New, and need some help

[kraqcommando]

Well I actually do not plan on truly rally my 07 WRX STI but I certainly will not baby it. I may Rally x in the future but even if I don’t I want my STI to be handle a bit of mud. What modifications/adjustments would I need to do so that I can take my subie on rough, very twisty, paved/un-paved roads (own a house in the woods). I know that might sound dumb, but I don’t want to baby my car to show it off at HIN, I want to have fun with it and not worry about it breaking because I drove it onto my lawn. I take care of my cars very well but I run them hard and give some tough love. Thanks in advance!

-Max

[sebhockey]

Welcome to the boards. Well theres 3 good things to have on a subie to take it off road. Mudflaps to protect the body from flying rocks/gravel etc. Tires that aren't just a street/summer tire, ie an all season, so you don't get stuck. And a skid plate to protect your motor. There's lots of other goodies you can get too, but they just enhance it or are added protection like a rear diff protector.

You don't however need any of the 3 to enjoy some light offroading as your car is good to go factory as long as its a smooth surface. Though with the stock tires on an STI you might want some all seasons or snow tires.

You're definatley in the right place if you wanna take your car off roading, lots of good info and helpful people here. You may just get addicted to it like the rest of us as it's so much fun getting a subie sideways in the dirt. So get it dirty take some pics and post em on here.

[subyspawn]

Welcome. sebhockey hit it on the money. those are the three basic things you need to enjoy some slidewayz action.

good to have you here, post up some dirty pics!

[fattie92]

Its a rally car man, its good to go!

+1 to the mudflaps and skid plates. They are a MUST have. For mudflaps, look into RallyArmor, and for skid plates, look into Primitive Racing. BOTH can be found at Teamilluminata.com ..Tell Paul, Ryan "fattie92" sent you!

[409industries]

Rallyarmor also supplies skidplates if youre looking for a one stop shop.

Subies are pretty tough, but dont think that youre going to get out there like petter solberg on really rough roads and not break things! If youre really considering playing on dirt roads alot, invest in some decent coilovers. The stock strut / spring combo is good, but it wont last (ive gone through 2 sets of rear struts).

So in addition to the protective elements (mudflaps, skidplates) look into beefier suspension, and something else that id recommend is thicker gear oil for the rear differential. Cusco 80w-145 LSD oil if youre down to spend $35 to keep your LSD happy. It wouldnt hurt to run something like RedLine or Royal purple in the center diff / tranny as well.

[UP2MTNS]

a rear diff protector is good decision. (but after the skid plate if you want to prioritize)

I've heard a lot about stock sti endlinks breaking as well, so I"d think about upgrading those. Lots of options out there on which ones, I have some cheap ebay endlinks and they've survived several very tough rallyX courses.

For the price, I think these are the best on the market. IMO.

http://www.poltec.us/products/subaru/suspension/front_end_links/front_suspension.htm
(the steel ones)

[409industries]

For the price, I think these are the best on the market. IMO.

http://www.poltec.us/products/subaru/suspension/front_end_links/front_suspension.htm
(the steel ones)

Dang, those do look nice!

[UP2MTNS]

For the price, I think these are the best on the market. IMO.

http://www.poltec.us/products/subaru/suspension/front_end_links/front_suspension.htm
(the steel ones)

Dang, those do look nice!

What's nice is they're easy to replace. buy one...keep it in your spares, and if/when one goes, it takes about 10 minutes to swap'm out.

[409industries]

For the price, I think these are the best on the market. IMO.

http://www.poltec.us/products/subaru/suspension/front_end_links/front_suspension.htm
(the steel ones)

Dang, those do look nice!

What's nice is they're easy to replace. buy one...keep it in your spares, and if/when one goes, it takes about 10 minutes to swap'm out.

Whats your objection to the aluminum ones? Just price? Or have you heard anything bad about them... sorry for the threadjack

[kraqcommando]

WOW! this forum is amazing, so many responses and friendly, thanks for all the tips, I can tell I'll like it here

-max

[BlueRu]

We try to make people feel welcomed. As far as what you need, I have a WRX and dont have anything on it. I go "off roading" much. Your car is ready to rock.

[409industries]

Yea, pretty much you're already ready to go find some dirt roads to go play on. Most of the things we've been talking about are for competition type off-roading. You would be fine as-is just learning how to control your car sideways on some graded dirt roads!

We love seeing new members here, so thanks for joining up!

[UP2MTNS]

For the price, I think these are the best on the market. IMO.

http://www.poltec.us/products/subaru/suspension/front_end_links/front_suspension.htm
(the steel ones)

Dang, those do look nice!

What's nice is they're easy to replace. buy one...keep it in your spares, and if/when one goes, it takes about 10 minutes to swap'm out.

Whats your objection to the aluminum ones? Just price? Or have you heard anything bad about them... sorry for the threadjack

Just the price. with aluminum you get the 'weight reduction'....right? but for 2x the price, the tiny bit of weight you save isn't worth it. imo.

its not like going from steel lateral links to aluminum ones where you're saving 10lbs or more.