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My 2011 Stage 2 Update

86K views 337 replies 90 participants last post by  WVRex2010 
#1 ·
It's been awhile since I have posted up anything here...so I thought I'd give an update on how things are going with the car.

Stage 2 went really well with the Invidia Catted DP.



The shift boot and e-brake boot now match the rest of the interior thanks to Alex at JPMCoachworks.com.



The Hertz HSK 165XL 6.5" components went in. Ryan at SladeAudio.com did the install and fiberglass work on the pillars to get the front sound stage forward some. The pillars came out even better than I had imagined.

A DLS RA30 is under the drivers seat to throw power to the components. It will be replaced with a twice as powerful Hertz HDP4 once it comes in.

The Dayton 10" and the Audio Integrations hatch box to round out the system.

Everything from a birds eye view.



Hertz Tweeter



The Pillar setup



No more "Altezza Style" tail lights.

I went back and forth on whether or not to do this for a long time. I am pretty glad I did.



And yesterday, the XXR 527 's 18x8.75 +35 wrapped in Hankook V12 255/35's went on.

Going to take some better pictures later when the light is better.





The car has rocked since day 1 and isn't done quite yet (if they ever really are).
 
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#12 ·
Thanks everyone. The car has been an absolute blast so far. It...of course...isn't done quite yet but it is getting there. A couple more shots from this morning...

The front end of the car actually looks higher than it it in the picture because of how the parking lot sloped.





And a fisheye shot just for fun...

 
#15 ·
A couple more updates...

Installed the Whiteline Steering Rack Bushing kit.



Installation was pretty straight forward and easy to do on ramps. The provided Whiteline tool to remove the driver's side bushings made things much easier. I didn't end up taking any before and after pictures of the install due to trying not to melt in my garage in 95 degree Atlanta heat...but there isn't much to see any way as the only visual difference is the bushings changing from black to yellow.

When you hold the old vs. new in your hand, you can see why a lot of people do this mod. The original black rubber bushings allow for a lot of play in the steering rack under load. The new yellow bushings from Whiteline are much harder and they restrict that play.

How does it drive now?

It wasn't a "holy s#$t! This is awesome!" experience. I noticed better feel on turn in and less play in the steering wheel overall. The car only has 10,000 miles on it so I would suspect that cars with more wear and tear would feel a bigger benefit. This is part of an install that I am doing in conjunction with an Anti Lift Kit from Whiteline, so I was going for an overall effect that will be complete once that install is done.

I am glad I took the time to install these as I can see the stock bushings were only going to get worse with time. They also improved the steering feel of an otherwise really numb feeling that is known in Subaru's.

ALK

Every now and then...you get a project that once you are finished...you are glad you never have to go through that again.

A friend of mine and I installed the ALK. Getting the factory bushings out was a huge pain in the ass. They were really in there and after heat, a 600 ft/lb impact and multiple configurations on a bushing kit...they finally came loose.

The ALK adds .5 positive degrees of caster and put the forces of driving back on the suspension and out of the flexible rubber stock bushing. It also helps turn in and other steering characteristics.



I haven't gotten a chance to really throw the car around, but these along with the steering rack bushings is starting to bring the steering of the car to where it should have been.

WC Lathe Werks rocks



Stealth gauge setup in SMY cluster.







This won't be for everyone...but I like it.

I have never really liked the light silver in the interior of the WRX. It doesn't seem to flow with the rest of the dark interior and it scratches incredibly easy. So...I started looking into ways I could paint or cover it to change things up a little bit.

I ended up using the 1080 Scotchptint carbon vinyl from 3M. It is easier to work with than Di-Noc and the finish looks better in my opinion. I just did the JDM radio bezel and center console. I'll probably start there as I don't want to over do it...

 
#133 ·
This won't be for everyone...but I like it.

I have never really liked the light silver in the interior of the WRX. It doesn't seem to flow with the rest of the dark interior and it scratches incredibly easy. So...I started looking into ways I could paint or cover it to change things up a little bit.

I ended up using the 1080 Scotchptint carbon vinyl from 3M. It is easier to work with than Di-Noc and the finish looks better in my opinion. I just did the JDM radio bezel and center console. I'll probably start there as I don't want to over do it...

