Tags Posts tagged with "Subaru WRX cold air intake"

Subaru WRX cold air intake

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The 2015-18 Subaru WRX is one heck of a car, once again delivering on Subaru’s winning recipe for all-wheel-drive fun. As with every Subaru of the last 20 years or so, enthusiasts are feverishly modding 15+ Subaru WRX’s.

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STILLEN Front Splitter for WRX / RS-R Coilovers (1.4in Drop) / Wedsport SA72R 18×9.5 / 18×9.5
265/35-18 Nitto NT05 Tires

In their zeal to throw parts at it as quickly as possible, the FA20DIT engine has developed a reputation for being notoriously finicky among Subie lovers. In particular, the issue is that many aftermarket intakes cause a Check Engine Light or worse, resulting in quite a few ‘horror stories’. All the ‘horror stories’ have created the impression the motor will blow up if you look at it wrong. While that’s a wild exaggeration, there is some truth to the fact it’s fairly easy to hurt these motors.

DEAN WRX CORRECTED

STILLEN Front Splitter for WRX / RS-R Coilovers (1.4in Drop) / Wedsport SA72R 18×9.5 / 18×9.5
265/35-18 Nitto NT05 Tires

Longevity with a performance car like the WRX can be a concern, so that’s why we wanted to take this opportunity to do a Long Term Review of the performance of our Hi-Flow Intake for 2015-2018 Subaru WRX to see how it really held up in the real world.

Subaru WRX 2015 Intake Installed View 1

STILLEN manager Dean has been running the STILLEN Hi-Flow Intake for 2015-2018 Subaru WRX on his daily driver WRX for the past two years – without issue. As you may or may not know, the STILLEN WRX intake doesn’t require a tune to make the power advertised or to avoid a CEL.

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Dean’s WRX runs a basic COBB AccessPORT for tuning and datalogging, a KILLER-B Intercooler, as well as the prototype STILLEN Exhaust for 2015-18 Subaru WRX (currently in development), and that’s about it.

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STILLEN Exhaust for WRX (PROTOTYPE) / RS-R Coilovers (1.4in Drop) / Wedsport SA72R 18×9.5 / 18×9.5
265/35-18 Nitto NT05 Tires

Dean’s WRX is not ‘wildly modded’ by any means, and it’s worth saying Dean doesn’t drive like your grandma – he also enjoys spirited driving in the Rex. After 2 years of normal commuting and typical maintenance, Dean’s WRX is still running great – no check engine lights, and the motor has not exploded. Furthermore, it still makes every bit of the power it did 2 years ago.

2015-2018 Subaru WRX Hi-Flow Intake Kit 402000

PN# 402000 – Mandrel-Bent Aluminum Tube, Black Powdercoated Finish, Compatible with OE Air Duct

Given the FA20DIT’s ‘reputation’, that’s remarkable. The OEM airbox is rather restrictive and could really be in virtually every regard, airflow, sound – which is part of why our intake was able to safely achieve 30WHP gains.

This really highlights the value of the work we put into developing our performance parts here at STILLEN. When we were designing the STILLEN Hi Flow Intake for 2015-18 Subaru WRX, we wanted to create an intake that delivered power safely and would work well with the OEM ECU.

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Dean tells us that around town, the intake sound remains fairly subtle until you tip in the throttle, offering an intoxicating and rich boxer four intake note, yet is still quiet enough to have a conversation with passengers. Given the power gain, longevity and sound level of this intake, this intake is a great option for any commuter WRX or any WRX enthusiast chasing horsepower.

That’s another quality we strive for in our performance parts- we aim to offer subtle, refined tones in our intakes and exhausts that sound GOOD, avoiding obnoxious drone and unnecessary noise that can take away from enjoying a car.

After dozens of prototypes, we settled on a shielded design that retains the factory air duct – the end result being a walloping 30whp / 32wtq peak gain. That’s one of the perks of doing all of our manufacturing in house – since every STILLEN intake is manufactured right here in Costa Mesa, CA, we’re able to produce and test numerous prototypes to fine tune diameter and design for safe, reliable, consistent power.

Stillen 2015 WRX 1v5

We wanted more than just “peak numbers” with this system – by carefully tweaking the airflow, we were able to make a huge dent in that infamous FA20/FA20DIT “torque dip” between 4300-5500 RPM that normally takes the fun out of things, offering a huge improvement in usable power across the entire rev range.

