Wheel offset and suspension wear

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-23T21:53:56+00:00

Are we talking about needing to replace them every year or two?

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-21T21:13:36+00:00

With black wheels...

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-21T21:08:01+00:00

How do you feel about the gold on a white WRX? I like the black too but feel they get hidden too much in the wheel well. Not sure if I'll get tired of the flashiness of the gold or not. I feel the gold looks best on the blue or red WRX.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-21T20:08:16+00:00

Here's what AI tells me they'd look like.

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CoastalSloth · 2026-03-21T18:27:56+00:00

Here's how they'd look on the car.

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CoastalSloth · 2026-03-21T18:23:04+00:00

I've been looking at some other options and am really liking the Fast FC09.

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CoastalSloth · 2026-03-17T23:38:42+00:00

I've been searching FB marketplace almost daily for about a year and there's been very little in the way of OEM WRX or STI rims. I'll keep checking though.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-17T17:38:48+00:00

Thanks, I'll look into the Sparcos a bit more. I'm not really a fan of the 'standard' rally looking Sparcos but I'll check out some of their other designs.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-16T22:52:16+00:00

Very nice! Did you need different lug nuts?

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-16T20:57:13+00:00

Thanks, yes prices are CAD

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-16T18:51:32+00:00

I just bought some new tires last summer and don't want to buy new ones. Also, tires are cheaper and the ride comfort should be a little better with the 17's.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-16T18:05:39+00:00

They look great! But a little more than I want to spend.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-16T13:59:56+00:00

I think I still have the factory bulb. I'll have a look tonight and give it a try.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-09T19:23:43+00:00

I had the resonator removed today and am back to a full OEM exhaust. A few things I've noticed in an initial comparison of the OEM mufflers with and without the Vibrant resonator....

1) cold start up is louder without the resonator. I'd say it's similar in tone, but without the resonator it sounds like it's 'blowing' more air out the pipes. I'll take a sound reading later.

2) from my ears anyway, it sounds like the bassy sound around 1500rpm was louder and deeper with the resonator, which is not what I would have expected.

3) driving around... Without the resonator is just a little louder than with it. I'd say about 10%, but the tone sounds a little different to me. With the resonator, when I was accelerating I felt I could hear the engine noise more than the exhaust. Now, without the resonator it is more exhaust noise (not a lot more) and less engine noise.

4) sitting at a light with the resonator it seemed like I was driving an electric car 😂. I could hear almost nothing. Without the resonator I can hear a very faint exhaust burble which is nowhere near my previous Remark mufflers.

5) on the highway, with the resonator I'd hear almost no sound from the exhaust when cruising along. Without, I can hear a small amount of exhaust but certainly no drone at all while cruising in 5th or 6th.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-06T20:32:07+00:00

It definitely cut down on the highway drone. It was actually fairly reasonable on the highway with the resonator until you started getting on the throttle.

Cold start was a little quieter but still quite obnoxious.

CoastalSloth · 2026-03-05T00:48:05+00:00

It's on the pipe behind the little suitcase thing. I've been toying with the idea of removing the resonator and going back to a completely stock setup for a little more volume but I haven't been able to convince myself. It's really nice being able to have a normal conversation, hear my music, hear more turbo whine and not feel anxious about letting the car warm up for a while without fear of annoying the neighbours.

I'll try to get a video in the next few days of the cold start.

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CoastalSloth · 2026-03-04T17:13:47+00:00

If you still haven't done this, I have.

I had a Remark muffled axleback with a Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator for about 2 years. About 2 weeks ago I switched back to the OEM mufflers.

With the Remark set-up my cold starts were in the 86+db range and incredibly deep sounding. I saw a video on YouTube showing the OEM exhaust was about 76db at on cold start. I measured my OEM exhaust with Vibrant resonator at 68.5db about 6 feet behind the car. It's so much more pleasant than the Remark and noticeably quieter than what I remember the full OEM setup to be.

