'09 Impreza 2.5i...increasing performance???
- Thread starter nber84
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krazykarpenter
New member
Sad say that the 2.5i N/A comes with about as much horsepower you can get outta the little thing. The upgrades that will get you very little horsepower in my opinion are to expensive and minuet to be worth it.
The only upgrades that are worth it are suspension and tires upgrades to make it turn real good
The only upgrades that are worth it are suspension and tires upgrades to make it turn real good
2point5RS_Dan
HATER DAN
Tires, suspension, brakes. Only things worth doing.
Yes you can get intakes and headers and exhaust, but the investment vs gains aren't worth it IMO.
Figure out WHY you want to mod your car, and WHAT you want to do with it. Plans for autocross/rallycross/track days? Then there are some good supporting stuff you can do. If you're just going to commute to work and the store, some of them may not be worth it.
For me it is worth it to have a separate set of summer and winter tires, where as Krazykarpenter's fine with just all seasons due to his intended use.
Sway bars are cheap and will stiffen up your car for extreme cornering. Tires are infinitely important. etc etc.
You will not make the NA faster in a straight line reliably for a reasonable amount of money, and if try to, you might as well have bought a WRX with what you're going to spend. With that said, you can have a metric ton of fun with a stock non-turbo car; I've got nearly 5 years and 100+ pictures to back that up.
Yes you can get intakes and headers and exhaust, but the investment vs gains aren't worth it IMO.
Figure out WHY you want to mod your car, and WHAT you want to do with it. Plans for autocross/rallycross/track days? Then there are some good supporting stuff you can do. If you're just going to commute to work and the store, some of them may not be worth it.
For me it is worth it to have a separate set of summer and winter tires, where as Krazykarpenter's fine with just all seasons due to his intended use.
Sway bars are cheap and will stiffen up your car for extreme cornering. Tires are infinitely important. etc etc.
You will not make the NA faster in a straight line reliably for a reasonable amount of money, and if try to, you might as well have bought a WRX with what you're going to spend. With that said, you can have a metric ton of fun with a stock non-turbo car; I've got nearly 5 years and 100+ pictures to back that up.
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Gate4jg
New member
I say go nuts modding your car. Then when your ready to part it out, I will be there with my 08 2.5i and a check book .lol But being all serous now. I have been down that road and its disappointing. Here is a few things I found out.
1.) The engine is not made or worth squeezing more horse power out of.
2.) Used suspension parts are your best friend.
3.) A K&N drop is more than enough to help your car breath better.
4.) The car is never going to be a wrx. It might handle like one after some suspension mods. But get used to going no where in a hurry.
Right now my game plan for my car is to make it handle better. So in the future when I drop in a better engine it will be a good match with the upgraded suspension.
1.) The engine is not made or worth squeezing more horse power out of.
2.) Used suspension parts are your best friend.
3.) A K&N drop is more than enough to help your car breath better.
4.) The car is never going to be a wrx. It might handle like one after some suspension mods. But get used to going no where in a hurry.
Right now my game plan for my car is to make it handle better. So in the future when I drop in a better engine it will be a good match with the upgraded suspension.
MikeD
N/A All The Way!!
Joe makes a lot of good points and Dan knowns a lot of how to get the most out of your 2.5 car. A K&N is a cheap mod for under the hood. I was able to get my hands on a short ram in-take modified to fit my N/A engine and its pretty awesome. Used parts will change your car's handling characteristics in a hurry for not a lot of cash. Again, I was able to put in STi springs and a WRX rear sway bar for under $100 before the installation fees which I paid to some fellow members...the parts were bought off members as well.
Tires are also key, and probably where most of the money will go if you want to get some quality rubber. Keep in mind the areas you'll be driving though; I live on a long dirt road and in the summer spend a lot of time off tarmac at my camp, so some super gummy summer rubber doesn't make a lot of sense for someone like me.
Tires are also key, and probably where most of the money will go if you want to get some quality rubber. Keep in mind the areas you'll be driving though; I live on a long dirt road and in the summer spend a lot of time off tarmac at my camp, so some super gummy summer rubber doesn't make a lot of sense for someone like me.
that and rally armor mud flaps, plus the k&n will be a good start, and if you want handling, add wrx or sti swaybars
SubaruGeek
New member
I hate to disagree with everyone, But they are right in the fact that modding a N/A is going to be expensive if your trying to build 200+ horsepower. But it has been done. I prefer the sound and feel of a n/a. But i love them both. Turbos sound awesome and make more power for your buck. Im looking to build a autocross machine and am looking to do it with a n/a. But it will be expensive. Cosworth makes piston kits that can be used for n/a's (kinda like a min stroker), And Rallitek makes Ported and polished heads with stage2-3 cams. Pluse Rallitek offers ecu programers for n/a's up to '07 and are developing one for 08+. Injen Cold-air kit was in my eyes worth the buy for n/a b/c of the sound/performance gain and throttle gain. I was tempted to go with a turbo car for faster and cheaper power. But ask other people who have turbos, and ask them the one question we all fall victim to. When is there to much power and will there ever be enought power under our hoods? Either way your looking at spending some money. And most the time they equal out in the end. But yes, I would allways start with making sure your car can handle the power. Doing your swaybars allows more tire to touch the road during hard cornering, and redusces the body roll. If you buy a sway bar go with a adjusting rear so you can change it to fit your style and purpose. Lowering the car wth springs and coilovers allso aloows for better center of gravity, and more aggrsive take off. Tires are the most important due to the fact that they are to only thing between your car and the road. So going with a good rated and sticker tire you can assure that your car will grip and stay glued to the road. I would also suggest a wider tire. Also struts make a big difference if you choose to do springs vs coilovers. But in the end the only thing that counts is that your happy with the car, and enjoy doing what you do.