Turbo XS Cold Air Intake

Eric Meinheart at torquedperformance.com has maps for two different brands of Cold Air Intake, he has one for Turbo XS and one for K&N. I asked Eric if there was a difference in performance gained by going with one manufacturer over another and he told me no. I also plan on doing a front mount intercooler in the future and Turbo XS makes the FMIC that I am going to get. The Turbo XS CAI is a requirement for their FMIC kit so the choice was easy. The install was really easy and it looks nice when you are all done. I forgot to mention that the Turbo XS comes with a K&N filter. Beyond the better throttle response and the overall performance gains you get with this mod, you will really hear the turbo spool as well as the blow-off valve purging pressure....it sounds nasty.

I'll add a picture soon.

Exhaust System(s)

I ran Stage II for a while with the stock exhaust but I felt like it was restricting the potential of the map I am running, so I decided to get an aftermarket exhaust. I had followed many forum threads on 3GWRX.com and listened to many poor quality sound clips on youtube. Now I really have a problem overpaying for things because there is a high demand for them. I know it is a simple economic principal but what the hell, it's a piece bent pipe and and muffler! When I had exhausted (pun intended) my resources I decided to pull the trigger on the TSUDO N1. The sound clips sound mean! and it was inexpensive.


I knew it was going to be loud as N1's are, but it was cheap........ right?
Needless to say my popularity slipped in the polls with my wife and she refused to ride in my car, let alone drive it[insert female driver joke here]. So, off to buy another exhaust I go. Not so cheap anymore. I chose another inexpensive exhaust from ERZ Performance, it's quieter and still uses 3" pipe. I will get a good one later :(

Kartboy Short Shifter

I installed a Kartboy short shifter and bushings. This was quite an easy mod and not that expensive. I think it might have been $150 shipped with the bushings. There are many how-to's out there I really just needed it to know how to properly remove the trim around the shifter. The one tricky bit about the shifter install is the snap ring holding it in place. If you do this install, buy yourself the pliers...they will make your life easier. I like this mod, it reduces the shifter throw by 40% and allows for quicker shifts.

Installing the bushings was the real bitch. Some people loosen or remove the tranny mount but I just took my time and worked it in there. Check out this how-to.

Romraider

Well I have been really busy but I have still been voiding the warranty on my car. I cannot believe it has been 5 months since I updated last. I have done many more mods so I will just update when I can. As I posted earlier, I got the tactrix cable so that I can flash my ECU with custom maps that increase performance. There are a set of tools you need to flash the rom but you also will want to log the data stream to monitor the feedback from your cars computer thus making sure it is running properly. One of the main things you are looking for is a lean Air Fuel Ratio (AFR) and also knock, which is detonation inside the engine. So, Romraider is a program that allows you to edit you factory map with custom values, it is also the program the allows you to log your data. As mentioned in a previous post the tactrix cable plugs into the OBDII port and the other end plugs into your laptop via USB. These programs then send and receive data over USB. I bought my map from a tuner in colorado for $50. This guy is a really great guy and he stands behind his maps and is also a major contributer on one of the WRX forums I belong to, 3gwrx.com The guys name is Erik Meinhart and his website torquedperformance.com The map was $5o and I think he has pushed out 3 if not 4 updates since....So he is always improving his maps and you get free updates. Anyway, I can't say enough about Erik's maps. Back to the programs needed change your maps, you will also need ECUflash, this is the program that actually does the flashing...It's always a trip when you flash the ECU and you wonder if you are going to brick your $30K car. My heart pounds every time.

Walbro fuel pump install video

Installing a better fuel pump will help with some of the custom ECU maps you install. When you change the factory tune of your car and start making more horsepower, you run the risk of exceeding the fuel systems' capabilities. Some of the open source maps actually require the Walbro 255lph fuel pump. I did much research and determined that I could handle this install. I read this how-to from XPT Tuning. This install requires that you dremel the fuel pump assembly to accommodate the larger fuel pump. The double o-ring trick is also required. This trick is where you stack 2 Viton 203 o-rings to create a better seal. The o-rings are available at Napa. Part number 2-12093 is a box of 2 for $1.98. I originally tried a piece of Viton tubing to see if I could come up with a better "Trick" but my efforts did not work. I knew my Viton tubing trick didn't work because when I would try to start the car it would crank 4-5 times instead of the normal 2-3 times. This is caused by it losing pressure due to a weak seal. So the second time I ripped my car apart I did a video thinking it might help the next person that tries this install.
Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic and am not responsible for you breaking your car, this is a just a video of what I did. There is a risk of fire or even explosion if you are near a flame or electrical spark. Remember to disconnect your battery!

