I just got an 02... and I got a good deal on it, and now I have a decent amount of money left. The only problem is that I don't know how to go with modding it. Some people are saying get EM first, and other are saying mod it and then do EM. I don't know what to do haha
First thing - uppipe, this eliminates one cat and will let you get into boost earlier, second - engine management - choose your poison, they all work (cobb,utec, enginuity) and flash to stage 1. Enjoy it as is for a while. Now start doing some reading and decide if you want to focus on handling/braking or speed. An upgrade of rotors, pads, fluid, and lines will make a night and day difference on the stock brakes. Add a rear anti-sway bar, and good endlinks (try whiteline or perrin). Ignore springs and go straight for a good set of coilovers and you will have a capable handling setup. You will need camber bolts and a good alignment to get things setup right. Get a good downpipe/catback(aka TBE or turbo back exhaust), and flash to stage 2.
At this pint, leave it alone and just enjoy it the way it is. A stage 2 bugeye is best for all around. If you want more speed, look into a bigger turbo. vf34 is great for around town, spools like stock but with much more available. If you want somethng a bit more powerful and don't mind waiting just a tad longer for it, go bigger such as an 18g/20g with a protune. Tires? How are they - get a good set of summer/winters or allseasons. When and if you start looking at rims, pay attention to weight - no sense slowing yourself down for the sake of bling(and let's face it, there is no excuse other than being cheap, there are plenty of nice rims out there that are low in weight). As a follow up to the previous parenthetical aside always bear this in mind:
"Cheap, Good, Reliable. Choose any two."
Be aware that the 2002 is known for having the "glassbox" transmission gears. I broke 2nd gear. However, I'm not stock - and I was racing at the time it broke.
Welcome and Enjoy the forums along with your bugeye.
First of all thanks for spending your time to write all that down. And from what you're saying I don't need to worry about turbo timers or boost controllers? Is that what the EM is for? Sorry if it's a dumb question, its just that I did some research, but I didn't understand all of it..
I'll save you some more time though. Turbo timer isn't needed on our cars, properly designed cooling system FTW. The car controls boost with a EBC(electronic boost controller), and if you use proper engine management, it can be controlled. So no need for a boost controller.
Take a look at my modlist, and know that my time for drag was messed up by lack of driver skill, and a slipping clutch.
Yeah, mines completely stock too. The only difference between us is that I can't leave mine stock. Within the kids I hang out with we have a GSX, an Evo, and a S4. I gotta keep up haha.
I hope so. For now I'm just trying to compete with the GSX, I don't have enough money for an STI to compete with the S4 and Evo. Unfortunately, but in due time.
I have another question, I know BOV's make the engine run rich.. but is there any way to avoid that and still get the lil woosh sound when it releases? I know its a bad idea to put one on, it's just that I love that sound. haha
If you want to hear the sound then get a BOV. 90% of the people on the forums will scream 'dont get a bov if you want your engine to last'. But they're just reciting info like parrots. I'd suggest researching it and making a decision for yourself. Tons of people run BOVs without any problems. A 100% recirc BOV will give you best of both worlds I suppose. Anyway, good luck and welcome.
A 100% recirc is going to do the same thing the stocker does. If you want the noise - get a decent intake that isn't known to mess with MAF readings. SPT, Cobb, and K&N are known to work fine. I have the K&N. The larger filter/piping combined with the lack of the snorkus/silencer will result in a more discernable noise.
Also, not all of us are 'reciting info like parrots'. Do the research, it's a well known thing that MAF systems do not like BOV's and that they generally react poorly. Stalling, rough idle, and increased afterfire are some of the easily detectable problems that installing a BOV on a MAF equipped car will bring. Cylinder wash and increased oil consumption are results that you won't be able to detect but are still very real issues which should be avoided.
This is not saying that you can't put a BOV on your WRX. However, all it will do is create a noise and the unfortunate conditions I've mentioned above. Air which should be going to the Engine gets diverted to atmosphere after it has been measured and accounted for with fuel. Air goes out, fuel goes in - not good. If you really want to run a BOV, either keep an eye on the cars oil, and use a hybrid type BOV which allows diverting some of the air back into the intake to help lessen the issue; or use an aftermarket tuning solution such as UTEC or OpenECU to convert the car from MAF to MAP. Manifold Absolute Pressure type systems are better able to deal with BOV's however, MAP is older technology and MAF is considered the better way to go.