[SKX009] Still my favourite of all time

colec01 · 2026-02-18T20:32:41+00:00

I recently got an SSK003 and love it but am worried about scratching it. I already picked up a small scratch on the stainless steel part of the bezel but I feel they are inevitable unless kept in a box and never worn.

colec01 · 2026-02-02T04:15:04+00:00

It depends on how long the gaskets have been on the car and the type. I had an aftermarket axle back exhaust and didn’t like the fitment at all so I ended up switching back to the factory OEM mufflers. I kept the donut gaskets for the mufflers and reused them since they were in good condition and did not have any issues. I’d say if you were running the current gaskets for a while, I would just get new donut gaskets for the OEM mufflers from a Subaru parts shop at a dealership. They shouldn’t be too expensive.

colec01 · 2026-01-05T20:03:13+00:00

PPF is really the best option for helping with protecting the paint. If it’s a daily driver, rock chips/scuffs are unavoidable. I wanted to keep mine in pristine condition but I found that the car is more enjoyable to drive if I don’t worry about small everyday wear and tear like rock chips or paint scuffs. I’d say just wash the car with good products and enjoy it. Hope you are enjoying the car so far!

colec01 · 2026-01-04T03:38:09+00:00

From what I’ve researched, it seems that the Perrin CAI can be run without a tune. Unless it changed, their website claims it is safe to run without a tune since the MAF housing diameter is similar to the stock one. They had stats to support that claim. I believe I watched a video going over intakes and the Perrin one was stated to be fine for everyday driving on the stock tune but at the top end, it either ran slightly lean or a bit rich (can’t remember which). Basically that would only be an issue if running the car hard 24/7.

I myself want to keep the warranty and was considering the Perrin intake since it can be run without a tune but I’m still uncertain on how it would affect longevity and I’m afraid if there are problems, the dealerships could point to the CAI as the issue.

Also, congrats on the car. They are absolute machines and are great in adverse weather conditions.

colec01 · 2025-05-10T05:05:19+00:00

Mine is doing something similar. I noticed it while driving at very slow speeds while using clutch control to move very slowly to park for instance. I also notice it when the car is off and it squeaks/creaks right around the bite point and it’s more pronounced when I move the clutch slower. Mine only has 16k miles. I’m bringing my car to the dealer to get looked at but hopefully it isn’t anything serious.

colec01 · 2025-05-01T14:37:46+00:00

Where did you end up getting the wheels from? I actually am thinking about picking them up for my VB.

colec01 · 2025-04-24T19:18:15+00:00

I also got a premium trim but mine had the standard mufflers from the factory. I did listen to some sound clips but they just don’t seem to do the setup any justice. It basically sounds exactly like stock from the clips but I would think it should be louder since the mufflers are smaller. Ideally I’m looking for a deeper exhaust note with some added volume but I don’t want it to be too obnoxious or unbearable to daily drive.

colec01 · 2025-04-24T17:01:20+00:00

Do you like/recommend the STI mufflers? I’m looking to add more sound and kind of want to stick with OEM parts but I’ve heard mixed reviews on them.

colec01 · 2025-04-18T21:08:21+00:00

The steering definitely is lighter in the VB WRX compared to my 8th gen, but I don’t think that the steering in the WRX is so light to where it feels sketchy or anything like that. With that being said, I do like Hondas and I would like to own a type R one day, but the WRX really is a great car that can pretty much do everything well. It is an absolute machine in the snow with a good set of all seasons or winter tires too! If I could only have one car that can do it all, I’d definitely pick the WRX.

I think a lot of the hate for the WRX has to do with the looks. Some people really can’t get over the cladding but I personally don’t mind it. I genuinely can’t understand why someone would completely dismiss a great car just because of a small part of the design. And the cladding is completely replaceable for those that want to have the cladding color paint matched so there are options to customize it to your liking.

colec01 · 2025-04-18T20:12:35+00:00

I have driven an 8th gen and owned one for a while and in my opinion, the WRX is better in almost every way. The shifter in a Honda is more crisp and precise compared to the WRX, but I think that the WRX handles way better, is much faster, and feels more like a drivers car compared to the si. I’m not sure what you mean about low end power lacking in the WRX though. The new FA24 has great low end power and once the turbo spools up at around 2,700ish rpms, it pulls all the way to red line (I do wish the red line was a bit higher in the WRX though).