Going Stage II - Downpipe installed

I installed the downpipe over two nights as I didn't have enough time to do it in one night because I get home late. The process isn't that hard if you do your research first. I had been reading forum posts on how to install the DP long before I purchased the part. I went with the ERZ performance downpipe because it has a bellmouth design, a wideband o2 sensor bung after the turbo, a catalytic converter, and it's inexpensive. The bellmouth is cast and the welds are good, what else do you need. With the car up on the ramps I removed the turbo heatshield and hit all the bolts with PB blaster. I let the blaster soak for a couple of hours. You will need a breaker bar an a piece of pipe to help break the bolts free. I didn't really have much problem breaking them free, perhaps it's because my car only has 4000 miles on it, or maybe I'm strong like bull. Some people say you should remove the intercooler but I did not have to. It took me some time to remove but I was taking my time. On a scale on 1 to 10 for difficulty I would say this is a 4 if you do your research. There are torque settings and some physical challenges but all in all I think I could do it again in about 2 hours. I only have a before and after picture because I deleted the step by step pics accidentally.
Stock









Aftermarket

Open Source Tuning: It Begins

I finally received a working Tactrix cable, the first unit I received was broken but Tactrix cross shipped me a new one right away. A little pricey at $178 but the alternative is the Cobb Access port at $700 so by comparison, not so much. The Tactrix cable is the only cable that is supported by Romraider and ECU flash, some of the opensouce tools needed to tune the Subaru. In case you didn't know, the OST software is free.

Direct wire Beltronics\ Escort install 2009 Subaru WRX

I am bound to get a speeding ticket! so my parents hooked me up with a Beltronics 995 and a direct wire kit for my Birthday. Thank you! I googled a bit and found this excellent How To.
I don't need to rewrite the how to so here are a few pics. I did have the direct wire kit but you could just use a RJ11phone cable and a 2A inline fuse from Radio Shack. I tried to use the "vampire" clip that came with the kit but it did not make a good connection and caused a short. In the end I just stripped the homelink harness and soldered the connections. If you decide to solder the use a tarp or an old blanket to catch any solder that may fall and potentially damage you interior.

2009 WRX headlights

One of the first things I noticed was that the low beams of the WRX are hard to get use to. It's a common thing on newer cars that have projectors. There is what is called a "cutoff", a threshold where light is cut off. I guess the cutoff is so that you don't blind oncoming drivers. I did quite a bit of research and weighed my options and have come up with this so far:

1. Brighter stock type bulbs
2. HID conversion kit
3. HIR
4. HID retrofit

I went for the path of least resistance and bought some Osram "night breakers" they are just brighter bulbs that fit the factory harness. $56 - Ebay

FAIL! much better but I want more.
HIR is a technology that was developed by GE and then Toshiba. HIR produces about 75%the light output of HID at 25% the cost.

These lights will fit in my harnesses with little or no modification. If anything, I think you file off a tab or something.
Here is all the information you will need and also a place that sells them. I may use HIR for my high beams and get some HID ballasts for the lows. I could then use the night breakers bulbs in my foglights.


HID conversion kits is a topic of many wars in the Subaru, and I assume other, online communities. The debate is that the projector lens in the WRX was made for a halogen type bulb with a horizontal filament therefore the focal point and cutoff is not compatible with the vertical filament of the HID bulb, creating bleedoff, hot spots, etc. While I agree, I have seen the results and I don't think it looks that bad. The goal is to have a nice clean cutoff line without much light bleeding over the top. This is an example good cutoff. You can buy Acura TSX or Honda s2000 projectors and do your own retrofit but it is not a direct bolt on and it costs $200 for the used parts.

If I get HID I will be getting a 35W 5000k HID kit from DDMTuning 35W will not overheat my wiring and the 5000k has the most light output. The higher the number the bluer the color but the less output, 4200K to 5000K has the most light output.

For now, I am living with the Osram night breakers but I think I will do an HID conversion kit and HIR high beams. None of these options will change cutoff, which I was originally opposed to, because it is designed that way.

New Hobby: 2009 Subaru WRX

Ok, I have a new hobby. About three months ago I bought a 2009 Subaru WRX.....Soooo Sweet! It is a huge improvement over my 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. Believe it or not, the wife suggested we look at Subaru, they had a special deal for 0% financing so the rest is history. Note: If the wife suggests the AWD turbo you buy the AWD turbo...Those opportunities are few and far between! How this relates to my Tech obsession is that there is a large community of open source tuners and worlds of information that show you how to access the cars' ECU (computer) and hack and mod the car for performance gains. I will chronicle my foray into making my car go faster!

Here she is