Author Topic: Jimpreza111's 2014 Impreza 2.0 N/A (Read 19251 times)

Jimpreza111 · « **on:** July 29, 2015, 11:35:16 am »

Hello All,

I don't see too many of the 2012-2015 Impreza's on WSC, maybe it's because it is the late generation Econo Box and they don't have much in the power dept. I still love my Subi and I have done a few mods to this car, as the title says (Mostly Aesthetic). If you are interested please read on and if you happen to have one of these models maybe this will provide some ideas/inspiration.
This is a pic of my bone stock Impreza I picked up in Nov 2014.

The first Mod that I did was to add some RokBlokz mudflaps, plasti dip the stock wheels Vintage Gold (tribute to the old imprezas) and add "eye lids" in black to the headlights.

You will find Plasti Dip is a recurring theme in this thread, I decided to use my left over Vintage Gold to dress up the engine bay a little and out line the front reflectors on the headlights.

I then added some LED lighting in the "boomerang" or "C-Light" portion of the headlights. I don't have a picture of this mod but was fairly easy to swap the bulbs.
The next item I added to my Subi was an All Fit Lip Kit, I had looked at the EZ Lip but upon reading reviews I decided on the ALL Fit as it is a solid rubber and way more durable than the EZ-Lip.

Decided to add a little color to the brake calipers, used the Duplicolor kit and I think they look nice.

I dropped in a K&N air filter (P/N 33-2304) and noticed an improvement in my fuel mileage, butt dyno numbers say it has a little more pull on the highway.
Added an OEM hood deflector and a license plate delete (From Billetworkz) which covers those ugly holes nicely.

My Gold plasti dip started to look a little worn so I stripped the wheels and also added a shark fin antenna from Visual Garage painted to match.

Have since re-dipped the wheels with a black base coat and a blue metallizer on top.
This stuff looks decent for a few months and then begins looking old so this will be my last Plasti Dip job on wheels.

My favorite mod on this car so far is my exhaust mod, more for sound/looks than performance.
I replaced from the flange behind the rear axle to the tip with all 304 Stainless steel and swapped the OEM muffler for a Vibrant Performance 1790 resonator and a Borla 20241 polished exhaust tip.

I also dipped the rear bumper and added a SubiSpeed decal for more HP!

Here is a sound clip I just recorded after washing my car last night, I had forgot about the water in the tip and my camera got a light shower.

Anyhow, this is as far as I've gotten with my Impreza up to this point.
I do have a Vortex Generator from SubiSpeed that I want to mount on the roof (Should get me posted in the RICER threads here.

)
Not much else besides tint, aftermarket wheels and maybe some suspension upgrades on my wish list but those will be further down the road.
Feel free to ask me about how to do some of these mods or where to buy some of this stuff if interested.
Thanks for reading!

10secdream · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2015, 11:49:56 am »

Good start to a build thread just wrong location. I am sure a mod will move it for you.

http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 29, 2015, 11:57:44 am »

Sorry, didn't know where to post it... If there is a mod out there please either let me know where it should be or move it to it's correct location.
Thanks in advance!

Rexy11 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 29, 2015, 12:12:53 pm »

I'll kick off the question asking

Where do you get your plasti-dip? I'm looking to dip my crappy looking, rusty steel rims that I'll be using for the winter.
I also don't want to spend $20/can at Home Hardware when you can get it online for $5-7, but Amazon won't ship more than one can at a time to Canada.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2015, 12:38:57 pm »

Best price I have found is a company out of Quebec called www.ProDip.ca. Cans are between $10 - $16 depending on the colors you need. If you buy say 4+ then the shipping isn't really to bad. They have quick delivery and full complement of Plasti Dip colors.

Rexy11 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2015, 01:14:43 pm »

Thanks! I just ordered their wheel dip kit, as it's pretty much the best price around, especially with the dollar where it's at. Paypal is dangerously easy to use...

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 29, 2015, 01:26:02 pm »

Glad I could help!

Fry · « **Reply #7 on:** July 29, 2015, 07:15:43 pm »

You gotta swap out the shark fin for something else, and debadge that rump.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 30, 2015, 08:30:32 am »

I like my shark fin so that will be staying, I am considering the de-badging though. I was pleased when I removed the dealership decal but I agree the other ones could come off also.

Rexy11 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2015, 08:59:25 am »

Document how you do it, if you do it! I've been looking into doing it as well. The PO of my car somehow managed to jam wax all inside the "Subaru" and "Impreza" badges, and I'll probably damage the paint scraping it, so it may as well go. And since I'm copying the majority of your aesthetic mods already... Haha

10secdream · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2015, 09:16:43 am »

Quote from: Rexy11 on July 30, 2015, 08:59:25 am

Document how you do it, if you do it! I've been looking into doing it as well. The PO of my car somehow managed to jam wax all inside the "Subaru" and "Impreza" badges, and I'll probably damage the paint scraping it, so it may as well go. And since I'm copying the majority of your aesthetic mods already... Haha

All purpose cleaner diluted down with a nice brush will remove the wax inside the badges.

Rexy11 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 30, 2015, 09:37:03 am »

Quote from: 10secdream on July 30, 2015, 09:16:43 am

All purpose cleaner diluted down with a nice brush will remove the wax inside the badges.

