My WRB 2011 WRX hatch
 

Hey all, after posting too much junk in my introduction thread I decided to start a build thread. Car was purchased new on February 4, 2011 at Lasher Elk Grove Subaru. This is my first Subaru and the first car I've done any real modifications to. I like to do as much of the work as I can by myself, it's been a lot of fun learning how to wrench on it, but I'm no professional mechanic so a couple of the "bigger" mods I have had installed at shops, such as the struts.

Mods so far: (updated 2/26/14)

Custom tune from Fine Line Imports in Santa Rosa, CA

SPT cat-back exhaust

Cobb downpipe

Cobb 3-port boost solenoid

Cobb lightweight crank pulley

Cobb BPV

Cobb front and rear sway bars

Cobb rear endlinks

Kartboy front endlinks

AEM cold air intake

SPT short shifter linkage w/ Cobb double adjustable shift lever with Turn In Concepts pivot bushing and SPT shifter bushings

Group N transmission mount and pitch mount

Grimmspeed master brake cylinder brace

Stoptech SS brake lines

Koni struts w/ H&R Sport Springs

Enkei RPF1 wheels in gold, 17x8 +45

SPT front strut tower brace

STI front lip spoiler

TCSportline carbon fiber hood w/ Sparco hood pins

Rally Armor mud flaps - Black with blue logos

SPT turbo heat shield

SPT blue oil cap and battery tie down

Zero/Sports blue alternator cover and radiator shroud

Momo shift knob

Perrin 3" shorty antenna

5% tint on all the rear windows

debadged rear hatch

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nice rpf-1's :) good to see you have a car and can drive!

Those rims look right at home with the hatch body style!

good news :)

Nice thread, clean car!
see u around!

Looking sexy! Glad you are able to enjoy the car again

nice work on your car! hit me up if you ever want to do a photoshoot to update your thread.

Nice look you have going

thanks for the kind words all! @thejordan - I would like to get some real pics taken some time, i'll keep in touch.

Added the Subaru Side Window Deflectors

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Putting on the AEM CAI tonight, will post some pics later!

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Alright, put on the AEM last night and went out for a little drive. Haven't had too much time behind the wheel with it yet, but here are my first impressions from the install and first drive, probably nothing you haven't already heard about this intake.

First off it is huge, much bigger than the Cobb SF intake I had on previously, and due to where it sits it made for a slightly harder install vs the Cobb. The install itself is very easy and straightforward, I should clarify that it's getting the filter in without risking damage to it that is the tricky part. I had a friend help me with the install (always good to have an extra pair of hands and eyes) and we were able to get it in without hurting it, but do be careful as it's a tight fit.

I also opted for the AEM Pre-Filter Wrap which sounds like a great idea as it keeps dirt and splashes of water out of the filter without hindering airflow. The wrap is just so thin that it seemed to get pretty scratched up from the install. It's a little expensive ($30-40 range) for not being very durable but it gives me a little more piece of mind so I guess it's worth it.

Next up is the sound. After owning both the Cobb and AEM intake I can say the Cobb was louder, no question. I don't think one has a "better" sound than the other but if you are looking for the loudest intake supported with OTS AP maps go with the Cobb. Where the AEM really only seemes to make itself heard when you're getting on it, the Cobb seemed to always be talking to you. Don't take this as a bad thing, the AEM still makes a great sound and should be plenty loud for most, and my engine really does sound great with this on. The ACN 91 + AEM OTS map from Cobb feels FANTASTIC, very smooth power.

Now the big point when it comes to CAIs. I live in the Sacramento valley where it is known to flood and get nasty in the winter time. This filter does sit very, very low (as CAIs tend to) so I will probably switch back to my stock air box for those nasty months. I really would rather not risk it and the swap is so fast that you could swap the OEM airbox back in 20 minutes if you have a buddy to help or even if you just have all your stuff ready to go by yourself. If you are worried about water injestion and want to keep your filter on year round I would say go with the Cobb, I would have stuck with it myself but as I stated earlier in the thread I was having issues with my Cobb intake so I decided to try the AEM.

nice thread!

keep updating this thread for us 08+/2011 wrx.

I have a 2011 wrx as well and I like all the mods that you have done so far

loose thats cobb map and get a pro tune and it will feel much better haha! as always car still look amazing and I love the wheels!

@maryboi - thanks! I'm sure there will be more in the future. Have fun with your '11!

