uppipe, downpipe, catback, and a tune...

what other parts do you recommend to get the most hp out of the stock turbo?

intake?
intercooler hoses?

what are some proven hp gainers?

 

imagine yourself a molecule of air.

now get into and out of the engine as quickly and smoothly as possible.

any mod or product that accomplishes this goal will create more power.

 

thanks, genius! such useful info!!

 

I think he was refering to porting and polishing the heads, there's always valvetrain...

 

im referring to bolt-ons... the best bangs for the buck. i know freeing up the exhaust is a must and upgrading the intercooler hoses. what else?

 

im not sure, but i think headers are proven to gain hp

 

Not all exhausts are equal. Try to use a true 3" system that does not neck down at the connection joints. This also makes it incompatible with any of the stock pieces. Use an exhaust that has a minimum number of bends so the exhaust flow has more of a straight shot out of the engine to atmosphere. Catless is best for maximum power but plan on replacing the stock exhaust at every smog check. You will also fail the visual inspection if you should be pulled over with a catless 3" system since you won't be able to re-use the factory heat shields that surround the downpipe.

When I replace my factory downpipe, I'm thinking about getting the model from Crucial Racing that has a divorced wastegate dump tube. I like these better than the bellmouth types although I don't know if the performance is any better. The system I want will be 3" but will neck down at the flanges to be compatible with the factory exhaust pieces. I also intend to use at least one high-flow cat in the downpipe if Crucial offers it that way. A cat in the downpipe is worse for performance than locating the cat in the mid pipe further downstream but a cat needs to achieve light-off temperature to work efficiently at cleaning up the exhaust, which is why the '02 - '05 WRXs had a pre-cat in the uppipe - when the engine was cold the cats after the turbo took too long to come up to temperature and allowed a lot of unburned particles to go out the exhaust unchecked.

Do not pay attention to the myth that smaller downpipe and exhaust tubing after the downpipe increases mid-range and bottom end torque. On a turbo car, you want the least amount of backpressure and restriction to allow the turbo to spool up as quickly as possible. Combine a really good, free-flowing exhaust with good engine management and the car will perform much better than stock, even with the stock TD04 turbo.

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

 

always wondered what the purpose of a divorced wastegate is...

 

use that thing between your ears, and actually THINK about the issues.

do you want someone to hold your hand for you?

silicone turbo inlet tube
ported compressor housing
silicone ic hoses
p+p ic elbows
upgraded ic
p+p tb
tgv delete
p+p headers
p+p catless up pipe to match turbo exhaust housing
p+p turbo exhaust housing
bellmouth or divorced wastegate catless downpipe
remove midpipe cat
straight through exhaust

all of those things makes it easier to let the engine inhale and exhale. if you did the above you'd be way out of injector at full flow, despite the oem turbo, and that would be limiting your power output.

as always, it goes without saying that you need engine management with an excellent tune.

ken "the genius" gilbert

 

yup! why think? it makes more sense to get information that works... not information that has yet to be proven.

half of those suggestions are obvious and the other half are almost not worth it, but thanks for the suggestions.

it would probably make more sense to upgrade the turbo and intercooler, rather than p&p hoses and the turbo.