[RootRunner]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, and excuse me if i'm posting a question that may have been posted several times before, but I'm really having a hard time trying to figure out what i could do to my 06 RS to get a little more jam without spending a small fortune on a turbo kit. I talked to a guy at the local performance shop and he told me besides a CAI (which seems to be really hard to find for this year) and new exhaust, there is nothing else. He said i shouldda went for the WRX which was out of my price range. Anybody have any advice, I would really appreciate it. Thanks

 

[Auslander]

Cams and that's all. Trade in for an '02-05 or so. There's no point in voiding your warranty to toss a turbo on such a new car for not a whole lot more power.

 

[DAV3_02]

a full exhaust (borla header, track pipe or high flow cat pipe, and a catback), CAI of some sort, and some cams and youll be pretty happy with it. you an also throw some light weight pulleys, and lightweight flywheel to get that motor to zip up the RPM range a lil quicker...

 

[RootRunner]

I'm can't seem to find full exhaust systems for this year. Borla doesn't make one from what I can tell

 

[kd7lxl]

sell it

 

[RootRunner]

would installing this exhaust be worthwhile? http://www.usedcalgary.com/classified-ad/5230929&category=spare-car-parts

 

[cmiovino]

would installing this exhaust be worthwhile? http://www.usedcalgary.com/classified-ad/5230929&category=spare-car-parts

I would say no, since exhausts are mainly swapped for sound purposes. The STi exhaust there isn't great on sound.

Check out my FAQ on some good upgrades and where to start:
http://www.rs25.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80104

 

[Dungmaggot]

All you people tell him to sell his car, lets not be dicks. There may not be a whole ton of aftermarmarket stuff out there but that doesn't mean that there never will be or that there isn't stuff that can be done. If you're just looking for power a CAI will add some, so will an upgraded air filter (the K&N on my car added 9 hp and 3mpg, oh yeah). Upgrade your headers to Borla replicas, get a decent catback and exhaust and you'll not only get more horse power but you'll get a nice sound. Go with some lightweight pulleys and you're going to noticed a difference. Just make sure you reset your ECU after each engine upgrade (disconnect your negative/black terminal on your battery, pump your brakes to drain your flea power, wait like 15, plug your battery back in, go for a "spirited" drive"

For non engine upgrades tower strut bars, anti-sway bars, upgraded shocks, wider tires, lighter wheels, the list goes on and on and on. As with the engine upgrades just because you can't find anything that SAYS it goes on your 06 doesn't mean that it wont fit. I'm not an expert by any means but in most cases parts are interchangable between many models. My CAI, for example, was listed for an '02 but it fits my '05 just fine. I got it on ebay for like 30 dollars, spent another 40 on the filter and its just as good as any $300 CAI out there. My tower strut bars were made for a WRX but fit my 2.5 easily. Ebay is a great place to get name brand replica parts for our cars and not spend a fortune. If you find something that looks like it might work but you don't know just post a link to the item on here. Most likely someone will be familiar enough with the item that they will be able to tell you if it will work.

Don't get discouraged dude. There are tons of things out there that you can do to not only build power but make your subie more fun to drive.

And to those telling you to sell it, this is for you. :barf:

 

[rallifreak]

Don't get discouraged dude. There are tons of things out there that you can do to not only build power but make your subie more fun to drive.

Exactly. I am kinda in the same boat here, only I see the beauty of doing some moderate N/A work before going turbo . When I got my bugeye I went crazy on suspension upgrades to the point where I managed to get so far ahead of my friend's WRX on a touge run where I couldn't see him anymore (I kid you not) and that was on an all-stock powertrain. And now that I've done all that, I wanted more power, just like you do. When this little round of mods is installed in about 2 weeks, I will have spent a mere $900 on these N/A power upgrades:

(* means it's in the works)

genuine borla headers
custom hfc pipe
'06 wrx catback
Cobb CAI
Delta 2000 grind cams (just ordered them 20 minutes ago )*
PnP on heads*

EM is on the way, but even without it I think I'm looking at about 170-180whp (hopefully). With only the exhaust and intake on right now, I can tell you that your butt dyno is going to feel a significant power increase ( I freakin love it). People will always tell you to buy a WRX or swap to a turbo engine, but I see what I have done as a way to get power on a budget and swap down the road. Besides, all of these things you do can be easily resold once you go turbo and you'll prolly get a good bit of your money back.

So, I would recommend getting the Cobb CAI for the power and sweet sound. Cobb doesn't make them anymore unfortunately, but they sell all the time in the classifieds on this site and nabisco for less than $150. For exhaust, listen to these guys and get some borla headers on either ebay or the classifieds for no more than $200, then spend some time going through this thread to figure out what catback you want and whether you want a hfc or not. Then go PM SubaruRallyGuy and get your cams done by him. Why? Because he has the best people working for him, charges only $200 for both camshafts, and he's an awesome guy in general who knows his shit. Those cams wil net you the most power, especially if you have you intake/exhaust done when you put them in.

Now go my son and find your way

 

[Dojoep]

Def Get a CAI or WAI....borlas with a catback will give u amazing sound...a lightweight crank pulley,i-speedreflash,cams,stage 1 clutch kit, cat delete or HFC.....or save all that money and swap the beast

lol but from what I mentioned above you should be over 200hp easy


ebay intake has a proven 10hp gain same as any brand name



O and get an 18mm or above sway bar if you do not want to invest a lot into suspension

 

[RootRunner]

Thanks for the info guys. I have taken the snorkus crap off this weekend and added a k&n filter and I have noticed an improvement in both sound and power. I don't expect to get too much out of this car. I just want to give it a little extra. I don't need a race car as I have a baby seat in the back. Does anybody know if these are the ebay borla replica headers and if they are any good.

 

[rallifreak]

link?

 

[RootRunner]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Subaru-97-06-Imp...ryZ33631QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[RootRunner]

I found some sway bars off a 06 WRX so I imagine they should do the trick. Buddy is giving them to me so it would be pretty sweet if they would work on my RS.

 

[rallifreak]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Subaru-97-06-Imp...ryZ33631QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I found some sway bars off a 06 WRX so I imagine they should do the trick. Buddy is giving them to me so it would be pretty sweet if they would work on my RS.

yes and yes, go get em!

 

[RootRunner]

Nice. Thanks alot. Love the avatar btw.

 

[RootRunner]

The way these headers look in the ebay pics, it looks like i may have to replace the mid pipe in order for the headers to bolt up to the rest of the exhaust. Is this true?

 

[cmiovino]

The way these headers look in the ebay pics, it looks like i may have to replace the mid pipe in order for the headers to bolt up to the rest of the exhaust. Is this true?

I really doubt it. They should bolt right up, but check on it.

And those swaybars... or really just the rear one, well make a BIG difference. You'll enjoy the car a lot more.

 

[RootRunner]

Cool thanks.

 

[Dungmaggot]

Sway bars are great, they are one of the few mods that you can install and tell a huge difference right away. They are especially noticable in the rear. Be careful though. A lot of people, like myself, can only afford one bar at a time so they buy it then install it. You can do this but unless oversteering into a ditch sounds like a pleasant way to spend your afternoon I dont suggest it. Better to buy one bar, put it in your garage, look at it, talk dirty to it, but dont install it until you get BOTH bars. I went 22 rear 20 front and love the way my car handles and rides. Remember that the bigger your bar the more control you'll have in the corners but the rougher your ride will be. I was fortunate enough to have a shop loan me a set of 23's front and rear just to test out and while turning was fun as hell every rock in the road made itself known. After a half an hour I was actually getting sore from driving. The combo I went with makes for a comfortable drive and great handling.