@04caliwrx - protune is at the top of my "to-do" list, have heard it makes a world of difference v.s. OTS maps, can't wait to find out for myself! And thank you, I try to keep her clean and, although the RPF-1s aren't a "rare" wheel by any means I love them.

The G2 caliper paint has started to come off like crazy over the summer. I was afraid of that, but gave it a try anyway. When I detailed my wheels over the weekend I could really see how bad it's looking, I'll be sanding the rest off when I switch back to my winter (stock) wheels. The Xenenmods decals, however, have held up fantastic.

What issues did you have with the Cobb intake?

The Cobb intake gave me a crazy bad burning smell, it smelled like heated rubber. It would do it under various driving conditions and it never went away in the long run. I noticed an odd smell over the first several drives when I put on the AEM but it hasn't happened in months now and I have been driving everything from boring highway commutes to some "fun on Sunday" drives, no problems. The Cobb did it to me in stop and go in-town traffic and on the highway. I took it off and re-installed it several times, no hoses or anything were touching where they shouldn't have been, the problem still presisted. I left it off for good after a 50 mile commute at normal highway speeds when the smell got so bad I was pulling over and popping the hood every 10 miles or so to make sure nothing was going to explode. My engine temp guage never showed a temp increase. After talking to Cobb (they were great) several times we decided it was best to leave it off, the problem was never traced to the source. I was using the correct OTS map on my AP. I haven't heard of anyone else having that problem with the Cobb intake. The OTS stage 1 ACN map works great for the AEM, I wish I wouldn't have experienced those issues with the Cobb because I really wanted to run a short ram over a CAI. Sorry my answer isn't more specific but we never did find what was causing the smell, all I know is it went away after taking the intake off.

It may be worth noting that despite the smell the performance was never affected

Weekend project! I just got the Subaru exhaust finishers. I really didn't care for these until I saw a picture where they had been paint matched to the body color and I thought it looked really cool, so I am going to be painting them WRB this weekend and hopefully will have them on by Sunday, just depends on if I get to spray them tonight. I'm going to be doing it myself, had the paint loaded into a can, just going to scuff them up, wipe them down with some degreaser, prime them with a self etching primer, a few coats of WRB, a couple coats of clear and hopefully I don't screw it up! The paint itself was a little expensive but it's real auto paint, it was apprx $60 for a half pint of the blue. I will post pics of them painted and post more when they're on, keep your fingers cossed for me.
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No pics to post for a reason. The paint came out awful, I can't lie....the color is perfect and really the painting wasn't that bad, but I did an bad job masking. Strip them down tonight and probably give it one more try, I think I have enough paint left.

EDIT: Started sanding down problem spots last night, looks like the paint job will be saved! Should have more than enough paint for what I need to fix, will post when done.

Here's a pic with the paint and new molding, went with a thicker molding and I think it's going to look good. Still have to do some sanding and respray a couple of trouble spots but at least it looks like they will turn out ok. Hoping to have them finished and on within the week, full time work, school and family takes up a little time, lol.
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Have you been happy with the AEM intake so far? Any issues running it with the OTS Cobb map? I just got my car on the Cobb Stage 1 map and ordered the AEM intake as well.

I have not had any problems with the AEM on the stage 1 ots map, loving it! Hope you enjoy it as well.

I've seen your car in yuba city!! Parked on blevin road! Right down the street from my house. lol sounds kinda wierd, i was just going home.

Lol, not too wierd, I know where I see the locals a lot too haha. My brother-in-law lives on Blevin.

I think you would be really happy with a pro tune.

Wait till you are used to the power you are making now then get it done. It will put a big smile on your face.

Great car nice to see someone who gets out there and gets thier hands dirty doing thier own stuff.

I have grown lazy, and accepted the fact that i am a crappy mechanic so I have GST do all my work lol.

[QUOTE=Shayhan27;3337441]I think you would be really happy with a pro tune.

Wait till you are used to the power you are making now then get it done. It will put a big smile on your face.

Great car nice to see someone who gets out there and gets thier hands dirty doing thier own stuff.

I have grown lazy, and accepted the fact that i am a crappy mechanic so I have GST do all my work lol.[/QUOTE]

Can't wait for pro tune. After debating on future mods since going to stage 1 the only future power mods I plan on (at least for now, lol) are DP and pro tune for a "proper" stage 2. I still want to do a few smaller mods, engine mounts, maybe sway bars, I'll keep adding the small things, but I'm just about there for power. Keeping her my DD so I don't see crazy power in her future.

