WRX Audio and Performance Mods
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- čas přidán 23. 08. 2024
- The stock 2012 Subaru WRX was a great car, but when Subaru throws you lemons, you put them into a juicer and squeeze out a madhouse of a built engine. Too much money was spent, but I’ll run you through the changes I made with a full review video coming soon.
As always, feedback is welcomed. I'm a CZcamsr in training, so go
easy on me. Thanks for watching!
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“Altek” intro animation and video thumbnail by Gary Doodles.
“Altek” intro music by Tommy Sica
Thanks to Joey Sal from I The Fire for being an awesome guest
Props to Tray for helping with the edits and the driving shots
Equipment Used:
Video - Nikon D5600
Audio - Zoom H4N Pro
Video Editing Software - Adobe Premiere CC
Who am I?
I’ve been an IT guy for the last 15 years with a serious passion for tech and all things automotive. From motherboards to combustion engines, I find happiness in anything that powers on or throws you back in your seat with the fierceness of a Greek god.
Here from Scotty Kilmer. Glad I know about your channel now.
Thanks for the sub! Welcome to the channel bud!
Gaddamn Al! loving your content!
Thanks brother! Wish you could be a part of one of my videos!
There has not been a single bad video on this channel, love them!!!
Hah you're the man! Thanks bud, more to come.
This channel is life!Btw I have that head unit best bang for buck radio for sure
Hell yeah bro! Thanks! I wanted the higher end unit since the screen was capacative instead of resistive, but after a few winter's in NY, being able use it with gloves is great. You got good taste bud!
Thanks for plugging your tuner I live in fishkill and I wasn’t trying to drive forever for a good tuner
No problem, funny thing is, he's way far away from me but a good tuner is worth it. Happy to help buddy and thanks for watching.
“Honey be careful, that crazy man is driving like a lunatic in the parking lot again” lol another great vid bud.
2005 wrx was the 1first car i learned how to drive on. Phenomenal handling & decent power but would have “check engine” light come on every year & it would make the ride chug...
I love that amp install, very clean and low-key
Thanks! That was the goal, I don't like the look of a seat mounted amp in a hatch, and then I'd be concerned about tossing stuff in the back. If you want to go the route I did, make sure you size the amp properly. I was lucky with the JL, tiniest amp I've seen with all the features it offers. Thanks for watching bud.
First start off to say Happy 4th and I just subscribed on to your site. Part of the reason is due to Scotty Kilmer.. But main reason is that I straight up like it and relate to you with your cars...... 1988 Acura Integra m/t, 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT m/t, and 2011 Lincoln MKX..... all my toys. Keep up the good work. 👍
Happy 4th to you bud! I like your lineup as well, I was supposed to grab me a manual Legacy but it was a base model and the color wasn't what I was looking for. Nice that you have two manuals and an auto car too, it's always nice to take a break and do some lazy driving. Not the case with me these days since all my cars are currently stick. Glad you enjoy what I put together and the subscribe is much appreciated.
The first two cars I have I got those before I got married......hint hint!
Haha oh I get it! I don't think my Subaru would make it through a marriage unless I have way too much money
Came from Scotty, I live close to Newburgh so thought I’d sub
Thanks bud, appreciate the sub!
You could say you're the Ace of Bass.
Haha I'll take it! Thanks for watching as always bud.
our cars are almost identical, I bought my 2013 OBP hatch last year, I never worked on a car before prior to this car. After a few months I got a 22mm front and rear Sway bar professionally installed.
