The stock suspension and sway bars are great on the 2015+, the body is 40% stiffer than the last model, it’s capable in stock form on track, all you may want is an aftermarket rear sway bar to help rotate the rear.
agreed, all the car needs slightly stiffer rear sway bar. i have a 2016' wrx. One upgrade realy anyone talks about is a rear LSD for a lil power on oversteer out of slow sharp corners. I dropped a quaife r160 and its work well for my application as mostly daily some track & auto-X, but cusco clutch plate the is way to go for hardcore track use.
“I’m gonna keep it as close to stock as I can just so I can leave a little room for some fun for me.” I already have a whole wishlist of modifications.
@@sleeper.simulant7327 totally beat me to the punch. Block itself needs reinforcements once you get past 350hp! Can't bullshit the car community Balance
Doooooo iiiiiiiiit!!! lol, you will love it! Glad you found the video helpful. When you pick up your new sled, let us know, we'd love to help hook you up with your mods! www.motoroso.com
Thank you so much Brendan! Yeah, takes time to build this up, but we’re making progress every day! Please let us know how we can help with any mods you’re looking for. Merry Xmas!
Most "necessary" mods are driver/situation dependant. Over half recommended aren't necessary. Improving the daily livability, road manners, and feel are my first priorities, so that's where I'll put my focus. Simple bushing (or linkage) swaps do wonders. (better) Brakes are on the list, but pads first before I'll think about upping rotor size. If you want to chase high hp/tq, great; however, for a better daily driver, most of this stuff isn't necessary. Don't forget, the interior needs help too...
Killer B makes GREAT products! We are an authorized dealer as well, anyone interested please don't hesitate to contact us at 1.833.MOTOROSO (1.833.668.6767) or live chat at www.motoroso.com!
If anyone’s looking at getting lowered springs for your 15+ WRX, i’d recommend getting the Eibach Pro Kit, i’ve got them on mine and they’re really nice, better than OEM in my opinion.
id add, Steering dampener lockdown for better more communicative steering feel, & Rear LSD for a lil power on oversteer out of sharp low speed corners. I dropped a r160 quife atb LSD & its works really well, though cusco clutch plated LSDs maybe the way to go if your doin hardcore track stuff.
Mishimoto Oil cooler, aluminium radiator, master cylinder brakes , stainless steel brakelines, Air oil separator, a set of japan made Toyo Proxes CF2 on my 3yrs WRX For daily, the stock brakes , brakepads, suspension, body stiffness are good enough on the WRx. Its brakepad bites harder when driven hard. Other exhaust just noisy for my daily use.
Hey Devin, awesome, we'd be happy to help, we have GREAT deals on tires, and 2-day free shipping on them too! Do you know what size you need? Any brands you're particularly partial to? Feel free to respond here, or reach us at www.motoroso.com via live chat or call us toll free at 1.833.MOTOROSO (833.668.6767) and we'll get you hooked up!
Subaru replaced the throwout bearing on my 2017 WRX free of charge under warranty with probably 25,000 miles on it. The replacement throwout bearing has a different type of grease and Subaru no longer uses the old type.
I'd say getting a flex fuel kit and tune would be the best bang for your buck. Upgrading the headers is probably the last thing I would do after full bolt ons - I wouldn't even consider getting UEL headers if I was looking for power. If not going with flex fuel, I'd say the best mods would be TBE, intercooler, TGV/EGR deletes, and EBCS.
Thanks for the video intro. New to Subaru, coming over from the Scion family. Lots to learn before making any decisions, but videos like this are what I'm after right now.
Absolutely, glad you find it helpful! We're here to help however we can, and get you great prices on your mods, you can reach us on live chat at www.motoroso.com, or call us toll-free at 833.MOTOROSO (833.668.6767).
I would pass on the short throw shifter...I popped the cable off mine twice...both times going into 3rd on the interstate. Its not fun towing an AWD stuck in gear. I finally re-installed the factory shift and haven't looked back. I also highly recommend lighter wheels. You can easily shave 40lbs off rotating mass by going with a wheel thats 10lbs lighter. Stle and a boost in performance.
Old comment here, but for anyone wondering, the smallest possible wheels you can fit without going custom are going to be 17x8's with a +45 or +55 offset. And the lightest alloys you'll find in that size (forged or not) are about 17.5 LBS. Stock wheels are 23.5 LBS. Definitely worth the swap, but there's no way you're saving 10LBS per wheel, even with Forged Magnesium wheels (which only go about as light as 16.25LBS and I WOULD NOT recommend for the street).
Best "budget" brake upgrade is a decent set of blank rotors and Hawk Street Performance 5.0 brake pads... You'll slam into your steering wheel the first time you brake hard and not expecting it.
...how do those work when temps dip in to the 20s-30s *F? I'd hate to have to change pads every April and October...I find myself pumping the brakes on my '19 base to firm up the pedal and get more friction.
You will lose power and requires a paid pro-tune. So you are literally paying more money on a newer car to go to a older sound for less power. But people still do this.
@@romariosmith422 if you keep the stock equal length headers you don't need a OTS or pro tune... also the cobb AP doesn't have a OTS unequal length header map. I am not talking about pro tune vs OTS I am talking about throwing on equal length headers on the stock tune or an OTS map that is designed for ELH because doing that would damage the car.
Proud to say I have the loudest wrx in town Karen does not approve the down pipe helped a lot for anybody looking to make there wrx sound a lot better my car has a Perrin high flow cat down pipe resonator delete and quad exit blast pipes no mufflers sounds amazing and makes gunshots between shifts
I love this video. Actually some of the information is right on but as for engine parts breaking down, the bearing's on my fa20 just got destroyed (at 44k miles) and I didn't hit 300hp. I do have a custom tune and it's fully moded so I'm sure that had something to do with it. By the way, I have videos covering it all on my channel if you want to see what I have done. But to fix destroying my bearings I ended up buying an entirely new stage 1 short block from IAG performance. It's going in this weekend and I can't wait to keep driving my boxer.
