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More acceleration from 2009 Legacy 2.5GT


kmm

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I just got a 2009 Legacy 2.5GT 5MT a month ago with ~53k miles. I'd like to mod it over time. This is a daily driver, not a track car. I'm not looking for something to make Corvette owners cry. I don't care if it goes 200mph. I care more about off the line acceleration and handling curves. I'd love to get close to (if not exceed) a 5 sec 0-60 time. I talked to a friend who's modded a GTO before. He mentioned simpler and less expensive mods would be CAI, tune, short throw, and better tires. Those all made sense to me.

 

But, I'm wondering what else I can do to it w/o an engine swap or $10K worth of changes. I'd also like to avoid messing with reliability (like increasing chance of ringland failure). What else should I do if I want to shave some time? Headers? Any weight reduction I can do w/o being too extreme (don't want to shave bits off the frame, remove back seats, or anything like that) that would help? Anything else?

 

EDIT: currently it is completely stock.

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Unless you are willing to really open up the exhaust you are not going to gain much in the short term. Header, up-pipe, full turbo back larger exhaust and a tuner (or tune-COBB AP) will gain you maybe 40-50hp. Don't bother with the CIA unless you just want to look at it or like the extra noise.

 

A new thottle MAP (ie tuning) helps theses cars out quite a bit in how they feel. There are several popular tuners who are vendors here.

 

IMPO you really want to tighten up the suspension and I would give it a full once over, even with the low miles.

CKE SSP product information and sales : chris.ckessp@gmail.com
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Don't bother with the CIA unless you just want to look at it or like the extra noise.

 

I'd prefer not to bother with them at all. Already enough stuff going on with the NSA, don't want to add the CIA :-P Anyways...

 

I'd be fine with with doing more exhaust work to help it breath and perform better. So, would headers and an up-pipe be the extent you'd do for gaining hp/torque from the exhaust system? Or are there any other components you'd change?

 

My view of mods at this point is: I don't want to void the 4yr/48k mile powertrain warranty (since I don't have history on the car and its maintenance), so things like tunes I don't plan to do right now. But, I'm definitely interesting in knowing about such options for when the warranty expires.

 

That's why I plan to mod over time. I figure a short throw is very unlikely to void a warranty, along with better tires or lighter weight rims. And I'm guessing headers and an up-pipe won't void anything either (though I plan to check for any mods I do).

 

So, please keep the ideas coming. I just may not do them for 4yrs is all :-)

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The safe, effective upgrade path is actually quite straightforward. Start by getting a Cobb AccessPort. Cobb's off-the-shelf Stage 1 tune, with no hardware mods, gains you substantial power and is actually much healthier for the engine than the stock tune, which burns the #4 exhaust valves due to excessive leanness.

Drive it for a while. Want more power? Get a catted 3" downpipe and run Cobb's Stage 2 tune, or preferably a pro tune. A stage 2 pro tune is the optimal balance of power and engine safety.

Want more power? That's a whole different conversation.

 

Edit: just saw the bit about the up-pipe. That does nothing for an '09. And the headers do very little unless you start building serious power.

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Agree with relative4.

 

Accessport first. Downpipe second.

 

No need for exhaust mods other than downpipe until you hit 350-400 hp at minimum. Not saying you can't get SOME gains from them, but definitely not a great bang-for-the-buck.

 

And avoid CAI like the plague on this car - they can cause all kinds of problems without a tune specifically made for them.

 

Tires + short-shifter sounds good too. And suspension work.

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