Thanks! Sounds incredibly easy. It's packed in there pretty good, but it'll probably just take a bit of time.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 28, 2015, 08:54:24 am »

With the limited performance mods for my car available I have purchased a set of aluminum lightweight pulleys (Crank/Alt/Water Pump). This modest mod should give the car a tiny bit more pep. Should receive in a couple of weeks out of the states and will post pics and review once installed. Other than the pulleys I guess my next attempt will be a tune, speaking to a NASIOC member from Australia (throttlehappy) and he has tuned many other members cars (FB20 platform) and they are all thrilled with the results. Need to secure a tactrix unit and log some data, send it off to him and he'll tune it and send the new data back. Quick reflash and installed. Not looking to make a racecar but hoping to have a bit more jam off the line (just for funsies) and maybe a bit more passing power on the highway.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 08, 2015, 09:58:44 am »

This weekend I grew tired of my Plasti-dip rims. Initially they looked great but after a while there were parts that had started to lift/bubble. Guessing I didn't have the rims completely dry before applying dip and preparation is key to a good finish. They're back to aluminum and will stay that way from now on, I will buy some aftermarkets down the road if I want to change the look.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 14, 2015, 10:04:06 am »

Spent a bit of time in the garage this weekend doing a few more aesthetic touches to the car. Plasti-dipped the front grille black along with the badges on the rear. Applied a vinyl decal over the rear Subaru emblem (black carbon fiber with blue stars). Added a vortex generator to the roof, some minor modification so it would fit with my antenna. Lastly attempted to tint the rear side windows, they came out okay but definitely have that DIY look around the edges. Will pay someone to tint the rear window as I just don't have the skills for that.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 29, 2015, 03:33:52 pm »

Received my lightweight pulleys in the mail the other day, would love to get these installed. Being a complete newb to cars in general has anyone performed a pulley swap on their engines? I'm looking for a "How to" with all steps and tools required for the job. I have seen some youtube on people doing this to older boxer engines, I'm just not sure if there is some special consideration with a CVT tranny. Tried to get my garage to install them when I had it in for an oil change but they won't touch aftermarket parts.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 30, 2015, 08:32:09 am »

I purchased an Rvinyl dash kit and did a bit of installation this weekend. Went for the 4D carbon fiber vinyl and I think it turned out pretty good.
The only down side I would say is that there are so many pieces to this kit you will find some of them to be impractical. I only really wanted to change the silver trim portions on my dash and the head unit surround. Here's some before and after shots.

The impractical parts would be the steering wheel accents, I find while driving I tend to rub the edge of the vinyl causing it to lift.
I would say any parts that come into contact regularly with your hands may not hold up very well.
Overall though I think it looks much better than the stock color scheme.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 22, 2015, 09:12:12 am »

I have since removed the offending pieces of this dash kit, only left with the dash wings, radio surround and plate around the shift knob.
Going to attempt to tackle a couple of mods this holiday season:
1) Install light weight crank pulleys
2) Install 20mm rear sway bar
3) Change out stock oil fill cap with aluminum anodized blue SPT cap

RedndWhite · « **Reply #18 on:** December 22, 2015, 09:20:56 am »

I like the carbon look of the wheel... Too bad it didn't work out.

Good, good. Lightweight flywheel pulleys are wonderful for throttle response.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 22, 2015, 11:20:33 am »

Thanks, just got my shipment today with my rsb and oil cap.
They sent the wrong cap, off by one part number but it says the wrong oil weight (5W-30 instead of 0W-20)
Getting the correct one sent out but willing to sell this one if there is any 2010-14 WRX/STI owners out there looking for some engine bay bling.

$50.00 OBO

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 18, 2016, 03:43:44 pm »

Installed 20mm rear sway bar and Megan Racing adjustable end links this weekend.

Also a shot of my studded General Altimax Arctic tires and 1999 Subaru Forester wheels I was fortunate enough to buy from another WSC member!

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 09, 2016, 07:28:59 am »

Installed some amber LED fog lights last weekend, not sure if they are any better for light output but I like the look of them.

Still to come:
Strut Tower bar - should receive in a month or so.
Light weight pulley install - will tackle this within the next week or two, finally have all the tools required.
WRX/STI front lip - Should arrive in a few weeks, will have to modify it to fit (cut about an 1" from the middle) and mount.

Once these are in I will take it in for a proper tint job and then I will be looking to obtain a Tactrix Open Port 2.0 and get a tune.
That should complete my mod list for the foreseeable future, unless they come out with a bolt on affordable turbo kit. LOL.

Stehle · « **Reply #22 on:** February 09, 2016, 07:40:07 am »

Which LED fogs are they exactly? I was toying with the idea of this versus 3000k HID.
Easier to install, hopefully.

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 09, 2016, 09:14:41 am »

Well I purchased them from China (AliExpress) they were $25 or so shipped and were supposed to be a direct plug and play.
Typical stuff from overseas was not a straight fitment, the bulbs had "fins" on the sides which should line up with the fog light housing.
They appeared to be opposite but a little trim of two fins with a chisel they fit correctly, there was no issue with the pigtail/plug side.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-High-Power-Amber-Yellow-Samsung-LED-2835-SMD-5202-H16-PSX24W-LED-Bulbs-For-Fog/32432466357.html

Jimpreza111 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 17, 2016, 08:44:31 am »

Should receive my lip today

, will attempt to install this weekend. I have plans to add an LED under hood light (DIY) mod that will only work when hood is open and then the light weight pulley install. I may be in the garage all weekend