So after three weeks of car shopping Dad and I finally decided on a new car!
We found a 2005 Crystal Gray Metallic WRX Limited for a great price, the sales mgr offered it to us for $4,000 less then a '06, so we jumped on it.

I'll be picking it up later today about 4pm, I can't stand the wait :P

I know it will be hard choosing to drive the new WRX or my 01 ITR but each will be fun.

Now I know some of you are thinking, Are you going to mod it? YES!

First off the rims on it are ugly as sin and would like to put something nice but not break the bank. I have seen a bunch of Rota wheels (Which I happen to like) But just not sure which ones would be the best for weight and size. Care to offer an opinion?

second, Since this is an Auto tranny, can the car have a re-flashed ECU? and which would be the best while being affordable?

Third, We'd like to keep this car on the quiet side, near stock levels. Is there a way to get more power w/o making it louder?

Fourth, Now I have seen a few threads on turbo timers, some say yes, some say no. For the small piece of mind I'd like to put one in. Is there a model that is recommended?

and Last, Does a blow off valve really do anything to help the performance or is it really for noise? If it does help, can you guys put me in the right direction?

Thanks for the help and looking to post here often!

 

Congrats on the new car. For the $4,000 I probably would have gone for the 06 because of the 2.5l engine and upgraded brakes, but you'll love the 05 just the same.

1) Rotas are great wheels for the $. I run Rota Torques on my STi at the track, but they have come out with some really cool new designs recently. Pick one that matches your taste and it will look good. On Crystal Grey, I would recommend silver wheels. The black would be an evil look too. The bronze and gold don't always look as good on Grey. Just search around the forum and http://www.subydude.com to see lots of color combinations.

2) Auto tranny cars can have the ECU reflashed with good results. Just don't expect to put down the same numbers as a similarly equipped manual tranny car. The ECUtek reflash is pretty popular, but the Cobb Accessport should be another option you look at.

3) Since it's an 05, you can swap out the uppipe to one wihtout a cat. along with a reflash, this will get you nice gains with almost no noise increase. The way to get more power would be to go with a Turboback Exhaust (TBE), but unless you mate it to a really quiet catback section (i.e.: Borla Hush or the like) your going to get some noise.

4) Turbo timers are not necessary on our water cooled turbos. You can spend the money better elsewhere.

5) BOV's are useless, but make cool noises on a manual tranny car. On an auto tranny car there is absolutely no point.

6) Opinions are like *******s . Do your research in the different sections of i-club and make your own conclusions.

 

Thanks and thank you for your response.
I'll be looking into ECUtek reflash and I know not to expect the high #'s like a manual... I would like to have a little more umph out of it. I'm not looking to make a monster out of it, that is why I have my ITR

As for the ECUtek reflash, any sites that I should look at?

 

As promised...
Here is a pic.

 

http://www.vishnutuning.com

http://www.mastrowrx.com

There are probably some local tuners near you as well. Check out the ECUtek site for an official list of dealers. http://www.ecutek.com

 

Thanks for the links

 

I'm on the same boat as you Bbasso, but I got 06 WRX wagon limited 4EAT for $4000 less than sticker price so I pick it up right away. there was a guy before me who try to get it too but his wife wanted the Tribica B9 instread. For noob like me on 06 WRX 4EAT, can I do the same mod as Bbasso? It's my daily driver car, I drive about 100 miles a day highway. Thanks for any input.

 

Congrats on the new car!!! I also bought mine at Bay Ridge. The people there are nice and are willing to deal a good price.
Having said that, when you pick up your car and start driving it, check to see if your steering column and wheel is crooked. In other words, see if the face of the steering wheel is parallel to the back of the drivers seat. The reason why I bring this up is because my 2006 wrx is crooked that way (the right side is closer to my body than the left) and it drives me crazy when I drive on a straight highway. Even though the car is going straight, the positioning of the steering wheel makes me feel like I am drifting. Let me know how it turns out.

 

Thank you!
And yes they are very nice people there, One of the big reasons why we bought it.

I did not notice if the wheel was crooked, I'll take a look next time I drive it tho.

 

Is the crooked steering column a common problem in 04-05s? I've noticed that in my 04 but I've always thought it was me sitting awkward.

 

If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding their crooked steering column, check out this link: https://www.i-club.com/forums/suspension-handling-brakes-195/please-check-your-steering-wheel-121834/

I found it very helpful.

 

you should toss the dealership decal from under the "WRX"

 

Already done...
along with the "SUBARU" on the trunk