Then, I had always wanted a great audio system, so I decided to upgrade the speakers, headunit and add an 8 inch sub. Boy, that was such an ordeal and 6 months later I'm still not really finished with the process. I first replaced the speakers with some pretty cheap coaxials, installed a sony ax1000 and put the powered 8inch sub under my passenger seat. However, I really wasn't happy with it at all, so long story short, I've since replaced the front speakers with Kicker 46CSS674 components and the rear with cheaper Kick coaxials, then I replaced the powered 8 inch sub with dual 12" MTX terminators and added a Boss amp that's rated at 3700w but probably closer to half that power knowing Boss. the main issue I was having was the sound just being too bright, it would hurt my ears and now it's a lot better but still not perfect, I'm thinking about moving the tweeters down in the door somewhere. I've added tons of sound deadening to all the doors and just about everywhere I could. I'll take any advice to get the sound sounding better.
but more than audio my main motivation for the car was a good handling car, something that would stick to the road on the twists and turns and despite never working on a car before I decided to learn to install parts myself as it would be less than half the price compared to having it professionally installed. In the last 5-6 months, I've completely re-did most of the suspension and relating parts. I've installed Koni Yellow struts with RCE Black springs, installed all the after-market bushing kits, Whiteline roll center kit, Kartboy pitch stop, and short shifter, 4 Cusco frame braces. The car handles much better than it did stock, the stock handling was pretty bad. I still think I'll get an expensive coilover set down the line.
Next is the power, the cost for increasing power is quite expensive, so that will take longer. I've like to get to 300ish hp at the wheels, your 350hp is amazing
keep rocking, you have a good personality for the camera, a real natural
Thanks so much for the kind words bud! I've always wanted a way to get my personality out there, so this is what i'm trying. Glad to hear you like what i'm going for.
The sound system was quite the ordeal for me as well. I've always wanted everything powered by an amp but never wanted to go through the wiring and certainly didn't want to trust someone else to do it (or pay that much to have it done). It literally took me a total of 22 hours over an entire weekend, pulling everything apart, running wires, soldering and doing some makeshift work with hot glue to get things like the tweeters to stay in place. All in all, totally worth it and makes the driving experience that much better. I was worried about things getting a bit pitchy as you described, but that's why i like Infinity speakers, i find them to be a good balance of sound, especially with the component speakers. I'm a bit confused based on what you changed, are you now running a dedicated amp for all the speakers? It seems like you're only using the amp for the subs. You'll be able to get more of a crisp sound out of a dedicated amp, but it's also a lot of wiring since you have to run new speaker cable from each door to the amp, as well as additional RCA's from the head unit. A typical head unit does about 25w per channel, where an amp like what i'm using will do 100w per channel, granted that is peak power, you'll get a lot more clarity and control out of the speaker with the proper power going to it. I'm not too familiar with Kicker speakers, but i always avoided Pioneer and Sony because i felt like it was too much treble. I've used Infinity speakers in everything i've done, but even then, it's a fine balance of what the speaker recommends and what the device is pushing at it as far as wattage. You don't want to underpower or overpower the speaker really. You can hit me up on IG, @altek1, i'd be happy to discuss recommendations if you'd like.
As for handling, i'm very interested in what you've done there. I always felt like the WRX was great at handling, but with 70k on the suspension, i'm getting a ton of body roll and a lot of uncertainty taking bends at high speeds. Even before i jump straight to suspension, i may look at what you did to stiffen up the rest of the body. Did the frame braces make a big difference? I'd have to imagine it did.
The power is a ton of fun but more so all the sound and ruckus that goes with it. I'm looking to swap out the exhaust since it's just way too annoying to me now and i'd like to move to a front mounted intercooler since my tuner had to back me down a few psi due to the top mounted intercooler heat soaking the turbo. So many things to consider when doing power upgrades and so much that can go wrong. Just be careful on what you do to the stock motor since i've heard many horror stories in regards to the 255 motors. After everything i've done, i kinda miss the stock power since the original turbo came on a lot sooner than i thought it did. The FP blue adds a good amount of lag now but once you relearn how to drive it, it can be an absolute blast. Just make sure you have room when you're about to hit boost.
Damn good channel.
Thanks bro!
Came from kilmer , loved the video
You earned my sub .
I also own a 2012 subaru impreza sport . Might take a couple things from here lol
Hah, be careful, I'll explain what I don't love about what I did in the next video. It's all fun and games while I'm flooring it but daily driving is a bit of a different story. Thanks for the sub buddy!
