Starting mods!

[Ericisdigital]

I've had my 2014 Impreza hatch for a few months now. I'm not too sure on what would be compatible for my car. Not seeing too much for my Impreza, only for WRX's/ STI's. Any information would help, thanks in advance!

[1 Lucky Texan]

not sure what your goals are are, but, consider lighter-weight rims.

 

it's a win-win because; you get to 'personalize' the car with rims YOU choose, AND, having lighter rims means less rotating, unsprung mass, so, it frees up a little horsepower.

 

finding the weight of the present rims might be a little trick but, probably some guys over at NASIOC know.

[Bushwick]

tirerack sells rims, for excellent prices, AND they list the weight of the rims. If you can get 17 pound each rims, you just dropped 30 something pounds off what Texan was saying. Tires have different weights as well, so to further the effect you can get tires that weigh 2-4 pounds less each, so that 30 pound drop just became 40. Pull the rear spare (if it has one) and the jack, and you just dropped another 40 pounds. So 80 pounds getting pulled (40 of which is unsprung weight) might not sound like much, but in a race against an identical model, you'd be a touch quicker. Your MPG will be a touch better as well. Next up I'd suggest a true cowl induction hood. The lighter, the better. Hoods can weigh as much as 65 pounds (in general), so pulling 40 pounds of hood off and and having the cowl effect pull in air at the back of the engine, the car will be quicker, not to mention the cold air pulled will cool the intake and probably the trans depending which route the air travels. Next up I'd suggest lowering the car 1.2 to 1.5", and installing adjustable shocks/struts. This will make the car handle much better, and the adjustable struts will allow you to cater to soft to hard ride. Upgrading a a larger diameter rear stabilizer bar will also improve handling, though be careful how strong of a bar you install as it might cause the rear to kick out if you aren't careful. Next up I'd suggest a front and rear strut tower braces, as they'll help keep the car flat in the turns, which is really nice.

 

All told, do everything above and you'll drop roughly a 100+ pounds from the car, while increasing it's cornering ability. The weight savings and lowering will increase MPG. To further increase MPG, go with synthetic fluids to reduce internal friction further, though with synthetics jumping to a RIDICULOUS $9 a qt. the last few months, basically doubling their cost, it might be a little bit of a put-off.

[1 Lucky Texan]

yeah, I got my previous rims from TR. Saved 3.5 pounds per corner.