I just got my first WRX 2 days ago. Its a Aspen White 2004 WRX with the premium package. Most of you know already and have giving me a friendly welcome.

As far as plans for the car, I don't want it to be anything that would be considered RICE. I had a civic with a body kit, 17 wheels, black projector head light, altezza tail lights, upgraded motor and tranny, big brake kit, etc , so I am so over the whole RICE thin (growing up is awsome in this sense). I just want a clean looking WRX. Oh course I want it to be faster, I want it to stop more quickly, and I want it to handle like a dream.

My home is in Las Cruces, NM. It is in the dessert so the WRX will see some dirt roads.

If you were in my shoes and had lets say $5000 what specifically would you do to it. Specifically as in type and manufacurer.

Have fun
Leon

 

No one has any suggestions?

 

Well if you want it to handle, wheel/tire upgrade and suspension would be your first stop. Check the vendors' websites, there is a vast selection of components to fit your needs. Coil overs would give you excellent handling and cost you some ride quality. Some people say they aren't daily driveable, but other people don't mind it, total personal preference thing. Cobb AccessPort is a great way to add some power without a lot of work, and it can grow with future mods (custom tune or you can get premade base maps for certain mods).

 

5k?

No problem.

Wheels: 17x7.5 SSR Type C RS wheels (13.7lbs)
Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1-GS D3 225/17/45 ($1800 total)

Suspension:
Whiteline front and rear strut bars
Whiteline Ground Control springs over stock struts (I'd say do the coilovers, but that would be $2700 of your $5k)
Whiteline front sway bar 20mm, rear sway 24mm adjustable
Whiteline ALK

Power:
APS turbine inlet
APS 3" turboback exhaust
STI panel filter
GTMoto snorkel delete elbow
ECUtek tune on a real AWD dyno at a reputable shop

Misc:
Driving lessons
A few gauges (boost, oil temp)
Underbody neon and fake NOS bottle <---joke!

This is 5k assuming you can do a lot of the work yourself. If you are paying shop time at $120 an hour, you might not get past the suspension elements. Your major cost would be the tires, wheels, exhaust and the springs; everything else is less than $300 apiece.

Yes, this is what I have on my car. At least I am speaking from experience!

EDIT: forget the wheels, the ones I reccommend above are WAAY too expensive. Rotas or Koseis (I prefer the Kosei wheels, they are shot-peened) would be a lot cheaper.

 

Ya i don't mind them. I had Ground Control coilovers with Tokico Illuminas on my Civic. Though it wasn't a true coilover setup it I did sacrifice ride quality for awesome handling. What coil overs would you suggest.

 

Cusco are pretty popular, but they're not the only choice out there. I think whiteline has a kit, but don't quote me. Tien, of course. You'll hear people say good and bad things about pretty much every brand. Best way is to grab a test drive/ride in someone's car that has a kit you're considering.

 

Ya, hopefully I can meet some people at Mt. Hammy this weekend.

 

Have fun! Wish I could get out there!

 

i would buy some mashimoto zx tires

and a new nos timer cuz my fuel map has a nasty hole...and a new intake since i blew the welds on my old one

umm yah meilers has some good suggestions, id say exhaust, downpipe, upipe, access port, vf34 turbo/walboro fuel pump/helix 660cc injectors, and some top mount intercooler, youll be as fast as an STi for $4g and then use that extra grand for some coilovers or get sway bars with endlinks

good luck, and hopefully will see ya at hammy

 

https://www.i-club.com/forums/showth...eline+coilover

That's the Whiteline kit. Not dooable on a 5k budget cap. I've seen these as low as $2100, however. Turbo magazine just did a write-up on them in the latest issue, and seemed extremely impressed overall -- they spent about six paragraphs on how easy they were to install, adjust and tune.

 

is that THIS issue?? i must buy this then

 

how is 2700 not doable on a 5k limit?

 

Thanks for all the info guys. Just by reading I'm learning about companies I didn't know about. Keep em coming if you want.

Leon

 

I've had three different suspension setups: Tein FLEXs w/EDFC, V7 Spec C springs and struts, and Helix DNAs (currently). honestly, i like the DNAs the best. They are not as harsh as the Teins, but are more aggressive than the Spec Cs. They are pretty good for track days, have a lot of adjustability, and only cost $1000.

And for brakes, get some nice pads, lines, and fluid.

 

It is doable, it just doesn't leave enough over for power mods, tires, other things. Hell, I spend $600 on tires alone. I'd put coilovers WAAAY down the list of WRX/STI mods to do; 90% of drivers out there aren't going to test the car to the limit that you'd actually need them.