@@Altek1 ill be on the lookout for that video !
Thanks for the reply haha
Good to see something different especially with this WRX Hatch
Thanks bud. I'm always open to feedback on the type of content people are looking for.
Saw you on scotties channel. Keep up the subaru videos man! Also nice hatchback, looks an awful lot like mine 😉 lol
Thanks for subbing bud! Isn't it such a fun car bro? I hope you don't run into the same issue I did. Thanks again!
@@Altek1 it's an amazing car! I luckily have that 5 year warranty from carmax, but I do at least have a custom exhaust setup, I wish I could get it tuned though 😞
I was afraid of getting mine tuned since I thought I might hurt something. I heard the CarMax warranty's are pretty solid. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but if so you should be good.
Great video, love the wrx. The same engine rod bearing failure happened to my 2013 wrx sedan at 57k miles. Subaru has a settlement for this issue and are paying back up to $6000 to owners who have fallen subject to this issue, the claim form is on their website
I hate myself for missing out on that by about 10 days, the due date for submitting it was May 22nd. If you know anything different or a way to still get money back, let me know. This took a larger chunk out of my wallet than I had anticipated.
Oh, and mine happened exactly as 57k, hot damn. Glad you digged the vid bud!
Dope video, Altek! Sucks that most people won't get to hear that stereo system bump in person cause it kicks man. That car is tight man, I love the Acuras as you know but I think this is my fav car of yours. You tha Brotek! Appreciate you letting me act like a fool on cam w ya too!
JB! People who know audio know that I put something sweet together and anybody in a 5 block radius of me definitely knows. We'll find you a sweet Acura in due time bro, thanks again for being an awesome guest, you da braj Brajtek!
@@Altek1 thx braj!
Here from Scotty Kilmer’s channel.. I like the content brother, keep up the great work.
Had a question you might want to answer.
If you had to choose between a 96 WRX STI
OR a 96 Mitsubishi Evo IV
Which would you choose and why?
If you want to do a video on it, even better but answering the question will do too. Just want your opinion.. thanks again bro
Thanks for checking out my channel! Man that's a tricky question. You literally have chosen both of the best years of both cars. I'd have to go with the Subaru only because I have driven that version rally car in Dirt Rally and I'd love to have something close to it in real life.
If you're in the NY area and you own either one of those, I'd love to review it. Message me on IG, Altek1.
Altek thanks for the reply brother. I am stationed here in Japan, and have the world at my finger tips with JDM cars out here but I those are my two choices of cars that I want to bring home. The hard part choosing which one I want lol
Alex you’re killin’ it man! Love the video as always bro!
I was waiting for you to make a video on your Subaru for quite some time now. Glad to be one of the first people to watch it! 😀.
Happy 4th of July brother! Stay safe and have fun. I’ll be waitin for the next video to come out. In the meantime I’m sharing it!
Much love from Southern Cali
-Steve
My man! It took me a while to get it back but I got some more content on this guy coming up. Glad you liked it bud!
I don't play with fireworks so I'll be safe, you do the same. I'll be on the west coast next week, I'm going to try to do a video while I'm out there. I'm going from San Fran to San Diego over 10 days, should be awesome.
Hope you're having a great summer. Stay fresh friend!
Altek that’s awesome bro! Wishing a great time on your trip and can’t wait til I see some more content.
What’s new with life bro? Congrats on the subscribers. They’re building up quickly 😀. Before you know it you’re going to make millions just from CZcams videos😉.
Yeah same here man I don’t mess with fireworks, but I’m sure I’ll hear them around my neighborhood so it’s cool.
Let me know what’s up bro! Enjoy the west coast weather when you’re out here and have as much fun as you can 😄
Hey, I could hear you blasting that sound system all the way from over here in Arizona. Nice ride! And Brandon did a great job with that engine build. Looks like you found the best experts around!