@@rayhonchoudhry6524 after getting my engine replaced and retuned I found that my aftermarket no-named intercooler was to blame. My best advice is to get all name brand products that have been fully tested and that you know for sure work with your make and model. I changed my intercooler to a GrimmSpeed intercooler and it made a world of difference. The reason the bearing was smashed was because of internal over heating caused by a crappy intercooler.
I have a 2016 WRX and you are correct. TOB already failing at 34K miles. I am looking at either the Exedy Stage 1 or ACT street clutch. From what I hear the ACT throw out bearing is no good either, is that really the case? I would really like to get ahead of this and not have to deal with it in the future. Thanks a lot
Hey Chris, both brands are solid and have a good reputation, and are geared towards performance. Haven't heard anything bad about the ACT throw out bearing, so can't say anything specific about that, other than I'd be surprised if it was as weak as OEM. We can get you a good deal on either clutch, and we have other brands as well, including McLeod and Action clutch. Contact us at www.motoroso.com on live chat, or call us toll free at 833.MOTOROSO and we'll get you taken care of.
@@Motoroso I will take you up on that! I'm in the process of buying a 2017 WRX, I'll be happy with it stock but am aware of the issues that come with them so just looking for preventative maintenance mods. (:
@@YouBeTrollin91 this is why boosted FA20s in the 86/BRZ can do 400 way more reliably than the FA20DIT in the WRX. At 400hp a boosted 86/BRZ on Flex at way higher compression but only 10-11psi I don't think is making as much torque as a stock FA20DIT in a WRX.
Kinda funny I find this video today not long after I decided I want to get a wrx that I’m hoping to get soon but ima have to keep those mods in mind when I fully pay the car off😂
@@ThatWrxGuyy COBB makes the most popular flex fuel kit for the WRX, and no we don't sell COBB. But we do recommend COBB products twice in this video, and in other videos we've made, despite not selling their products. That doesn't hold us back from making a recommendation. COBB will not make us an authorized dealer because we don't have a physical brick and mortar retail shop. Unfortunate, because we'd love to sell their products.
I definitely need to upgrade my suspension car gets loose I don’t like that feeling. I’m pushing 380 to the wheels pro tuned on my 2016 WRX Limited. I will look at the stuff on the website
kevin sanchez Ets intake Ets front mount intercooler Ets j pipe with high flow cat Ets 3” turbo back exhaust with resonator Perrin equal length header Seamspeed 71+ turbo Turbo smart hybrid bypass valve Aluminati tgv deletes Cobb flex fuel sensor and flex fuel kit Aem 320 fuel pump Nostrum high pressure fuel pump not installed yet Cobb 3 port boost controller Perrin shift lock out plate Perrin brass shift bushings Perrin aos not installed yet Bommba short throw shifter Cusco Strut Tower brace E60 tune by drunkman tunning at psi performance in pa
Hey David, awesome! We are an authorized dealer for KW Suspension, BC Racing, Whiteline and many other great brands! Not all of the products we sell are listed on our website yet. We'd love to help you get set up with suspension mods like coilovers, sway bars, etc. Feel free to reach out anytime, live chat at www.motoroso.com, or toll free at 1.833.MOTOROSO (1.833.668.6767).
"its known to start breaking rods and bearings" when going beyond its limits..yeah every builder knows this...or learns this with any engine they modify
@Motoroso Hi! I just got a 2021 WRX STI base model. I only plan to do some basic mods that don’t void the warranty. From what I’ve researched so far I can do headers, exhaust, pro-tune and I think maybe a cold air intake. I could be wrong. I’d love to get some more in depth information from you to help me make the right choices. Thank you in advance!!
Hey Jordan, looks like you live chatted us after hours, sorry to have missed you! We are here to help with your questions between 9-5 PST, please don't hesitate to reach out again. Phone might even be better because there's a lot to talk through with all the different mods you're asking about. Toll free is 833.668.6767.
I don't plan on doing any engine mods to my Subaru WRX mostly new rims tires 2 inch lift a roof rack STI wing rally bar lights bumper and a light bar what should I do preemptively before something goes
The biggest, and best, mod you can do for your car is change your old maintenance habits from owning other car brands and *FOLLOW THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE!*
Hey Jerin, there's not a whole ton of options on that front, but one way to get better fuel economy would be to have a custom tune made to specifically de-tune and optimize fuel efficiency and run that tune for your commute and long distance trips. You can then have a more high-performance tune for when you want the car to be more fun to drive. This isn't the question we usually get, but I hope that's helpful.
One of two ways to do this - 1. Drive it so you don't ever really work the turbo, leave the mutli-function display showing only the gigantic red boost gauge and monitor the PSI so it's always (-) digits as opposed to (+) digits (basically you feather the gas pedal everywhere you go and won't make real use of how a WRX "should" be driven) or 2. Buy a Cobb AccessPORT and leave it in the "Economy Mode" Map and you will see an increase in MPG - this Map never crosses my mind (bc I do not worry about improving fuel economy, it's a WRX!) but even without an AP you can still get 29.7 mpg if you try hard enough, which I have done before.
@@xr9981 A agree with XR, my 19 base is managing roughly 26.5 mpg since the last oil change 2k miles ago and that’s daily driving... if I drive it “slowly” by shifting at or under 3000 rpms the mileage will get even better, closer to 30mpg usually. The more boost you use the more gas you use. Tire pressure is also important for this car
I'm at 46k and mine has been replaced 4 times. I finally got subaru of America involved and they got me hooked up and we finally found out the reason mine kept on going on. Totally bull shit on why it kept failing but now I know, and it wasn't my fault it was the pressure plate f everything up. They said mine was basically junk from the factory. I pick mine up Monday again. I miss her
@@danieljarrett3783 yes. You can either do an axle back, cat back or depending on your dealer and your relationship with them a down pipe. Just feel them out and go from there. If I was you get, a axle back frist from nameless they are great sounding and if you like it you can add to it with another pipe and make it a catback, then to a j pipe. But that's just me. Im modded and my dealer doesn't care cause they are mod friendly and they know how I treat my car. But some dealers are dicks. Good luck
@@danieljarrett3783 Subaru sucks in that regard. They will find any excuse to void warranty. Legally speaking, they have to honor the warranty with any mods. They have to be able to PROVE the mod caused whatever failure. So if you have a 76mm turbo and blow a rod, you're screwed. If you have a few bolt ons and a tune, never race it, never hard launch it and the radio goes out? Yeah, they have to honor that.
