Hello All,

I am a new member to I-Club as well as a new Subaru WRX owner. I have recently bought a 2002 Subaru WRX sedan and I am looking into doing some performance mods. Problem is, I am new to this and want to make sure I am doing the right things and putting in the right parts. I am looking at putting in a new down pipe and new exhaust. What type of exhaust do you suggest? Are there any mods you recommend doing instead of or along with new exhaust and a new down pipe? Like I said, I am new to this, so any help would be appreciated. With these mods, what type of horsepower increase am I looking at? Thanks for your help!

 

welcome to i-club .

while you're doing your downpipe and catback, i'd recommend swapping out your uppipe with a catless one while your at it. You'll be taking all of the pipes off anyways, and it would make life easier to just knock all that stuff out at once, instead of having to take everything off again to do your uppipe at a later date.

As far as other stuff, i'd recommend new rims and tires if you're still on stockers, painted sideskirts, maybe some engine management (do some research on the COBB accessport to get started) if you plan on doing exhaust before suspension. Upgraded rearsway bar with new mounts and endlinks are good choices as well. You could also upgrade your springs and struts as well, to further aid with cornering and to get rid of that nasty 4x4 wheel gap hehe. Whichever route you decide to choose, have fun with your new subie

 

What mgb04 said. A lot of people have said that one of the most important first mods out there are tires. A good set of tires will go a long way. I am no expert with the bugeyes, but if you want to some cost-effective things, you might consider the rearsway bar, endlinks, and lightweight pulley. I've had all three done to my "L" and it makes quite a difference. You should jump into the NorCal Classified section. You can probably pick up a used wheels/tires combo for a decent price.

 

Thank you for all of your help. I am starting to get a much better understanding about how I should go about modifying my WRX. So far, I have looked into a few different products, and I was hoping that you could tell me if you are familiar with the products that I am looking in to, and if so, if you would recommend them. First of all, would you recommend installing cold air intake? I found a cold air intake system from AFE. Also, are you familiar with the AEM down pipe? Lastly, the turbo up-pipe, have you heard of DC sports? I am still looking at exhaust options. What do you all suggest? I am hoping to find something that adds more horse power, and I am not concerned with how loud it is. I would prefer it to just have a low rumble. My final question for the night...If I were to add a new up pipe, down pipe, cold air intake and new exhaust, what type of a horsepower increase am I looking at? Thanks again for all the help. Soon I will start posting pics!

John

 

1. don't get the cold air intake. there is a piece of the stock intake that you can remove from behind the fender to give a little more flow.

2. I am familiar with AEM but I didn't know they had a downpipe. I think there are better companies for exhaust parts though, Titek, Invidia,

3. Uppipe- look for a catless uppipe that is close to the same diameter as stock(cat-less STI uppipe would work) and it's cheaper than an aftermarket one

4. look in the reviews section: If you don't want it real loud you may want to stay away from anything that has a resonating tip like the Invidia N1 style muffler

 

welcome to the boards

ive noticed your from the bay area, and there are a lot of good vendors in our area, just depending on what part of the bay you are from.

cold air intake, dont waste your time nor money. if you wantd to get an intake, get a short ram intake or simply a drop in filter.

as far as exhaust, a lot of people have been running the helix up, down pipes. also look up titek. as for the catback, borla hush is a dual tip exhaust so it gives it a stealth look with a nice rumble: not too loud and not too quiet.

wheels and tires: check out subydude.com

hope you enjoy your stay and check out the weekly meets.

-Ave

 

Welcome!!!!
I won't be much of a help but I did just put in the helix downpipe. And so far I've loved it with the Apexi N1 catback. But I do wish I did the uppipe at the same time so I don't have to do it again xD. If your looking for more exhaust and piping question try the powerplant for EJ20T section. Good luck and Have fuN!

 

The reason people advise against new intakes are becuase they mess with the MAF sensor readings, and basically end up having no or very little effect. There should be a long thread explaining it all somewhere? I don't know, I haven't been on in a long time lol

UP/DB/Catback are very popular mods and so are a new set of tires/wheels. It depends on what aspect you want to modify I suppose. I've also heard a set of $40 steering bushings will make a huge difference.