2000-2007 Subaru WRX Second Generation (GD, GG) Upgrades Guide

Subaru WRX Air Intake Systems:

Air Intakes for Subarus are pretty Simple. There are 3 companies that make, easily, the best intakes for the WRX and STi. These companies include Cobb, AEM, and Injen. While Cobb is easily the most popular selection of the 3, you do not have to choose to go with them. Adding an Intake to your Car, with the proper tune, will gain you about 10-15hp.

Subaru WRX Exhaust Systems:

Allow your Subie the ability to breathe and exhale heavily just like it deserves! When you're looking to upgrade both the appearance and performance of your Subaru, the first product you should look into is a performance cat back exhaust system. Adding an exhaust to your car can add about 5-15hp depending on what tune you choose to run, as well as how restrictive the exhaust system itself is, such as how many bends the system's tubing has. By bolting on one of our exhaust systems, you're allowing your car to exhale a lot easier, translating to literally bolted on power! Make the right decision and purchase one of our exhaust systems today!

Subaru WRX Down Pipes:

Next is the downpipe. Tsudo, Invidia, and Cobb all make downpipes. Now, when looking at what company to go with, you also need to look at wether or not you want a catalytic converter. In many different states, you must go through annual, or bi-annual, SMOG checkups in order to register your car. Having a Downpipe with a Cat. Converter will help you pass smog. However you do lose about 5hp by having this cat here to restrict flow. It truly is a choice between legality, and power. The choice is yours.

Subaru WRX Headers:

Headers are one of the last modifications you ll need to do on your Subaru. Between UEL s and EL s, you have the choice between sound or power. UEL s allow you to keep that boxer rumble so many of us love, while EL s allow you to make about 10hp more than the UEL s. An aggressive amount on the dyno making the difference between 490hp and that 500hp mark. It is recommended to heat wrap headers before you install them. Below are the links to the products described above.

Subaru WRX Accessport:

Before you add any performance parts on your WRX/STi, you need to purchase a Cobb Accessport. An Accessport will allow you to access your car's OBDII port and install performance, or economy, maps to reflash your ECU with. By reflashing your ECU, you allow your car to acquaint itself with the modifications you have done, and run efficiently. A big problem many people who don't use an Accessport run into, is that after installing either a down pipe or aftermarket air intake, their car runs too rich due to the fact that the MAF sensor reads a large amount of air being taken in, that it dumps a large amount of fuel into your motor in order to make up for the large mass of air being brought in. Therefore causing your car to run rich, as well as potentially breaking your O2 sensor, and clogging the catalytic converter. Make the right decision and purchase an Accessport today.

Subaru WRX Intercoolers:

One of the most important components to upgrade when building a high horse power car, is the cooling system. By installing one of our aftermarket intercoolers you're going to drastically increase the performance of your cooling system, meaning that you'll then be able to push your car to higher limits without stressing over whether or not your car will overheat. Thus, maintaining optimal performance of your car's turbo system. This will allow you to maintain boost as well as consistently make power at higher rpm's as well as when you're in the heat. This makes the intercooler one of the core components that need to be upgraded when going for higher horsepower. Take a look at some of the intercoolers we have to offer and let your car stop stressing today!

When you want to upgrade your Subie, you should look into adding an aftermarket intake manifold on. By adding an aftermarket manifold on, you are allowing the car to be able to support higher boost levels, as well as make more horsepower due to the new improved flow of the Manifold' runners. These characteristics of the manifold will show you an increase of about 10-15 hp, all depending on your tune for the car.  * Like all major bolt ons, this manifold will need a computer tune in order to mate/run properly once installed on your car.*

Subaru WRX Fuel Injectors:

Finally, we have reached injectors. Now, there are many different size injectors, running from 450 pound injectors, to 2000 pound injectors. The size really depends on how much hp you are running. You should always ask your tuner what size injectors you need for your set up. The most popular brand of injectors on the market right now are Injector Dynamics. As always, you ll need a tune to properly run your new injectors. Below are the links to the products described above.

