EssTeeAai: 2006 Wagon build thread

So I picked up a 2006 wagon last week. It's a 5MT 2.5i Special Edition.

I absolutely LOVE the sunroof on this car. It's HUGE!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/photo1-1.jpg

I already own a 2005 LGT sedan which I like modifying to go faster, so I think the wagon is staying mostly stock under the hood. I'm planning to do mostly suspension and cosmetic upgrades. The reason I bought it is because I need a reliable all-around commuter car that runs on regular gas and (unlike my tuned LGT) gets more than 350km (220 miles) per tank. The space is nice too. I can just throw my bike in the back of it and go, instead of wasting my time with the annoying trunk-mount bike rack.

Mods I've done so far :

- shaved all rear emblems (excluding Subaru logo in the middle, which will soon be replaced with an "L7" badge)

- tinted the windows, sunroof, and top of windshield

- rust-proofed/undercoated by Krown

- replaced silver fog-light bezels with black ones

- replaced OEM fog-light bulbs with yellow ones

- installed a spare lip I had kicking around

New Mods : (pics below)

- 5000K HID low-beam

- LED interior lights

- EPIC lowering springs (with rear spacers to eliminate wagon "saggy butt")

- colour matched hood visor

- Outback hood

- painted center section of front bumper and lip gloss black

- painted brake calipers

- upper strut brace

- colour matched Hella horns

- JDM "L7" badges

- Rally Armor mud flaps

- CompuStar remote starter with alarm

Most Recent Mods :

- 2011-2013 WRX wheels

- Hanabi Tail Lights

Painted my brake calipers Green.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Green1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Green2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/wheel.jpg

Installed an "eBay" upper strut bar.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/StrutBar.jpg

Installed Hella horns. Powder-coated silver courtesy of Subimods.com

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Hellas.jpg

New Rally Armor mud-flaps. Getting ready for winter...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/RA1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/RA2.jpg

And my new winter rubber came in today; Dunlop WinterSport 3D

Mounted them onto my winter wheels, but gonna wait for snow or temps to drop below 0 C before I install them on the car.

Sneak peak:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Dunlop.jpg

So I have a few questions about the car for you Legacy specialists ;

1. I'm planning to slightly lower it. I don't want a huge drop, I mostly want to "stiffen" it up. I also don't want coil-overs, I would prefer a spring/shock combo instead. Do I have to get wagon-specific springs? Or will any 05-09 springs fit? I have OEM LGT (sedan) springs kicking around in my garage. Are they any different/lower/stiffer than the stock springs on my wagon? Does it make sense installing these? Or should I just go with a set of new aftermarket springs? Which brands do you guys recommend?

2. I also have the complete stock LGT (sedan) exhaust. Is the piping any bigger? Will it fit my 2.5i wagon? Are the mufflers any better/high-flowing?

3. And lastly... What little things can I do to this non-turbo daily-driver to give it a bit more pep and still retain good gas mileage? Are there any intake resonators or something I can remove/replace? I'm not trying to make it go when it clearly isn't designed to go, but booooooy is it ever slow (compared to my GT). There's gotta be something I can do to it that frees up some hidden ponies.

Thanks!

1. I think you need Wagon springs because the spring rate is different for the sedan since the wagon rear is more heavy plus the ginormous sunroof adds an extra 50lbs if not more over the sedan sunroof. so I would say don't try it. As for Spring/shock combo the best I have seen were Bilsteins and tein springs or even some eibach springs.

2. The sedan exhaust from what I know is a little shorter but any muffler shop can take care of that. I'm sure that the size of the exhaust is bigger since the GT needs more flow for the turbo. So I would say yes but needs some modification for wagon use.

3. really there is nothing that can be done to give it a little more pep then to get a full exhaust system and an intake with a tune. Maybe getting some lightweight parts but that is unnecessary IMO.

Hope this helps a little.

I'm planning to slightly lower it. I don't want a huge drop, I mostly want to "stiffen" it up. I also don't want coil-overs, I would prefer a spring/shock combo instead. Do I have to get wagon-specific springs? Or will any 05-09 springs fit? I have OEM LGT (sedan) springs kicking around in my garage. Are they any different/lower/stiffer than the stock springs on my wagon? Does it make sense installing these? Or should I just go with a set of new aftermarket springs? Which brands do you guys recommend?

Bilstein HDs and Legacy wagon-specific STI "pink" springs are a good combo with a mild (0.6") drop. You will need Spec B top hats for the Bilstein swap. Another option is to go with Konis with Eibach springs, which is more like a 0.9" drop. The Konis are inserts, which require that you cut your stock front KYB struts, remove the guts, and re-use the housing.

Bilstein HDs and Legacy wagon-specific STI "pink" springs are a good combo with a mild (0.6") drop. You will need Spec B top hats for the Bilstein swap. Another option is to go with Konis with Eibach springs, which is more like a 0.9" drop. The Konis are inserts, which require that you cut your stock front KYB struts, remove the guts, and re-use the housing.

