818 Modifications/Upgrades - Parts List?

[ascianna]

I am currently building my 818 from a 2007 WRX donor and I wanted to make some modifications/upgrades from stock. I am wondering if there is a good list/guide of parts that should be upgraded/replaced to make about 400 rwhp like the Factory Five 818R. I am already looking at a new clutch/flywheel/pressure plate but what else should I upgrade to get/handle the power? Any help would be much appreciated!

[Goldwing]

Look into the transmission too. I'm using an 07 donor as well, and when doing my research, I heard multiple times that 300hp seems to be a line where problems tend to come up in the transmission too. You might as well while things are in easy reach, right? 300 is also the point where you tend to sacrifice bottom end power to add more on top. I want a healthy bottom end in my build where I see the 818 really shining for my use anyway. So, my plans stuck there. Google wrx turbo upgrade guide and look for the simplifying the EJ thread in this forum for good info above that point.

[Wayne Presley]

I'd do:
VCP K-Tuned shifter
VCP Air to water Intercooler kit
6 speed trans
Blouch 2.5 XT turbo
1000 cc injectors
VCP wide wheel trailing arms
Wilwood 12" 4 piston brakes
Wilwood dual master cylinder

[bstuke]

Certainly everything Wayne said, along with:

Motor mounts(Wow do the stock ones stink!)
LSD(Does the six speed already have one?)
VCP Heim joint kit for the rear suspension

I stuck with the 2 piston and 4 piston Subaru calipers off my 07, but will move to a Wilwood dual master for redundancy and adjust-ability.

[Louisromersh]

Wilwood dual master cylinder

Wayne would the dual master also work with the ABS?

[bstuke]

Wayne would the dual master also work with the ABS?

Hmmmmm.....

[JeromeS13]

Also depends on what fuel you'll be running. If e85, you'll need larger injectors and a larger fuel pump.

[Goldwing]

Wayne would the dual master also work with the ABS?

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the system. Assuming it doesn't have anything crazy like two brake lines to any calipers, it will work fine. Just put the ABS unit between the master and the caliper. Brake boost has no part of the ABS system if that's where your question comes from.

[Jaime]

The Subaru ABS system is designed to have two pressure domains, one for right-front/left-rear and one for left-front/right-rear. To use it with the Wilwood dual master, and have the balance bar work properly, you would have to run it as front and rear pressure domains. If you do, it might be better to re-wire the ABS sensors so you don't end up with the wrong circuit pulsing.

[Wayne Presley]

Wayne would the dual master also work with the ABS?

I do

[Louisromersh]

Ok Thanks all for the responses but now I feel i have hijacked ascianna's thread so my next question I will ask them in a more relevant thread for abs questions.

But to answer the original question of the thread I do agree with Wayne on the upgrade he suggested. But I do not have any background to say if you should or should not be done since I'm still in the savings stage of my build.

Some information I have been able to find is that yes the 6 Speed Transmission does come with a LSD, but if you want to stay with a 5 speed you should upgrade it have a LSD on the front and/or now rear differential of the car.

I'm also curious to know what a "VCP Heim joint kit" is and what benefits do you get with this upgrade?

Now for a turbo upgrade is there and benefit with going with a Twin-Scroll Turbo like the Dominator 1.5XT-R Twinscroll vs. a Blouch 2.5 XT turbo?

Thanks

[Wayne Presley]

With the twin scroll, you have to swap out the headers/up pipe for a twin scroll type. The benefit is faster spool up. If you are looking for 400 RWHP you will need the 2.5 or larger turbo, 1.5 just wont quite get there.
The VCP Track Pack arms replace the lateral and toe links with adjustable rod ended arms instead of the non adjustable links with rubber bushings.

[bstuke]

I'm also curious to know what a "VCP Heim joint kit" is and what benefits do you get with this upgrade?

It accomplishes a few things. The first is it makes the rear completely adjustable for toe, camber and such. You can also use it to adjust the track width some. There is also a trailing link that will accommodate wider tires due to the design. I have 285/35ZR18 Hoosier A6's on the back and they fit fine. Now to get the body over them!

[ascianna]

Thanks for all the ideas...not to change the subject from the brakes (but), is there any hope of getting high horsepower through the stock transmission? I know FF tried to in their blue 818R and blew a gear. What are the other transmission options. I know there were some talking of a conversion kit for an STI 6-spd...but any options for trying to stick with the 5-spd?

[STiPWRD]

You could buy an upgraded gear set and drop it into a wrx 5 speed. I've been running ppg gears for almost 10 years that are rated for 600 hp. There are other options out there and prices vary.

[Pearldrummer7]

Thanks for all the ideas...not to change the subject from the brakes (but), is there any hope of getting high horsepower through the stock transmission? I know FF tried to in their blue 818R and blew a gear. What are the other transmission options. I know there were some talking of a conversion kit for an STI 6-spd...but any options for trying to stick with the 5-spd?

Like STiPWRD said, built gears. Not all Subaru 5MT's are created equal. The NA ones and the 02-03 WRX ones are very flimsy in terms of gears. The 2005-2006 Legacy GT 5 speed has good gears in it, the older Japanese STi 5 speeds are strong, and the newer WRX 5 speeds are fairly strong as well. It all depends on the power you intend to make and your budget.

[Drew P]

I have a RA gearset in my 5 speed tranny that has handled about 400 crank hp in my wrx. The stock gearset blew up during an auto cross. With the 818 not being AWD you probably wouldnt need the extra strength of the PPG gears, though if you have the budget for them, you would never have to worry about your gears again. At 400 hp, the reason to go with PPG would be for the faster shifts from the straightcut gears. They sound cool too! But a RA gearset can reliably handle that power at a pretty affordable price.