Subaru WRX Fuel Pumps:

When you are going further than basic bolt ons such as a down pipe or an air intake system, you'll start running into fuel system issues. The biggest issue is that you'll need to pump more fuel into your motor, however the OEM fuel pump won't keep up do to the fact that it doesn't flow at a high enough lph to keep up with the needs of your performance dyno tune or e-tune. By upgrading to one of our below fuel pumps, you'll allow your car to efficiently pump fuel to your motor while making sure yuor fuel system is in good health by consistently pumping at a rated lph rather than having to stress itself because the car needs more fuel than what the unit can supply at a constant rate. Look below at some of the fuel pumps we have, and make sure your car stays stress free!

Subaru WRX Boost Controllers:

Boost Controllers are simple because there are not many besides Perrin or Grimmspeed that make them. EBC s (Electronic Boost Controllers), allow for you to raise the boost your turbo makes, without having to adjust the tune. Meaning faster access to more power. Below are the links to the products described above.

Whether you want to up the boost levels of your car, or you want that beautiful loud, "Psh" that turbo car owners love so much, we have all the blow off valves you could want, below! These will add about 3-5hp with proper tuning, and will produce the lovely sound that so many Subaru owners love. Some of the most popular brands for Blow Off Valves include Perrin and Greddy. One of the nice features on the Perrin BOV, is that it can be run on 100% recirc (recirculation) in order to ensure the safety of your motor. Take a peek at our selection!

When you begin to get into higher horsepower numbers, such as 350+, you will start to see that your cooling system will start to heat faster due to the fact that it can not handle the power and heat your car's upgraded system is throwing at it. The main component which will be at fault for this is the Radiator. By upgrading to one of our Radiators, you will get a larger core, meaning the cooling power of your car's system greatly improves. By upgrading to a bigger radiator, you will see an increase of about 10hp due to the fact that you are now able to cool faster, allowing you to bring the boost level up slightly to run at a higher power level. Take a peek at our radiators!

Adding an oil cooler to your car will aid in the cooling of the car's motor, as well as any over heating problems directly related to oil. Fitted with most of our oil coolers, is a 185 degrees thermostat, which won't allow oil to flow into the filter until it reaches 185 degrees. Meaning optimum oil temperature at all times. Also, to note, about 1 quart of oil is added to the system's volume directly after the install of any of our cooler kits.

The final modification which makes the most difference on your car is a turbocharger. After building your motor, and ensuring that you have the proper bolt-on's as well as the proper cooling system to support your build, you should take a look at our turbo's. We have many different size turbo's to fit your desire! Ranging from 16g  to 20g, we have it all. Adding a bigger turbo will give you power increases anywhere from 65hp-250hp, depending on what size turbo you go with. Take a look below and see which Turbo fits your needs!

Want to knock down some seconds on your 1/4 mile? Want to have faster, smoother, crisper, shifts while driving? Then a short shifter is right for you! A short shifter allows you to cut down on the length of each shift by about 35%. Thus, allowing you to shift faster, as well as smoother. Also, the shifter is made of solid aluminum, unlike the flimsy OEM shifter that has been proven to crack under pressure and hard use. Take a look at our shifters and pick one you like!

Subaru WRX Coilovers:

Are you looking to lower your car or immensely increase the handling abilities of your car? Well look no further. The biggest improvement to both the ride height as well as the handling capabilities of your car is coilovers! Coilovers will allow you to drop your car a reasonable amount, as well as adjust the dampening of the car's shocks (how stiff or soft the ride is). This means that you'll have the ability to cruise low and slow, without having to worry about the bumpy road ahead...literally! Also, for those who came to this page looking for an increase in cornering ability as well as decreasing body roll, we have just the coilovers for you! HKS as well as ARK offer some of the best track specific coilovers on the market! To recap, whether you want to ride low and slow, or shed seconds off your Rally/AutoX times, we have just what you're looking for!

Do you want to lower your car as well as improve body roll/handling as a whole, without spending $800+ on a set of coilovers? Well look no further! The lowering springs we offer below are the highest rated on the market! By adding lowering springs to your car, you lower the car's ride height to a specific set height, meaning less wrench time adjusting the ride height, and more enjoyable seat time! Also, springs such as the Eibach Sports that we offer, will decrease total body roll, as well as allow your car to take corners faster, and smoother.