And thanks! I like to do what I can myself or with the help of a friend. I didn't do everything myself. Had my struts put on at a shop, had never replaced struts and didn't want to start on this car, lol. If I think I can bolt it in/on without hurting anything I'll usually try though.

Sweet ride man I got the same spring/strut setup :D

[QUOTE=Sticcky;3341153]Sweet ride man I got the same spring/strut setup :D[/QUOTE]

Nice, how are you liking the setup? I think it's a great alternative to coilovers.

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Nice, how are you liking the setup? I think it's a great alternative to coilovers.[/QUOTE]

I love drop it gives and how smooth the ride is. Now I just need find some new wheels :)

Cobb DP getting picked up this week, going to stage 2 soon. Any advice/warnings/words of wisdom? Besides getting a custom tune that is, lol, I know that's something I need to do, will be running OTS map for the time being, hopefully custom tune within a month or so. I do want to get fuel pump and injectors before custom tune. Also considering clutch upgrade, anyone care to recommend a good one?

Considering this kit
[url=http://www.rallysportdirect.com/Competition-Clutch-15026-2100-Stage-2-Steelback-Brass-Plus-Clutch-Kit-w-Flywheel]Competition Clutch Stage 2 Steelback Brass Plus Clutch Kit w/ Flywheel Subaru Models (inc. 2006-2013 WRX / 2005-2009 Legacy GT) 15026-2100 at RallySportDirect.com[/url]

Or this with the Exedy flywheel
[url]http://www.rallysportdirect.com/Exedy-Stage-1-Organic-Disc-Clutch-Kit-Subaru-Models-inc-2006-2011-WRX-2005-2009-Legacy-GT[/url]
Seems a Stage 1 clutch/flywheel is all I'd need but the stage 2 Competition Clutch and flywheel combo is a little less expensive

After talking with FLI in Santa Rosa, CA (where I plan on getting tuned) they have talked me out of fuel system upgrades and clutch upgrades. Planning on custom Stage 2tune but they did say they tune for Stage 2.5 (Turbo back plus uppipe and equal or unequal length headers), anyone running a similar setup? Thoughts on equal vs un-equal length headers?

Paint that intake black. Look way better under the hood.

Go talk to a local tuner... i.e. FW Motorsports.

[QUOTE=AllAnIllusion;3337836]Can't wait for pro tune. After debating on future mods since going to stage 1 the only future power mods I plan on (at least for now, lol) are DP and pro tune for a "proper" stage 2. I still want to do a few smaller mods, engine mounts, maybe sway bars, I'll keep adding the small things, but I'm just about there for power. Keeping her my DD so I don't see crazy power in her future.

And thanks! I like to do what I can myself or with the help of a friend. I didn't do everything myself. Had my struts put on at a shop, had never replaced struts and didn't want to start on this car, lol. If I think I can bolt it in/on without hurting anything I'll usually try though.[/QUOTE]

If you're going to stop there with mods... finish getting your parts. Put them all on. Then get a pro tune. Getting tuned and then adding a DP later just means you'll need to retune. Waste of $500.

Spend that $500 on sway bars and endlinks.

[QUOTE=OneManArmy;3413802]If you're going to stop there with mods... finish getting your parts. Put them all on. Then get a pro tune. Getting tuned and then adding a DP later just means you'll need to retune. Waste of $500.

Spend that $500 on sway bars and endlinks.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, I've been waiting on a tune until I get my downpipe which I just picked up yesterday. Putting it on this weekend and will be running OTS map until I get pro tuned which I'm setting up for early July. The OTS map was just fine for Stage 1 but I'm definitely getting pro tuned for Stage 2, like you said, no reason to get tuned twice. Sway bars/endlinks will most likely be next upgrade.

Put on my Cobb downpipe and Cobb BPV today, running Cobb ots Stage 2 ACN + AEM map until I get tuned (hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks). The car really feels great so far, unfortunately it started raining pretty good so I haven't had the chance to have any real fun yet. I'm running the bpv fully recirculated and it still gives me some of that great "woosh" noise which is a nice bonus as I didn't expect to hear it at all running full recirculation. I didn't plan on getting an aftermarket bpv but had a chance to pick this up from a friend basically brand new for a great price so I couldn't pass it up. It's a very high quality piece especially compared to the cheap plastic stock bpv and it looks good too.