Hah thanks Tyson! The stereo makes a lot more sense since the noisy exhaust upgrade. Brandon is a sharp young guy that really knew the answer to every question I had and schooled me big about some other aspects of the car and the drive. Glad you like it bud! Part 2 coming up after my west coast trip.
5:30 the shifts 😩❤️❤️❤️ I just can’t!!! Literally ORGASMIC! Can’t wait to see the rest of these videos! Can’t leave the boys with one! But go ahead and relax on your vacation though!
Haha! Love that you love that sound man, it gets a bit much over long rides but I'll show that off in that next upload. I'm gonna try to do a West Coast video when I'm on vacation, but I promise you it won't be a cool rental 😄 thanks for the subscribe bro!
Altek Further enhances the driving experience with this beautiful sound. 🔥 No problem man! Glad it won’t be a rental! 😁
Awesome video Scotty Kilmer made me come here. I'm curious about those shift sounds at 5:30 is that a mod? I've heard it before but it's not common around my area kind of like the whine of a manual Mustang. Thanks
It's not a mod, just a ton of gas not being burnt off so it explodes at the end of the tailpipe. I had no idea that the final product would create that sound. I have to imagine the type of exhaust I went with has something to do with it. Not the best sound to have while trying to cruise, but once you get going, it's a riot.
Wouldn't that whine of the mustang be the supercharger? Glad you liked the video bud, thanks for the sub!
I usually watch his videos. I missed that one, I'll have to go back and look. As far as Subaru goes, people that own them seem to love them. My wife and I got an Ascent in January. It's ok. I don't like the CVT at all and if I did it again I'd override the wife. She really wanted the Subaru, I wanted the F-150. Oh well.
Doing this channel has taught me to drive and hate cars for my own reason before making a judgement. I was ready to hate the Fiat and the Pontiac but I was way wrong. The best CVT I've driven was on the Civic but saying it's the "best" isn't saying much, I still don't care for them. I would have opted for the F-150 as well but the Subaru Ascent has that third row so if you need that, then the Ford was out of the question. Thanks for watching bud!
I love the way you make your videos, super dope! 🔥
Thanks bud! I try to be creative, glad you appreciate my direction. More to come for sure!
Scotty Kilmer's channel brought me here, great car ... Awesome video
Thanks for the sub bro, glad you enjoyed the video. Expect more random and fun car content in the future bud!
You are welcome, that sounds amazing , good luck 👍
also came from scotty's feature of your integra vid. I got a rio red 1990 GS and so seeing yours wasa great sight. love your legends too. subbd!!
Nice! How many miles on yours? I lost one of the Legends to a timing belt failure, maybe one of the tensioners gave out. Hurt to see it go by my 90 LS is still mint. Ya got good taste bro!
5:25 Haha nice man, a little Ken Block there
Hah I wish I had a shot in one of his cars, I'd either be wrapped around a tree or having the time of my life within 5 minutes. Why else build something like this if I'm not gonna thrash on it. Glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching.
Over from Scotty’s channel. Love Subaru’s. 👍
Thanks for the sub bud! Gonna try to get my buddies WRX on my channel, I dialed mine up to like 8 but this guy dialed his up to 20. Stay tuned!
Literally came from Scotty's channel. Want to see more of this subaru.
Thanks bud! You're gonna, I'll do my drive review when I'm back from vacation then some others as I do more upgrades. Thanks for the sub bud.
Very nice job on the sound system.
Looks like an absolute blast to drive! 😁
Thanks for the video. 👍
Thanks bud! It really is. I was driving with my girl tonight, as much as she's usually embarrassed, it was a great ride on the highway with some good music shaking our backs (along with the exhaust of course). Thanks for watching!
Also here from Scotty. Love this stuff. Subscribed.
You're the man! Thanks for the sub bud, more content to come.
That blow off valve sound.. I miss it.
Had a '98 Talon TSi AWD 5 speed.. 1st gen 4g63t.. built to hell and back, at least 500hp. It growled at idle and I don't even know a word to describe what it sounded like when I stepped on it. Certainly not daily driver friendly for most.. but damn I loved it, and I miss it every time I hear a BOV.
