World One Performance Blog

Last Saturday, we travel with Erich 2 – 2 1/2 hours east on I-90 to shoot his car for an upcoming publication. The original areas we had in mind to shoot turned out to be extremely busy, thanks in part to the 90-100 degree temperatures that were predicted. However, after driving along for a bit, we found a scenic view that worked perfectly for our needs. Here are just three of the photos we took at this location:

And the view from the actual location in Vantage, WA. The bridge you see is actually I-90 crossing the Columbia River:

Right now, we’re just waiting on confirmation from the publication to get these photos in.

It’s always good to see a solid wheel company release new designs, despite how well their current designs are doing.  Volk’s G-series of 1-piece forged wheels is a welcome addition to the Volk Racing catalog, especially since the light-weight and ultra-strong 1-piece wheels were only limited to 4 different styles for over a year now, with only color variations being the only difference.  The Volk Racing G2 was the first of the G-series to be announced, and being a TE37-lover myself, this new 6-spoke, 1-piece forged wheel has me drooling.  Available colors are Formula Silver:

and Flat Black:

Currently, these wheels are only available in 19-inch and 20-inch sizes, but here are a few fitments of interest:

For 08-09 STI:  19×8.5 +35, 19×8.5 +43 5×114.3, 19×9.5 +45 5×114.3

For Evo X:  19×8.5 +35, 19×9.5 +35, 19×9.5 +23 (very aggressive)

For 350Z/G35 Coupe:  19×9.5 +23, 19×10.5 +22

For 370Z:  19×9.5 +42, 19×10.5 +22

For G37 Coupe:  19×9.5 +35, 19×9.5 +45, 19×10.5 +35

For E46 M3:  19×8.5 +35, 19×9.5 +22, 19×10.5 +25

For E90 3-series:  19×8.5 +35, 19×9.5 +35

For E92 M3:  19×9.5 +22, 19×10.5 +25

There are a few wheels in stock on our side of the Pacific, but we can always special order a set if needed.  Here’s a few sample photos on cars:

Yesterday, we discussed the choosing of an aftermarket catback system to the WRX or STI, not only for additional power, but also for aesthetic purposes. However, as much as we all love the boxer sound, in terms of actual measurable power, the catback alone really doesn’t do much. Thus, after the catback, the next power mod most people consider is an aftermarket downpipe. The downpipe is where the true power starts to be made, since as you can see from the photo to the right, the stock downpipe has 2 power-robbing catalytic converters, or “cats” for short. In this photo, the downpipe on the bottom is the stock downpipe, whereas the downpipe on the top is an Invidia catless downpipe. In comparing the two downpipes, you’ll also notice a few differences other than the cats: the stock downpipe is split into two pieces (some people and manufacturers only refer to the top-most section as the downpipe, and the second section as the midpipe), and the flange at the top that connects to your turbo has a flat plate. These two differences are clear examples of how different companies prefer to approach creating an aftermarket downpipe.

Before we go further however, we must make a disclaimer: removal of the stock catalytic converters is for off-road use only, and if caught using a catless system on the street, you may be cited and fined. In other words, you do have to pay to play, so make sure you’re well aware of this, especially in states like California where emissions laws are very strict and may involve impounding your car if violated. Now that that’s out of the way, most aftermarket downpipes have the following features that are geared as improvements over the stock downpipe:

• Removal of all cats or replacing 1 or 2 cats with high-flow performance cats
• Replace the flat flange at the turbo side with a “bellmouth” or “divorced wastegate” flange
• Change from a 2-piece pipe to a 1-piece pipe

Of course, just the same as with catbacks, not every downpipe is equal, and this is even more clear with the different designs out there. No matter the design though, the main thing that really should be considered is fitment. Some downpipe have problems fitting due to hanger location, but others simply have issues with fitting because they’re made to mate to their own proprietary exhaust system, so they might require a separate pipe for it to connect to the aftermarket catback of your choice. On top of this, most aftermarket downpipes will not bolt on directly to the stock catback for 02-07 WRXs and STIs, however this is completely the opposite for 08-09 WRXs and STIs, which don’t have any problem bolting to the stock catback. Why would you want to bolt onto the stock catback you might ask? Well, although you do sacrifice power by sticking with the stock catback (since it creates a bottleneck), you do get a significant power increase over stock and you don’t attract any unneeded attention from the authorities.

