalone engine management system but for street use it would be just a toy unless you really like to learn and tinker at the possible expense of your engine.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Sorry for the hijack, but would these "reflashes" fix CELs? I have a catless up and down sitting around just waiting to be installed.

 

Yes a reflash would get rid of those cel's

 

For the two listed CELs, there's cheap solutions for it. THe uppipe cel can be fixed by buying a 2.2k ohm resistor from radio shack to trick the computer into thinking the readings in the uppipe are normal.


Then for the dowmpipe, there's either a mechanical fix, or a electronic fix which both can easily be purchased at local shops.

 

You definitely want to start with the exhaust upgrade path first then eventually move to the Turbo upgrade. A turbo upgrade will not work correctly without the supporting mods like the exhaust, DP/UP, Injectors, fuel pump and Engine Management.

When I got my WRX 2 years ago I also didn't want to fiddle around with the ECU because I might mess up my engine so I opted for the Cobb Accessport because it is quite simple to use. Since the Protuner is out you eventually might be able to get a custom map for your car.

Start modding your car in stages so you will see and feel the power difference rather then putting the changes in the car in one shot. Believe me eventually you will be addicted to the power and you'll end up wanting more power!

Good Luck!

- JOhn

 

i agree with everyone here. if you do the turbo, you're still choking on the same exhaust restrictions that your stock turbo is. it's not a dumb idea but it's like shooting yourself in the foot and then trying to run a marathon. do the exhaust and step up. who knows......by the time you get everything upgraded you may be happy with it and if not, you know where to go next

 

As far as EM goes always try to get a custom tune, off-the-shelf maps work for many people, but each car is different.