Differences between newage WRX and STI

As above i would like to know the tech differences between the WRX blob eye 2005 and the STI version ?

The reason i ask is i have a nice modded wrx running about 340 bhp i have sti brakes and am about to overhaul suspension, but i have come to the point where i wonder is it viable to keep modding the wrx should i sell get a sti and start again.

I am more interested in the suspension set up of a sti compared to a wrx ?

Great minds think alike

i want to keep it i have spent so much on body work, wheels are coming from spain collecting all the bits i need to fit the brembo's i just got. been thinking of building a good strong engine for it and getting a stronger box and fitting coilovers, but if it will never handle like a sti i should just start again.

STI has :

Brembos
Larger Intercooler
Forged pistons
6spd Gearbox
Larger Spoiler
Different Backbox (single exit)
Larger Scoop
AVCS Heads
550cc Injectors
Larger Turbo

probs a couple more things that i cant remember right now lol

i got the sti turbo intercooler and brakes on my wrx but i want more power.

what i really want to know is it worth uprating the wrx more of should i just bite the bullet and buy an sti, been looking at a hawk eye sti.

hawk sti is good to around 370ish bhp till the headgaskets become an issue. quite a common fault on them. hawkeye does have the 2.5 tho

srobbo18 wrote:

i got the sti turbo intercooler and brakes on my wrx but i want more power.

what i really want to know is it worth uprating the wrx more of should i just bite the bullet and buy an sti, been looking at a hawk eye sti.

The hawkeye STI is in a different league to the previous cars from a torque point of view because of the 2.5 engine, But as peril says there is an issue with head gaskets when you push them over 370bhp/flbt. I know quite a few that have gone now including mine at that level of power.

I'd have thought the headgasket was the least of your worries. Doesnt the road start to disintegrate underneath you with 600 horses dancing on ? it

probs worth adding that the hawkeyes dont have forged pistons in the STI models like the older STI's do (V3-8 )

And ya get a minging blue interior in the STi

Confused - does that mean a Blob STi or WR1 would be a better purchase and baseline for mods than a Hawkeye STi ?

I'm also starting to think about what to replace 'the red one' with and I'm all over the place at the moment.

get a jdm hawkeye they come with 2ltr motor wr1 comes with dccd as standard aswell

kgt wrote:

Confused - does that mean a Blob STi or WR1 would be a better purchase and baseline for mods than a Hawkeye STi ?

I'm also starting to think about what to replace 'the red one' with and I'm all over the place at the moment.

Hawkeye sti all the way, but I am bias. you will get much more driveability from a hawkeye than a blobeye due to the extra torque you get from the 2.5 engine. A hawkeye with a stage 1 tune (exhaust, filter and remap) and your running somewhere near 370hp & 370fl/lb add a couple of extra bits front mount and headers and your upto 390hp & 410ft/lb. That what I got and this makes for a really quick road car After that your talking alot of money to get to the next stage engine rebuild, injectors and bigggggggggggggger turbo

Fine - decision made.........unless I go back to looking at hatches again.

Any votes for the hatches, by the way ?

kgt wrote:

Fine - decision made.........unless I go back to looking at hatches again.

Any votes for the hatches, by the way ?

2 words - Plastic Pistons

Is that on all of them mr peril ?

Ive heard people saying that about 09 STi's - does this mean 08 hatch STi's are ok ?

Apologies for the slight hijack Robbo, but I think I'm in the same boat as you. Keep modding the WRX or make a dramatic step change ?!?!?!??

i just hear of a certain member who works for subaru binning 1-2 hatch engines a week on warranty. unsure if the year makes a difference but i wouldnt have thought so.

Awaits Rob84's reply

Hawkeye STi is a hell of a road car and it is not as fugly as the hatch.

My old Spec D STi (leather interior too not the minging blue) was stage 1 modded to run 360/390 and had a few suspension tweaks like upgraded roll bars, drop links and steering bushes. On several drive outs I went on with a similar club to this the only cars I noticed that were able to stay in touch when we had the odd bit of enthusiasm were the big power classics.

It simply isn't financially sound to modify a WRX to get to and beyond STi levels. It is doable though. Robbie Bennett had a well modded hawkeye WRX that was a match for my old car, but he told me he wished he had started with an STi in the first place given what he had to do and spend to get it to where he wanted. Even then you are usually missing the DCCD and IMO superior 6 speed gearbox.

I don't agree, I have spent under a grand on engine mods and have my hawkeye wrx at 335bhp and 370ft/lbs with more to give if I choose to run more boost.

At the time of buying it the sti was 4k more expensive.

if I was planning on going over 450hp then the sti is the better starting point, anything under that in my opinion, its the wrx that wins it for me.

kgt wrote:

Apologies for the slight hijack Robbo, but I think I'm in the same boat as you. Keep modding the WRX or make a dramatic step change ?!?!?!??

No worries mate

my wrx was at its limit the next stage was to exspensive should ov got an sti from the start but i didnt know much about scoobs we all have to learn

your wrx was nowhere near its limit carl!

If you are talking about power output there are plenty wrx's running at 400hp without problems, an sti would also need work to run any more power.

the only advantage the sti has over the wrx is the gearbox.

CARLOS wrote:

my wrx was at its limit the next stage was to exspensive should ov got an sti from the start but i didnt know much about scoobs we all have to learn

Exactly the position i am in, think the mrs would buy mine so i could get a sti but i would loose all the money i have spent modding it

Jonny Gav wrote:

your wrx was nowhere near its limit carl!

If you are talking about power output there are plenty wrx's running at 400hp without problems, an sti would also need work to run any more power.

the only advantage the sti has over the wrx is the gearbox.

Ok what do i need to do to my 2005 wrx to get power levels up past the 350 mark and keep it driveability ? what turbo would i need i have a vf35 on it and like the quick spool up what would be the next level ?