What are some good/common mods to do to a WRX?

Thank you based Panda. That's a good looking forester, I was really interested in one local but he replaced the engine himself and wanted high price for it...

What's the damage for replacing for larger turbo/parts? I'm good with what I got for now, just barely getting interested in cars and would like to get into rally maybe, thought I'd give it a try.

Well, you can get a lightly-used STi turbo from either a wrecked STi or from an STi owner who is upgrading for fairly cheap. Go to NASIOC and search around (but don't ask questions). Learn about boost creep, tactrix cables, RomRaider, and shit like that. Also, I think the WRX has a catalytic converter in the "up-pipe" and the STi does not, replacing this with a catless one will gain you a few horses.

I had an '06 STi and spent around $800 in a used downpipe, exhaust, and accessport and was running 12.9s in the 1/4-mile on a Cobb off-the-shelf 18 psi 93 octane tune.

Honestly, once you do those few mods, you probably won't need much more unless you drag race several times weekly and obsess about it.

Hella horns
Rally armor mudflaps
Cobb access port
FMIC
Upgraded turbo
Catless uppipe+downpipe
Whiteline sway bars
Strut tower braces
Polyurethane end link bushings
Polyurethane shifter bushings
Torque app + Bluetooth OBD2 reader + 2013 Nexus 7 in dash

Just what I could think of off the top of my head.

I feel it, thanks a lot for the help. I'm moving to the Midwest and hope to get some snow driving in abd learn a bit. You know, since there's nothing else to do.

White STI... All of my want.

Don't listen to this dickhead.
Full exhaust is great, given you can get it tuned.
DO NOT buy an accessport, they are overpriced and the off the shelf maps are fucking garbage. Don't even get a used one. Go with a ROMraider setup. Cheaper + opensource.

DO NOT push anything more than 16.5 psi on the stock turbo, you'll fuck yourself after enough spirited driving. Ask me how I know.

Truth be told man, I'd just put a catback on it and call it a day, stock WRX/STi's pull fat stacks and the demand is only going up.

If you are deadset on dicking around with it, then i'd focus on drive train and suspension. Make use of the power you already have and delivering it to the ground and getting around corners faster, etc.
Light weight crank pulley (I used GrimmSpeed's never had a problem with it, some people throw codes after putting one on but I didn't have a problem. You'll be able to rev up a little faster, boost will build a little quicker, etc)

STi TMIC (Better cooling, duh)

Hollow out your up-pipe. The cat/shit in the uppipe has a tendency to break loose and chew things up, plus more air flow is never a bad thing)

Sway bars, stiffer struts + lowering springs (or coilovers, I prefer springs to coils due to the winter [Im in Canada])
Tranny + motor mounts/bushings. Better endlinks and stuff. (Don't worry about changing the stop pitch mount, aside from not doing too much, the stock one is designed to push the engine/tranny down and away from the cabin instead of directly in.)

Other than that, the basic like full exhaust, CAI, etc. Just remember that pretty much every part you replace that modifies the amount of fuel/air going into the engine, turbo, etc. Will need a tune to run safely (CAI, Downpipe, up-pipe, turbo, injectors, fuel pump, etc).

BTW invidia is dropping all their catless products, so if you see one pop up for cheap, snag it and hold onto it. Shit's already going up in pricing used.

I agree with you on the AP being overpriced and the OTS tunes being garbage, but I'm not familiar with romraider. What's it all about?

>Immediately resorts to calling me a "dickhead"
>Implying I didn't mention the need to get a tune with a full exhaust.
>Recommends going catless when '06 WRXs are known to get boost creep when catless without modding the wastegate.

I had an STi, hence my 18 psi. I drove over 50k with a Cobb 18 psi off-the shelf tune doing WOT to redline all day and never had a single issue. I did mention RomRaider, I used it and datalogged extensively to ensure that the OTS tune was good enough (it was). I had ecuTuner but didn't see a need to tune any further. BTW I paid $100 shipped for my AccessPort, used and unmarried, no different from a new one.

You don't need a different intercooler unless you use a bigger turbo.

P.S. I have a mechanical engineering degree, so there's that.

OP, look around on NASIOC and figure it out for yourself.

romraider.com/Documentation/GettingStarted
Read up my son.
Pretty much in short it's a vastly cheaper option to the access port, minus the fancy trimmings (virtual gauges, 0-60 timer, compactness). You need a laptop from what I can remember, but you can get chromebooks that'll run the software for a couple hundred bucks.

STi has a bigger turbo, therefore the amount of boost you can push it different. He has a WRX, therefore what you recommended for him to push boost wise is uselss, he'll grenade the motor and/or turbo.
The sheer fact that you think the OTS tunes are good enough, is a good enough sign to me that you don't know much about modding these things.

Different intercoolers have different volumes, etc. STI TMIC is a great alternative to the stock WRX one due to the sheer fact it is larger. Therefore displaces heat faster. Therefore less heatsoak affecting turbo, and more volume. Just enough volume to help get the car get into boost and move a little quicker in higher gears.

You're mechanical engineering degree doesn't mean a fucking thing as far as I'm concerned because paper smarts don't always equal out to knowing what the fuck you're doing.

What is with your Hostility? I made it quite clear I had an STi. I data logged often, made sure it wasn't knocking, overlooking, or running unnecessarily rich/lean. The other tune was designed for the exact mods I had, no more no less. Paper smarts mean everything when tuning a car; I'd love to see you pass thermodynamics. Also, you mentioned that a larger intercooler increases the volume of air going into the engine, which is the same thing as running higher boost, which an intercooler does not do, and it would be bad if it did. Chill the fuck out.

Also, I'd like to point out that you indicated that you either fried your turbo or blew your motor in an above post. Was that due to your creative tuning?

Cold air intake and a tune is good for like 30-40 horse bro.

Trade it for an accord and btfo vapers

I'm not OP but I looked into it. The lack of low end torque is the biggest problem that has no solution. You could do a 20b but then you lose some of the weight distribution advantage the 13b nets you which is pretty much the only thing it had going for it.

>I took thermo I and ICE 4XX so I know a lot about tuning production vehicles.

Also a ME and it hardly has anything to do with it. No need to flash the most common engineering degree awarded in the US.

Aw you guys, fighting over little ol' me.

I'll be taking all this into consideration as I move into my new state and become close to my car.

Wasn't my car, wasn't my tune. Fuck boy like yourself watching too many online videos thinking he could push 18lbs without problems. One too many WOT giggle moments and he was blowing up my phone asking me to come see whats wrong with his car.

If you wanna throw around big words to make it seem like you know what you're doing. By all means, knock yourself out. But like I said, that piece of paper doesn't mean shit. Thermodynamics isn't going to put your motor back together.

The honda community has retards, the subaru community seems to have a "I have an expensive piece of paper that says I know some stuff" problem.

PS bigger intercooler doesnt mean more air volume entering the engine, it means it has the capacity to keep more pressurized air on hand... Like I said, increases lag a bit, but will give you a little more get up and go in the top end.

Sell it and buy an evo.

Pic related

Yeah, except I did run 18 psi for 5 years with no problems and did several track days and shit. .. So... yeah.