Once you’ve sorted out fitment issues, the next thing to consider is going catless or staying green-friendly with a high-flow cat. It has been argued that a good high-flow cat will not hamper power at levels below 400 whp, but in our experience, this has not been the case whatsoever. Moreover, running catless helps with throttle response and faster turbo spool since there’s no back pressure in the exhaust system to slow down the exhaust flow. It has also been argued that running catless creates a bad exhaust smell in the cabin, but while this may be the case when a catless downpipe is initially installed, the smell does go away over time, so long as the downpipe was installed properly with no leaks. And, since catted downpipes are typically almost twice as expensive as catless downpipes, unless you absolutely need a catted downpipe for emissions or racing restrictions, we always recommend a catless downpipe. Catless? But what about the check engine light? Well, certain forms of engine management will turn off this check engine light for you, but we will get into that when we talk about engine management in a future part of this blog series.

After deciding on whether to go catless or catted, the next big decision is in regards to the downpipe’s flange at the turbo side. Here are a few examples of the available options, other than stock downpipe’s flat plate design. First up is the “bellmouth” design, which looks like this on the TiTek downpipe:

Next up are two variations of the “divorced wastegate” design. The idea behind the divorced wastegate is that a stock style turbo has exhaust gases the escape from the turbo’s internal wastegate, and since that might cause turbulence when mixed in with the ordinary exhaust gases that exit the turbo, it’s better for these gases to exit out separately so that the exhaust flow is not interrupted. The first one is Invidia’s version, which is essentially just a flat divider plate that diverts the gases, but the gases still go down the same exact pipe further along:

In contrast, here is Element Tuning’s take on the divorced wastegate design. This downpipe actually features a completely separate pipe for the wastegate gases, which then meets up later on with the rest of the piping. The theory behind this is that it’s a true divorced wastegate and the extra smaller piping creates a venturi effect which makes the wastegate gases not only flow faster, but also create a suction effect that makes the rest of the exhaust gases flow faster as well:

In our experience, we definitely recommend either of the above styles. It’s best to stay away from the stock downpipe’s flat plate style, which can be found on a few downpipe brands out there. However, between a bellmouth and Invidia’s divorced wastegate style, we have not seen or felt a significant difference in power. On the other hand, Element Tuning’s divorced wastegate style has proven to produce more power over the other styles.

Finally, you’ll notice that Element Tuning’s downpipe is a 2-piece design, whereas the Invidia design is a 1-piece. Generally speaking, a 1-piece tends to be better when avoid exhaust leaks, but a 2-piece design gives the option to change from a catless race pipe to a catted pipe at your discretion. Not every 2-piece downpipe has an option for a catted downpipe however, so it’s best to do your research (as always) before purchasing. Nevertheless, if you have any further questions, again please don’t hesitate to contact us. For the next blogs, we’ll change gears a little bit and highlight some products and feature a customer car, but next week we’ll come back to the power mod path with a discussion about intakes and engine management.

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular inquiries we receive from new WRX or STI owners who have been bitten by the mod bug is, “how do I get more power out of this car?” Ever since the first original 2002 WRX commercials back in 2001, people have always bought this car to go fast, and with the right combination of modifications, going fast is relatively easy. In the next series of blogs, we’ll be strictly discussing power modifications, all the way from the basics to more power than you’ll likely ever truly use in the lifetime of your car. Although the vast majority of these modifications are bolt-ons, there’s always going to be some pros and cons to each mod, whether it be in driving characteristics or simply not being street legal. We will definitely discuss these pros and cons as we go along and we will make it a goal to make this discussion easy enough to understand for someone who is completely new to cars, let alone Subarus in particular.

Before we jump into the thick of things, it’s important to remember that while there’s a lot of different “Stage” numbers being thrown around, these stages are not universal. Back in 2002, TurboXS came out with their own “Stage 1-4,” and then later Cobb Tuning came out with their own “Stage 1 and 2,” but there really hasn’t ever been an officially agreed upon requirement of certain mods to reach a specific “Stage.” We will however mention what unofficial “Stage” we’re at as we go along.