Adding lowering springs to your Bug Eye will increase that aggressive look it already possesses from the factory. Also, it might be a good idea in general to replace the OEM springs due to the fact that they're over 10 years old, and with all the miles they have on them, they will lose ride quality as well as begin to rust like all metal does over time. You will be pleased with whichever springs you choose for your Bug Eye, Blob Eye, or Hawk Eye. Take a look and pick the springs you want your car to sit on!

If you're looking to incredibly decrease the total amount of body roll that your Subie has, while improving the handling of your car, you should look no further! By adding an increased diameter sway bar, you strengthen the entire sub frame of the car meaning that you have no loose ends, ensuring the car has no wiggle room to roll on those tight corners while its racing on the track or the streets! Take a look at some of the way bars we offer below!

After you add all those big power bolt on's, you'll need bigger brakes to help stop all that power in normal conditions, or in case of an emergency! Also, the OEM Brake Rotors are only efficient up to 350hp, meaning after you install a down pipe and intake on your STi, or go stage 3 on your WRX, you'll definitely need bigger brakes/better rotors to help you stop, also, you'll be securing the safety of your car's brake system, due to the fact that under pressure, the OEM brakes can crack and fail. Putting you in harm's way! Upgrade today!

In order to handle the immense amount of horsepower you'll be pushing after installing the above bolt ons, you'll need a new clutch in order to ensure the safety of your drive train. The OEM Clutch is good to about 300hp on the WRX and 375hp on the STi. After you pass those numbers, it becomes crucial to install a higher hp rated clutch in order to keep your drive train and transmission safe from the abuse a high horse power car can do to those items. Our clutches range from stage 2 for street modified cars, all the way up to stage 5 for serious horsepower cars. Take a look below!

Looking for mounting solutions for your new gauges? Look no further! We have many different options for gauge mounting solutions. Ranging from A-Pillar mounts, to Glove compartment gauge pods, we have them all! A-pillar mounts are the most popular, yet if you want something new and different, the Glove Box Mount is the best option! It fits inside the glove box, and openly displays your gauges. Take a look at your options!

When you are finally done adding all the bolt-ons as well as every other exterior item you wanted, you'll most definitely need an aftermarket Body Kit to complete and bring together the look of your car! Well, thankfully enough, all of your car part needs are met here at SubieSpeedShop. We have over 25 different body kits from 5 different manufacturers. Meaning the body kit you want, will most likely be listed below, at a price no other company can beat. Look below at some of the body kits we offer!

Do you want to make your WRX or STi more aesthetically pleasing prior to an upcoming car show or event? Well then you're looking at one of the best parts to add onto your car! A carbon fiber hood will greatly improve the look of your car! Also, one of the great features of adding a carbon hood, is that with the added vents and increased height of the hood scoop, you'll be bringing more air into your engine bay, cooling all your motor's components down quicker than with an OEM hood, which doesn't allow access to the engine bay. Take a look at some of the Carbon Hoods we offer!

When you're in the market to update the old fashioned front lip on your WRX or STi, you should always come to SubieSpeedShop! We have over 15 different front lips, all made for your car! Ranging in materials from Poly Urethane, to neatly weaved Carbon Fiber, we can supply any lip you want! By adding a lip, you are also increasing down force on the nose of your car, which, with the combined use of a spoiler, applies down force to every corner of the car, improving maximum traction! This is good for any track related event, or just trying to weave in and out of traffic on your local highway without losing control. Take a look below at some of our lips!

Adding a spoiler to your WRX/STi can amount to increased rigidity on the track as well as added down force when you roll through some mountain runs! By adding a larger spoiler onto your car, you increase the surface area that wind touches when it comes in contact with your car, meaning, when you're accelerating quickly, there is more down force on your car due to the fact that the wind is pushing down on a larger amount of your car than before (when you did not have a spoiler installed). Take a look at some of the spoilers we offer below!

Want to upgrade the look of the exterior of your car? Any headlights we carry will instantly make your car look 1000 x's better! The OEM Subaru headlights fog up and fade away with time. With our aftermarket headlights, you can eliminate the ugly fogged up OEM ones, and replace them with a set of our nice, updated, headlights. Guaranteed to please any person! Turn your eyesore, into your pleasure today! Take a look at some of the options for headlights that we have below!