First I want to say your car looks awesome so far and the more and more I see the hatches the more I like them kinda wishing I took a look a one but thats besides the point. I was wondering if you had a link from where you got the 3m carbon fiber from. I found a few different places online so was just curious. Did you install the 3m? How hard was it if so, and would you have any tips for someone else trying it. Thanks man.
 
#16 ·
Very nice, spark silver looks really good with black wheels. I got the Invidia dp myself. How do you like the TP map? I have tried it and didn't care for the way the car feels between 2-3k rpms under normal driving. Just feels flat compared to the Cobb map.
 
#28 ·
The Hertz HSK 165XL 6.5" components went in. Ryan at SladeAudio.com did the install and fiberglass work on the pillars to get the front sound stage forward some. The pillars came out even better than I had imagined.
I hate that I missed this thread! Just wanted to quote this post as Ryan is a good friend and is obviously passionate about his work. Really great results on this install.
 
#30 · (Edited)
This past weekend, I finally got my 2011 WRX in to TopSpeed for a custom tune. I had made the decision to hold off on any more power mods until the warranty was up, so the goal was to make sure the motor was running efficient and safe while putting out power. I built this car with mountain runs in mind...not the drag strip...so useable power in that situation was the ultimate goal.

I do not have the stock baseline numbers on this car.

Event:
Custom Stage 2 Dyno Tune
Location: TopSpeed Motorsports Alpharetta, GA
Ambient Temp: 93 degrees
Elevation: 1000 feet (est)
Weather: Sunny

Car: 2011 Subaru WRX SSM Hatch
Dyno: Dyno Jet
Tuner: Douglas Wilks
Peak HP at RPM: 284.88
Peak Torque at RPM: 324.46
Baseline hp/tq for a stock on same dyno: N/A
Target Boost: 19 PSI
Fuel: 93 Octane

Power Mods

Invidia Catted Downpipe
Subaru SPT Cat Back Exhaust

Rest of the mods can be found here --> RSutton's Stage 2 SSM 2011 WRX Hatch Progress - NASIOC

The RunFile_001.drl is actually the Torqued Performance (in Denver) stage 2 map I was already running. Eric at Torqued had actually done a couple of edits on the OTS map based off of a couple road 3rd gear pulls I had done...so I guess you could consider that a custom e-tune.

The RunFile_015.drl is the final mapping we finished with on the car. Peak numbers on the previous run were actually 285 hp/330 ft lbs but we backed it off just a little bit to increase the safety factor.

Overall, I am incredibly happy with the result. As you can see by the graph, we gained a ton of useable power in the beginning of the RPM range which makes the drivability of the car so much better around town. WOT acceleration is crazy smooth now and pulling out of tight turns and other mountain run situations is effortless...just what I was looking for.

Doug and the crew at TopSpeed are a killer group to work with. Doug really takes his time to make sure your car is perfect before he rolls it back off the dyno. I can't wait until that day the warranty is up to go back and get a 1.5DOM with supporting mods installed.







2011 Subaru WRX TopSpeed Dyno Pull - YouTube
 
#31 ·
Car looks awesome, inside and out. Did you see much in the way of an improvement from Stage 1 to stage 2 in torque and HP? Looking at the datasheet from Cobb, it doesn't add much. I have stage 1, and debating if to go stage 2. I have Invidia catback and AEM cold air intake. If I do go stage 2, will get the Invidia divorced catted downpipe.
 
#32 ·
I noticed a big difference in daily driving/mountain runs. The torque at the beginning of the curve made the biggest difference as well as the area under the curve gain. It is not always about peak numbers, but if you get a good tuner (like I have with Doug at TopSpeed), you will see good gains there as well while keeping a safe tune.
 
#33 ·
Subscribed :thumbup: Sounds good, stage 2 it is (prob not till after winter) I totally agree, I am looking for accross the range improvements (esp torque curve) rather than peak numbers. I will get the car rolling road tested/tuned after going to stage 2, with Mike and the boys at Kinetic Motorworks.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Even the base #s/curves of the TP map look good. You mentioned that Eric did minor tweaks to the map, was that more to clean up where it was "off" (typical of a generic map) or was it to give you more power over the generic map?
 
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