New with lots to learn

[mcgrewcasey]

If you already have a laptop you can use, then yes. I got my tactrix cable for like $140/150 iirc, new they are a bit more. There are different sources of maps. I bought from Torqued Performance, his stage 1 maps cost me $85.

thats not to bad! I have a mac will that software work with it?

[zax]

thats not to bad! I have a mac will that software work with it?

ECUFlash supports Mac 10.4+


Download EcuFlash 1.44

[BombAtomic]

NIce!! are those the spt mud flaps?

[BombAtomic]

I wish you would go on! On a new post that could be stickied in the New Guy area. There is a ton of crap and bad info out there. I have noticed some people buy products and justify the buying a of S, that has ruined their ride quality or performance. So in a need to make themselves feel better, they list ten other things you have to do to the car to get it to work right. I love just basic info based on experience! Keep it coming! Thanks - G

Welcome.


Here are some lessons I learned with my '11 WRX trying to navigate the abundant information, misinformation and outdated threads of the interwebs...

Pointers:
- You don't "need" an aftermarket uppipe.
- Your transmission isn't made of glass, but be nice to it.
- Don't get a blow off valve (BOV) unless you want your car to run like doodoo.
- Don't buy an exhaust until you've heard it in person.
- Modding can't "void" your warranty...but it can cause it to not be honored if your mod is deemed to be related to an issue. Every dealer is different.
- Be very judicious with suspension mod decisions if you care at all about ride comfort.
- "Stage 2" consists of a downpipe and a tune, and should be your first step in performance mods should you decide to go down that road.
- If you plan to make any performance mods, read this: Public Service Announcement. "I want 400whp!" Are you sure?
- An Accessport is easy and convenient for tuning your car, but there are cheaper methods so do your research and decide what's best for you.
- Always use new gaskets when changing anything.
- There are several mods that don't require a retune, but to get the power out of it and avoid potential issues, a retune is always best.
- You don't need an intake, but it does sound cool. <--- Requires tune.
- Tune ≠ tune-up.
- A kartboy shifter and some good shifter bushings is a great mod for the money.
- Read the stickies.
- Enjoy the new ride!

I could go on, but that should get you started.

Congrats on the new car and welcome.

[mcgrewcasey]

NIce!! are those the spt mud flaps?

They are the ralley armor flaps

[bbrock171]

Tactrix and open source will be the cheaper route, but Torqued Performance also does Accessport maps if you want to go that route. You could also just sell the K&N and use that money toward an Invidia catless downpipe and flash a Stg 2 map to get even more power and quicker spool. Eric told me his tunes should run fine with a catless downpipe, and I never had any issues with mine.

You're not going to miss the intake unless it's the sound you're after. The stock airbox is more than enough for your power level.

[mcgrewcasey]

Tactrix and open source will be the cheaper route, but Torqued Performance also does Accessport maps if you want to go that route. You could also just sell the K&N and use that money toward an Invidia catless downpipe and flash a Stg 2 map to get even more power and quicker spool. Eric told me his tunes should run fine with a catless downpipe, and I never had any issues with mine.

You're not going to miss the intake unless it's the sound you're after. The stock airbox is more than enough for your power level.

Okay, and with that down pipe is it best to get the heat wrap and wrap it from the turbo down?

[bbrock171]

Okay, and with that down pipe is it best to get the heat wrap and wrap it from the turbo down?

Heatwrapping never hurts. I have mine wrapped. It can reduce heat soak (the intercooler getting hot) while sitting in traffic. With any downpipe you will also need an aftermarket turbo heat shield or will need to cut the stock one. The aftermarket ones are really cheap and you can buy them without giving out your VIN, so I would just go that route rather than having to replace the OEM one you cut up down the road.

[mcgrewcasey]

Sounds good, I do have a spt cbe, does the cobb tuner accept that exhaust? my other question is obviously it will be louder when I get a dp but will there be much tone difference with different manufactures?

[zax]

Sounds good, I do have a spt cbe, does the cobb tuner accept that exhaust? my other question is obviously it will be louder when I get a dp but will there be much tone difference with different manufactures?

CBE do not require a tune.

[bbrock171]

Sounds good, I do have a spt cbe, does the cobb tuner accept that exhaust? my other question is obviously it will be louder when I get a dp but will there be much tone difference with different manufactures?

