I just bought an 05 sti from sog, And I was wondering what the best and cheapist upgrades to do first? Andy
The best one i say to do first is first tare out the airbos resonater in your fender we'll, if it hasn't already been done, then go buy a good turbo back system COBB tunning etc or Invidia or even Helix. You can also throw a GFB blowoff valve that recirculates as we'll as letting you hear it. Then mayby a CAI Injen etc. Milo do you agree?
What do you want out of the car? If you're happy with the power go suspension. Power wise exhaust, tuning, intake, is the order that I'd go.
Someone once said the single biggest, or best performance part you can put on your car is a good set of tires. But that also depends on your budget. The RE070's aren't too bad though from what I hear.
yea Bobby has the right idea..What do you want to improve? Do you want more power or better handling? Focus on the area you want to improve..For more power go turboback exhaust then engine management and that should net you some nice gains. For suspension try some new sways or some coilovers..If you dont like the radio get a new head unit and speakers..hope this helps a little
this is my opinion: suspension: front and rear swaybars and steering rack bushings should make a noticable difference... next step in suspension would be lowering... u could get springs (cheaper but have a tendency to oscillate due to insufficient damping) or coilovers (more expensive, a lot of adjustability, great performance improvement) depending on what your end goals for the car are (racing, show, etc.) power: a turbo back exhaust (TBE) and engine management (EM) will open up a lot of power (approximate gains of 60-80 lb-ft and 30-50 hp at the wheels)... if u want to do this in steps, u can but make sure when u put the down pipe in that u have additional funds in case u experience boost creep... in a lot of cases, a good tune will fix boost creep issues... it has been highly debated whether a cold air intake (CAI) does much for power since the stock airbox is good for a lot of power... the intake will produce a sweet sound and make the stock recirc valve more audible... if u decide to get an intake, make sure u get one that maintains the stock piping diameter... personally, i wouldnt buy anything but injen... the stock recirc valve is good for ~22 psi so u dont have to spend money to buy an aftermarket one unless u r making a lot of power... if u decide to get one, make sure it recirculates at least 50%... it is pretty loud if u get a CAI
I think there's still an Injen CAI for sale on this board too. Suby113 (or something similar to that) might still be selling one in the classified section.
Power = DP + Engine Management (Ecutek or AP) = 320+ wlb-ft and 290+ whp. It's a 100+ wlb-ft gain at 3400 rpm. (At that rpm the stocker is under 220 wlb-ft, with DP + EM it's over 320 wlb-ft) Handling = Sways. Bluetwo is correct about MOST cars, however the STi's stock RE070's are some of the stickiest "street" tires out there. Sways will cut total roll near in HALF... SS
Intrigue, Its my opinion that you evaluate your budget first and foremost. Then, may I recommend that you attend some of the local auto-x events. Here, you will have the perfect situtaiton to see what you dislike and like about your car. You shouldnt have to waste your money on certain mods here and there if all you care about is power, etc. Now, a lot of us will recommend a balanced upgrade path. Why? This saves you money and helps deliver the biggest bang of the buck. Look at everything as an equilibrium, if you upgrade your power, you should look to upgrading your stopping abilitiy (see brakepads). Of course, a good few of us are suspension nuts and we all bought into sway bars and springs immediately. That's a valid path Good luck!