Okay so if you're talking about FA20 this is the first video I've watched saying you CAN use Unequal or equal length headers. I thought you cant run UEL with twin scroll turbo which the FA20 has. My 2019 WRX came with equal length and i really would love that rumble, I'm not out there to race so idc about performance as much. But if its going to damage things long term then I wont do it, can anyone shed some light on this ?
UEL will NOT damage things inherently, but it DOES require a tune because the exhaust pulses change. Yes, you lose some of the benefit of a twin scroll, so the turbo will take slightly longer to spin up. Only one company makes an UEL. Free up the turbo inlet and downpipe and you probably won't notice any change in turbo spool. People have ran the UEL for 50k miles with no problem at this point.
Alex, stumbled across your channel, killed it with that Karen comment. I tip my hat to you good sir, WRX owner for over 2 years, met with many enthusiasts and friends. I average about 333 puppies, all modifications myself, and looking to increase for a minute. Your Type-A approach and straight-forwardness speaks my language, thank you for creating this channel and providing input.
@@alcam4226 That was not a response from us at Motoroso, we don't talk to people that way. Good idea on providing larger images, we'll look at doing that in future videos. Thanks for the feedback.
First, I'll say that any given mod doesn't necessarily/usually void the whole warranty. For example, if you upgrade the suspension to coilovers, you'll void your suspension warranty, but this shouldn't affect warranty coverage of the engine. Most people are worried most about the engine, because of the cost. So, you can usually upgrade the intake and exhaust without too much trouble from your dealership when it comes to warranty issues, but beyond that, no real power mods that won't affect warranty. We really like "throttle modules" like the pedal commander, because it feels like it wakes up the engine a lot more, but no warranty implications. When it comes to suspension, you can do sway bars without affecting warranty. You can also usually replace brake rotors and pads without voiding the warranty, but if you get into the brake lines tat may affect the warranty on the calipers. Upgraded wheels won't affect your warranty. And better tires won't either, and that's a really big one for performance! We can help with all this and more, feel free to reach us on live chat at www.motoroso.com, or call us toll free at 833.668.6767. Everything I've said above is just from general experience. You should always read your warranty paperwork, and a lot of the actual final say comes down to how cool your dealer service department is. You might wanna call them and tell them the mods you're trying to do and see how cool they are about it all. If they're jerks, find a different service center that's more "enthusiast friendly".
There's two answers. Motoroso is wrong though. If you upgrade the suspension, it does not void the suspension warranty. If you upgrade the engine, you don't void the engine warranty. Modifications do not instantly void the warranty. So #1: The manufacturer has to prove the modification causes the failure in order to deny a warranty claim. Put a cold air intake and tune on a stock car and the engine blows because the oil pump fails? Yeah, they can't void the warranty for that. Hell, you could have a full blown aftermarket turbo, fuel system, etc. and if the oil pump fails, they still have to replace it. #2. Subaru freaking sucks. They will find any reason to try to void a warranty. A friend had to sue Subaru over his failure. He had an 07 STi...a lot of suspension work. On a road trip, the right rear hub caught fire. They tried to blame his coilovers. His alignment was in spec. He had an engine failure because of an stupid oil bypass valve that instead of bypassing the filter, dumps all the oil on the ground. He proved that in court too and they had to buy him a new engine. SPT exhaust, Cobb intake and tune was all he had done to the engine. If you have any mods and don't have a mod-friendly dealer, just retain a lawyer familiar with Subaru. It's called the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act.
HAHA! You can absolutely say that dude, this is a safe space 😂 We recommend www.motoroso.com/p/1088104-stoptech-83843470071-stoptech-big-brake-kit-fits-15-wrx?lid=1735233
@@corybailey1499 not in aus in fact more, I couldn't find the 002 model anywhere I recently found one place and they are selling it for nearly $1400 🥲 I wish you could just reflash the us version 😒
@@Motoroso also regarding AT tires i live in Minnesota it snows alot here and I haven't owned a car since I was 16 years old can you give me some recommendations on good year round tires currently no snow covered roads yet so havent got test the tires yet
@@DD-mg9rf No, the motors in the 2015+ WRX are an FA20, and it's just an engine code. All motor manufacturers use a code system to ID their motors, like Ford calling the 5.0L a Coyote, and BMW N54, N54, etc, etc... It's just a way of making sure you're talking about the right engine.
I think people go into the misconception of magical numbers where engines grenade or dont when in reality its a lot of factors like tuner, quality mods, maintenance, driving, fueling etc. That determine how long your stock block will last.
Funny he did not mention the Cobb Accessport. My 2015 WRX was almost undriveable in stock tune. The stock turbo boost setpoint was set way too high at low RPM, which meant that if the turbo was spooled up the car took off like crazy but if not there was no power. This meant the throttle input had no relation to the power output at low rpm which is most of the time you are driving. Combine that to a manual transmission and it was hell. After installing the Cobb tune using the Accessport the problem was totally solved and the car has been trouble free for 5+ years.
Any issues with the Subaru warranty having the stage 1 Cobb access port? I would love to buy one but still have 6 years left of warranty so I’m nervous to lose the warranty protection that isn’t cheap. Any advice? Just want to do stage 1 and not add any power at this point.
@@clintonross1649 Generally any sort of ECU flash will have negative warranty implications. But you can always flash back to stock, and it's difficult for the dealer service centers to detect.
@@clintonross1649 Subaru will void your warranty for looking at the car. Their warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on to begin with. They will do it with no modifications. I'm fighting them now. Legally, they CAN NOT void a warranty just for the presence of a modification. But they try anyways because most people don't push back. Yes, you can uninstall the Cobb...they can tell it was there anyways. They just have to legally prove that the modification caused the failure.
