Stock 06 Tune
 

I've been thinking about stuff I should do for my car and I've got a laundry list of mods that I'd like to do, but I'm first going to take some preventive/protective measures before I start doing any other performance mods (other than wheels/tires).

So far I'm looking at getting some bodywork done and window tinting. Would it be wise to include a tune for my totally stock 06 WRX or should I just wait until I get a TBE and then get a tune?

The stock tune on the WRX is fine. I drove mine for a year or more on the stock tune and it never skipped a beat. If I were you I would wait to get an Accessport or an opensource tune when I got a TBE.

Given the price of a reflash through Matt at KSpeed, it's pretty darn good bang for your buck on the newer cars. After that you want a downpipe, which KSpeed can add on pretty cheap- in the 350ish range. If that's doable then yes, you should wait until then to get the tune.

All truth, I'm sure Matt could give you a bit cleaner power with a mild tune on your fully stock setup. And I gotta say, the torque he got out of my old WRX was truly fantastic for nothing more than a turboback. I'm actually still missing that initial kick in the ass from the STi, the bigger turbo just doesn't spool fast enough.

That's exactly where I want to go after I get a new set of wheels/tires. I figure that I need to first be able to put the power to the ground before I try to make more power.

That's a good and logical line of thinking, that most people don't follow. Beefing up brakes, suspension, and tires before power is a smart modding practice...but the stage 2 bump isn't really enough to overwhelm the car. A bigger turbo is a different story but stage 2 is a moderate jump. Just in case the power bug was really getting to you :lol:

I'm running on ContiPremierContacts and I'm less than impressed with their traction but that might be because I'm taking turns faster than I was in my old car, but I feel like they're significantly less grippy as my Falken Zeix 912s that I had on my old car.

I do really want to get that nice Subaru rumble with a TBE though...

So many choices!

Stage 2 in the 06 WRX is definitely a good time! I think that was my first mod I did on the car...makes it fun for daily driving. Just as a recommendation for a DD I would stay away from the ridiculously loud TBE's. I ran the Blitz Nur Spec R for a year and if you drive the car continuously for more than an hour, you will hate life :lol:

Haha, I'll keep that in mind. I am seriously considering the Invidia N1 exhaust as it's got a really nice rumble, but internet videos never can really get sound right...

Matt R had the Invidia on his car and so did Sperry, you can as Sperry but he had an Invidia TBE for sale a while back. The Invidia is nice, I'm just not a huge fan of the angled look and the resonator hangs down a little too much for my tastes. I really like the Cobb but it is quite expensive and now they only sell it with a cat in the DP. There are tons of choices out there and if you are looking for a good vendor Rallysportdirect is by far my favorite, great service and super fast shipping.

http://www.rallysportdirect.com/

Falken 912s aren't great... but aside from the new Continental all-season/snow tires which rock, everything else they make is junk.

I just did a quick search on our forums and saw that Sperry sold it to Rory. I really like rallysportdirect.com but its all new stuff! My budget doesn't fit new stuff. hahaha.

From the small amount of research I've done, it looks like running catless could cause one to fail emissions testing depending on where the test is being done... Are the small gains worth it? Is it even a problem here in Nevada?

Well, my current tires are fairly quiet and ride well... They're just not so great at doing much else... I'm still trying to get into a new set of wheels/tires.

If the CEL's are defeated in the ECU (with Cobb, open source, etc.) you will always pass smog in NV - catless... or really with any other mods too. Never heard of anybody failing if done right.

There is no perceptible power decrease with a high-flow cat though (<300whp). The car will be quieter and smell better with one also.

I love the cat less smell! Lol plus catless downpipes are cheaper

Good to know! I'm not familiar with the laws regarding emissions here in NV, but I'm guessing that they don't do a visual inspection either judging by the way that my previous car was smogged the last two years I had it.

I've had the inspectors check out my mods under the hood and ask all about them as they handed me the paper saying the car passed. The only visual inspection on an OBD2 car I think is to check for a proper gas cap and to see if there is visible smoke from the tailpipe.

It's weird to me how I have to smog my car every year but by simply having no CEL, I pass every time. Meanwhile in CA, they put the car on a dyno and a sniffer and only require it, what, every 4 years? Jee, I wonder which one is more effective? :roll:

FWIW, my stage II car made zero gains when I went to one step colder plugs and replaced the stock 3rd cat with an expensive Crucial hi-flow cat. Ed was up here tuning so I had him retune it after these mods and I ended up with almost identical HP and torque as I had the previous time he was up and tuned me. I'm sure my full 3" exhaust is also overkill for my current power level.

Every 2 years, and no dyno for AWD cars, but yeah.

The NV program is more effective because people that want to bypass smog are going to do it anyways, and most modern cars will self-diagnose issues pretty easily. CA is a much more expensive process for the shops, which makes it more expensive for the residents, and criminalizes minor mods that often increase efficiency.

Fair enough. Catless and cheap(er than high-flow cat) it is!

Matt, I'm picking up a gallon + 1 qt of Redline 5w-30, a gallon of Redline Lightweight Gear Oil, and an oil filter from summit racing today. Is that all the right stuff for Friday?

Good points, but I know plenty of people in CA that give up and simply don't mod their car due to the stricter emissions testing and cop stops. I feel like it's a safer bet to go catless and run an intake in Reno than it is in Sac, for example.

Yeah, I know.

I drive around catless, which.......meh. My car smells funnier with a stock cat trying to burn up extra fuel. Toss a stock DP on for smog with my original Ecutek tune, and was good to go - my intake is CARB legal, etc, and if push came to shove I'd toss on a catted 3" DP.

I did buy Scott's Invidia, it's on the STi. It's pretty loud. I'd honestly like to go a little quieter. At the same time, I don't want to spend any more money. Been thinking of researching to see if the stock STi axle back will mate the to Invidia midpipe, as in the Turbo XS or whatever Stealthback.


Long and short of it, it's a great sound. I, unfortunately, have a car mod A.D.D. :lol::oops::~:

I dont mind loud so let me know if it gets too loud for you! haha.