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WRX modifications <1000$

4K views 43 replies 11 participants last post by  Wrx>> 
#1 ·
Hi guys, so I have a 2013 wrx and I am looking to get some extra power out of it. Besides buying an accessport, or going with an opensource tune or pro tune, what can I do to get the most power out of my car? Right now its completely stock, and my tuning budget to less than a grand at the moment. What do you all suggest I do for an optimum increase in output with my restricted budget? Intake, exhaust, etc? Thanks for the help! :)
 
#3 ·
you cant really get power or add power modifications without a tune.. i know you said "besides an AP, opensource, etc" but thats not really an option. so in that case:

accessport and a used downpipe or full turboback exhaust should be under $1000
 
#4 ·
accessport and a used downpipe or full turboback exhaust should be under $1000
^^^That. Stage 2 (downpipe and a tune) would yield you the most bang for your buck. If you go used DP and opensource tune you could do that for way less than $1,000. If you get the AP it will be a little more expensive, but still under a grand. Anything much higher than stage 2 tune begins to get up over your budget for significant gains. The intake won't do you much good at this point other than make your engine have that "whooshing" sound. These have to be tuned for as well. Not cheap for not much more power (at stock stage anyway).
 
#14 ·
So I need a tune above everything else to get started right? Awesome, its just that I was trying not to buy an AP cuz i felt i could buy so much more with the money I save from not buying one. I am not too interested in opensource because I am not too computer savvy and I don't wanna end up with an expensive fix. So I guess I need an AP. Thanks for the help folks really cleared things up!
 
#17 ·
Flashing maps with the AP is no easier than with opensource.
This. If you can read instructions, you can do it. It's no more difficult than an AP. Probably a lot quicker too...plus, the logging ability is much better. And...muuuuuuuch cheaper. Then you CAN afford all the power adding goodies you want. Intake, DP, and the tuning ability for $1000? Not bad.
 
#18 ·
I would, I was looking at some short ram intakes actually, however other than the AP, I don't want to do something that would clearly void my warranty just yet. I heard a down pipe will do that, not sure about the intakes though. But in the end I think a dp would be more useful than an intake in terms of power gains.
 
#19 ·
Hold up I just read your posts @Mikkie13 and Mainframe. Is it really that easy??? I would take opensource over an AP in a heartbeat.. I am now considering it actually after hearing you talk about it. Because I also looked at the various maps available for opensource, like torqued performance and they seemed much better than COBB's. The thing is even if its easier than AP, is it more effective than an AP and is it as safe as an AP? I mean besides the realtime monitoring stuff, can you save your stock maps back onto your computer like you could do for an AP? I need to look into this, because I heard that the AP is a piece of cake, like get in and go, and I always imagined opensource was hours of headaches and confusion. Thanks for the input y'all!
 
#20 ·
Nothing can void your warranty, but just about anything can be cited as a reason to deny a warranty claim, whether your can is completely stock or modded.


The only headache with os is installing the software. You need to make sure your laptop is up to date, including Java.. then just download the programs and install. After that it's exactly the same as using an AP, plug into the car, install flash connector, plug in test mode, turn ignition "on", hit the flash button.


You can easily save your current map to your laptop, and I would recommend it. There's nothing about one being more effective or safer, they both do the exact same thing (open source has real time monitoring as well, only with a much faster polling rate, which is better). I'm not a fan of Torqued Performance maps, I would always opt for an actual tune rather than a one size fits all base map.

If you're having a tuner tune the car then you don't even need to buy a cable or flash anything yourself, they will do it all for you.
 
#21 ·
If I have a tuner tune my car, can I store there tuned map on my laptop? Because I heard you needed an AP to store a tuner's maps of your car. And idk I was just stating the example of torqued performance because their stage 1 map seems to produce more power than cobb's stage 1 maps.
 
#22 ·
If you have an Open Port cable and the software on your laptop you can download whatever map is on your car and save it to your computer. That is, unless it is locked by the tuner.


If they created the map with your AP then you can only load it on your AP, but if they made the map with open source then any computer with ECUFlash installed can download the map.
 
#23 ·
I would go opensource but I don't wanna use romraider to flash my car because I want to go with a trusted name/company. So I was thinking about buying an accessport and then buying a map from torqued performance (because I feel like their maps give a lot more power than COBB's) and transferring it onto my accessport. In order to do that I would have to use Accesstuner, and anyone know how difficult it is to do what I am talking about?
 
#26 ·
Haha idc about name brands its just that COBB seems like an established pay-for-service company unlike romraider which is just a volunteer run software. THank you all so much I have decided to go the torqued performance route w/the accesstuner software + AP. Thanks a lot y'all! Proud to be part of this subaru community!
 
#29 ·
Idk it's not even the people at rom raider that I don't trust I'm a first time tuner and I'm just really cautious at this point not to do something that will blow my motor...Im still researching on how to work with both programs..I'm still sorta lost on what to do download and how to use it properly in regards to tactrix/opensource
 
#31 ·
You're just as likely to blow your motor using an AP as you would be using ECUFlash.. they do the exact same thing, flash maps to your ECU. Only one uses a palm sized device that cost $600 and is only useful for one thing, and can only be used on one car. The other uses a laptop that can go for as little as $199 and has many MANY more functions (including wifi, iTunes, movies, games, MS Office Applications, Photoshop, ClubWRX.net, etc.), and can be used on an unlimited number of vehicles.
 
#32 ·
:deadhorse:

I mean...we can only say so many times that they are basically the same thing only different. They are both a means to the same end. Both are well respected, well tested, well built platforms. If you have an issue with one, then you'd probably have an issue with the other as well.

I'm willing to bet more professional tuners out there prefer tuning Open Source as opposed to Cobb...yet there are still those protuners out there that will only tune using Cobb methods.

OP...go ahead and spend your $600 on an AP. I'll keep my Open Source.
 
#33 ·
I'm willing to bet more professional tuners out there prefer tuning Open Source as opposed to Cobb
It depends. Nearly every tuner can tune both, but Cobb locks the map and protects the tuner's intellectual property. Many tuners prefer this added security, though I am not pleased with the fact that it forces the end user to rely on said tuner for EVERY step forward.
 
#40 ·
^You know, I never understood why dat bitch always pulled the ball away.
 
#41 ·
Thanks for the help y'all, but I've decided to go with an AP, then download AP Manager and Accesstuner then buy the Torqued Performance Map. I would do opensource but ya know I honestly don't trust myself with opensource and I just want a short plug and play solution. Opensource seems like a good idea but just not for me at the moment. Thanks for the all the help! really appreciate it
 
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