I love you guys, sponsor me 🥺 I just dropped 17k on my 2015 wrx engine and about to re-wrap it and bag it. 😂 I’m already Momos model car for their catania wheels 🥺 luv u byee
@@deanmarr785 That's the dumbest statement you could possibly make. Seriously. I'd buy a golf for my kid, it's a good beginners car, but they are money pits. No self-respecting enthusiast would buy a hatchback of the quintessential girls car, the Jetta.
@@Milehighsnake98 It's my daily. Not my track car. Run along now subie boy. Your vape is empty. I've owned 5 Golfs in my life. GFY. From the legendary 1.8T to the VR6 to the EA888. Spare me your VW hate.
@@deanmarr785 Did I hurt your feelings? There's more vape pens in hatchback Jettas than anything else. Of course those guys typically wear skirts too. Let me know when two of those turds can make 4 digit power on the street. Mine can. And it's not a subaru.
Air oil separator, and Front mount Intercooler would be good additions. EGR and TGV deletes also great for longevity.
Not everyone can delete EGR and TGV due to smog rules
What’s a tgv?
Front intercoolers are just a waste of money and only should be considered for looks
EGR and TGV delete's could prevent you from being able to tune car
@@Ivan-ds5io 3 years ago it didn’t, this was pre Green speed updates. Also this is prior to the death of the STI and the weird looking WRX
The stock suspension and sway bars are great on the 2015+, the body is 40% stiffer than the last model, it’s capable in stock form on track, all you may want is an aftermarket rear sway bar to help rotate the rear.
agreed, all the car needs slightly stiffer rear sway bar. i have a 2016' wrx. One upgrade realy anyone talks about is a rear LSD for a lil power on oversteer out of slow sharp corners. I dropped a quaife r160 and its work well for my application as mostly daily some track & auto-X, but cusco clutch plate the is way to go for hardcore track use.
Yep. I’ve done exactly that and it’s great!
These are Exactly the mods the wrx needs. I actually don’t think it needs more power to be fun.
I got told that a rear sway bar actually isn’t worth and it hurts the car on track is that true?
❤
“I’m gonna keep it as close to stock as I can just so I can leave a little room for some fun for me.” I already have a whole wishlist of modifications.
My FA20 is making 400 hp easily. Well, it was...
😂😂
The stock EJ making 450 whp is total bull, good luck reliably going past 400, really 350-375 whp is the safe spot
@@sleeper.simulant7327 totally beat me to the punch. Block itself needs reinforcements once you get past 350hp! Can't bullshit the car community Balance
@@BootayCrust You can’t read, can you?
Note the “well, it was…” part of their comment.
Highly recommend trans and rear diff mounts first. Cheap easy to install and very noticeable
Flex Fuel, Boost Controller, DownPipe, Accessport, Accessport should be the #1 must have mod
Interested in getting a Subaru.. will give this a rewatch
Doooooo iiiiiiiiit!!! lol, you will love it! Glad you found the video helpful. When you pick up your new sled, let us know, we'd love to help hook you up with your mods! www.motoroso.com
Also, the current gen STI and WRX are already very stiff, sway bars aren't really needed unless you are racing/auto crossing it.
I autocross and have an 18 WRX can confirm the swaybars really are stiff. But coilovers tire/wheels were a better investment.
disagree, rear sway bar makes a huge difference.
High quality videos I was surprised you only have 8k subs
Thank you so much Brendan! Yeah, takes time to build this up, but we’re making progress every day! Please let us know how we can help with any mods you’re looking for. Merry Xmas!
I would suggest staying with the stock endlinks for your sway bars. White line endlink nuts are known to back out and fall off.
i think the radiator upgrade has to be the number 1 mod for every wrx.
Most "necessary" mods are driver/situation dependant. Over half recommended aren't necessary. Improving the daily livability, road manners, and feel are my first priorities, so that's where I'll put my focus. Simple bushing (or linkage) swaps do wonders. (better) Brakes are on the list, but pads first before I'll think about upping rotor size. If you want to chase high hp/tq, great; however, for a better daily driver, most of this stuff isn't necessary. Don't forget, the interior needs help too...
UHHHHH, we want MORE HORSEPERSSSS!!!!
@Tre Flips 21 and don't forget need more spray of NAWWWWSSSS XD
Leave header stock or go killer b ewg. Stock headers aren't bad. Flex, downpipe, and intercooler upgrades are the three heavy hitters for the fa20.
Killer B makes GREAT products! We are an authorized dealer as well, anyone interested please don't hesitate to contact us at 1.833.MOTOROSO (1.833.668.6767) or live chat at www.motoroso.com!
that is the route i went. full FBO with r400, catted downpipe, jpipe, intake, fmic, killer b header with dual EWG. this car fucking screams at 380whp
@@thisjustanother how much did that cost you? And is yours an STI?
@@iamgabe10491 I have just a regular 2016 wrx. No sti. The car was 30k. The parts were probably 6-8k. And it was accumulated over 4years.
If anyone’s looking at getting lowered springs for your 15+ WRX, i’d recommend getting the Eibach Pro Kit, i’ve got them on mine and they’re really nice, better than OEM in my opinion.
Do you feel the road more or is it a smooth ride ?
id add, Steering dampener lockdown for better more communicative steering feel, & Rear LSD for a lil power on oversteer out of sharp low speed corners. I dropped a r160 quife atb LSD & its works really well, though cusco clutch plated LSDs maybe the way to go if your doin hardcore track stuff.
Crazy to think that current gen looks better than the 2022+…
Mishimoto Oil cooler, aluminium radiator, master cylinder brakes , stainless steel brakelines, Air oil separator, a set of japan made Toyo Proxes CF2 on my 3yrs WRX
For daily, the stock brakes , brakepads, suspension, body stiffness are good enough on the WRx. Its brakepad bites harder when driven hard. Other exhaust just noisy for my daily use.