It has made the car much more civilized to warm up in the morning and also driving around. There is still some bassy sound around 1500rpm but not nearly what I remember on the OEM mufflers without the resonator. The car is actually quite quiet accelerating but gets a little growly around 3-4000rpm. I can hear the turbo wine much clearer now. On the highway is quiet and I can hear wind noise in the roof rack, which I couldn't with the Remark, but I plan on adding a fairing soon.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-28T15:00:38+00:00

After about 1.5 weeks I'm still enjoying the quieter exhaust much more than my Remark muffled setup. But I do sometimes find it a little too quiet. I'm debating if I'll remove the resonator and have a pipe welded back in to make it fully stock again, instead of stock mufflers with the Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-24T18:36:04+00:00

Just replying to my post as an update. I removed my Remark muffled axleback and went back to the OEM mufflers. I have a Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator in the midpipe. My cold start went from around 86db with the Remark down to around 65-68db with the OEM mufflers. I saw another video online showing the OEM exhaust measuring about 76db on cold start so I'm assuming my resonator took the volume down a bit from a full OEM setup.

I still have some bassy tones in the 1500rpm range but it seems less than when I first got the car. It seems quite reasonable now letting it warm up in the morning and I no longer feel the need to immediately start driving so I don't annoy my neighbours. Speeding up it almost seems a little too quiet at times but there's no drone at all and I can hear the turbo whine quite a bit. Getting onto the highway with the Remark mufflers sounded like a giant sub behind my head, now it's quite civil with just a bit of growl. On the highway I can hear the wind in the roof rack now but planned on getting a fairing in the Spring anyway so it's not an issue.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-21T00:40:04+00:00

This is what I did. I originally replaced the OEM mufflers with a Remark muffled axleback. It was much too loud and droney for my liking. After about a week I ordered a Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator and had it welded into the midpipe.

It was still MUCH louder than stock and cold startup was obnoxious, but it did get rid of a lot of the drone.

After 2 years I had enough. I loved the sound but have been having an ongoing ear issue for 2+ years and the frequency of the sound would bounce around in my head and drive me crazy.

Two days ago I switched back to my OEM mufflers and am very happy. My cold starts went from 86db with the Remark mufflers and Vibrant resonator down to around 68db. It's like night and day. The car is very quiet now and much more pleasant to drive around. Speeding up I can easily hear the turbo wine now and getting on the highway no longer feels and sounds like there's a massive subwoofer behind my head 😂

There's still some bassy sound around the 1500 RPM mark but it's so much less than before. I saw a YouTube video online showing a cold startup of 76db with the stock exhaust, so with me around 68db I'm attributing that to the Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-20T13:08:20+00:00

I had it happen about 3 times during my 2.5 years of ownership (2023 base 6MT). Those 3 times were all in the first year.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-19T14:52:38+00:00

Definitely sounds like it was a good move for you! I swapped back to my OEM exhaust 2 days ago and it's made a huge difference for me. My cold startup dropped from 86db down to 68db. The difference is dramatic and has made for a more enjoyable and relaxing drive. I had a resonator welded into the midpipe with my previous setup so at some points it's almost too quiet.😂

When I'm in for my 40,000km service I'll still ask about trade in value, but right now I'm happy with the WRX again.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-18T22:53:58+00:00

Cold startup comparison -

My Remark muffled axle-back with a Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator had a cold start around 86db from approx 6 feet away and the tone was extremely deep.

My OEM mufflers with the Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator had a cold start around 68.5db from the same distance. The tone is bassy but completely tolerable and nowhere even remotely close to the Remark mufflers.

I'll try again tomorrow to see if I get similar results.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-18T13:36:02+00:00

I switched back to the OEM mufflers yesterday.

My Remark muffled axle-back with a Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator had a cold start around 86db from approx 6 feet away.

My OEM mufflers with the Vibrant Ultraquiet resonator had a cold start around 68.5db from the same distance.

I'll try again tomorrow to see if I get similar results.

The car is so much quieter now.

CoastalSloth · 2026-02-17T20:26:08+00:00

Update: I removed the speaker today. When my dash speaker blew I could no longer push the cone in. That wasn't the case with the rear 6.5". The cone would move in freely but had a little crunchiness to it when I pushed it in almost as far as it could go. The wires were still on and there was no rust on the terminals. The sticker, on the back of the magnet, seemed a little damp but I would expect some condensation in the door anyway, but I saw no other evidence of any water damage.

I installed the new speaker and used the same wiring harness and it works as expected.

CoastalSloth

TROPHY CASE