Help me

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
What year is your STi?
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
HKS, and Invidia have some really good exhaust systems.
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
As far as the intake goes... What power goals, what turbo and what other engine mods do you have done. I ask because there are many different types with different diameters, all of which will require a tune and all of which are ideal for different setups.

In just about every cases where you are not maxing out the MAF, the stock setup is the best and need not be changed.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Holy is spot on about the intake. Also, consider deleting your intake silencer and either
leaving the box open or getting the intake silencer delete elbow. I did a brief search online
and didn't find any 2013 specific pieces. Idk if companies haven't built them yet for the 2013
or what, because I see a bunch of them for 02-09.
The performance gain from this is negligible at best, but there is definitely more turbo spooling
sound and you can hear the factory BPV dump back into the turbo inlet. It seemed to me that
when my STi was stock, I couldn't hear the valve dump boost unless the windows were up with
no music on...lol
Whatever you do, don't throw away your plastic intake snorkel that draws air from the edge of
the hood. One day it may come in handy.
 

Cheyennajandro

New member
Right now, I'm all stock. Power goals are in the 600 to 700 whp range. That's gonna be awhile from now though. Haha. The first couple of mods I want is gonna be a full catback exhaust, intake, bigger fuel injectors and most likely a meth injection kit. Cobb Tuning is down the road from me. I'm going for a build that'll be high torque. I'm going for fast spool rate and quick acceleration. I want agility. That's the best way for me to describe what I want. Teach me how to STi.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Never do I want to be a downer, but if 600-700whp is your goal, I hope you're wiping your rear end with 100 dollar bills.
You'll end up needing a purpose built race block. Our motors tend to have the case halves crack around 600whp and
a sleeved motor is not always as reliable as advertised. Furthermore, a 450-500whp STi is pretty stupid fast. :D
Either way, being that you are looking to make big power, I'd recommend spending a lot of time researching your parts.
There are few things that are as disappointing as spending big money on aftermarket parts.....twice.....because the first
set of mods no longer supports the end power goal.

I highly suggest looking at these threads:

http://www.igotasti.com/vBforum/showthread.php?3356-The-Exhaust-Downpipe-and-Manifold-Thread.
http://www.igotasti.com/vBforum/showthread.php?3363-Exhaust-Design-and-Theory.

Some downpipes for example, are listed as a 3" piece, but actually have a section where they may neck
down to 2.5". I won't go into fluid flow dynamics too much, but basically even a small necked down section
can have a dramatic negative effect on flow.

Also, when choosing a downpipe, think long and hard about what turbo you will choose in the future. Some
downpipes only fit one style of turbo and the options only get more extensive when you are looking at rotated
setups, internally or externally gated turbos w/ or w/o a bellmouth connection, etc. etc.

Once you figure some of this out, we can help point you in a better direction.

For reference, I have the Cobb SS 3" catback and I am very happy with it, while on the other hand I would NOT
suggest a Cobb downpipe as their 3" dp is not 3" all the way through (2.5" taper) and it will restrict future power
growth.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Right now, I'm all stock. Power goals are in the 600 to 700 whp range. That's gonna be awhile from now though. Haha. The first couple of mods I want is gonna be a full catback exhaust, intake, bigger fuel injectors and most likely a meth injection kit. Cobb Tuning is down the road from me. I'm going for a build that'll be high torque. I'm going for fast spool rate and quick acceleration. I want agility. That's the best way for me to describe what I want. Teach me how to STi.


First, 600-700 whp is a LOT. Totally built everything, and from what I hear, you'll still have to replace motors regularly since you'll be breaking things. But assuming you can get to that power level, it will in no way spool quickly. But to even get to those power goals you'll be dropping tens of thousands to get it there I think, then tens more to keep it working.

My recommendation would be to get to the ~400whp range and see what you think. Those numbers are achievable without spending a large fortune, and is still a substantial amount of horsepower. Plus the engine will last much, much longer.

What do you think your TOTAL lifetime engine/power budget is going to be for this car? If we get a better idea of what you're looking to spend, we can try to steer you in the right direction.
 
Last edited:

Cheyennajandro

New member
I plan on spend lots of money. 20,000 is to be expected. With that being said, I see what you guys are saying about the high horespower thing. My friend told me that but I guess I wasn't understanding him. Haha. I read a lot about some exhaust not being true 3". That's what I want. I'm thinking about precision 6262 turbo. It's small and has a high spool rate.


I'm kind of a noob. Haha. I'll try to update you guys as I look up stuff.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 
If you're in a state with emission testing and if you plan on running off the Cobb Accessport then stick with a nice catted downpipe like Invidia. I have killer deals on these that you won't find better pricing on. As for the catback, if you're looking for something that sounds nice without being too loud you might check out the Invidia Q300 or the N1 Street. The Tomei Expreme is also an extremely nice catback but it's a few bucks. If you insist on an aftermarket intake I suggest the Cobb SF considering it doesn't have as many side effects as some of these other intakes on the market. Overall, switching to any cold air setup won't yield much in the form of power gains. If I can help you with pricing, shoot me a PM and I'll gladly assist and ensure our pricing won't be beaten.