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STILLEN Front Splitter for WRX / RS-R Coilovers (1.4in Drop) / Wedsport SA72R 18×9.5 / 18×9.5
265/35-18 Nitto NT05 Tires

Considering that our intake delivers huge power, nearly eliminates the infamous torque dip and won’t cause a CEL, we’re not just blowing hot air when we say the STILLEN 2015-18 Subaru WRX Cold Air Intake is quite possibly the best intake for FA20DIT WRX models. The only question left is – why don’t you have one yet on your ‘rex?

Talk to our Performance Counselors including Dean. Give us a call today at 866-250-5542, shop online at STILLEN.com or chat live with us at STILLEN.com

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Own a 2015+ Subaru WRX?

Then you might want to keep the following WRX performance enhancing tip to yourself:

The STILLEN 2015-2018 Subaru WRX cold air intake adds 30 HP and 32 lb-ft of torque at the wheels…no tuning required.  

Sound good? It should – the STILLEN Subaru WRX intake makes more power than any other intake that’s compatible with stock tuning.

2015-2016 Subaru WRX Intake

The 2015-2018 Subaru WRX intake makes loads of power – all with no tuning required.

These results are dyno-proven, running on California 91 octane fuel.

Does this make the STILLEN intake among the most cost effective power upgrades for the WRX?

Possibly.

In any case, may we suggest:

  1. You quietly acquire your very own STILLEN Subaru WRX cold air intake
  2. Secretly bolt it on by the light of the moon
  3. Volunteer to drive friends, family or significant other for morning coffee
  4. Deliver a caffeine-free rush to them on the way to the beanery

We won’t say a word.

However, pardon a bit of humblebrag about the development process.

 

STILLEN Subaru WRX Intake – A Success Story

STILLEN expertise in extracting major power gains without upsetting factory ECU settings is legendary.  Years of engineering intercoolers, turbo upgrades, exhausts and intakes comes in handy when analyzing the design of the stock intake on a vehicle like the WRX.

The STILLEN 2015-2018 Subaru WRX intake was designed to optimize airflow and give the MAF sensor the most accurate reading possible.

The dyno results speak for themselves with a factory-like AFR curve and massive gains across the power band:

 

Stillen 2015 Subaru WRX Intake 1v5 Dyno Results

Stillen 2015 Subaru WRX Intake 1v4 Dyno Results

 

All testing was done with stock tuning.  That’s important, because it gives you options:

  1. Today you can add significant power without investing in tuning software.
  2. Tomorrow you run it with tuning, whether custom or stage 1 & 2 tuning from Cobb.

No matter your resources or needs, the 2015-2018 Subaru WRX intake is there for you – tuning or no tuning.

 

Design Details:

When STILLEN Engineers were developing the WRX Intake they were already aware of the issues of other intake kits on the market. The fluctuating AFR readings made it clear that there needed to be adjustments made for MAF Sensor to get proper readings to the ECU and keep everything safe while still making more power. For this we looked at the design of the factory intake and MAF Sensor placement to see how the stock setup was communicating accurate information.

 

The Best Choice

So let’s take a look at the STILLEN Subaru WRX intake’s resume so far:  Powerful?  Check.  Cost-effective?  Check.  Versatile?  Check.  Dependable?  Yes sir.  And here’s why:

You may have read that running an aftermarket intake on a stock tuned WRX is unsafe.  When intakes were first being designed for the WRX, some manufacturers overlooked crucial details.

AFR’s were not closely monitored or data logged and the misinformation may have scared off the WRX community a bit.

Let’s set the record straight: here at STILLEN we’ve logged over 30,000 miles of operation with our cold air intake on engines with no tuning.

Zero check engine lights.

Zero issues.

Thirty some horsepower.

So here’s the best kept secret tip of the day:

Whether it’s the first or the final performance hop up for your 2015-2016 WRX, the STILLEN cold air intake might just be the best.

The STILLEN 2015-2018 Subaru WRX intake is currently CARB pending but we expect to have the intake fully smog legal in the near future.

Part Number

STILLEN 402000 2015-2018 Subaru WRX Cold Air Intake Kit

 

Questions? Call our automotive experts at 866-250-5542.

Want more? Our full collection of Subaru WRX aftermarket parts and accessories can be viewed on our website.

 

Founded in 1986, STILLEN is recognized as one of the premier tuners in the world. With Engineers and a full R&D department on location, STILLEN has long been engineering big brake kits with Brembo and AP Racing, developing superchargers with Magnuson, Edelbrock, Whipple, Vortech, and under the leadership of championship race car driver Steve Millen, trusted by thousands of enthusiasts, manufacturing STILLEN branded products and upgrades, as well as wholesale distribution and retail partners.
Contact us: info@stillen.com
© Steve Millen Sportparts