Seeking some mod advice for Spec B Wagon for a budget

[Martymuso]

Hello fellow Liberty lovers!

I had my car far too long now and theres a bit of money about which I want to spend! After doing a small cosmetic mod to make the car look more unique I now want it to perform a bit better.

I have a ceramic dump pipe on it, no idea who made it as it was on the car when I brought it. Previous owener didn't know either as the previous owner to him fitted it. Anyway that and a HKS replacement panel filter. Very basic, no remaps yet.

What I am after??
Well I don't need big power gains, but I do want better and sharper response. I been reading about intakes and exhausts and tunes... but I kinda need some help.

I can spend about 3k at the moment which would have to include a tune. I know its not much but I don't know if I should focus on the intake or exhaust? Or perhaps something else that is fairly simple to get the girl a bit more perky when the pedal is hit? A bit of increased induction noise and turbo dump isn't an issue for me so long as it doesn't go to loud!

I am in WA also so any local information of shops / garages would be great. If it was you what would you spend 3k on to make the car a bit better?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to some input from the community!

[kiahatsiu]

Tune and an exhaust. Take your pick of exhausts. Email tuning works quite well for simple set ups. Either old mate Kido or Eric from TorquedPerformance in the states.

[Manaz]

The stock intake won't be holding your power back with the stock turbo. You can replace it with a CAI/etc, but the biggest difference you'll see will be noise, not a power increase. And you may not like the noise.

Exhaust will get you power gains - a good 2.5" or 3" system will, with a tune, open things up nicely (noting that a 3" system *will* be noisier - and again, we get to the "do you like that noise" issue).

For your $3k, you should easily be able to get a cat-back exhaust and a tune. Just be aware that drone is a bigger issue with wagons than with sedans (because you've basically got a big box for the sound to reverberate in, and nothing sealing it off inside like the seats do in a sedan), so you'll want to make sure you have a decent centre muffler/resonator on the system. A good exhaust shop will get this right - I'm not familiar with the shops in Perth though.

For what it's worth, with a stock car and just a tune, you can go from ~140kW at the wheels to something approaching 170kW or so. With your dump and a new exhaust, another 10-15kW shouldn't be out of the question (depending how good that dump pipe you've got actually is).

[jslayz]

Tune and an exhaust. Take your pick of exhausts. Email tuning works quite well for simple set ups. Either old mate Kido or Eric from TorquedPerformance in the states.

The tune and a K2 exhaust for the win!
Havent checked Japan Parts for current pricing though, may be too exxy

[blacktop™]

Lol...not sure if budget and K2 belong together!

[d-chang]

Matt is here this coming weekend Marty!! Hit him up quick!!

kido_tuning on the forums!!

A whole bunch of us are going to see him

[kennysti]

Matt is here this coming weekend Marty!! Hit him up quick!!

kido_tuning on the forums!!

A whole bunch of us are going to see him

Seriously!? How do I not know this!? Details of when and where?

[Martymuso]

Wow thanks for the great responses guys.

Seems the exhaust is definitely the way to go! So if I am to shop around for the exhaust parts do i just look for 'an exhaust system' like a complete setup? Or is there a particular combination of parts from brands or better to keep with one branded systems?

I understand how cars work, I have no idea about modifying them properly as you can tell....

Matt from Kido is in Perth this weekend? I did message him once before about the remote tuning thing and I would think he will be in high demand at the moment!
I will give him a message, thanks for the info!

Is a K2 system worth the extra expense with regards to performance and durability?

Thanks again peeps

UPDATED...

OK so I looked on the net for some stuff and so I can try to get an idea of what I might want. I have a couple examples I found if anyone could be so kind as to offer some advice on what of these is decent and worth the dough?

Ultrex system cat back
http://www.ultrex.com.au/subaru-liberty-exhaust-my04-09-cat-back-3-inch-full-stainless-p-400.html

Xforce system
http://www.bestmufflers.com/bshop/product_info.php?cPath=119_346_484_1013&products_id=3681&osCsid=59e7736e7e5ec9775847e1e1d6b68463

MRT system XA,XB or XC? Anyone know the rough cost?

Obviously I would have to factor in fitting also which i would prob get the boys at STechnic to do for me. I could prob do it myself but I only got axle stands to prop the car up and I think that would be a bitch of a job unless on a proper ramp.

If I have a ceramic dump pipe, should I be looking at full kits or just getting parts of it? I guess matching a system is a better thing to do?
I can see my budget going up.... lol

Sorry lots of questions!

[iGBH]

If you already have a decent dump pipe installed then you probably wont notice a heap of difference (except additional noise) by putting in a CBE. My understanding is that in near standard trim, the dump pipe is the biggest restrictor and its only once you start doing bigger mods (ie turbo, injectors) that replacing the rest of the exhuast really provides a value for money upgrade. Its often mentioned here that the standard mufflers are good to about 200kw before they hold you back.

I'd get a tune from a reputable tuner first (ie Matt) and then see what you think. Even before i've installed my dump pipe, my Kido tune has made a massive difference to driveability and performance.

