New to site and wrx's in general

[SnoopAnup]

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

[BigB007]

Welcome to the club and enjoy your bugeye!

[TheJ]

Welcome to the club!

Check the links in my sig for some useful info.

[Micah]

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.

[SnoopAnup]

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..

[Micah]

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..

no prob, just keep reading and you'll learn

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.

How many miles are on your WRX?

[SnoopAnup]

That's cool.. I had no idea about that. It has 44,32X... and I got it for 10 flat... I got lucky, in my opinion at least.

[Micah]

That's cool.. I had no idea about that. It has 44,32X... and I got it for 10 flat... I got lucky, in my opinion at least.

Yep, a good deal there. I picked up my bugeye in Oct 2005, paid 14,900 with 32,000 miles on it, all stock. Planned to leave it stock too... .

[SnoopAnup]

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.

[Micah]

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.

All 3 of them will kill you with proper mods.

Mod smart, drive smart - and you might end up with them in your rear view.

[SnoopAnup]

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.

[96accord]

Welcome to the Club Snoop and Congrats.

Get EM!! It's well worth it and you won't have to worry about it later.

I have an '07 WRX and the Cobb AP (EM) was first and then SPT intake and just recently the SPT Cat-back Exhaust...

I was in the same boat as you with questions and I am sure that I will still have questions about the Subie!

[SnoopAnup]

yeah most definetly.. i'm excited

[SnoopAnup]

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

[Thug Nasty]

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.