Mod suggestions?

Today I bought a 2005 Legacy GT with 72k miles, and it's completely stock. It may be premature at the moment considering I just dropped 15 grand and have no expendable money currently, I'm starting to think about mods....

 

That being said, what are some good initial mods I could make that would benefit the car the most? Also, how much would these cost? I'm thinking about a new exhaust system and an intake first.. thoughts?

depends what you want to do with the car. the cheapest and by far most effective mod is weight reduction. its free if you can live without stuff. it all depends how many of the creature comforts you can live without. shedding pounds helps accelleration, braking and handling all at once. power adders like exhaust and intake are just that. if you want to keep the power heated seats and all that stuff, go for some wider tires and wheels. any car is only as good as how much rubber it has on the road. stick with 17" wheels though, anything bigger you can feel the car struggle to turn them.

I would do a stage 2. which is up pipe down pipe Cat back exhaust and a stage 2 tune from either acces port or an open source tune from a vender on here.

Honestly I'd say pay off your car 1st.

While doing so, read/search as much as you can on this site. Once your car is paid, you should know by then what you want.

 

Once you start modding its hard to stop

 

Edit : Get at least a catless UP as a reliability mod

I paid the car off with cash, so it's all paid for.

 

How much would a full stage 2 cost? And would this mess with my emissions?/how does it effect the car reliability wise?

Reliability? Stock is the worse you can do as the factory tune is s**t(Burned my valves)

 

Go stage 2 and e85 if you have it($700 or so, $200 for down pipe, 1-150 for up pipe and 2-300 for a tune and gaskets, $50)

 

Emissions, with a tune it'll be better or you could just go e85:)

Since you're in Colorado, talk to Dave @ Cryotune Performance. Highly recommend him and he's quite accessible to answer questions related to power mods/tuning. He did my stage 2 tune and I'm really happy with it. His website link is in my signature, and he's 'Cryo' here on the forums.

 

I did my mods in a priority order I felt best. Maintenance items first, then suspension, then wheels/tires, then power, recently brakes, and sprinkled in some interior/exterior mods throughout the way. I made a list over a month or two after researching heavily on this site before buying anything, and slowly checked items off of it knowing I planned well with quality parts.

I bought my stock LGT last May. I really didn't like how soft the suspension felt compared to the car's power so that was my first priority. Installed coilovers and Group N transmission mount, now on the hunt for sways (I know, wrong order, but shocks were spent and it was time, plus I got the coils for song).

 

Just finished installing parts for Stage 2 this weekend, and would highly recommend at least that as an engine mod goal. I was able to purchase almost all the parts used here in the FS section. All told cost me under $500. Feels like a new car, engine never felt happier.

 

edit: also read up on some of the reliability mods, like the banjo bolt in the oil supply line, make sure your investment lasts. Other things that you should check include CV boots, VC gaskets, especially on the turbo side, and run good oil (I am really happy with Rotella T-6) and filters. Everything you could ever want to know is already in this site somewhere.

 

Best tip: use google for searches by entering "site:legacygt.com" then adding your search terms. And don't buy and SPT intake just because there is one cheap in the FS threads, it requires a tune.

GrimmSpeed UP, CNT DP, GrimmSpeed Cross Pipe, Heatwrap, Stage 2 Tune= Power

Xover pipe is a useless mod for stage 2, and not worth spending the money on at this level. It never ceases to amaze me people who have this car a month or two, and do some mods, then all of a sudden feel they are "knowledgeable" and start giving advice on what's best to do...

 

My best advice - read up on every mod you plan, and talk with an experienced tuner who will steer you the right direction. There is a wealth of information on this forum from people who have been around these cars for many years, and proven/tested what actually is worth upgrading and what is money spent for bling (often times sacrificing performance).

Best mod that would benefit the car the most would be to block legacygt.com from all of your internet connected devices. Then there would be no temptation to mod your car.

 

 

Or get a CNT downpipe, used cattless STI uppipe, and a good OpenSource tune, and try to leave it at that.