Impreza WRX STI SPT/D.A.R.E. Edition

SUBARU PERFORMANCE TUNING™
MODIFIES THE 2008 WRX^®

Stock Subaru Impreza, WRX, and WRX STI models can be modified to look and perform the way the owners want.

INSTALL GENUINE SUBARU PERFORMANCE PARTS FROM SPT^® AND SUBARU TECNICA INTERNATIONAL (STI) TO ENHANCE THE APPEARANCE AND CAPABILITIES OF THE 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA^® WRX.

Available (and soon to be available) Genuine Subaru Performance Parts for the 2008 WRX include a front under spoiler, front strut tower brace, lower chassis brace, suspension, short–throw shifter, and cat–back performance exhaust system. These are shipped with parts needed for installation and instructions.

With concept and show cars built for such events as the SEMA Show, Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) engineers have demonstrated the potential of the 2008 WRX since its introduction. Impreza WRX aficionados who demand improved handling and performance from the 2008 model will find it with these high–quality SPT parts, which were designed specifically for the car’s unique powertrain requirements.

Three cars of the cars shown here recently were featured in Drive Performance Version 5.1 — the AEM WRX, SPT WRX, and KICKER^® Impreza. See more of them and the SPT/D.A.R.E.^® WRX STI^® with this article.

SPT FRONT STRUT TOWER BRACE
(Part No. SOA8431130)

The front strut tower brace ties together the bolts that hold the front struts to the bodywork. Enhancing the front end’s rigidity, this simple piece contributes to improved handling.

Perform this installation with the car on the ground. If it’s on a lift, the struts will fall out of position!

Installation is straight–forward, and the instruction sheets are easy to follow.

BASEPLATES

Remove the three nuts from the top of each strut tower. (Discard these locknuts, because they are for one–time use only.)

Fit the baseplates over the bolts.
Install six new locknuts that are shipped with the brace.

CROSS BAR

Attach the cross bar using the enclosed bolts and nuts.
Torque these nuts and bolts to 35 lb–ft.
Torque the baseplate nuts to 14.5 lb–ft.

IMPREZA STI FRONT UNDER SPOILER
(Part No. E2410FG110)

Mounted below the front air dam, the under spoiler enhances the aggressive appearance of the WRX.

The instruction sheets’ illustrations are easy to follow. Be aware holes need to be drilled into the air dam.

PREPARATION

Installation is best done with the car on a lift. Start by disconnecting the battery to prevent damage and/or injury.

1. Use cleaning fluid to wipe off dirt and other residue on the lower part of the air dam. Goggles and gloves are recommended to help prevent injury.

CLIPS

2. Remove clips from underneath the lip and at the bottoms of the wheel arches. Note that some will be reused.


3. Temporarily clip the under spoiler in place using the original clips and four of the kit’s clips. Then mark where the 14 holes are to be drilled.

DRILLING

4. Start the holes with a 3 mm bit; then drill out to 9.5 mm.

PLUGS AND CLIPS

5. Insert plugs in the 14 drilled holes. Then clip on the spoiler. Underneath, use the two original clips along with two supplied in the kit. In the wheel arches, use two new kit clips. Check alignment around the corners per the instruction’s illustration.


6. Then screw in the 14 screws.

DOWN AND AWAY

Reconnect the battery.

Reminder: The under spoiler makes the front end lower. Be careful pulling up to parking barriers!

STI PERFORMANCE SPRING SET
(Part Nos. B2010FG000 [front] and B2010FG100 [rear] – two of each)

STI springs lower the body for a more aggressive appearance. Plus, increased spring stiffness improves handling and provides a firmer ride.

Order two front and two rear springs, all of which are packaged with one–time–use locknuts.

Lift the car and remove the wheels.

REMOVE FRONT STRUTS

Mark alignment on the front camber adjustment bolts and struts for later reference.

Unbolt brake lines and ABS speed sensor harnesses from strut assemblies.

Disconnect two bolts at the bottom of each strut assembly from the housings. Note: locknuts will be replaced.

Under the hood, remove the three nuts mounting each strut to the body to free them. (Discard these locknuts, because they are for one–time use only.)

REMOVE REAR STRUTS

Under mats in the cargo area, locate and remove rear strut caps.

On the rear lateral links, remove nuts that attach the rear stabilizer bar, bolts that connect the shock absorbers, and bolts that attach the rear lateral links. (Discard these locknuts, because they are for one–time use only.)

Then remove nuts securing the shock absorber mounts.

REPLACE SPRINGS

For each set of struts/shocks and springs, use a coil spring compressor to squeeze the spring together.

Caution: This operation is dangerous. The installer should have proper training.

Using a strut mount socket, remove and discard the self–locking nut. Then remove the strut mount and upper spring seat.