Re-using the stock struts sounds labour-intensive. If you're not doing this yourself, I'm gonna guess that the labour cost to do something like this would be more than just buying a new set of shocks that fit properly. 1" drop I can live with. This thing has monster-truck ground clearance right now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Engine1-1.jpg

Can anyone tell me what this thing is? And what's the purpose of it? Looks useless. Is it some kind of resonator? Or is it designed to collect water/moisture? Can I remove it? What can I put in it's place? Its appearance bothers me.

Did a couple new mods over the past few weeks. PICS in Post #2.

Can't wait for my EPIC springs to arrive. Car needs moAr low.

The front lip looks great. Which one is that?

Thanks. It's a Drive Dynamics replica lip.

Hey nice wagon! I was wondering where you got the tires from? Thanks!

A place called SteelCase Tires in Markham, ON.

They gave me the best quote, because I was looking for this specific brand/model of tires.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/NewPlatesClear_zps77737498.jpg

Painted the mid-section of the bumper and the lip gloss black. Added a colour-matched hood visor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Wagons-2_zpsd49e8da1.jpg

Lowered on EPIC springs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Wagons-1_zpsc43e803c.jpg

Winter wheels installed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/Visor1.jpg

This is the hood visor before I painted it.

I am lowered on Tein H Techs on stock shocks (for now). Based on what you are looking for it is a solid choice. It stiffened the rear end right up quite dramatically. It handles much better overall, and with stock 17s on it isn't so low that I worry about hitting things. With my 18" winter set up it sits at a perfect height for snow driving.

You will need saggy-butt spacers for the rear if you go with non-wagon specific springs, but they are cheap and simple to install when you have everything apart.

I used to have a lip like yours but it finally broke over the summer. Looks really good.

^^^ I went with EPIC springs with a 3/8" rear spacer. Very happy with how it sits and handles - perfect for winter driving.

You're running 18" wheels (winter tires) in the winter?!! Baller!

I'm using 225/45/17 in the winter. And 235/40/18 on my summer car (LGT).

So I was on the hunt for the 2008-2009 tails for a while, because I hate the amber in the 05-07 tail lights. Turns out that these things are uber rare, and it was nearly impossible to find them (unless you wanna overpay and buy them from the dealer for $250/each). Found the left one locally, and had the right one shipped from far away.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Tails_zps8383d04f.jpg

Here's a comparison pic...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/09tailsEDIT_zps6894036b.jpg

And here's a close up...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Tails2_zps0e2e8616.jpg

A much cleaner look IMO. (Especially on silver and white cars).

This mod was kind of unplanned, but I scored a set of ultra rare Hanabi LED tails

Here's a comparo...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/HanabiVSstock_zpsef1910ba.jpg

The red is a bit darker/deeper on the Hanabi lights, and from ~20ft away almost looks like the lights are "smoked".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Hanabi1_zpsaf5df5c7.jpg

Here's what they look like with the parking lights on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Hanabi3_zpsbf262790.jpg

Here's a night shot...

(Excuse the crappy iPhone-camera quality pics)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Hanabi4_zpsb91e1132.jpg

The turn signals are not LED (unlike the Valenti tails). They just have a chrome bulb which flashes amber. (But I plan to swap these for amber-LED bulbs soon).

The installation and wiring was pretty much plug & play, and the fitment is great.

My most recent mod is 2011-2013 WRX rims. The main reason I decided to go with these is because I wanted to go 8" wide.

They are 17x8 +53

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide2_zpseb4779a6.jpg

And they sit pretty flush with the fenders...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide5_zps103754d1.jpg

I'm running 245/40/17 Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport tires.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide6_zps53f7fba3.jpg

My fenders are NOT rolled. The car is lowered 1" on EPIC Engineering springs with OEM shocks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide44_zpsf81cceb2.jpg

IMO, 8" wide wheels should have came on this car from factory. It finally feels stable enough for its heavy curb weight.

Due to the wide 245 rubber, and very high stock offset of +53, there was some rubbing in the rear.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Trim1_zps7d84145f.jpg

But I trimmed the pesky splash shield in the rear wheel-wells...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/Trim2_zpsaa4f8f61.jpg'

...and everything clears now. Although the inside of the tire is VERY close to the suspension.

But,

"Whether you clear by a millimeter or by a foot, clearing is clearing".

- Fast & Furious inspired quote

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide3_zpsca0d9d7a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/8wide10_zpscd0b8124.jpg

Stock bumper my friend.

(The mid section above the mufflers used to be silver. I painted it black).

Most USDM bumpers are bigger than JDM bumpers. Apparently North America has different crash ratings/laws compared to overseas.

Most USDM bumpers are bigger than JDM bumpers. Apparently North America has different crash ratings/laws compared to overseas

Ah right makes sense, quite a bit different!

http://www.chimera.co.nz/subaru/lgt1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/ShortShifter_zps48e41fac.jpg

COBB adjustable short-throw shifter with COBB shift knob

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/WRX/Wagon/RainGuards_zps1df183e7.jpg

JDM low profile rain-guards / window visors

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/ACCORDing2R/photo13_zps1d5c4f66.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/29/guzupaby.jpg

They really help keeping the snow away from the top edge of the window, so that when you open your door the snow doesn't end up on your seat.