-Jordan@DEFINED
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
600-700whp is something you better have some serious cash for as well as time and you would not be talking about just an exhaust and intake here. :) Any intake you get now is probably not going to be compatible with that goal. Your tuner will likely go Speed Density at that point. Also some of your other goals don't coincide with a 600+ plan because agility and quick spool is nothing you will get with a 600+ setup. Also the fuel you need to run at those numbers is usually not going to be pump gas. You're talking a full on build here. :tup:

You should think in terms of phases and my suggestion to you is to start with stage 2 first and see how you like it. Then consider a turbo upgrade later if more power is what you want or need. There are a lot of things you can do to get a good amount of power and performance now without draining your wallet. I might suggest a good 3" turbo back exhaust system and keep the stock intake setup. Do TGV deletes... TiC just posted about a really nice set of composite TGV deletes that eliminate the need or want for phenolic spacers which you would do if you modified the ones you have in the car currently. A fuel pump is a must and possibly even injectors. Then consider fuel... If you have e85 in your area, consider switching for an instant 30+ hp minimum. Finally a good stage 2 pro-tune from a !!!Reputable!!! tuner. The other thing you can consider for improving spool and flow of the turbo is to have it rebuilt and balanced with billet wheel. This will give you better spool than a stock turbo but then flow damn near close to a 20G. Also consider a larger Top-Mount Intercooler. Beyond that everything else should be fine and don't get caught in the hype about blow off valves and waste gates. These you would change only if you had a specific need to do so. Other than that they are a waste of money and a hindrance to performance on stage 2 and stage 2+ level cars.

Since you have a nice new car you should run your motor as long as you can before it pops or until you are really itching for more power. Later when you plan on starting your 600+ whp build, speak to your tuner for suggestions to get you to your final goal. (and then run it past us :lol:)
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
If you're in a state with emission testing and if you plan on running off the Cobb Accessport then stick with a nice catted downpipe like Invidia. I have killer deals on these that you won't find better pricing on. As for the catback, if you're looking for something that sounds nice without being too loud you might check out the Invidia Q300 or the N1 Street. The Tomei Expreme is also an extremely nice catback but it's a few bucks. If you insist on an aftermarket intake I suggest the Cobb SF considering it doesn't have as many side effects as some of these other intakes on the market. Overall, switching to any cold air setup won't yield much in the form of power gains. If I can help you with pricing, shoot me a PM and I'll gladly assist and ensure our pricing won't be beaten.

-Jordan@DEFINED

Cobb is usually the only aftermarket intake I ever suggest. For ones requiring a bigger MAF I usually recommend a nice KSTech 83mm. In any case I would almost always steer them away from the CAI and push them into a Short Ram / Cold Air Box setup. Cobb makes a really nice combination setup and something the OP can consider.
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
What everyone has said is spot on. With a power goal like that, nothing about your engine will be used. Nearly every part will have to be upgraded and a substantial cost involved. Pan, pump, block, rods, pistons, crank, heads, cams, bearings, gaskets, intake manifold, throttle body, fuel rails, injectors, turbo (big one), yada, yada, yada.

Another point no one hardly mentions is that your transmission will need to be beefed or replaced altogether. A very substantial clutch will be needed. Differentials and gears will need to be addressed. Axle shafts will most certainly need to be upgraded.

Cooling will become a serious issue. Oiling will be a serious issue. Even your tires will need more special attention.

Your new 35k dollar car just became a 70-90k dollar unreliable, purpose built vehicle. For that cash, I can pick up a gently used (insert car) that can pull sub 3.5, 0-60 rips and attain top speeds at close to 200 mph. Some of these autos may even handle fantastically on a track. And I'll betcha they are more reliable.

Just something more to consider. Rock on if you wanna go that route. If not, hammer us with more questions and I'm sure we'll be able to get you at any goal you wish.
 

Cheyennajandro

New member
Let's put my power goal at 500whp. I plan on doing ets front mount innercooler. I don't like it being on top of my hot ass engine. ETS 6262 turbo kit. I'm gonna stick to a full 3" catback exhaust, (still decided on what brand). I'm definitely getting an intake, (cobb most likely). Along with a new blow off valve. I do plan on rebuilding my engine and transmission. I plan on an E85 and 93 tune. I'll probably start with 1250cc injections and all the required components for a good fuel system. I live in Dallas so Jotech, AWDtuning, Cobbtunning, and Dallas performance are down the road. Of coarse a Cobb AccessPort. Pro tuners aren't an issue. I do plan on doing a full suspension build. Roll cage. 4 point harness. I'll try to think of more shit. :p

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
AWDTuning is a Vendor on the site. Hit Keith & Mary up. ;)
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Let's put my power goal at 500whp. I plan on doing ets front mount innercooler. I don't like it being on top of my hot ass engine. ETS 6262 turbo kit.

Just wondering why you must have a 6262 turbo. That will NOT spool quickly.

If you're looking at a more reasonable power level, GT30's and 35's should be more than
enough. In fact, you'll overall be happier if you properly build the motor AND HEADS and
then slap a 30 or 35 on there.

I won't go into too much detail, but when you build the motor, you can choose the compression
ratio you'd like (within reason). Go too high and you're forced to run race gas, too low and you
need butt tons of boost. Find the sweet spot and a moderately sized turbo paired with great
headwork and you'll make damn good power without needing a huge turbo AND you'll spool so
much faster.

A large TMIC can potentially be better than a FMIC, especially if you run e85 or 93 w/ methanol.
The boost and throttle response with a TMIC is so much better than a FMIC, which can lengthen
the time it takes to spool back up and reach peak boost. The TMIC also acts somewhat like
an additional intake plenum which helps with throttle response.

Take a look at a bunch of rally teams with STi's. Look at whether they run a TMIC or not and
what turbo size they have installed. The biggest TMIC's can support a GT3071/76 turbo.
 
Last edited:
Top