This is by far the best video I have seen on the WRX. I have a base model wrx 2017. I put OEM foglights on @subaru and a vortex generator.
Thank you Paul!
I need some all-terrain all-weather tires for my lifted Subaru WRX
Hey Devin, awesome, we'd be happy to help, we have GREAT deals on tires, and 2-day free shipping on them too! Do you know what size you need? Any brands you're particularly partial to? Feel free to respond here, or reach us at www.motoroso.com via live chat or call us toll free at 1.833.MOTOROSO (833.668.6767) and we'll get you hooked up!
Bit late, but you got an insta with pics of it? Gonna lower mine personally, but I love cars being made into off-roaders.
Subaru replaced the throwout bearing on my 2017 WRX free of charge under warranty with probably 25,000 miles on it. The replacement throwout bearing has a different type of grease and Subaru no longer uses the old type.
they did my TOB at 31k and 70k
I'd say getting a flex fuel kit and tune would be the best bang for your buck. Upgrading the headers is probably the last thing I would do after full bolt ons - I wouldn't even consider getting UEL headers if I was looking for power. If not going with flex fuel, I'd say the best mods would be TBE, intercooler, TGV/EGR deletes, and EBCS.
Pitch mount
Thanks for the video intro. New to Subaru, coming over from the Scion family. Lots to learn before making any decisions, but videos like this are what I'm after right now.
Absolutely, glad you find it helpful! We're here to help however we can, and get you great prices on your mods, you can reach us on live chat at www.motoroso.com, or call us toll-free at 833.MOTOROSO (833.668.6767).
I would pass on the short throw shifter...I popped the cable off mine twice...both times going into 3rd on the interstate. Its not fun towing an AWD stuck in gear. I finally re-installed the factory shift and haven't looked back. I also highly recommend lighter wheels. You can easily shave 40lbs off rotating mass by going with a wheel thats 10lbs lighter. Stle and a boost in performance.
Old comment here, but for anyone wondering, the smallest possible wheels you can fit without going custom are going to be 17x8's with a +45 or +55 offset. And the lightest alloys you'll find in that size (forged or not) are about 17.5 LBS. Stock wheels are 23.5 LBS. Definitely worth the swap, but there's no way you're saving 10LBS per wheel, even with Forged Magnesium wheels (which only go about as light as 16.25LBS and I WOULD NOT recommend for the street).
285s on 9.5" wheel? Goodness.
I have 275s on a 9.5" wheel now. Doesn't look out of place.
Surprised no mention of an intake
Best "budget" brake upgrade is a decent set of blank rotors and Hawk Street Performance 5.0 brake pads... You'll slam into your steering wheel the first time you brake hard and not expecting it.
...how do those work when temps dip in to the 20s-30s *F? I'd hate to have to change pads every April and October...I find myself pumping the brakes on my '19 base to firm up the pedal and get more friction.
isnt unequal length headers kinda counterintuitive for the twin scroll?
Yes
You will lose power and requires a paid pro-tune. So you are literally paying more money on a newer car to go to a older sound for less power. But people still do this.
@@wyvern3525 pro tune regardless of header type is always better than off the shelf tunes smh
the FA20 comes with equal length headers stock so that was wrong
@@romariosmith422 if you keep the stock equal length headers you don't need a OTS or pro tune... also the cobb AP doesn't have a OTS unequal length header map. I am not talking about pro tune vs OTS I am talking about throwing on equal length headers on the stock tune or an OTS map that is designed for ELH because doing that would damage the car.
that car at 8:24 is a pandora wrx rc car 🤣 i know this because i just got mine from japan
You are correct sir! Our video editor is a huge Subaru fan, and clearly likes leaving easter eggs. 😂
Lmao did he just say the EJ can be tuned past 450hp and take it's beatings. LOL.
Everyone knows they can handle 1000hp on stock block and the 5 speed can easily hold that power
Proud to say I have the loudest wrx in town Karen does not approve the down pipe helped a lot for anybody looking to make there wrx sound a lot better my car has a Perrin high flow cat down pipe resonator delete and quad exit blast pipes no mufflers sounds amazing and makes gunshots between shifts
😂🙌👍
I love this video. Actually some of the information is right on but as for engine parts breaking down, the bearing's on my fa20 just got destroyed (at 44k miles) and I didn't hit 300hp. I do have a custom tune and it's fully moded so I'm sure that had something to do with it. By the way, I have videos covering it all on my channel if you want to see what I have done. But to fix destroying my bearings I ended up buying an entirely new stage 1 short block from IAG performance. It's going in this weekend and I can't wait to keep driving my boxer.
what would you recommend to avoid the bearings getting destroyed?
@@rayhonchoudhry6524 after getting my engine replaced and retuned I found that my aftermarket no-named intercooler was to blame. My best advice is to get all name brand products that have been fully tested and that you know for sure work with your make and model. I changed my intercooler to a GrimmSpeed intercooler and it made a world of difference. The reason the bearing was smashed was because of internal over heating caused by a crappy intercooler.
I have a 2016 WRX and you are correct. TOB already failing at 34K miles. I am looking at either the Exedy Stage 1 or ACT street clutch. From what I hear the ACT throw out bearing is no good either, is that really the case? I would really like to get ahead of this and not have to deal with it in the future. Thanks a lot
Hey Chris, both brands are solid and have a good reputation, and are geared towards performance. Haven't heard anything bad about the ACT throw out bearing, so can't say anything specific about that, other than I'd be surprised if it was as weak as OEM. We can get you a good deal on either clutch, and we have other brands as well, including McLeod and Action clutch. Contact us at www.motoroso.com on live chat, or call us toll free at 833.MOTOROSO and we'll get you taken care of.
Well it started with a cricket noise coming from throw out bearing and a new clutch later
alex is jacked
Its already been said lol. Air oil seperstor fmic and i would say some aero(track purposes not really for street) but cool vid ty!
This is awesome, thank you!
You’re welcome! Let us know if we can help out with your mods!