Gradually decrease compression on the coil spring. Remove it, the dust cover, and the helper spring.

INSTALL SPRINGS

Invert the removal process. Be sure smaller diameters are on top and larger diameters are on the bottom.

REINSTALL STRUTS

Invert the removal process. Check alignment, and adjust if necessary.

SPT FRONT LOWER CHASSIS BRACE
(Part No. SOA8431120)

Another SPT brace that contributes to front–end rigidity fits the front suspension underneath the car.

For this lower chassis brace’s installation, the front end of the car needs to be raised off the ground.

REMOVE TWO NUTS

1. First, remove the nuts from the rear mounts of the lower suspension arms at the rear. These nuts will be replaced with new ones shipped with the brace, so discard them.

REMOVE TWO BOLTS

2. Then remove the front mounting bolts for both lower suspension arms.

SECURE THE BRACE

3. Bolt the brace with the front mounting bolts for both lower suspension arms. New bolts and nuts are provided along with the brace.

Position the brace to fit at the rear mounting points, and install the new nuts.

Finally, torque the rear nuts to 81.1 lb–ft.

Then lower the car and tighten the front mounting nuts to 70.1 lb–ft.

STI SHORT THROW SHIFTER
(Part No. C1010AG001 [5M/T])

A short throw shifter reduces the throw distance between gears. Resulting shifts are crisper and quicker, which enhances the fun of driving.

The installation involves work both in the cabin and underneath the car.

Prior to beginning disassembly, disconnect the battery.

PREPARE THE INTERIOR

To remove the console front panel and boot, the console box has to be removed.

Remove the boot around the parking brake.

1. Then remove the console box by unscrewing the two bolts in the console and a screw by the hand brake. Pop off the clip at the front.
   Take off the gear–shift knob.
2. Remove the clamp holding the boot and insulator assembly, then the two bolts holding the assembly. Remove the assembly to reveal the plate below.
3. Take off the harness clamp from the plate, then remove the plate. The mechanism is visible below.

UNDER THE CAR — REMOVE THE SHIFTER

The Impreza WRX Service Manual suggests removing the rear exhaust pipe and muffler to improve access to the shifter.

Unplug the wiring harness.

4. For access to the shifter, remove the heat shield.
5. Remove the stay from the transmission bracket.
6. Remove the rod from the joint.

7. Disconnect the cushion.
8. Extract the spring pin and remove the joint.
9. Remove the shifter either from below or lower the vehicle and remove it from inside.

INSTALL NEW SHIFTER

Invert the removal process.

SPT PERFORMANCE EXHAUST SYSTEM
(Part Nos. 5–Door WRX Exhaust: D441SFG000, 4–Door WRX Exhaust: D441SFG100)

The SPT exhaust system opens the exhaust flow and provides a more performance–oriented sound. Separate systems were developed for the WRX 4–Door and 5–Door models.

REMOVE STOCK EXHAUST

Installing the cat–back performance exhaust is most easily done on a lift.

Remove bolts attaching the rear muffler(s) from the exhaust pipe. The WRX 5–Door has one muffler; the 4–Door has two. Coat hangers and hanger bushings with spray lubricant to make removal easier. Each of the 4–Door’s mufflers has two hangers; the 5–Door’s muffler has four.

Slide the muffler(s) off the hangers.

Separate the rear exhaust pipe from the center pipe.

The end of the pipe is attached to a hanger. Spray hanger and hanger bushing with lubricant, and slide off the pipe.

INSTALL PERFORMANCE EXHAUST

Spray lubricant on the bushings and hangers.

Slide the rear exhaust pipe bushing onto the hanger.

Using a new gasket, bolt together the rear exhaust pipe and the center exhaust pipe. (Tightening torque: 13.3 lb–ft.)

Install the muffler(s) on the hangers, using new gaskets. Bolt them to the exhaust pipe, using new self–locking nuts. (Tightening torque: 35.4 lb–ft.)

After completing assembly, degrease the hangers and hanger bushings before taking the car off the lift.

QUICK TEST

Skid pad at ATCO Raceway in southern New Jersey.

With some of the performance parts and systems still in development, final test results were unavailable. However, we set up an informal skid pad at ATCO Raceway in southern New Jersey to get a feel for the difference made by the new performance springs.

The driver reported reduced body roll and added feedback through the tires. (He also reported being dizzier than normal.)

The real test for all of these pieces will be in the hands of customers who run their vehicles in autocross, rallycross, rally, etc.

Thanks to Carlos Reyes, Kiven Reynolds, and Nicole Spadea for installing the parts. Genuine Subaru Performance Parts for your Subaru and related technical information can be found at www.spt.subaru.com.