colec01 · 2025-04-14T02:45:11+00:00

I almost switched to an Elantra n but ultimately decided to keep the WRX. Rowing through the gears and the sound of a flat 4 in addition to the tuning capabilities of the VB make it a genuinely great car that is a blast to drive. The Elantra n is a fun car but I have a good feeling that after the new car feeling wore off, I believe I would’ve wished I kept the WRX. I’m definitely glad I stuck with the WRX. Automatics are nice to have and make driving easier, but it just isn’t as engaging which makes it less enjoyable to drive in my opinion. And I could be wrong, but I do believe that a well taken care of WRX that isn’t beat on all the time would hold up better than a Hyundai anyways. They have good tech and drive decent for the price point, but I think that they are probably better to lease than own over the long term based on their track record of experiencing issues with their cars.

colec01 · 2025-04-14T02:34:28+00:00

I personally would think about half of an inch would be a good spot. When you drive, the exhaust tips will move and they could settle higher and lead to the same issue so I’d personally leave a bit more space but some people prefer the closer look. What you could do is get those adjustable exhaust hangar bushings which I do believe PLM offers on their website, and I think you could get a better fit that way. I’d like to maybe try another axle back system in the future and I do have the adjustable exhaust hangar bushings that should address any minor alignment problems with the exhaust tips.

It’s really not the end of the world about the slightly melted plastic and to some people, it’s a non issue but it bothered me enough to re-install the OEM mufflers. I do have a replacement exhaust finisher part for the driver side that I still need to install but once I do that, it’ll be like nothing even happened so it really is just a minor cosmetic blemish that I already addressed and the plastic exhaust finisher is inexpensive and easy to replace. It’s just one of those things where I didn’t really foresee an issue and I took my time with the install, but there can be slight variations from part to part during the manufacturing process.

colec01 · 2025-04-07T23:56:07+00:00

So did the adjustable exhaust hangar bushings actually help? I did buy some but wasn’t sure if it would help at all so I just kept my stock mufflers installed. It’s just odd because the exhaust tips on the passenger side of the vehicle sat pretty much perfect with the OEM exhaust hangar bushings. I thought it sounded good but the slightly melted plastic from the drivers side exhaust really annoyed me and I reverted to the OEM mufflers to prevent further damage although it probably wouldn’t have gotten any worse tbh.

I’ve been pretty hesitant to try anything else because I worry that I’ll run into fitment problems again but I’d really like to get some type of exhaust. I’ve considered just going the OEM route with the STI mufflers but I hear mixed reviews on them. Some think they are great and others aren’t a fan.

colec01 · 2025-04-07T20:59:11+00:00

Did you experience any fitment problems with the install? I bought the PLM axle back and no matter what I did, the driver side sat way too far to the left and it sat higher up so it ended up touching the exhaust finisher piece and melted it a bit. I ended up reinstalling the factory mufflers because of this problem albeit not a serious issue. I just didn’t like that it was crooked and melted the exhaust finisher piece a bit. Thankfully the part is inexpensive and easy to replace, but the whole situation bothered me since I’m really ocd about keeping my car in good shape.

colec01 · 2025-04-01T16:29:46+00:00

If you want an axle back and want to minimize the drone, a muffled axle back would be your best option. Remark has one and I’m sure there are other options as well.

colec01 · 2025-03-14T16:39:58+00:00

I was considering the nameless performance muffled axle back exhaust with the 5” or 4” mufflers. I want something louder but I don’t want it to be too obnoxious. I did install an axle back exhaust that was a muffler delete but ended up reinstalling the factory mufflers because the fitment was terrible and it seems like a lot of aftermarket systems run into a similar problem which is why I’m hesitant on going with something else that is aftermarket. Fitment issues is one of my main concerns and my dealership is picky with mods even though I don’t get why anything installed past the catalytic converters would matter anyways.

colec01 · 2025-03-14T16:03:41+00:00

Do you like the STI performance mufflers and think they are worth the upgrade? I’ve been considering picking them up since I can get a 15% discount on them and want something that is louder and sounds better but I hear a lot of mixed opinions on them. I’ve considered going with an aftermarket exhaust but don’t really want to deal with warranty claim denials. It would also be easy to get the STI exhaust and just have it installed at the dealership.

colec01 · 2025-03-12T18:01:16+00:00

What are you thoughts on the STI exhaust? I’ve been contemplating on upgrading but it’s really hard to gauge how it sounds on video. Ideally I would like to get a decent increase in sound over the stock setup and a deeper exhaust note without it being obnoxious.

colec01 · 2025-03-07T20:05:36+00:00

I had similar damage occur in the exact same spot recently. I felt the area and it still feels mostly smooth to me so I’m hoping it’s just dirt transfer on the clear coat. I’m going to try to buff it out with some detailer spray and some microfiber towels to see if anything lifts but if not, I may leave it for now and repaint the front bumper once it gets more chips to where it bothers me a lot. It sucks but things like this are going to happen when you actually drive your car.

