Hi All,

First time poster here and a proud new owner to a 1999 Subaru WRX GC8.

I was wondering what kinds of cheap "performance" mods I can do to my car without compromising reliability i.e keeping power unit mods to a minimum: exhaust, turbos, ecu's etc.

I have been reading around and have been recommended I change the Air intake (simple and cheap) and upgrade tyres. Any Recommendations?

Please keep in mind the objective here is not to make my car go faster but make the drive even more enjoyable and maintain its reliability and integrity.

Cheers,

Jack

No point in changing the air intake unless you like the noise. Other than noise there is no noticeable power gains. Changing the stock exhaust to a 3" turbo back exhaust you will notice some power increase and allows for better driveability. Changing the stock intercooler will allow for better cooling and increase in power (if you desire). If the aforementioned mods are done you would need the ECU changed to an aftermarket one (if the car still has a stock ECU) and replace the fuel pump (to something like walbro 255lph). Finally you would need the car tuned so you will get the most from the mods...

Basic list of mods for decent and safe power

-Snorkus delete/resonator-ectomy and a high flow panel filter

-3 inch TBE including dump

-GD STI cooler

-Walbro 255l/h pump

-dyno tune on your oem ECU or Power FC.

Enjoy!

using the Perth-WRX mobile app

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2005 WRX STI

Good statement right there. What I'd recommend comes down to what's already on the car and what condition it's in, but I'd start by making sure what you currently have is all in good working order before chucking other parts at it. No use spending money on intakes and tunes etc if the car is going to break something a month later.

• Decent tyres, spend a little more than the run of the mill might as well be driving on crayons crap and you'll feel the results
• Decent set of pads and rotors plus a brake system flush, consider brake lines too as the ones on there might be 15 years old now.
• Shocks if yours have had it, good opportunity for a strut and spring package or coilovers
• Check bushings under the car, engine/gearbox mounts - plenty of replacement options in both rubber and polyurethane to choose from
• Good wheel alignment once your suspension is all sorted. This can transform the feel of the car completely and makes sure you get the most out of your new tyres. Not just a standard toe-and-go.

As far as the engine goes;

• Check the service history. Has the timing belt been done, what condition are the plugs and leads in, is it running right, is the cooling system all good?
• Clean out the intake and intercooler of any oil that might have accumulated, an air oil separator or catch can might be handy if there's a noticeable amount. Otherwise your engine is trying to burn oil vapor which isn't helping it.
• Give it a check over for leaks, corrosion on pipes (I found my coolant hard lines for the heater had just about rusted through while tearing down my engine), leaky gaskets.
• Fuel pump. Walbro 255 lph or other reputable brand, buy a new gasket where the pump cradle sits on the fuel tank before fitting as they tend to leak if refitted.

From there the usual mods are 3" turboback exhaust, top mount intercooler (second hand STI ones are good value and give good performance gains), intake resonator delete. Injectors, VF-series turbo, and a tune build upon that, though that starts moving out of the 'cheap' range of mods.

Improve the handling first:

Front & rear swaybars
Upgraded rear swaybar links
Whiteline anti-lift kit
Tyres on a budget = Hankook RS-3 (or Rs-4)
Good alignment to reduce under steer further.

Then as Patch said.

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Thanks for the advice guys!

The car has got 178k on the clock and has had most of its service history up to about 162k.

The first thing I changed was the oil/oil filter. as I wasn't sure when the last change happen :O

In terms of timing belt replacement, how much am I looking at getting this replaced and installed?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Good, clean, near stock GC8's are a rare breed.

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MY00 WRX. 89 Prelude. 99 CRV

This is true and excellent advice Bob! hence I don't want to mod any power unit components unless I have to.

The word cheap and performance very rarely go hand in hand....Something to think about.

Thats not true, sway bars are cheap, brake pads are cheap and a wheel alignment is cheap.

Track time is better than all the other mods you can do.

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Huge range of extinguisher brackets for cars!

http://kap.industries/