Tone difference between downpipes, hmm...surely between types that have a cast bellmouth and those that are just mandrel-bent steel tubing there will be a difference in the turbo sound yo can hear, but I don't think it would change the tone of the catback to a noticeable degree between brands. The catbacks are where you really see a tone difference between brands, not so much downpipes. Anyone else feel free to chime in as I've only ever run one kind of downpipe (Invidia catless). I will say that on my STi with the SPT catback, Invidia downpipe and tune it made it LOUDer.

[mcgrewcasey]

Tone difference between downpipes, hmm...surely between types that have a cast bellmouth and those that are just mandrel-bent steel tubing there will be a difference in the turbo sound yo can hear, but I don't think it would change the tone of the catback to a noticeable degree between brands. The catbacks are where you really see a tone difference between brands, not so much downpipes. Anyone else feel free to chime in as I've only ever run one kind of downpipe (Invidia catless). I will say that on my STi with the SPT catback, Invidia downpipe and tune it made it LOUDer.

That is great, I was leaning towards the Invidia catless bellmouth dp think that would be an appropriate choice, I feel the cobb ap is the best chice for me since the closest tune shop is over 2 hours away

[bbrock171]

That is great, I was leaning towards the Invidia catless bellmouth dp think that would be an appropriate choice, I feel the cobb ap is the best chice for me since the closest tune shop is over 2 hours away

I never had issues with my catless but make sure to do some datalogs to see if you're getting boost creep (boosting higher than it should), because the Cobb maps are made for a catted downpipe. Having an SPT exhaust on top of that is a pretty free flowing exhaust system, and the base map may not like it. You might need to go with the low wastegate (LWG) map if you're boosting higher than the map's boost target in order to ensure your engine remains intact.

[EndlessSea]

I never had issues with my catless but make sure to do some datalogs to see if you're getting boost creep (boosting higher than it should), because the Cobb maps are made for a catted downpipe. Having an SPT exhaust on top of that is a pretty free flowing exhaust system, and the base map may not like it. You might need to go with the low wastegate (LWG) map if you're boosting higher than the map's boost target in order to ensure your engine remains intact.

or you could follow Cobb's directions. get a catted downpipe, have no stinky smell, save a little bit of the planet, and have the same amount of whp as if you went catless. seriously you arent gaining a single horsepower at stage 2 power levels going catless.

OP do yourself and everyone else in the world a favor and spend the extra $100-$200 on a catted dp. its worth it in every way

[bbrock171]

or you could follow Cobb's directions. get a catted downpipe, have no stinky smell, save a little bit of the planet, and have the same amount of whp as if you went catless. seriously you arent gaining a single horsepower at stage 2 power levels going catless.

The OP said he was after a catless downpipe, and the Cobb maps are designed for a high flow cat. I was simply suggesting he take precautions, i.e. datalogging, to make sure it doesn't cause problems if he decides to go that route.

The smell doesn't bother everyone, certainly not me, and if I was more concerned about the environment I'd be driving a Veggie VW, not a Stg2 STi no matter how many cats. I'm not going to burn a pile of tires in my backyard, but I'm not going to bother with paying more than double for a high flow cat either. If you want to follow that reasoning to it's logical conclusion you should just save even more of the environment and leave it stock. Or sell it and get a bicycle. But the place where your food grew up is a high source of greenhouse emissions too, by the way. And if you go vegan and ride a bike everywhere, then you become a higher source of emissions

In all seriousness though, I'm not sure how much of the environment you can expect to save with a high flow cat when we have already used over 1,000,000,000,000 (yes, 1 trillion) barrels of oil and continue to burn in excess of a quarter billion per day (my work requires me to deal with a team of environmental scientists on occasion, ugh). It won't even pass an emissions test, and putting an extra cat on every car in the world would cause a statistically insignificant reduction in harmful emissions (think power plants, industry, ships, planes, etc) and zero reduction in the amount of carbon emissions - the kind that changes climates and such. but if you don't like the smell and haven't completely given up hope for the environment then go for it.

One additional reason to run a cat though: avoiding black exhaust tips.

seriously you arent gaining a single horsepower at stage 2 power levels going catless.

At Stg2 power levels I'm not making more power off of it, sure, but who says I'm going to stay at Stg2 forever?

OP do yourself and everyone else in the world a favor and spend the extra $100-$200 on a catted dp. its worth it in every way

$595 - $290 = $305 for the Invidia. Most other mainstream ones I've seen are in that range as well.