It gets me every time too man. Between the exhaust growl, the popping, the blow off valve, and the vibrations, it's a very involved ride. Really not all that great for a daily but always something to enjoy as long as I don't hit traffic. I always liked the Talon, but I couldn't imagine it with 500hp, you're as crazy as me, hah! Stay tuned for more on this and other fun rides I come across.
@@Altek1 Yeah... it definitely had a lowish torque output in the lower RPMs.. but if just easy cruising it worked. Kinda the workround for driving a "not daily driver friendly" turbo 4, as a daily driver. Seeing red lights ahead, or stale greens, and planning for them also helps.. no, or very much reduced, having to take off from a standstill at red lights when we *don't* gas toward stoplights that'll be red when we get there.
Even at just 5psi of boost.. it'd scoot. Pedal to the metal... let's just say I was focused on many things that weren't looking at the boost gauge while all four tires clawed asphalt, one hand on steering wheel, one on shifter, one foot on gas one on clutch lol.
"you're as crazy as me, hah!" - indubitably. :)
Awesome video can’t wait to see more about your wrx
Thanks man! I'll be doing a drive video soon and I'll always feature it as I throw more into it. Thanks for watching!
Hello there, great video, and awesome car!
I'd like to know if I can can buy that Buzzi Space noise deafening product, do they ship to Europe? What should I look for on their website?
Thanks in advance
Thanks bud! I believe they would ship internationally, the website is buzzi.space but it is expensive. The only reason I went with it is because my buddy had a box laying around at his office.
Thanks for the info, i like finding cool alternatives like this. I have a 2006 Corolla, it's well insulated for a compact, but perhaps it could be better you know :)
Hey Scotty Kilmer sent me. Great video. Just subscribed 👍👍👍
Thanks for the sub bro! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Scotty sent me.. awesome video bro. Im curious about that sound damping material
Thanks bro, much appreciated. As for sound deadening, I was looking for something but thought dynamat was too expensive for too little. A buddy had a box of BuzziSpace from his office so he threw me a box to use. It's not cheap though, one roll can go up to $600-$700. Maybe you can find an ugly color for cheaper since it won't be seen. Worth it in my opinion since you can spend about half on something that won't be nearly as effective.
my man, watched it again smoking a scooby in the parking lot was gold!
Thanks bro! The shots came out way cooler than I thought they would. Sometimes it doesn't look as quick as it feels but once I saw that front end come up on the video when I punched it, I knew I was onto something. Glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching!
Bro.....stis' have the ej257 engine. They are generally not as prone to bearing failure as the ej255 engine.
Yeah, I believe it was a defect in manufacturing only with the ej255. Subaru is actually paying up to $3500 to anyone who needed to replace the short block or a 100k extended warranty on the engine if it hasn't died yet. I totally should have bought the STI instead.
“One of the lucky ones to only have complete engine failure” ☠️😭😭
Ha, hopefully you caught the sarcasm, my luck is wildly minimal. Thanks for watching!
Altek that’s what made me subscribe
You the man, thanks bud!
Very interested in where you went to get your engine help! I have reached out to company and really would like to know if you could tell me how much it all cost at DDA tuned. I’m about 3 hours away from there and need help bad with my engine EJ255
Brandon from DDA Tuned is a genius when it comes to the Subaru engine, I'm sure he can guide you in the right direction. None of it is cheap but, I mean, when is it. The block, some additional parts, the tune and labor came out to about $8,300. To be fair, I did tell Brandon to do what he would do to his own car which added a good amount to the final cost. The built block alone was somewhere around $3,500. Hope that helps, but let me know if you have any additional questions.