@@Motoroso I will take you up on that! I'm in the process of buying a 2017 WRX, I'll be happy with it stock but am aware of the issues that come with them so just looking for preventative maintenance mods. (:
@@roseimperiale820 oil catch can is a good idea then, and be prepared to see that throw out bearing issue.
I feel like ejs have more problems holding lower then the fa20 seen this platform go well above 380s with stock internals
With FA's the real problem is TQ. Too much torque over 350 in lower rpms is what I've seen the most!
@@YouBeTrollin91 torque is usually what breaks internals, some people even tune to having higher hp and less tq to save internals life
@@YouBeTrollin91 this is why boosted FA20s in the 86/BRZ can do 400 way more reliably than the FA20DIT in the WRX. At 400hp a boosted 86/BRZ on Flex at way higher compression but only 10-11psi I don't think is making as much torque as a stock FA20DIT in a WRX.
Kinda funny I find this video today not long after I decided I want to get a wrx that I’m hoping to get soon but ima have to keep those mods in mind when I fully pay the car off😂
So 350hp means boom boom right? What if I make 349hp??
349hp you are perfectly safe....no need to worry...
You forgot about a flex fuel kit. Probably the best bang for your buck performance wise. 🌽
Thats because they don't sell the flex fuel kit so they didnt list it lol
You're right, that's a great mod, and for those that don't mind hunting down E85, it's great bang for the buck.
@@ThatWrxGuyy COBB makes the most popular flex fuel kit for the WRX, and no we don't sell COBB. But we do recommend COBB products twice in this video, and in other videos we've made, despite not selling their products. That doesn't hold us back from making a recommendation. COBB will not make us an authorized dealer because we don't have a physical brick and mortar retail shop. Unfortunate, because we'd love to sell their products.
@@Motoroso I wasnt trying to undermine you guys. I was simply trolling by lol
A great video. 👍
me personally if your gonna do any upgrades to the engine get an air oil separator
I didnt know Alex Adams does yk as well
Is that 350whp when rods and bearings start to fail?
I definitely need to upgrade my suspension car gets loose I don’t like that feeling. I’m pushing 380 to the wheels pro tuned on my 2016 WRX Limited. I will look at the stuff on the website
what do you have done?
kevin sanchez Ets intake
Ets front mount intercooler
Ets j pipe with high flow cat
Ets 3” turbo back exhaust with resonator
Perrin equal length header
Seamspeed 71+ turbo
Turbo smart hybrid bypass valve
Aluminati tgv deletes
Cobb flex fuel sensor and flex fuel kit
Aem 320 fuel pump
Nostrum high pressure fuel pump not installed yet
Cobb 3 port boost controller
Perrin shift lock out plate
Perrin brass shift bushings
Perrin aos not installed yet
Bommba short throw shifter
Cusco Strut Tower brace
E60 tune by drunkman tunning at psi performance in pa
Hey David, awesome! We are an authorized dealer for KW Suspension, BC Racing, Whiteline and many other great brands! Not all of the products we sell are listed on our website yet. We'd love to help you get set up with suspension mods like coilovers, sway bars, etc. Feel free to reach out anytime, live chat at www.motoroso.com, or toll free at 1.833.MOTOROSO (1.833.668.6767).
"its known to start breaking rods and bearings" when going beyond its limits..yeah every builder knows this...or learns this with any engine they modify
2 things fa 20 comes with equal length headers and sounds like a honda also uel headers decrease horsepower but a little but
to go UEL you'd want to completely replace the turbo with a non-twin scroll design as well.
@Motoroso Hi! I just got a 2021 WRX STI base model. I only plan to do some basic mods that don’t void the warranty. From what I’ve researched so far I can do headers, exhaust, pro-tune and I think maybe a cold air intake. I could be wrong. I’d love to get some more in depth information from you to help me make the right choices. Thank you in advance!!
Hey Dr. J, yessir we'd love to help! Feel free to reach out on live chat at motoroso.com or call toll free at 833.668.6767 (833.MOTOROSO).
Hey Jordan, looks like you live chatted us after hours, sorry to have missed you! We are here to help with your questions between 9-5 PST, please don't hesitate to reach out again. Phone might even be better because there's a lot to talk through with all the different mods you're asking about. Toll free is 833.668.6767.
anyone know where i can find the white thumbnail car?
I don't plan on doing any engine mods to my Subaru WRX mostly new rims tires 2 inch lift a roof rack STI wing rally bar lights bumper and a light bar what should I do preemptively before something goes
Lift?!?! Yuk
The biggest, and best, mod you can do for your car is change your old maintenance habits from owning other car brands and *FOLLOW THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE!*
Why they tryin to say 10k miles for oil changes on my wrx? Still haven’t waited that long..
Ace625 A - Read the manual. It will tell you 6k. I do every 3k with Amsoil
I do every 3k. Fresh oil means better lubrication
What body kit is on the thumbnail for the video
What body kit is on the car in the thumbnail ?
Any upgrades for improving wrx fuel economy? Any help will be appreciated 😉
Hey Jerin, there's not a whole ton of options on that front, but one way to get better fuel economy would be to have a custom tune made to specifically de-tune and optimize fuel efficiency and run that tune for your commute and long distance trips. You can then have a more high-performance tune for when you want the car to be more fun to drive. This isn't the question we usually get, but I hope that's helpful.
@@Motoroso Thank you so much! I always wanted to use wrx for long trips.
One of two ways to do this - 1. Drive it so you don't ever really work the turbo, leave the mutli-function display showing only the gigantic red boost gauge and monitor the PSI so it's always (-) digits as opposed to (+) digits (basically you feather the gas pedal everywhere you go and won't make real use of how a WRX "should" be driven) or 2. Buy a Cobb AccessPORT and leave it in the "Economy Mode" Map and you will see an increase in MPG - this Map never crosses my mind (bc I do not worry about improving fuel economy, it's a WRX!) but even without an AP you can still get 29.7 mpg if you try hard enough, which I have done before.
