Hello everyone. I am new to this website and am looking for some help on how to start with my stock STi. I have searched the forums, but never found exactly what I was looking for.

Here is what I want:
1. A street legal car that I can occasionally take to the track
2. Around 350-400whp
3. I do not want a loud exhaust (something better than stock, but not annoyingly loud), but I do want something that adds performance
4. Money is not really a big issue
5. I want a car that accelerates pretty fast...I don't necessarily need some insane amount of top end power...I am not going to use the car for drag racing

I plan on making upgrades to the suspension and brakes as well. Basically, I am looking for a fast, reliable daily driver that I can also take to the track. I don't want the car to be outrageously modded, but I am looking for something that makes it stand out and gives it enough horsepower to take most cars on the road...all while being completely street legal.

Let me know what you think my best approach should be....ie what parts to buy...etc

Thanks for the help...sorry for the newbie question...hopefully my details about what I want will help you guys lead me in the right direction

(I am also planning on taking some driving courses...to learn how to better handle the car)

Let me know what you guys think

 

After looking around some more, I noticed that asking for 350whp may be a bit excessive if I still want to keep the car street legal. I guess somewhere in the range of 320-340whp is what I would like. I hope you guys can help.

Thanks.

 

Well first let me say welcome. Now before you start doing any mods, break in the car properly. I can't stress that enough because if you don't you'll burn a quart of oil a week. Now assuming that you have already done that, alot of companies make stage kits that give bolt on power. vishnu, cobb, gruppe-s all make good stage kits. I would suggest finding a tuning company you are comfortable with and getting a custom setup from them. For the best balance between streetability and track performance you probably want a road tune specifically for your car. Personally I went with Cobb parts and I love them. Of course this is just my humble opinion.
Happy motoring
Punchy

 

Thanks for the tip. If anybody else has any comments, please post. I am new to customizing vehicles and would love as much help as possible.

Thanks

 

Since money is not an issue to you, why not just bring it to a performance shop and tell them what you want. I think that's straight forward enough if you're looking into modifying your car. If you're in the bay area (CA), there are few places with good standings from members here, such as Vishnu. That, or you enjoy your effort in building the car in to your personal preferences. Good luck.

 

I would like to do as much work as possible on my own. I enjoy working with my hands and seeing the results of my work. Obviously, some things will have to be done in a shop, but whatever I can do myself, I probably will.

 

Thoughts for my first mod:

A DP and a cat back exhaust

But, will this still keep me street legal? I am not exactly sure of the placement of the cats in the STi's exhaust system. If I get a DP and cat back exhaust...am I essentially just getting a TBE?

Where do I need cats to keep it legal?

Thanks

 

i would recommend doing suspension mods first... no use in putting all that power down if the car wont handle as well...



if you get a catted dp with the cb system then you are pretty much staying the same...

no, once you change your dp your car is no longer "street legal"


320whp is a good goal to shoot for

 

I appreciate the info. Thanks man.