Altek yess it did! I’ll be sure to tell him you pointed me in their direction for sure, unfortunately Subaru wrx is a “pay to play” type of car. I love it and I won’t give up on her yet. I would love a built block, and all of the racing goodies. But hopefully we can do a rebuild and minor upgrades to come in around $5,000-$5,800. I had the top rebuilt from the pistons rings going. They never did bearings, thus 2 months later driving the rod bearing spun and Subaru was as helpful as sand paper toilet paper. But yes, thank you so much! This has helped me gather my ducks in a row much better.
You ever run the 1/4? On 40% corn I run about a 12.4 with 3/4 of a tank of gas...I think your car is lighter than the 2015+
I haven't but mainly because I was told the 5 speed in my car is like glass and it wouldn't be wise to launch it. I'm not done with the build yet, brakes, suspension and a bigger turbo are in the future based on available funds (which aren't so available) but good to know what times I should be looking for. You must have a pretty badass build yourself.
I would upgrade the drivers to Focal Utopia they are nicer and more hifi not midfi like infinity with much better quality Beryllium tweeters. JL audio makes decent amps and the sub is fine.
A pair of 6.5 Focals seems to be about $500 to $1000 for component speakers, plus the magnet is huge. I doubt they'd even fit in the door or let the window roll all the way down. I was aiming for best sound without heavy modifications or breaking the bank, the infinitys did both of those things for me. And the JL gives me perfect bass for my type of music, so I'm very happy with it. Thanks for watching!
Altek yep quality is not tiny! It is physics but you can get it sorted with some mods. They are not inexpensive but dirt cheap compared to the $25,000 dollar Focal Utopia costs in the home speakers. My buddy has Sopra 2’s that are 15 grand. My home system uses monitor Gold 200 speakers that were 5k for 2 towers. So compared to real Audiophile equipment they are bargains man! You are getting lightyears better quality.
Do you have the link to the sound proof material you used for inside your doors ? Thanks in advanced
Not off the top of my head but I can check some photos I took for you. I remember it was insanely expensive though, like $1k a roll. The only reason I got it was because a friend of mine took it from his facilities job. I'll get back to you once I find out.
I have the same car. No issues yet. What percentage of these cars would you say have your oil leak problem? Would it have mattered if you kept it stock? Thanks
It's hard to say what percentage or if it'll even happen to your car. It's not a leak, in my case I got a rod knock from a faulty bearing. My car was completely stock except for sway bars. Don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed the car and beat on it a bit but not without properly warming the engine beforehand. I always changed my oil at 3000 miles or when it was a bit too dark for my taste.
There's a website to check your VIN, I was going to link you but I'm having trouble finding it. If you haven't had the problem, I believe they'll increase your warranty for the engine to 100k/10yrs but I'm not sure if that's pending based on the class action lawsuit against Subaru. Hope that info helps bud!
Altek thanks so much
Soo... how do you move all your cars to one spot?
Hah I always appreciate a good logistical question. My girl drives stick and my other bud helped me out, otherwise it would be an expensive Uber situation.
Boxer engine?
Yup, 4 cylinder turbo, and to be honest, the turbo does all the work, but now the rebuilt motor can handle the beating now.
Did Subaru pay for the engine repair?
No, Geico fronted some cash up since I had mechanical breakdown insurance. I was actually late submitting the receipts to Subaru so I'm assed out there.
Does Brandon have a website I would like to get a tuned done as well
Brandon doesn't have a website that I'm aware of, but you can seek out help from the shop he works out, DDA Tuned in Newburgh NY. (www.ddatuned.com/). If you check my latest video with the Evo 9, it features Remy, the shop owner.
Why, this car, do flames? Antilag or? I come from Scotty btw 👍✌
No antilag, I'm not too familiar with those but I think that setup is crazy expensive. I think it's just excess fuel not being burnt until it hits the end of the exhaust pipe. My understanding is I can adjust the blow off valve so less pressure goes towards the exhaust and it'll stop happening but that's no fun. Sorry bud, I'm no mechanic, just an enthusiast. Thanks for the sub!
@@Altek1 No problem, im 15, year old enthusiast as well, and I'm very proud to be here, in Altek's Squad ;)
Oh and thanks for your answer