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Steve’s ‘21 STI Build Journal

8.5K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  WRX-maniac  
#1 ·
A little background on my STI: I purchased it in April 2021 new with 3 miles on it from Bill Rapp Subaru in Syracuse, NY. If you're in the market and in the area, definitely go see Ulas there, he's one of the top Subaru sales people in the state and nation. I knew I eventually wanted to mod my STI, but at first I thought I was going to run stock for a while to make sure I didn't do anything that would wind up causing a denial of warranty claim down the road. Well, that lasted maybe 1.5 months...c'est la vie! If I had to summarize how I choose to modify my STI, I'd say I try to keep it clean & classy, but better than OEM. Now on to the mods...

This will probably take a while, so I'll periodically save and then continue updating...

Exterior Mods:
  • Gtechniq ceramic coating on just about everything...Crystal Serum Ultra on all body panels and trim, C5 on the wheels and calipers, and G1 on all the glass. Josh at Rochester Auto Detail did all the prep work and application (with CSU you need a Gtechniq accredited installer whereas with CSL anyone can buy and apply themselves)...he's also done a few other things for me on this list as well as keep the car looking amazing...seriously, the best detailer in the Rochester, NY area (check his webpage linked above plus his Instagram for many examples of his work)
  • Extreme Online Store carbon fiber CS style front lip and side skirts - chose to go with a less expensive brand for the ground effects because I figured being so close to the ground these parts were more apt to be damaged, so I'd rather spend a little money for something that looks good enough that I don't mind spending again to replace, rather than pay out the wazoo for Varis/Chargespeed/APR and absolutely hate myself if/when something happened. Good thing too, on the way home from Boxerfest this year I totaled the front lip by running over a wayward truck tire in the middle of the road...
  • Subie Bros carbon fiber grill
  • JDMS front and rear carbon fiber frameless emblem set (bought at Import Image Racing)
  • SubieTrays emblem mounting kit - 3D printed specifically for aftermarket mesh grill applications
  • Bill Rapp had already drilled the license place holes so I used BumperPlugs to fill those in
  • WRXDaily carbon fiber oem hood scoop - was back ordered for a bit, and I got this after I put the car in storage, so I'll install this spring
  • OEM JDM fog light bezels w/ sequential switchbacks
  • Subie Bros carbon fiber side mirror caps (currently no link available at SB's, but they are full side mirror cap replacements vs a cap you stick on the OEM caps with double sided tape
  • iJDMToy full LED side mirror indicator light assembly - sequential switchbacks and DRL functionality (still need to wire the DRL's), smoked color
  • Subie Bros Convex Anti-Glare Switchback Heated Mirrors - these are awesome and work perfectly but I had been looking out for a set of the OEM JDM convex mirrors and was able to snag a set here on the forums recently, these are part number ST91039ST050 if you're interested in looking for the JDM mirrors yourself...
  • STI Hyperblue Edition Black OEM Fender Emblems purchased from Subispeed but you can find them anywhere that sells OEM Subaru parts with the same part number
  • SubiSpeed JDM Style Sequential Tail Lights - purchased through Import Image Racing, smoked color
  • APR carbon fiber trunk garnish - purchased through Subispeed
  • OEM black "symmetrical AWD" badge - purchased through Subispeed
  • OLM OG Plus Rear F1 Style Fog Light - smoked, purchased through Subispeed
  • WRXDaily carbon fiber v2 rear spats
Interior Mods:
Performance Mods:
Engine Bay Dress-up:
Other:
 
#5 ·
The shift knob is a very recent acquisition, so far I love it, feels great in my hand, great weight to it, doesn’t hurt that it looks great too 🤤

Im not a huge palm sweater, and I really enjoy the premium feel of the alcantara on the wheel!
 
#7 ·
Nice start to your STi. And I second the comment about Geoff. I went through him as well when I bought the X-1's performance edition for my STi. He was great to work with the coils are top notch.