Just about the first power mod that enthusiasts would like to do is to give their WRX or STI a voice with a replacement catback system. This is a good starting mod, as it doesn’t require any re-tuning and the install is as simple as undoing and redoing a few bolts. The catback replaces the stock piping you’ll find here in this old, yet still very helpful diagram:

It should be noted though that not all catbacks are created equal, and this rings true for all the other components of the exhaust system as well. Many people find it hard to justify spending $600-700 for a catback when they can buy one for $150-300 on eBay, but the truth really comes out in the manufacturing. All too often I hear accounts from eBay-brand exhaust owners who after only 1-2 years of ownership , must clean the rust off of their exhausts at regular intervals, even though they do not live in a climate where it snows and thus there’s no salt-based de-icing agents on the road. This really should not be the case whatsoever, and the higher priced exhausts are almost always more resistant to rust, so much that they maintain their quality for many years. Other differences to consider between the very inexpensive exhausts and the higher priced exhausts are the design of the exhaust itself, how well the exhaust fits on the car, how good the welds are on each of the pieces, and the manufacturer’s warranty. The difference is really in the detail.

The next thing to consider overall is the piping diameter and design, but honestly most people seem to read into this more than necessary. A turbo motor likes to breathe, and thus the better the exhaust flow, typically the better the car performs. Most catbacks and downpipes are made to be 3 inches in diameter for the most part, however many, if not most catbacks taper down to 2.5 inches at the end that bolts onto the downpipe. The reason for this is to make it easier for the exhaust to mate to the rest of the otherwise stock exhaust, but over the years some people have claimed that this tapering down is a huge and unacceptable hindrance. While this taper can be an issue with high horsepower levels (400+ whp) since it creates a bottleneck, the vast majority of WRX and STI owners, especially those who do not track, compete, or otherwise race their car on a regular basis (in other words, daily drivers) will never feel or notice this power difference. That isn’t to say that full 3-inch piping that does not taper down to 2.5 inches is a bad thing, rather it simply shouldn’t be of the utmost priority for the vast majority of Subaru owners out there. What really should be important though is whether or not the exhaust is straight-through or if it is baffled. Straight-through exhausts tend to be louder, but there are definitely some quiet ones out there. The problem with baffled exhausts is that while they tend to be more on the quiet side, the exhaust flow goes through a baffling chamber which causes the exhaust to be quiet. This interrupts the exhaust flow and thus will not make as much power as a straight-through exhaust. You’ll be able to tell the difference pretty easily: if you look down one end of the exhaust and can see light at the other end with little problem, you’ve most likely got a straight-through exhaust. Otherwise, the exhaust is most likely baffled, and the exhaust flow has to make some twists and turns in the baffling chamber before it exits out the other side.

Finally, probably the most important thing to consider about the catback of your choosing is how the exhaust itself sounds. Choosing an exhaust sound is much like choosing a set of wheels or a pair of shoes, since everyone has different tastes and needs. Some exhausts are deafening loud, whereas others are just as quiet as your stock exhaust. Generally speaking, the louder the exhaust, the more straight-through it is, and thus the more power it makes, but there will always be exceptions to this rule. If you live in a state where exhaust volume levels are strictly enforced, then you’ll definitely want to consider a good, straight-through, quiet exhaust. Otherwise, almost nothing sounds as good as a very loud WRX or STI, but just be prepared to deal with exhaust drone on the highway and having to yell simply to converse with your passengers.

That just about does it for part one. Be sure to do your research, watch some exhaust videos on your favorite video hosting website, ask your friends’ opinions, and be sure to contact us if you have any further unanswered questions. We’ve come across more exhausts than most other vendors in our day, so we’ll be happy to make a recommendation for your needs! Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the next component of the exhaust system: the downpipe.

