"Stage 2" bolt-ons worth it?
 

Daily driver + occasional AutoX + potential very occasional track day (for fun, so probably would only push car to 95% and intersperse some 75%/cool down laps)

Currently have JDL UEL + K&N drop-in + Perrin Intake Tube + Fujitsubo Authorize S Axle back + OTS tune.

Feeling itchy for just a little more HP (maybe 10-15), but my understanding is there isn't much more I can do in the way of bolt-ons to squeeze out some more HP.

I used to own an 2000 Impreza 2.5RS and had ALL the "bolt-ons", plus lightened flywheel, pulleys, cams. Although, the pulleys/flywheel didn't actually add HP, it did make the car more lively/responsive.

I've considered going FI. I can afford it, per se, but not sure I want the potential headaches. I prefer to have a reliable daily-driver vs a "tuner car" that I'm always fiddling with to keep in on the road.

Are there any other non-internal mods I missing that could help me squeeze out a few more HP?

There isn't a lot of E85 in my area...but maybe a flex fuel kit?

Maybe just pulleys, over-pipe, mid-pipe, and custom tune would be enough to deliver a little more pep?

I realize now that this is mostly rambling, I try to edit it later. In the meantime, feel free to share any insights.

You're going to spend a fortune and not really make much more. 10hp won't be noticeable in my opinion. Might as well boost it. For the same cost at least you'll make good power

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Header and E85 is all you need. I learnt the hard way. Only thing worth it power wise on this car is boost. I didnt notice the torque dip that people mentioned when my car was stock. I just thought it was slow. Even with stage 2+ it's still slow.

If you want easy bolt on boost go Supercharger. If you want more head room for power and more torque go turbo. JDL Turbski is what I recommend as it is what I'm saving for.

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I second the nod at getting a supercharger. I have been in a car that has the Sprintex/Innovate 210 supercharger. It's cheap, and the car pulls really nicely., He hasn't had a single issue with it yet in the past 2 years. Best thing? He has stock clutch and fuel mods. He can also take it off in a matter of an hour or two.

I too have the 210, but fun of driving came from GOOD tires. No drifting but great turns. You have a tune, turn off the nannies and hold on.
I know they are expensive but I use AD08s or their current name. And yes they do work in the rain.

Yes.

Custom tune might give you another 5 horsepower if you're lucky. If you're tracking the car, I would think twice before going the forced induction route. Too many tales of woe for me.

I did the full blown NA route throwing tons of money for minimal gains doing basically everything short of opening the engine. It was a fun experience but never enough. I have a sprintex 210 now, its a blast, I don’t necessarily regret my decisions I’ve taken for my car build for various reasons.
But in hindsight. I would probably have gone straight to a small quick spooling 9psi turbo from the beginning. Best bang for buck and reliability. That plus Oil cooler, catch can, hood vents, and wheels/tires.

I got rid of my car sure to weak tranny after dropping too much into it. If you want reliable power... Don't boost or get a different tranny

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Where you're at, the next best bang for your buck would be a supercharger. That just entails deciding which one you want.

Yeah, or just learn to be happy with more reliability and spend the $5k on something else.

Out of boost it’s really not much less reliable or different. If you are tracking the car it’s obviously a lot different, but for a DD only car, you do a few pulls here and there for 5-10seconds hitting boost, but mostly just cruising. Its fun having the power when you want and as long as setup properly and don’t get greedy on boost, its not really that much more unreliable.

As far as staying NA goes.
WMI
Grimmspeed CAI
Billet power blocks
Ace header 250 header
Catless frontpipe
Custom tune
Lightweight flywheel
Under-driven water/alt pulleys
Fluidampr crank pulley

Other weight reduction like shorai battery, remove trunk junk, rear seat delete, carbon fiber driveshaft, willwood 4pot bbk, lightweight wheels, lightweight seats.

Drag reduction Aero like front lip, front wheel deflectors, full under-panels, rear diffuser, rear spats, side skirt, rear spoiler, trd fender fins, trd side stabilizer, trd trunk stabilizer, trd aero turbulator,
More aggressive gearing with a 4.56FD swap

That will pretty much max out your power/straight line performance if staying NA. Its a small fortune for little return, ask me how i know...But It does all add up and make a difference, and doesn’t hurt reliability.

I don't think 5-10 HP is going to give you any more noticeable power than what you've already got. UEL + Tune already gives the car the kick/pep that people crave. A bump on top of that is just icing. e85/Flex Fuel is going to be the next contribution you're going to really feel in the butt dyno on NA.

From there, it comes down to how much do you want to spend. Do you just want to invest a little more to close-out the missing bolt-on options? Or do you want spend big bucks to chase the last 5% of what's possible on a reasonable NA set-up (e.g. buying the best/premium components, dyno tune, etc)?

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Uncatted front pipe and Flex Fuel/e85 are probably the most accessible means to add the 10-15 HP you're looking for. Tack on a custom Ecutek remote tune to round up the package. Not the cheapest, but the most obvious and reasonable to max out the engine on NA bolt-ons.

If you want to increase responsiveness, you already know what's coming because you've been there. Lightweight rotating components, chassis reinforcements/stiffer bushings, etc.

?

I'm not familiar.