The downpipe was fairly easy to install but I highly recommend having a friend to help and definitely remove the intercooler, it's super simple to take off (3 bolts) and makes the install much easier. I had the luxury of using a friends lift at his shop but you could do it in your driveway on ramps without much hassle. I'll post some pictures later and my thoughts once I get to really drive it.

^ These are just a couple quick shots, one of the bpv and then the stock DP vs Cobb DP which was heat wrapped when I bought it

Changed the oil and went for a nice drive finally. Seriously loving Stage 2. The jump from stock to Stage 1 was nice, it smoothed out the power band and it's great to have the compensation for our garbage fuel here in CA but overall the difference was fairly minimal. The jump from Stage 1 to Stage 2 was very noticeable, nice torque off the line and it pulls all the way to the shift point. I'm hitting all my targets and the car is running fantastic with the Cobb OTS map. I do have an appointment for a pro tune coming up pretty soon so I'll update after that.

EDIT: Holding off on pro tune for a while, want to acquire headers. Going to go with Tomei UEL me thinks, don't want to lose that rumble and I'm not targeting big #s that would require ELH.

After taking some time to decide on what I want to do before the pro tune I've settled on some mild upgrades and am booking my pro tune this week, hopefully will have it done by February. Not going with headers as I had previously planned. Doing Stoptech SS brake lines, Grimmspeed master brake cylinder brace, Cobb crank pulley and Cobb EBCS. Had some boost creep issues recently so the pro tune is actually going to happen. I'm done dealing with this OTS stage 2 map. Will update after the tune with numbers and my impression of the car with the new additions.

[QUOTE=AllAnIllusion;3477938]After taking some timeof but wheelsecide on what I want do before the pro tune I've settled on some mild upgrades and am booking my pro tune this week, hopefully will have it done by February. Not going with headers as I had previously planned. Doing Stoptech SS brake lines, Grimmspeed master brake cylinder brace, Cobb crank pulley and Cobb EBCS. Had some boost creep issues recently so the pro tune is actually going to happen. I'm done dealing with this OTS stage 2 map. Will update after the tune with numbers and my impression of the car with the new additions.[/QUOTE]

Really nice car dude! I gotta say im quite jealous of ur wheels. I've wanted matte black or black chrome RPF1s. Ur car is sweet dude.

[QUOTE=bayuncotracho99;3478778]Really nice car dude! I gotta say im quite jealous of ur wheels. I've wanted matte black or black chrome RPF1s. Ur car is sweet dude.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much. I'm having a lot of fun with it and have been trying to come up with a good combination of parts to make it a little more fun but still keep it a legit daily driver as we have a new addition to the family due in June. Hoping this setup gets me where I want. Only things left I really want to do are sway bars and sub-frame brace, looking to the summer for those. And the RPF1s I love! Such a great looking wheel, hope you end up getting the set you want :thumb:

Installed the Grimmspeed Master Brake Cylinder Brace today. It took about an hour and a half to install with the help of a friend. I took off the intercooler to get more space to work with. I highly recommend doing this, 3 bolts and 5 minutes is well worth it for the extra room. [ATTACH]86312[/ATTACH] Look at all that extra room! Grimmspeed has a great video online which explains the whole process and made the install really easy. I couldn't find the flexible joint for my wrench but, thanks to removing the intercooler, I was still able to reach everything and get the brace on just fine. Don't forget it though! Not having it really made two of the small bolts a pain to get back in. We could have easily done this in under an hour if I hadn't lost that, it's really not difficult. Unless you forget the tools you need and make more work for yourself. What kind of jerk does that?! Here it is installed. [ATTACH]86313[/ATTACH] First impressions: The brace seems to be very well made. The fit is great, I didn't need to tweak the brace or any of the plastic brackets that hold the fuel lines to get everything in place. Pedal feel is definitely increased and noticeable during normal driving and spirited driving but don't expect a night and day difference or you may be a little let down. No more feeling like you're pressing your foot on a sponge! I don't know if this brace helps the overall braking distance of the car (I doubt it) but you do get more feel from the pedal. For the low cost (around $100) and ease of installation I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap upgrade and/or something new to do to their car. I'm happy with the performance results and it adds just a little bit of flash to the engine bay.