We’ve just added a new section of our photo gallery above called World One Product Photos. Our first set of photos includes one of our most popular wheels, the Advan RS. This specific set was sold to a local customer and we were able to take a few photos before he picked them up. The size of these wheels is 18×8.5 +48 5×100, which is a great fitment for a WRX and 04 STI. This also fits Legacy GTs and Foresters, but might rub depending on the tire size and brand chosen. The +48 offset and 8.5-inch width isn’t considered very concave to some, but they are in fact quite concave for a wheel of this size and offset, as shown in the photos. The wheels are cast using Advan/Enkei’s MAT technology and are very strong despite its light weight. They make for excellent track and street wheels and have an MSRP of $645 per wheel. We look forward to sharing photos of these wheels on our customer’s car in the near future!

[View with PicLens]

It’s not often that we have a World One customer who sells their car, and the next person becomes a World One customer as well.  The car you see here used to belong to a long-time World One customer known as Fook.  Fook’s been a friend of World One’s for a long time, not only from a business stand point, but also for all the great stories he shares with us from his days growing up and his work on an Alaskan fishing boat for most of the year.  Over the years, he has since settled down, and is now raising a family in Thailand.  However, since his family resides in Thailand, he really couldn’t hang onto his car here stateside, thus he sold the car to his long time friend and fellow Subaru enthusiast, Wence Estrada in January of this year.

Since then, Wence has made the car his own, and the car is now featured on TunerZine.com, with an article written by yours truly.  This car has its roots in World One Performance’s history, and we hope to add it to our gallery at some point in the near future.  Please click the photo or click here to view the article.

Continuing off from yesterday’s wheel offsets discussion, since the vast majority of our clients are Subaru Impreza owners, it only made sense to discuss wheel sizes and options that fit on the Impreza, and the potential problems that might arise. As mentioned yesterday, heels have to clear 3 main things in order for them not only to fit on the car, but also roll freely: fenders, suspension, and brakes. To add complexity to this, the wheel diameter, width, offset, and even spoke design come into play. For example, even though a wheel might have a diameter, width, and offset that works fine, another wheel with the same exact measurements but a different spoke design might not clear the brakes. And of course, this depends on the brakes being used, whether it’s the stock STI Brembos, a StopTech BBK, or the 06-07 WRX calipers. The good thing though, is that we’ve installed a number of different wheel and tire setups here at our shop, so we can speak with confidence on the combinations I’m about to mention. I’ll also include the necessary suspension and/or fender modifications required for these wheels to fit without any rubbing.

For 02-09 WRX and 04 STI

The WRX and 04 STI are plagued by the 5×100 bolt pattern. This pattern is the actual distance that the lugs are spread apart on the wheel hub. While you wouldn’t think that a 14.3mm difference between the WRX and STI is a big deal, as it turns out, the wider the wheel and the lower the offset you go, the more stress you put on the wheel bearings in this bolt pattern. For this reason, many of the wheel manufacturers that we carry do not even make certain wheel fitments for 5×100. Here are a few examples that we have personal experience with:

• Volk TE37 17×8 +44 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Volk TE37 18×7.5 +48 5×100 (does NOT clear STI Brembos)
• Volk CE28N 17×7.5 +50 5×100 (does NOT clear STI Brembos)
• Volk CE28N 17×9 +43 5×100 (clears STI Brembos, may require fender rolling depending on tire)
• Volk CE28N 18×8.5 +44 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Volk GT-V 18×8 +46 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Volk GT-S 18×8 +43 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Gram Lights 57 Maximum 18×8.5 +45 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Gram Lights 57 Optimise 18×8.5 +43 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• 57Motorsport G07WT 17×9 +45 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Advan TC-II 18×7.5 +48 5×100 (does NOT clear STI Brembos)
• Advan T6 18×8 +45 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Advan RS 18×8.5 +48 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Advan RC-II 18×7.5 +48 5×100 (does NOT clear STI Brembos)
• Prodrive PWRC1 18×7.5 +46 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Prodrive GT1 18×7.5 +53 5×100 (does NOT clear STI Brembos)
• Enkei RPF1 17×8 +45 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Work Emotion CR Kai 18×7.5 +42 5×100 (clears STI Brembos)
• Work Emotion XD9 18×8 +45 5×100

As far as tire sizes go, you are of course limited to the width of the wheels that are even available to 5×100. In most cases, you can run a 245/35/18 tire no problem without any rubbing issues, but you can also run a 245/40/18 if your car isn’t lowered very much. However, a 255 tire will definitely require fender rolling and/or cutting.

