2018 Subaru WRX Build

[beerdrnkr]

Time for another build log. Traded in my truck a while back and decided to go with a WRX again. I previously had a 2015 WRX. I got a great deal on a used 2018 with only 300 miles on it. I've been working a lot on the interior, exterior, performance, and of course the audio.

So let's start with the exterior. I installed a grillecraft grille, cheap eBay front lip, tint, subispeed sequential taillights, some new emblems, debadged the rear factory emblems, and some new fog light bezels with DRLs.



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[beerdrnkr]

Next is the performance. I have the CVT version so there's definitely a limit on how much power I can add without having issues. I had a CVT Cooler installed, COBB turboback exhaust, COBB intake, Process West intercooler, COBB electronic boost solenoid control, and COBB accessport for tuning. I had the car tuned at Metro Performance of SoCal. Other items I have that are not yet installed are Process West charge pipe, EGR/TGV deletes.



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[beerdrnkr]

Next is the interior/audio. So the interiors on the WRXs look pretty cheap so I wanted to upgrade it quite a bit which includes removing as much faux carbon fiber and chrome as possible. I added a few bezels that were wrapped with leather and red stitching to also give it a better look. All interior lighting was upgraded, and I purchased a dash mat to help with reflections from the mids/tweets.

[beerdrnkr]

The audio consists of the following:
Pioneer NEX-2440 headunit

MiniDSP 8x12 processor

Arc Audio KS2500.1

Arc Audio XDi 1200.6 (tweets, midrange, and rear mids).

Arc Audio XDi 450.4 (bridged to midbass).

Hybrid Audio Unity U3 mids in the dash.

Hybrid Audio Clarus 6.5s in front doors.

Hybrid Audio Unity tweeters on a pillars.

Hybrid Audio Unity 6.5s in rear doors.
Sundown Audio SA-10 in ported box tuned to 32hz. IDMAX 12 is on standby!

A bunch of sound deadening was also applied since this car is a rattle machine.

[beerdrnkr]

It was pretty difficult to find a place to mount the controller for the MiniDSP, after some luck I found the perfect spot and it fit perfectly. It slid right in along some plastic slits so tightly that I didn't even have to glue it or anything, however I through on some hot glue anyway. Also found a great spot for the remote bass knob.

[beerdrnkr]

I had several wires running in the car that were pretty annoying to see so I wanted to clean that up a bit.

I added another dual USB input in the little cubby section under the AC controls with one being for the headunit USB (Android auto/flash drive) and the other being for the MiniDSP. So now i can just run a short USB to my laptop and tune the car without having to constantly have the wire in sight or running the wire to the front everytime.

I think it came out pretty good, I bought a spare piece that belonged to an sti, it looks to be the same but it doesn't sit perfectly flush, not a big deal but I might swap it out in the future with another piece and see if it fits a little better.

[beerdrnkr]

After hearing a few Sound Quality competitors vehicles recently, I've noticed that something I'm missing is dynamics and punch. I've decided to try out a couple of things to make the install more stealth as well as possibly helping with dynamics and punch.

First thing was trying out another sub setup, 3 Dayton Audio HO 10's sealed. I added the same amount of polyfill to each chamber to help make the enclosure seem larger. Definitely an improvement over the single 10 ported, the subs sound super clean and I have all the volume I'll need.

Secondly, I picked up an Arc Audio XDi 600.4 to replace the 450.4 and bridged those to my Clarus 6.5 midbass in the doors. I haven't had any time to tune or anything but I should have plenty of power for those as well. Also picked up a roll of foam to possibly help with some resonances in the doors. I haven't installed that yet.

Lastly, I wanted to make things a little more stealth with the tweeters and I wanted to match them more on access with the Unity mids in the dash. Now the tweets and mids are on access and I'm hoping will anchor the center stage better as well as provide some good dynamics. The tweeters of choice are the Dayton Audio ND16FA. I needed something fairly small to fit in the dash with the mids. Once again I haven't tuned anything yet but I'm hoping it works well.

I also wanted to experiment with another tweeter mounting position using the Hybrid Unity tweeters in their housing and just mounted on top of the dash grille. This won't be stealthy but I'm interested to see how they sound in this configuration. I'll try the Dayton's out for a bit and then swap them out.

[beerdrnkr]

And the 2nd tweeter setup.

[WRXMega]

Originally Posted by beerdrnkr

Time for another build log. Traded in my truck a while back and decided to go with a WRX again. I previously had a 2015 WRX. I got a great deal on a used 2018 with only 300 miles on it. I've been working a lot on the interior, exterior, performance, and of course the audio.

So let's start with the exterior. I installed a grillecraft grille, cheap eBay front lip, tint, subispeed sequential taillights, some new emblems, debadged the rear factory emblems, and some new fog light bezels with DRLs.



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Hey, you have done nice thing to the car! Can you please give me a link to the front lip you bought if you have it? I can’t seem to find the perfect one. Thanks!