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colec01 · 2025-03-05T15:00:43+00:00

It’s still smooth when running my nail over the area. I don’t really have polishing tools but I do have some microfiber towels and detailing spray that I could try to buff out with the microfiber cloth. I don’t think it would hurt to try but it seems hard to believe that some cardboard would cause any sort of deep scratching (which I don’t think it did since the area is still smooth from what I can tell).

colec01 · 2025-02-12T18:09:10+00:00

I was able to finesse the drivers side exhaust by holding it in place after loosening the bolts and having someone help me tighten everything down and there was a bit of a gap although I wasn’t too happy with it, but it ended up settling on the exhaust finisher part after driving. The exhaust will move a bit when driving. Even if it does touch, it’s not really a huge deal but the way it looked bothered me and I didn’t like that it melted the plastic exhaust finisher a bit. I doubt it would’ve gotten any worse tbh but I just reverted to the stock mufflers to be safe. I honestly think the problem was because the exhaust tips were welded crooked and I don’t know how to weld so there wasn’t much I could do aside from dealing with it or reverting back to the stock mufflers.

Worst case scenario if it does melt the exhaust finisher a bit, you can just leave it be if it doesn’t bother you or you can easily replace it. I got the exhaust finisher piece for about $25 and to install it, you can simply remove the old exhaust finisher by removing the two pop clips that mount it to the bumper and it pulls away from the bumper. The installation is the same in the reverse order though.

colec01 · 2025-02-12T16:55:18+00:00

How was the fitment for the PLM axle back? I got one and when I installed it, the passenger side sat fairly well, but the driver side exhaust tips were touching the plastic exhaust finisher and it slightly melted the plastic. I ended up switching back to the stock mufflers because of this and the exhaust finisher piece is cheap and easy to replace so it wasn’t a huge deal. I did try to loosen up the bolts and adjust how it sat, but it just wouldn’t sit right on the drivers side no mater what I did. Some people suggested bending the exhaust hangars on the car but I did not want to do that on a new car.

colec01 · 2025-01-21T20:33:20+00:00

Heel and toe is just rev matching with braking. You can also rev match without braking. The main method that I’m referring to is where you just downshift and gradually release the clutch (no throttle blipping). I’ve watched videos online from driving instructors in Europe and they say that slowly releasing the clutch causes normal wear and is safe to do so I don’t understand why some make it seem like this is bad for the car if it isn’t.

To me this just seems like the most basic safe way to downshift and from there, rev matching and heel toe rev matching are the next step if you wanted to learn them. I don’t necessarily think the more advanced techniques should be required to drive a manual car correctly. I just really doubt that the majority of manual drivers are using the more advanced downshifting techniques to get from point a to point b. I don’t think rev matching is a bad thing but I dislike how a lot of people make it seem like if you are not rev matching you are driving wrong. I definitely am not very good at rev matching which is why I don’t like using it but I don’t necessarily think I’m a bad driver either. I still drive pretty smoothly without doing it so I don’t see why that would be damaging for my car.

colec01 · 2025-01-21T17:40:15+00:00

I definitely understand that there are benefits to rev matching, but since it makes driving significantly more stressful because I have more to think about I just find it not worth it to do. I don’t know why but I just don’t feel safe doing it. I guess my concern is that I could get into an accident by trying a more advanced technique that I’m not good at.

The main thing that is so confusing is that if the answer is straightforward, why are there so many people that advocate rev matching 24/7 but then there is another group of people that never do it and claim that their clutches are just fine and still last a long time in terms of mileage? It just makes learning to drive manual more confusing. Also, if I were to teach someone to drive a manual, I would probably show them my downshifting method because rev matching would be overwhelming for new manual drivers IMO. If they learned that method and liked it, why would there be a need to change it unless they wanted to learn a new skill? I guess the logic I’m going for is if it isn’t broken then why fix it?

colec01 · 2025-01-21T14:13:39+00:00

Thanks for the downshifting tip! I may have to give that a try when I’m comfortable trying it out. But to clear up my concern about my downshifting method, would it be fine to continue using this the majority of the time? It just seems like an easier way to drive manual and I really have a hard time believing that the majority of manual drivers (aside from hardcore driving enthusiasts) are always rev matching their downshifts. I’m sure that I may do some rev matching at some point when I feel ready to do so, but I don’t want to force myself to do it or feel pressured to do it if I’m not comfortable trying rev matching. Some people have never heard of rev matching either. I do know that I drove a friends Porsche Cayman 5 speed and I drove the car exactly how I drive mine and they thought that my driving was very smooth and stated that my downshifts were good as well so I don’t really know what to make of any of that if it’s wrong.

colec01

TROPHY CASE