Installed the Cobb crank pulley, Cobb EBCS, StopTech SS brake lines, plus all new Motul fluids (did 30k fluid changes early at 23k) and got my tune at Fine Line Imports in Santa Rosa, CA. Keeping daily driver duties in mind the car is now making 267 WHP and 280 WTQ and it just feels great to drive! The staff at FLI are super nice and very knowledgable, I couldn't be happier with my experience there. Will post the graph and some pics later.

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Great numbers! I'm sure it'll last you a longggggg time. Enjoy the car!

Starting to piece together parts for my next upgrades. I already have the SPT short shifter linkage installed and I just picked up the Cobb short shifter (just the lever portion from someone who wasn't using theirs anymore) and got a new Turn In Concepts pivot bushing for it, should have that on this weekend. Also picked up Cobb rear endlinks and Kartboy fronts. Deciding on the actual bars, looking at Cobb, RCE and couple others.

Ordered the Cobb sways. Hopefully have everything on within a couple weeks depending on the rain.

A couple pics of the new toys. Hopefully will be getting a couple hours on my friend's lift at his shop on Monday. If not I'll find some time within the next couple of weeks to get them on


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Got the new sways and endlinks on today. What a difference. Installation is pretty easy and straight forward. With the non-adjustable Kartboy front endlinks just make sure you have the bar in place before you start tightening things down. I know that is obvious but the slightest shifting of the bar made all the difference when I was putting the spacers on. The Cobb rear endlinks went on super easy, no fitment issues whatsoever. Sorry for not having a bunch of pics or a proper installation write up but I was on a time budget.



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Make sure the front endlinks look fairly vertical and that you have plenty of room to get both spacers on. If it's a tight fit getting the spacers on make sure the bar is even and not pushed too far to one side.



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Went for my test drive and I was impressed with how much of a difference these made. Almost re-learning what the car is capable of in the turns. I'll update with my impressions after a little more time behind the wheel.

Installed the Cobb short shifter (with new Turn In Concepts pivot bushing) on my lunch break today, took about 30 minutes.

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Taking out the center console is easy, I used a flat head to pop the clips around the e-brake. If you have a moulding removal tool use it, I didn't damage the material but if your hand slipped I could see it happening.


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Getting the C clip out was the only part that gave me any trouble, even with the right tool it took a minute so just be patient. Once that's out the installation is a breeze. Fantastic results, very happy with this product. Shifts are much shorter, a little chunky but very precise. Great, simple mod. My car had the SPT linkage already, paired with this shifter it feel awesome.


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Recommended to anyone looking for a short shifter.

I am considering selling this beauty as I am looking into a 2015 STi Launch Edition. If anyone is seriously interested PM me and we'll talk test drive, price, etc. I have babied her since the day I got her, oil changed every 3k, 30k service done at 23k when the custom tune was done, every service record has been kept. All OEM parts, including wheels, have been kept and will be included.

The Cobb rear endlink on the driver's side of my car snapped this weekend while I was just driving down the highway. They've been on there for some time now with no issues and they were installed correctly, torqued to spec, etc. Anyone else had this problem or know what I may have done wrong which lead to this? The car has never been tracked so there hasn't been excessive stress put on the suspension. [ATTACH]89204[/ATTACH]

Update: Cobb has sent me a replacement set. Always great customer service with them.

After putting over 26k on the stock Dunlops I decided to finally get some new tires yesterday. Wanted something a little bigger than the stock tire size but am also working on a budget right now so I decided to give the Federal SS-595 a shot. It's got a 30k warranty and at around $100 per tire it was easy on the wallet. Went with a 245/45R-17 and it fits fantastic with the drop of the H&Rs, no rubbing whatsoever. Even hit a couple of decent sized potholes driving through all the highway construction in Sacramento yesterday with no problems. The tire looks great with plenty of meat and an aggressive tread pattern. I've only put a little over 100 miles on them so far so I don't have a true opinion yet, but the ride is nice and they really aren't that noisy especially being brand new which was a nice surprise. Will update after some quality time with them.

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Yay or nay? Had no intention on doing carbon fiber anything but picked this up for a steal. If I don't use it I would have no problem getting back what I paid. Opinions?

Decided to go ahead with the carbon hood, it's getting wet sanded and clear coated at the shop now. Picked up some blue Sparco hood pins to go with it. Will hopefully have it on within a few weeks.

Haven't really done anything to her lately but I did finally get the hood on. Was wet sanded and clear coated at The Body Shop in Yuba City, CA. Sparco blue hood pins. Fits really nice, no big gaps. Can't believe the weight difference.