@@xr9981 A agree with XR, my 19 base is managing roughly 26.5 mpg since the last oil change 2k miles ago and that’s daily driving... if I drive it “slowly” by shifting at or under 3000 rpms the mileage will get even better, closer to 30mpg usually. The more boost you use the more gas you use. Tire pressure is also important for this car
Yeah buy NA impreza...
Not me considering everything in this video when I don’t even have a wrx yet😭😭
Same. Im not even out of school yet lmao
Actually true about the throw out bearing. Mine went out at 15k. No worries as it was under warranty but still pretty shocking.
Sorry to hear that happened to you too! Glad you got it sorted out under warranty!
@@koryw8395 can you do the exhaust and still have warranty?
I'm at 46k and mine has been replaced 4 times. I finally got subaru of America involved and they got me hooked up and we finally found out the reason mine kept on going on. Totally bull shit on why it kept failing but now I know, and it wasn't my fault it was the pressure plate f everything up. They said mine was basically junk from the factory. I pick mine up Monday again. I miss her
@@danieljarrett3783 yes. You can either do an axle back, cat back or depending on your dealer and your relationship with them a down pipe. Just feel them out and go from there. If I was you get, a axle back frist from nameless they are great sounding and if you like it you can add to it with another pipe and make it a catback, then to a j pipe. But that's just me. Im modded and my dealer doesn't care cause they are mod friendly and they know how I treat my car. But some dealers are dicks. Good luck
@@danieljarrett3783 Subaru sucks in that regard. They will find any excuse to void warranty. Legally speaking, they have to honor the warranty with any mods. They have to be able to PROVE the mod caused whatever failure. So if you have a 76mm turbo and blow a rod, you're screwed. If you have a few bolt ons and a tune, never race it, never hard launch it and the radio goes out? Yeah, they have to honor that.
Okay so if you're talking about FA20 this is the first video I've watched saying you CAN use Unequal or equal length headers. I thought you cant run UEL with twin scroll turbo which the FA20 has. My 2019 WRX came with equal length and i really would love that rumble, I'm not out there to race so idc about performance as much. But if its going to damage things long term then I wont do it, can anyone shed some light on this ?
UEL will NOT damage things inherently, but it DOES require a tune because the exhaust pulses change. Yes, you lose some of the benefit of a twin scroll, so the turbo will take slightly longer to spin up. Only one company makes an UEL. Free up the turbo inlet and downpipe and you probably won't notice any change in turbo spool. People have ran the UEL for 50k miles with no problem at this point.
@@Milehighsnake98 Cool thanks for the insight! much appreciated
Alex, stumbled across your channel, killed it with that Karen comment. I tip my hat to you good sir, WRX owner for over 2 years, met with many enthusiasts and friends. I average about 333 puppies, all modifications myself, and looking to increase for a minute. Your Type-A approach and straight-forwardness speaks my language, thank you for creating this channel and providing input.
Thanks for that feedback Orlando! Let us know if we can help with any of your mods!
finally some non cringy car humor for once...
I wish you zoomed in on the products instead of a small picture.
KID, GO ON GOOGLE AND FUXKING TYPE IN THE ITEM AND ZOOM IN ON IT PLEASE
@@murdock3829 good answer! God why didn’t I think of that? No wonder this video and channel has such poor views, followers, and content.
@@alcam4226 That was not a response from us at Motoroso, we don't talk to people that way. Good idea on providing larger images, we'll look at doing that in future videos. Thanks for the feedback.
Wait am I the only person that caught the unequal length header thing fa20s don’t have unequal length
haha, yea I noticed that. The FA20's definitely come with equal length headers, as it's better for efficiency and power.
What is the difference between the 2015 and 2015+
2015+ just means 2015 to current :-)
what can I upgrade on my 18 wrx without voiding the warranty?
First, I'll say that any given mod doesn't necessarily/usually void the whole warranty. For example, if you upgrade the suspension to coilovers, you'll void your suspension warranty, but this shouldn't affect warranty coverage of the engine. Most people are worried most about the engine, because of the cost. So, you can usually upgrade the intake and exhaust without too much trouble from your dealership when it comes to warranty issues, but beyond that, no real power mods that won't affect warranty. We really like "throttle modules" like the pedal commander, because it feels like it wakes up the engine a lot more, but no warranty implications. When it comes to suspension, you can do sway bars without affecting warranty. You can also usually replace brake rotors and pads without voiding the warranty, but if you get into the brake lines tat may affect the warranty on the calipers. Upgraded wheels won't affect your warranty. And better tires won't either, and that's a really big one for performance! We can help with all this and more, feel free to reach us on live chat at www.motoroso.com, or call us toll free at 833.668.6767. Everything I've said above is just from general experience. You should always read your warranty paperwork, and a lot of the actual final say comes down to how cool your dealer service department is. You might wanna call them and tell them the mods you're trying to do and see how cool they are about it all. If they're jerks, find a different service center that's more "enthusiast friendly".
There's two answers. Motoroso is wrong though. If you upgrade the suspension, it does not void the suspension warranty. If you upgrade the engine, you don't void the engine warranty. Modifications do not instantly void the warranty.
So #1: The manufacturer has to prove the modification causes the failure in order to deny a warranty claim. Put a cold air intake and tune on a stock car and the engine blows because the oil pump fails? Yeah, they can't void the warranty for that. Hell, you could have a full blown aftermarket turbo, fuel system, etc. and if the oil pump fails, they still have to replace it.
#2. Subaru freaking sucks. They will find any reason to try to void a warranty. A friend had to sue Subaru over his failure. He had an 07 STi...a lot of suspension work. On a road trip, the right rear hub caught fire. They tried to blame his coilovers. His alignment was in spec. He had an engine failure because of an stupid oil bypass valve that instead of bypassing the filter, dumps all the oil on the ground. He proved that in court too and they had to buy him a new engine. SPT exhaust, Cobb intake and tune was all he had done to the engine. If you have any mods and don't have a mod-friendly dealer, just retain a lawyer familiar with Subaru.
It's called the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act.