For 05-09 STI

The change to the 5×114.3 bolt pattern opened up a plethora of wheel options to STI owners. Since 5×114.3 is a more universally-available bolt pattern, just about every wheel manufacturer had varying sizes of wheels that would fit. 8 and 8.5 wide fitments were almost always safe without any risk of rubbing, so long as you didn’t roll with a 245 or larger tire size. A 235 tire size is almost a sure-fire perfect fit with no rubbing issues. However, with more wheels available in 9 and 9.5 inch widths, the trend moved toward these wheel and tire sizes, which almost always require fender modification. Specifically for 9.5 inch widths, coilovers were required for suspension clearance along with rear camber bolts in order for the wheels not to rub on the fenders, which of course needed to be rolled anyway. Again, a few examples, each of course clears STI Brembos:

• Volk CE28N 18×8.5 +52 5×114.3
• Volk RE30 18×8.5 +52 5×114.3
• Volk RE30 18×9 +50 5×114.3
• Volk TE37 18×8.5 +50 5×114.3
• Volk CE28N 18×9.5 +40 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)
• Gram Lights 57 Maximum 18×8.5 +45 5×114.3
• Gram Lights 57 Optimise 18×8.5 +43 5×114.3
• Gram Lights 57F 18×8.5 +45 5×114.3
• Advan RG-II 18×8 +45 5×114.3
• Advan RS 18×9 +45 5×114.3
• Advan RZ 18×9 +45 5×114.3
• Prodrive GT1 18×8.5 +53 5×114.3
• Prodrive GC05F 18×8.5 +44 5×114.3
• Prodrive GC010G 18×8.5 +46 5×114.3
• Prodrive GC05F +44 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)
• Prodrive GC010G 18×9.5 +44 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)
• Prodrive GC010E 18×9.5 +44 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)
• Prodrive GC06H 18×9.5 +44 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)
• Enkei NTO3+M 18×9.5 +40 5×114.3 (requires fender rolling, coilovers, and rear camber bolts for 05-07 STI only)\
• Work Emotion XD9 18×9 +43 5×114.3
• Work Emotion CR Kai 18×8.5 +43 5×114.3

Obviously, with wider wheels, you can run wider tires. As mentioned above, just about everything 255 and up will require fender rolling, but we’ve managed to fit 265/35/18 and 275/35/18 after fender and suspension modification as mentioned above. The Element Tuning Time Attack Race Car pictured above runs on Prodrive GC05Fs in 18×9.5 +44 5×114.3 and 275/35/18 Hankook race slicks.

For 08-09 STI

The wider track and fenders of the 08-09 STI definitely allow for even wider wheels and tires, with much less risk of rubbing. This is partially due to the fact that the 08-09 STI comes with 18×8.5 wheels straight from the factory. All of the above wheels fit perfectly fine on the 08-09 STI, however 265 and wider tire sizes may require fender rolling, depending on how low of an offset you decide to run. Generally speaking, staying with a 05-07 STI safe offset will not require any fender modification on the 08-09 STI, and any of the 18×8.5 wheel sizes can simply reuse the stock Dunlop 245/40/18 tires. Fitment examples:

• Volk CE28N 18×9 +35 5×114.3
• Volk RE30 18×9 +35 5×114.3
• Volk TE37 18×9.5 +40 5×114.3
• Volk TE37 19×9.5 +43 5×114.3
• Advan RS 18×9 +35 5×114.3
• Advan RZ 18×9 +35 5×114.3
• Work Emotion XD9 18×9 +38 5×114.3
• Work Emotion CR Kai 18×8.5 +37 5×114.3

Again, I should stress that these are all just examples that we’ve tried here at our shop, and there are very many other wheels and sizes that will fit just fine. Just remember to do your research and if all else fails, contact us and we’ll be happy to make a recommendation!