[kiahatsiu]

It is not so much the mufflers, but the shitty press bent disaster of a 2" to 1.75" pipe that the air has to flow through.

[chubbs]

just a tip stay away from MRT!!!!!!!!!!! alot of people including myself have had work done by them, end result was a blown engine. i highly recommend a tune through matt

[Manaz]

Wow thanks for the great responses guys.

Seems the exhaust is definitely the way to go! So if I am to shop around for the exhaust parts do i just look for 'an exhaust system' like a complete setup? Or is there a particular combination of parts from brands or better to keep with one branded systems?

There are pre-built systems that are known to work, or if you trust the shop, let them make something up for you if that's how they prefer to work.

I understand how cars work, I have no idea about modifying them properly as you can tell....

Matt from Kido is in Perth this weekend? I did message him once before about the remote tuning thing and I would think he will be in high demand at the moment!
I will give him a message, thanks for the info!

Is a K2 system worth the extra expense with regards to performance and durability?

I'd be surprised if there was much performance difference worth worrying about between the various pre-made setups from the common brands once you're into a cat-back exhaust. As you already have the dump-pipe, you only want a cat-back system, not a turbo-back.

Thanks again peeps

UPDATED...

OK so I looked on the net for some stuff and so I can try to get an idea of what I might want. I have a couple examples I found if anyone could be so kind as to offer some advice on what of these is decent and worth the dough?

Ultrex system cat back
http://www.ultrex.com.au/subaru-liberty-exhaust-my04-09-cat-back-3-inch-full-stainless-p-400.html

Xforce system
http://www.bestmufflers.com/bshop/product_info.php?cPath=119_346_484_1013&products_id=3681&osCsid=59e7736e7e5ec9775847e1e1d6b68463

MRT system XA,XB or XC? Anyone know the rough cost?

Obviously I would have to factor in fitting also which i would prob get the boys at STechnic to do for me. I could prob do it myself but I only got axle stands to prop the car up and I think that would be a bitch of a job unless on a proper ramp.

If I have a ceramic dump pipe, should I be looking at full kits or just getting parts of it? I guess matching a system is a better thing to do?
I can see my budget going up.... lol

Sorry lots of questions!

A mild steel system will probably be fine, and will safe you more money. If you really want to save money, you can also stay with the stock mufflers/tips (the stock mufflers might cost you ~5kW ATW), and that way you can easily pick and choose what mufflers/tips you want (there are a variety of them available, and they mostly influence the sound rather than the performance). In that case, you only need the centre and Y-pipes.

There are many opinions on MRT, you won't struggle to find those if you search.

[Sean82]

For your budget and goals; email tuning. Get a Tactrix for ~$220 from the tactrix site and email Eric at TP.

If your down pipe is upgraded to a decent 3" one, then unless you're specifically after the rumble or want different looking mufflers, I personally see no need for the cat-back portion to be changed. Your performance will be hindered to the level of four-fifths of FA by keeping the stop cat-back on.

stock airbox with a good filter is no restriction; CAI gives more induction noise, that's it.

Still have the stock RSB? Get a bigger one.
Depending on age and kms on the engine...I'd be putting that extra cash towards a good service if you haven't already...

[kennysti]

Ultrex exhaust is fantastic and good value for money. Also sounds great and as a bonus they are based here in WA so after sale support is excellent and Rob is just a great dude to deal with. if you want to hear a ceramic dump with full ultrex stainless exhaust you are welcome to ride along in my car

[Martymuso]

Wow thanks peeps. I have certainly got a hell of a lot more knowledge now than before I made this post. This forum & members is excellent!

Ultrex exhaust is fantastic and good value for money. Also sounds great and as a bonus they are based here in WA so after sale support is excellent and Rob is just a great dude to deal with. if you want to hear a ceramic dump with full ultrex stainless exhaust you are welcome to ride along in my car

I think I might have to take you up on that sometime Kenny! Did you get any noticeable performance with the new exhaust?

Still have the stock RSB? Get a bigger one.
Depending on age and kms on the engine...I'd be putting that extra cash towards a good service if you haven't already...

It is still stock yeah, I was thinking about sway bars and strut brace but haven't gone into that yet. Is there any particular RSB you know that give a good result once fitted? Should end links be done too? I read that somewhere...
I had a big service done when I got the car, full checks, fluids, filters belts etc. Was a biggy but gave me peace of mind!

I think from what I have been told and learnt, I will try to get a tune sorted and see what the cars like. If I understand what I am reading, unless turbo & induction mods are fitted, the exhaust doesn't give much performance changes so long as the dump pipe is good. It is a 3" ceramic pipe so should take that restriction away.
The exhaust mainly seems, to be more of a sound and eye catching mod at the moment when the car is pretty stock. As I am not looking for major power gains, perhaps I will invest in something a bit later if a tune does not bring the car to where I feel it should be.
Perhaps the focus should go on better brake system and handling... hmmmm now you all got me thinking on another level!