Subaru WRX

When we last left off our Subaru boasted 219.7 horsepower and 222.4 lbs-ft of torque. Our bolt-on components at this point consisted of an array of XS Engineering parts. We started off with an air intake, exhaust and APEXi S-AFC then installed the company's off road front and mid down-pipes as well as upping the boost to a max boost pressure of 15 psi with the use of an APEXi AVC-R.

The EngineAs we stated at the end of our Part II segment, detonation was audible which put an end to any further dyno testing until we could drop the intake temperature. Before that, all the horsepower was made utilizing the factory air-to-air intercooler.

Performance ComponentsFor our third at bat our arsenal consisted of a two-part power page. Seeing how the vehicle is new of 2002 parts availability is still an issue. Although we only have two parts in this segment the two power adders will play a key issue in future chapter of this power page WRX. First we added an XS front mount intercooler as well as an XS built IHI turbo.

At the end of our last session the detention told us that we were on the borderline of power or breakage if we didn't swap out the OEM intercooler. The main reason we pointed the finger towards the intercooler was because the longer we cooled the car down the more detonation disappeared. We enlisted the help of an XS intercooler as well as their piping kit for the WRX. The intercooler is 3x18x10-inches in size while piping comes in a 2.25-inch diameter. Since the factory intercooler housed the OE blow off valve this required the XS intercooler kit to utilize an aftermarket unit. The mild steel piping is powder coated and all clamps and silicone connectors are provided.

The IHI turbo mimics the same design as the WRC Subaru minus the restricter plate. Additional hoses, clamps and gaskets are included with the turbo as well as a new upper pipe to accommodate the larger outlet on the new unit. The turbo's main objective is to produce a healthier mid range with out sacrificing much horsepower on the top end. XS Engineering has also informed us that there is a larger unit on its way that will be released in April.