My 03 WRX has begun to show its age a little bit, so I decided to start looking for a new ride. After a lot of searching I ended up finding a local guy selling a stock 08 Spec B in great shape and low miles and decided to pull the trigger. So far I am loving the creature comforts (especially the sun roof). The 2.5L motor is also a fun change... especially combined with a rear LSD! Don't get me wrong I still love the WRX. As much as I would love to turn the the old girl into a rallycross car, I really can't afford to own two turbo Subies. Now I have the sad task of selling the Rumble Bee... But then I can start thinking about modding the Legacy! :wiggle:
I am not going further than Stage 2. Right now I am just going to do some some aesthetic stuff. HID retro, short shifter, and maybe a different grille. Long term I may put together a nice conservative exhaust, AVO intercooler, aluminum radiator, AP and call her good. The stock suspension/wheels will be fine for awhile - it has factory Bilstein shocks and 18" rolling stock. I am sure one day I will want to upgrade to some BBS's and better suspension. I also really wish these had come from the factory with the STi Brembos... Spec B's only come with a 6 Speed. It basically the STi transmission with heavier flywheel, different gear ratios and no DCCD (so its not the bastardized 6 speed in the new Legacies) The 2.5 GT's from this model year were available with a 5 Speed or a Manu-matic. Yeah when I was buying the car there were only 3 Spec B's for sale I could find the whole US. The seller was getting calls from people as far away as NY and Texas. I was looking at the newer Legacies at the time, but as soon as I found this one I fell in love.
There is absolutely no reason to go with an Aluminum radiator. You will regret it. AVO Intercooler is a waste of money. The fastmotorsport TMIC cools just at good for 1/2 the money. Don't bother looking for name brand on the exhaust. Read reviews on fitment and go from there. The CNT DP fit perfectly and make just as much HP as any of the dp on the market. The brakes on the car are just as good as the brembos. Get better pads/rotors/lines and it will be fine. The brembos are only there for bling factor.
This surprised me. I have been running a Koyo on the WRX for years. I just figured that more boost = more heat, so why not increase the cooling capacity of the radiator? What would make me regret it? This is good to know. I just had been thinking AVO b/c it did not have the fitment issues of the Perrin and had not heard of Fastmotorsports Also good to know. I will probably just do the upgrades you listed and paint them and save a few hundred bucks (because brembos are not cheap). Thanks for your input! I am still trying to learn the minor differences between a bugeye and my leggy. I am on the LGT.com forum, but they are no WRXAtlanta (which is also why I am still posting on here while I live in Seattle).
WIll fitment for one on the radiator. I ran a stock radiator on my Leggy even witha built block. Never had any cooling issues. Fastmotorsports is sold by importimage. Remember, a lot of these parts are made or 08+ WRX but will also fit the leggy. I switched to Brembo's and really didnt notice much of a difference from my previous setup. The biggest difference maker was switching the Master Brake Cylinder to one from a STi. I believe the bore is about 1/4" bigger but I think on the newer cars, you have to cut the flange off and put a smaller one on. Look up my name on legacygt.com and search for my posts on the MBC swap.