hey guys, i just purchased a 03 wrx and im loving it. i want to modify the car but i dont know where to start. any suggestion would be very helpful. thanks!

 

Take out the snorkus! It's a free mod that will enhance the sound of the bov and create a bit faster spool up time.

 

^^x2

 

1. Aftermarket Alarm with gas/ignition cutoff (don't pay for mfg)
2. "Clear Bra" film for leading edges of the car (our paint sucks)
3. New wheels and rubber
4. Fender gap

 

First mod: if you would like to improve handling upgrade to 17 X 7.5" wheel as light as you can afford. Best if as close to the 16 lb weight of the OEM wheel as possible or lighter. Put on some 225 45 17 sticky rubber (SO3s or Kumho Ecsta MX excel here). This is a easy (but potentially expensive) first mod that will have a huge affect on the WRX's cornering and ability to power out of curves.

Show caution and do your homework before trying engine mods. Read the stickies posted in the i-club engine forums first. Many intake mods simply make the air/fuel mixture run lean and can ruin an engine.

 

sorry but what exactly is the snorkus? is it the factory air box? my friend's buddy blew his engine because it was running too lean with the intake modifications he did. is there anyway you can actually richen up your fuel mixture?

 

When you look at your black plastic air scoop in front... it leads to a hole in the fender...
And 2-3 inches away it comes back out and and attaches to the air filter box.

Now that you know where it is, just jack up your car on the front passenger side.
Get under your car, and remove those plastic holders, and bend back the inner plastic to reveal the snorkus.
It's a big black squarish plastic container really. To remove it---You gotta unscrew one bolt underneath, and one bolt thats located exactly between the two holes in the engine bay.

If you got a stock turbo you'll now here the turbo spool up with a wavy suction sound.
If you upgrade your turbo to vf-39 or up, youll hear a whine during spool up.

And, im not sure about the intake modification your friend did. But he probably added a CAI, and theres only a few cai's you can use safely on your car, and they cost big bucks.
Just replace the stock air filter to blitz, green filter or k&n if you wanna be on the safe side.

Oh yeah, for future reference, if you got any questions use a search on i-club, www.nasioc.com, or www.scoobymods.com. You'll find tons of faq's, how to guides, and other great information stored on all these great sites.

 

rear sway bar is always a good idea.
________
Buy Vaporizers

 

Just an FYI, yungjin recommended K&N. There has been much debate on this site, and I'm sure many others, that it will damage your MAF sensor. causing you to replace it, which is about a $400 part. You might want to look into that.

 

The air box mod that jacked your friend's scooby could have been due to an aftermarket air intake (highly debated mod item) but it would have nothing to do with removing the snorkus. A great resource for you in modding would be Unibomber's manifesto on Nasioc... the other major subaru site It has helped me a lot in my decisions for what to mod and what to leave alone.

 

yeah should of mentioned that...
when you use oil base filters, when you reoil them make sure to apply a light even coat, and let it sit for a period of time.

I read on nasioc about someone getting oil built up on his maf sensor around 60k miles. He basically had to pay the dealership 30-40 dollars to have his sensor cleaned. Other than that, I haven't heard of someone having to replace the whole Maf sensor because of the oil build up...

 

so removing the snorkus wouldnt cause much of a problem huh. i was thinking about buying a bov. you guys think it will be a good idea even though the car is pretty much bone stock?

 

When you remove the snorkus you already know that your car sounds a bit louder.
But I've also heard that you lose roughly 1 hp by doing it, but boost 100 rpm quicker.

Using a BOV on your bone stock car may lead to your car idling rougher.
You'll also waste a little more gas then usual as well.
I've been wanting to take off the hks bov on my car, but since I lost my stock bov, im stuck with it. meh, it sounds cool and makes it funner to drive. Until you get sick of hearing it that is.

 

Welcome to i-club...noob, try a search first

I say Up Pipe and Down Pipe right off the bat.