New owner of 2010 wrx, recommended upgrades?

[rugger17]

Barely under 500 miles on her and i'm already thinking about what I could do to my new ride that will make it stand apart from other new WRX's. First things are first to buy, splash guards, floor mats, and winter tires. Those are priority but lets get serious..can I get some opinions on the upgrades that i should perform first for my car? I do not want to impede on my warranty remember, so I'm guessing that I will have to stick to SPT parts.

So far I am thinking about an spt intake along with a full exhaust. More air in and more air out. Then i'm guessing i may have to get it on the dyno. Well hope some people can help guide me, fire away!

[GrtScott]

Winter tires are a priority? Maybe start a "winter tire fund" and get around to buying them in fall.

[kbrownmann]

RalleyArmor UR finally installed

if splash guards and floor mats are on the list i would look into these for sure. the flaps are called rally armor and the mats are weather tech, i think. by far way better than anything subaru makes for its cars. i dont have the mats yet, but i can say that even for the price the flaps are the best investment ive ever made.

[Dsibbrel]

I WISH I bought rubber floor mats immediately after I bought it. Those carpet ones wear down way too fast.

[A265]

There are no intakes from spt for the 08-10 models.
http://www.subaru.com/subaru-perform...nce-parts.html

If you're worried about the warranty stick with a CBE, I don't think it has to be SPT.

Since you mentioned winter tires, why not get some rims as well. You could get some summer rims and use the stock rims for the winter.

[matty dread]

I did these things first in this order:

Tint rear and rear side windows.

Install Pioneer Z110BT head unit.

Weather Tec floor mats.

Rally Armor Mud Flaps.

I already had the rubber trunk mat, but if you don't have one of those get one.

Next up is probably perrin shifter bushings....already have a short throw shifter.

[rugger17]

thanks for the replies so far guys. I'm def going to get those floor mats and splash guards that were recommended. On top of that, it would be a good idea to tint my windows. The car gets extremely hot because its black.

I was looking into the short throw shifter and was wondering how difficult it is to install. Any ideas?

I'm also thinking about getting some quotes from the dealership to install my other upgrades such as the exhaust and intake. I just hope they are reasonable because its a lot easier to trust the dealership with your car than someone else.

[Sasquatch]

Greetings and welcome to the Club!

I assume you have summer only tires? Then winter tires are a must for driving in snow and ice. Get a second set of rims for easy summer / winter tire switchover.

Forget the tint imo ... it only attracts attention from law enforcement.

The short shifter and catback exhaust can be done yourself with modest mechanical skills. I'd skip the intake. You do not have to use SPT parts for this.

[rugger17]

Greetings and welcome to the Club!

I assume you have summer only tires? Then winter tires are a must for driving in snow and ice. Get a second set of rims for easy summer / winter tire switchover.

Forget the tint imo ... it only attracts attention from law enforcement.

The short shifter and catback exhaust can be done yourself with modest mechanical skills. I'd skip the intake. You do not have to use SPT parts for this.

thanks! =]

I probably will get another set of rims so that the switch over is easier. I have a few questions tho, you think just getting a catback is enough? should i get a new up pipe along with it? Also, is there anything you would recommend i can do for the cold air intake for a little improvement?

[Sasquatch]

thanks! =]

I probably will get another set of rims so that the switch over is easier. I have a few questions tho, you think just getting a catback is enough? should i get a new up pipe along with it? Also, is there anything you would recommend i can do for the cold air intake for a little improvement?

An up pipe is not needed unless you plan on doing some serious tuning. Even then it would only provide a smallish benefit.

A catback will make for fun noise and maybe 5-10 HP. Maybe. An intake will likely make even less.

A full turboback exhaust along with engine management will make a lot of power, but will clash with your desire to stay warranty friendly.

Don't get hung up on SPT parts. I had the dealer install an SPT suspension kit when I first bought the WRX thinking SPT was somehow better. This was incorrect.

All of the components have been replaced with far better parts except the excellent aluminum control arms.

[rugger17]

An up pipe is not needed unless you plan on doing some serious tuning. Even then it would only provide a smallish benefit.

A catback will make for fun noise and maybe 5-10 HP. Maybe. An intake will likely make even less.

A full turboback exhaust along with engine management will make a lot of power, but will clash with your desire to stay warranty friendly.

Don't get hung up on SPT parts. I had the dealer install an SPT suspension kit when I first bought the WRX thinking SPT was somehow better. This was incorrect.

All of the components have been replaced with far better parts except the excellent aluminum control arms.

wow. thanks for the input! cant wait for 3 years or 36k miles for this warranty to run up. Maybe i'll just get the exhaust and intake for now so that i wont violate my warranty. thanks again.

[Vendeta2K]

I did these things first in this order:

Tint rear and rear side windows.

Install Pioneer Z110BT head unit.

Weather Tec floor mats.

Rally Armor Mud Flaps.

I already had the rubber trunk mat, but if you don't have one of those get one.

Next up is probably perrin shifter bushings....already have a short throw shifter.

Definetly a great list....I have done all of the above as well,only in a slightly different order! The rally armor flaps will save the thin paint on our cars, and the weather tech mats are the best out there!

Just my $.02

[mrsailboats]

I'm definately looking into getting both the flaps and mats as well. The only thing that worries me about installing the flaps is the back where someone said they had to drill the holes and then plasti coat. I've never really done anything like that is that easy? Just a spray on or something? Do you guys say getting 2 sets of rims is easier because you can change them yourselves or easier in general as to taking them somewhere to get them changed?

[mangostick]

SWAY BARS
SWAY BARS
sway bars
oh, and front end links.
Takes about an hour at each end taking your sweet time with standard hand tools and a pair of ramps.

even if you go mild, the handling and driver feel improvement is dramatic. You will not be disappointed.

cat back=ear fun.. no real power improvement, Personally I'm going to go with Perrin and get the axle back.. I'm too cheap to pay for a entire cbe just to change the exhaust note. If there's no power to gain from a cbe.. $700 on average is a bit steep.

tint can be useful for keeping the uv and heat down in the car, just make sure to stay within your local laws. I need to get mine taken care of sometime soon before summer really sets in.

as for the short shifter, try the bushings first. I've got the bushings into mine and after that the throw isn't bad. I still may shorten it up with a shifter later, but the bushings took the "rubber noodle" feel right out of it. Much more precise now.

[JT58]

I went with a SST CAT back from Magnaflow first- great investment- got it for a steal 250 bucks. Really helped bring sound to the car, as mine had the stock, soundless exhaust. Tints are in order and the sway bars seem like the way to go to get rid of the body lean in the corners. Stock wheel seem heavy, so at some point replacing them with lighter wheels would be a good idea.