I recently purchased a WRX and would like to know what I should be looking at in terms of modifications. My brother and I spent a day in the montains today and also a brother's day out since we hardly see each other and I learned alot about my car. I feel that there is too much body roll and tires are not the best traction. I would first like to make the WRX handle better, stick to the roads, etc ... tries, suspensions, sturt bars, etc? Which should I do first ... I would like to start on a project which may take a while but something to look forward to each day. I would like to car the handle better than faster so I would like the handling modifications first ... I can always make the car go faster in a straight line later. Please commend specific parts and model number so I can look it up. Thanks.

go check out the cobbtuning.com web-site...
you'll find the best-quality parts out there,and a nice feature
is that they sell performance packages...
i.e: strut bars+shocks+sway bars,or you can buy part by part...
costs a little bit more,but you have very good quality!!!:alien:

I would say do tires first. That will be one thing that makes a huge difference. And never underestimate the value of a good alignment. Factory alignment can vary way too much.

Then it would be based on what you would prefer. I would do a rear sway bar and then strut bar (espec if you got a wagon). Then go with the suspension of your choice, there are ALOT of them out there.

Personally, I hate doing things halfway, so I will be waiting on suspension until I can afford the DMS Gold set (40mm).


Good luck !

It seems that the tires need to go first. How wide can I get on stock rims on the WRX ... they come with 205/55/16 and I wanted to go to 215/50/16 but that doesn't seem like a regular size? The 17 rims version on the WRX is 225/45/17 I think ... so does that mean I can go 225/X/16 also? I was looking at the RE950, any other good suggestions? Thanks.

225 is too wide for the stock wheels. While you decide on which tires to get, try putting some more air in your tires. 6 to 8 additional psi over the factory recommended pressure at each tire will make a big difference even with the crappy RE92s.

225/50/16 is not too wide for the stock rims! I've had this size on for over 2000 miles and the only affect has been Greatly Improved Handling. Same diameter as stock tires only wider. I posted pics on how they look on stock rims last week. They are BFG KDW series. If I recall it was in WRX non-tech. look for a thread called "225/50/16 I need pics" or some such thing.


Later

225 tires will fit.
its questionable though wether they would perform better than the same tire at 205 or 215 width.

a wide tire on a not so wide rim leads to more sidewall flex which is bad, and can sometimes have more negative effect than you get benefit from the extra width.

I thought that if the stock tires are 205/55/16 then if I wanted a wider tire then I must go to 215/50/16 or 225/45/16 .... basically dropping the first number by 10 and the second number by 5 to keep all the ratios the same? Isn't that true? So as with the suggested post above, if I use 215/55/16, 225/50/16, or 225/55/16 it would ride too high? Please explain. Thanks.

wider tires aren't a simple answer to a difficult question.

if you go all season, wider tires will take you down in the snow.

I'd first try better tires in same size ( do a search on I Club for what people recommend).

I'm going to get either Dunlop 5000 or Yokohama dbs in 205 55 16 as soon as I can spring the $ 400.+ for either.

Ive got a wagon...a sway bar (sedan size) is in the mail...my first suspension mod

Again, 225 is too wide for the stock rims. Most tire manufacturers recommend a wheel between 7" and 8.5" in width for a 225 tire, with a 7.5" or 8" wheel being the optimal width. Sure, a 225 tire will fit on a 6.5" wheel, but you will not get the best performance from that tire in terms of sidewall flex or maximum contact patch, which after all are some of the main reasons for going with a wider and lower profile tire. It's your choice, but I would defer to the people who make the tires on this one. I think they know best! :)

Again I think your missing the point! The tire does fit the stock rim and it does work better than the standard size. that was the man's question. I think we're all smart enough to realize that a wider rim will work better, yes and a 17" or 18" rim is even better still. but I guess only someone with a deep need to feel accepted is going to dazzle everyone by quoting manufacturer's specs. But for the record after a lifetime of building and driving race cars (I'm 41 and drove my first race car at 13)on both dirt and asphalt, in a straight line and around corners, you don't win if your home reading some brochure and the other guys are out testing. Ask Rhys Millin why he ran BFG Drag Radials at the Pike's Peak hillclimb, I don't think he figured it out from some ad. One last thing, sometimes stepping down to a skinnier rim can some times improve tire performance especially in real world driving conditions like all the "well maintained" public roads we travel everyday.

The fact is that he would be better served by a 215 tire at the max on the stock rim. I can guarantee that the same exact brand of 215 tire will perform better than a 225 tire on the stock wheels. The statement referring to the tire manufacturers was not from some TV ad or kid reading a brochure, but to back up my point, as there are many people on here who tend to pull statements out of their a$$.

"sometimes stepping down to a skinnier rim can some times improve tire performance especially in real world driving conditions like all the "well maintained" public roads we travel everyday."

You may choose to think that absorption of road imperfections from sidewall flex is improved tire performance, because that's what your supposed 28 years of race driving experience tell you, :lol: :lol: :lol: but I'll just disagree. Now I'm done with this thread, as I don't need to sit here and drop irrelevant names or argue with the allmighty king of racing in order to feel accepted. :monkey:

Thats "Mr." Almighty King!
And next time could you please remember to use proper upper and lower case in my title!

I though the same way about 215 than the 225 ones. Then my choices are either 205/55/16 or 215/50/16? I was looking at the RE950 however someone said it would be the same tire was the RE92 in handling and other factors. I beg to differ but what do I really know. What are some other great handling tires? Thanks.

new tires for sure....they 92s suck ass.....exhaust, hks has a really nice one - carbon fiber / titanium.....suspension, can't go wrong with STi or Tien.....try some of the sites here:

www.revolutionmotorsports.com
www.cobbtuning.com
www.optauto.com
www.vividracing.com

Yeah I was looking at the RE950, RE730, SO3, and SE50EP. The later of the four seems to only last a year+ while the RE950 seem to be the best deal. I'm getting a good deal since I'm going to trade in my RE92 for credit towards the RE950 or whatever I get at this local shop. I also know that they would be better RACING tires but I really don't want to switch tires in a year +/-. Anybody have any experience with the RE950 on their WRX ... or even any of the others? Thanks.

I also forgot to ask about installing an audio system in my WRX. I will under a new topic if no one answers. Can the factory headunit in the WRX handle an after market amplifier? I would like to use the factory headunit but connect an amp and sub. Please let me know, I really don't wanna buy a new headunit especially since the factory one works fine. What modifications would I need to get the factory headunit to work with after market components? Thanks.