How to make a WRX faster? The Subaru WRX is a fantastic performer right out of the box. The most recent variant (models 2015+) has 268 horsepower. The STI model boasts 305 horsepower! The WRX can travel from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Not bad, but could it be better? Yes, of course! We don’t mean STOCK performance when we mention WRX performance.
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How To Make A Wrx Faster
We can enhance the horsepower of the WRX (either typical or STI) to over 400 with easy bolt-on items (bolt-on meaning you don’t have to take apart the actual block or heads). The automobile will be quicker than almost everything else on the road as a result of this. Of course, keep in mind that the car is a whole system. If you upgrade the engine, your suspension and brakes will become insufficient. You can picture where you’d wind up if you upgraded your engine and suspension but neglected your brakes.
Even engine adjustments must be coordinated. When installing a large turbo, your standard fuel injectors and fuel pump will struggle to keep up. If you fix it, the intercooler that worked so well with the factory turbo will not manage the extra heat load. This is how it goes.
Customers should make changes in tiny steps. It may seem enticing to spend a lot of money on a bunch of alterations all at once, but you may not like the automobile you end up with. Modifying the car in stages helps you have a sense of how it will be to live with it in its changed condition and allows you to undo a modification if it does not meet your requirements.
Take a look at the Intake and exhaust sections for particular items to look at first. Almost all of our clients modify their exhaust systems somehow, and lowering springs are one of our most popular items. Intakes with a higher flow rate are another inexpensive and effective adjustment that our clients like.
The Subaru Impreza WRX is a bargain in terms of performance: A quarter-mile pace of 13.5 seconds at 101 mph is faster than any other WRX STI we’ve driven, yet the basic WRX is approximately $10,000 less. We studied several claims that we could get even more power than the factory 265 horsepower and 244 pound-feet of torque with a few simple tweaks. Need to boost your car’s performance by decreasing the ride height and eliminating body roll? Check our Coilover section.
Isn’t it true that getting more air into the engine’s combustion chambers results in greater power? Right. The K&N Typhoon kit’s low-restriction conical air filter and straight intake tube delivered us a 17-hp boost at the wheels and a new shock of torque worth 21 pound-feet after a straightforward installation. The intake comes with a million-mile guarantee that is separate from the manufacturer warranty. The disadvantage is that it does not comply with California emissions regulations, and the increased intake of noise was disliked by the elderly in our workplace.
STEP 1:The Intake Trick
Isn’t it true that adding more air to the engine’s combustion chambers increases output? Right. After a simple installation, the K&N Typhoon kit’s low-restriction conical air filter and straight intake tube increased power by 17 horsepower and torque by 21 pound-feet. A million-mile guarantee is included with the intake, so installing it won’t affect your manufacturer warranty. Because of the increased intake noise and inability to fulfil California emissions regulations were unpopular with our elderly coworkers.
STEP 2: The Exhaust Tactic
After installing a Magnaflow exhaust, we felt very clever. It just required a few nuts and clamps to get the WRX to emit a pleasing burble at idle that wasn’t too loud. Torque rose by ten pound-feet, while power remained the same. The stainless-steel exhaust, like the intake, is guaranteed for life and will not violate the Subaru warranty.
STEP 3: But They Don’t Add Up
With the K&N Typhoon intake and Magnaflow exhaust on the dynamometer, we put our experimental vehicle through its paces (the numbers mentioned earlier were achieved with each performance piece installed solo on the WRX). The improved intake alone increased horsepower by 11 and torque by 20 pound-feet, but the combined effect was less than the modified intake alone. The increased airflow on both ends was too much for the OEM ECU to handle, so it stopped power just as the turbo hit maximum boost. ECU changes are necessary to get the intake and exhaust to function in unison.STEP
Step 4: Let’s Get Serious
So we had the engine modified to obtain even more power. Cobb Tuning’s AccessPort, which can entirely update the engine programme, was the reason we contacted. We then installed a Cobb downpipe with a high-flow catalytic converter to further loosen up the exhaust. The AccessPort connects to the OBD II port and stores the factory engine programming automatically. It also contains pre-programmed engine maps for different tuning levels, but none that consider an aftermarket intake. We received a $460 unique engine tune since Cobb claims there are too many variables for a single programme. Wheel horsepower rose by 57 to 266, torque increased by 68 pound-feet to 293, and the engine now sounds meaner than Sasquatch’s wife.
We replaced the factory Dunlop SP Sport 01 tyres with a pair of higher-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 tyres. The standard WRX’s understeer was reduced from 0.84 g to 0.87 g on the skidpad, resulting in a considerable decrease in understeer.
The dynamo testing, which took place at Speed Industry in Troy, Michigan, metric horsepower and torque at the wheels. After accounting for driveline losses, a conservative assessment suggests a 65-horsepower boost over the factory number of 265 for a total of 330 horsepower. At faster speeds, the power bump is most noticeable. Our WRX was 0.3 seconds faster to 60, clocking in at 4.4 seconds, and 0.4 seconds faster through the quarter-mile, clocking in at 13.1. However, the margin is 1.3 seconds at 100 mph, and the distance widens as you approach the 142-mph peak speed. So, for less than $4000, high-speed acceleration has increased to the point where it can shame any factory WRX STI.