While the first thing most people do to their car is upgrade the power, often times when it comes to wheels, many people seem to be at a loss. Often people don’t know what wheels fit their car, let alone what’s a good quality brand. However, before we get into wheel manufacturing technology (which we’ll go over in a future blog entry), let’s start with the basic wheel feature that affects how wheels will both fit and look on a car: wheel offset.

Whenever your look up wheel specs, they usually have a listing of offsets, such as +53, +45, +29, and so on. These offsets represent the distance in millimeters that the wheel hub (where you actually mount the wheels onto the car) is from the centerline of the wheel. I created this diagram from a Volk TE37 for Porsche wheel to help illustrate:

As you can see, I’ve placed a line the goes down the center of the wheel, and I’ve shown that the right side of the wheel is on the outside toward the fender, whereas the left side of the wheel is on the inside toward the suspension. As the diagram shows, the wheel hub is directly on the center line, which means it has a zero offset. When the wheel hub is pushed out toward the outside of the wheel, then the wheel has positive offset; when the hub is pushed in toward the inside of the wheel, then the wheel has negative offset. Makes sense, right? Perhaps it does, but how does this affect wheel fitment?

Herein lies the problem with offset. Wheels have to clear 3 main things in order for them not only to fit on the car, but also roll freely: fenders, suspension, and brakes. Since ever car is different, not every wheel offset will work. Some cars, such as the 350Z and M3, have plenty of room between the outside fender and the suspension. Other cars, such as the 93-01 Impreza, have nowhere near as much space. Still other cars, such as the S2000 have an average amount of room in the front of the car, but barely any room in the rear. On top of all this, wheel offsets are also affected by the width of the wheel. Thus, a wheel that is only 7.5 inches wide fits differently than a wheel that is 10.5 inches wide with the same exact offset. Remember, the offset is measured from the centerline of the wheel, so the wider the wheel, the distance available from the centerline. This can very much come into play when there’s a big brake kit on the car, since you’ll need to choose an offset that will clear the brake calipers.

Despite all the possible complications, here are a few generalizations that will help with your wheel offset decisions:

• High offsets (such as +50 for example) make the wheel fit inward toward the suspension. This helps the wheel clear the outside fender, but since the wheel goes in more, it could pose problems clearing brakes or contacting the suspension.
• Low offsets (such as +25 or anything in the negative for example) make the wheel fit outward toward the fender. This helps the wheel clear a big brake kit, but it could pose problems with your wheels and tires rubbing against your fenders.
• Since every car is different, certain offsets (typically lower offsets) combined with a certain wheel bolt pattern can cause undo stress on your wheel bearings, causing them to wear out prematurely. For this reason, many wheel manufacturers simply do not manufacture wheels in certain fitments.

So how do you decide what’s the best wheel offset for your car? First off, do your research: find out what your stock wheel offset is first and foremost, and then you can even measure yourself to determine how different of an offset will suit your needs. Also find out what other people with your same car are running and find out if they have any wheel fitment problems. After you’ve done your research and you’re still unsure, please don’t hesitate to contact us, since we are familiar with a great many different wheel options and fitments for various vehicles. If you find out that the size and offset you need aren’t readily available, we can always special order you a set and, depending on the brand, even custom order a set of wheels to your exact specifications. Coming up tomorrow, we will share some typical wheel and tire fitments that we’ve tested out at our shop and what modifications were necessary to make them fit without any fender rubbing or suspension contact.

Phil from Element Tuning just recently posted up some results from a car that he tuned. The car featured an Element Tuning GT65 bolt-on turbo, Element Tuning Hydra EMS, Element Tuning Hydramist, and supporting mods. This combination helped the car reach 494 whp and 445 wtq! More information on this can be found here on NASIOC.

The GT65 bolt-on is actually the turbo we’re planning to put in our own 08 STI. Since it is a direct bolt-on turbo, there’s no need for extra piping or an external wastegate setup. You get the power of a rotated GT35R (as proven by Phil in the link above) without all the hassle of custom this and custom that. This turbo makes proven power, and can be yours for $2099 including shipping.

World One customers Erich and Dylan were awarded with “Best Impreza” and “Best Performance” respectively at last weekend’s Auburn Top Foods Car Show!  Good job guys!  Click here for a link to all the photos.