Stock Stage I Tune?

Hey all, I know these questions have probably been answered way too many times - I've been trying to read as many threads on here as possible to try to educate myself on upgrades, turbos, and tuning, but I'm still a little confused as to what I want to do with my car...

 

I recently (2+ months ago) bought a 09 LGT Limited, 5EAT, 35K miles and have been extremely happy with the car. My problem is that I purchased the car used and had thrown a CEL for cyl#1 misfire within a month. Long story short I needed all the valves replaced on the first cylinder so I'm slightly worried about how well the car was taken care of previously. I've had it back for over a month now and I've tried to push it pretty hard to make sure that if there were any other dormant problems, I would get them to show. Because of that, I'll most likely hold out until after winter before I do any modifications to my car (besides maybe an aftermarket grille i've been itching for ).

 

That being said, I'd like to do some smaller mods to try to get a little more power out of my car. I need this car as a DD so I want to make sure nothing I do voids the warranty (I purchased the 100K extended, seems like it actually was a smart move). On this regard, I would think that getting a Cobb AP and having a Stage I tune done would be the safest bet as I could always reflash back to stock if I ever need to get work done.

 

Any recommendations on how much of a noticeable increase in performance I could possibly see from doing this leaving everything else stock? I'm more concerned with actual driving opposed to WHP gains as I have no intention of DYNOing it. Are there small mods I could do to improve this tune that (likely) wouldn't void my warranty? Also, would it be worth the extra cost to have this done by a professional tuner as opposed to using a base map that comes with the AP?

 

In that regard, I live in northern NJ and had heard a lot of good feedback about AZPInstalls. Has anyone used them before or does anyone know of any other places to go for a tune in the tri-state area?

 

Thanks for the help!

Right here on the first page, someone bumped it recently to the top too!

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/real-gains-cobb-stage-1i-102934p3.html

 

AZPInstalls posts here quite frequently, I've heard nothing but good things about them. I recently met up wtih a NYC LGTer who drove all the way there to do his work and was very satisified with them.

 

P.S. If you're that worried about a warranty, don't do any mods at all. Most people say you can unflash and they'll never know, which seems fair, but still, what they say is true. "You gotta pay to play!"

Something I just noticed when looking into the actual AP Maps, the 05-06 LGTs are getting +16.0% HP and +22.0% TQ for stage I where the 07-09 only get +4.0% HP and +9.0% TQ... I'd like to think that it's because over the years Subaru worked out the tune a little better, but is that really worth the $450?? I know people have said it's smoother and has more power across the band but if I really don't intend to ever go to stage II is it worth it to get the AP?

Answer to your question about why the 05-06 has more of a gain than 07+.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/acessport-question-between-2006-and-2007-models-170392.html

 

Again, on the first page of this same sub-forum.

 

Only you can decide if it's "worth" it based on your budget and needs.

 

Your alternative is to go OS, get a Tactrix cable for $160+, connect your laptop, and either have someone custom tune it for you ($120-180 e-tune), or tune it yourself.

 

AP is $450+ used I believe. For that, you gain generic OTS maps, and the ability to bring a cool handheld device around with you and swap maps on the fly (Valet, Economy, Lockout, etc.)