Can I just say the brakes are absolutely hot garbage on this car
HAHA! You can absolutely say that dude, this is a safe space 😂 We recommend www.motoroso.com/p/1088104-stoptech-83843470071-stoptech-big-brake-kit-fits-15-wrx?lid=1735233
285 tire? 😳
285 is way to wide for a 9.5 wheel. 255 for the balance in looks and 265 for performance and no less then 235 for the stretch look.
@@axeya366 lmaoooo ikr?! In what world does someone recommend a 285 tire on 9.5 for the VA chassis 😂.
way too much. I'm running 255 on a 18x9.5
@@UA-camLovesCowards that is perfection in comfort and performance.
A year later but i had to scroll for this comment. I knew someone would say something.
My TOB went out at 25,000 and SOA didn't cover it even though it was still under warranty :/
Allen Martin Sollano that’s a real bummer! Sorry to hear that.
but I don't wanna pay 1000 dollaridoos on an access port 😔 can't I just use a obd tool/app for monitoring and engine codes ?
Cobb access is like $650
But ya get what ya pay for so when it comes to vehicles it's generally worth the extra cash
@@corybailey1499 not in aus in fact more, I couldn't find the 002 model anywhere I recently found one place and they are selling it for nearly $1400 🥲
I wish you could just reflash the us version 😒
Better tires
I'm new to imports i just bought a 19 wrx ,so I have millions if stupid questions lol
No such thing here dude. Let's start with the first 5 out of 1,000,000! here to help.
@@Motoroso is a oil separator a absolutely must have on my 2019 wrx ??
@@Motoroso is my motor a sa 20 and if so what does that mean ??
@@Motoroso also regarding AT tires i live in Minnesota it snows alot here and I haven't owned a car since I was 16 years old can you give me some recommendations on good year round tires currently no snow covered roads yet so havent got test the tires yet
@@DD-mg9rf No, the motors in the 2015+ WRX are an FA20, and it's just an engine code. All motor manufacturers use a code system to ID their motors, like Ford calling the 5.0L a Coyote, and BMW N54, N54, etc, etc... It's just a way of making sure you're talking about the right engine.
Blowing the engine after 350hp??? Okay sure totally cause people who are pushing 400whp seem to be doing just fine for thousands of miles
I'm at 390 holding it there just fine... its the wtq that doesnt hold the best my wtq is at 360
I think people go into the misconception of magical numbers where engines grenade or dont when in reality its a lot of factors like tuner, quality mods, maintenance, driving, fueling etc. That determine how long your stock block will last.
Christopher Mendoza what about the clutch I’ve never heard of that 😅
@@kthomas_808 im still on the stock clutch
Christopher Mendoza okay I was like I never heard of that lol
Clutch went at 30k miles
Mine at 10k
Funny he did not mention the Cobb Accessport. My 2015 WRX was almost undriveable in stock tune. The stock turbo boost setpoint was set way too high at low RPM, which meant that if the turbo was spooled up the car took off like crazy but if not there was no power. This meant the throttle input had no relation to the power output at low rpm which is most of the time you are driving. Combine that to a manual transmission and it was hell. After installing the Cobb tune using the Accessport the problem was totally solved and the car has been trouble free for 5+ years.
Andrew Soddy 5:45
Any issues with the Subaru warranty having the stage 1 Cobb access port? I would love to buy one but still have 6 years left of warranty so I’m nervous to lose the warranty protection that isn’t cheap. Any advice? Just want to do stage 1 and not add any power at this point.
@@clintonross1649 Generally any sort of ECU flash will have negative warranty implications. But you can always flash back to stock, and it's difficult for the dealer service centers to detect.
@@clintonross1649 Subaru will void your warranty for looking at the car. Their warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on to begin with. They will do it with no modifications. I'm fighting them now.
Legally, they CAN NOT void a warranty just for the presence of a modification. But they try anyways because most people don't push back.
Yes, you can uninstall the Cobb...they can tell it was there anyways. They just have to legally prove that the modification caused the failure.
I love you guys, sponsor me 🥺
I just dropped 17k on my 2015 wrx engine and about to re-wrap it and bag it.
😂 I’m already Momos model car for their catania wheels 🥺 luv u byee
im sorry i have to say this, if your explaining under steer there is no chance that person knows what an apex is
Flex fuel!
Flex fuel. And...
Flex fuel
You keep using that word "reliable" idk if you know what it means🤣
Affordable and reliable power? Uuhh. Who is he lying to? Lol
I hate douchey sales pitches.
Lost me at reliable power. lol. Buy a Golf R. EA888 engine much more tunable.
But then you have a POS Golf.
🤣Bitter JDM boy@@Milehighsnake98
@@deanmarr785 That's the dumbest statement you could possibly make. Seriously. I'd buy a golf for my kid, it's a good beginners car, but they are money pits. No self-respecting enthusiast would buy a hatchback of the quintessential girls car, the Jetta.
@@Milehighsnake98 It's my daily. Not my track car. Run along now subie boy. Your vape is empty. I've owned 5 Golfs in my life. GFY. From the legendary 1.8T to the VR6 to the EA888. Spare me your VW hate.
@@deanmarr785 Did I hurt your feelings? There's more vape pens in hatchback Jettas than anything else. Of course those guys typically wear skirts too. Let me know when two of those turds can make 4 digit power on the street. Mine can. And it's not a subaru.
You could spend all this money and spend all this time doing these part replacements or you could just buy a better car to begin with. Lol
Yeah lemme buy a car that I won’t like as much because it’s “better” lol….. people go this route because they love WRXs like myself and then mod them…
No matter mods you do, always remember...
It's still a piece of junk lez-mobile.
I would stick to stricly professional car talk, you may think your comedy is cute but it is offensive, lowers your credibility very quickly
Daniel Lanzotti getting offended is a choice.
@@jaschlit lol
I’m not offended, thought it was funny. How about going and find someone else to watch?
@@daniellanzotti2391 it was the Karen joke wasn't it? Karens always get hung up on that one