Top 5 Interior Upgrades

    30 JUN 2023 - Jeff Willis

    The Subaru WRX first launched in Japan in 1992 and was known as the all-wheel-drive pocket rocket. More than 30 years later, The Subaru WRX has several World Rally Championship titles, has been piloted by legends such as Ken Block and Colin McRae in both rally and Gymkhana events, and is still highly competitive today in many forms of motorsport. Because this platform in the majority of its variants are attainable by enthusiasts on a worldwide scale, the Subaru WRX has become one of the most coveted all-wheel-drive turbo vehicles that is highly versatile on the road, track, show, or trail.

    But as enthusiasts, we enjoy the thrill of the Subaru WRX from the driver’s seat, and oftentimes we are also passengers. This means we enjoy the majority of the experience from the cabin of the vehicle. So when you’re not too busy modifying the engine and suspension, why don’t you make the driving experience from the interior a little more enjoyable? Here are the top 10 interior modifications you can also perform in your Subaru WRX:

     

    Racing seats do arrest the attention of onlookers at your local car meet or even by the average accountant walking back to their 4-runner out of the grocery store. People may think, “that looks comfortable” or, “what does that feel like?”  And it’s true racing seats don’t exactly look like the captain’s chair, they serve a purpose and that is to keep you more focused on the road. From a barebones standpoint, racing seats are designed with aggressive side bolsters to prevent your body’s weight from shifting heavily from side to side during lateral loads. Now the factory seats in most Subaru WRX eras had a good combination of comfort and support. But if you ever driven through a high-speed double apex at your local or abroad race track, you’re going to be using your steering wheel more so to hold onto. Furthermore, racing seats have shoulder and waist slots to accommodate 4-point or more racing harnesses that will be required depending on what sanctioned event you participate in for obvious safety reasons.

    Now racing seats are not supposed to be comfortable. Some of you may have back problems, while some of you need to have the seat adjusted in a certain way. With that being said, racing seats are not for everyone. However, there are many options available to accommodate certain waist sizes, and there are options that recline as well for you taller folks, or if you simply cannot be in a fixed position which many racing options are. If you have a daily driver and you enjoy weekend track events, then a reclinable option may best suit you well. However, if you have a track-dedicated race car or rally car, then a fixed position will keep you properly upright, and will keep you focused on the track. All of the options that SubiSpeed has to offer are only brought to you by the most well-established brands to suit a variety of budgets. Choose the best option that fits your needs.

     

    Now the steering wheel is one of the best interior upgrades you can perform. It’s the main central tool of control when driving, right? When looking at modern world-class sports cars such as the Porsche GT3, the McLaren 650S, or whatever the latest Ferrambo is shining in the showrooms of dealerships, the steering wheel will be the first interior item you will observe. But what do they all have in common?

    One of the first observations you’ll make is that the majority of these steering wheels will have a nice thick grip. And one of the problems with today’s sports cars like the new 911 Turbo S, or what have you, is that they are blindingly fast. The technology is becoming more astounding every day, and the fact that some of these cars go 0-60 in the 2 second or even less range is really hard to digest. It’s certainly not something the common enthusiast is used to. But you will need a proper steering wheel to make sure you’re not steering the car where you shouldn’t be steering the car. Because truth be told, these cars always outperform the driver.

    Secondly, the materials used in these fancy factory feature either Alcantara, leather, carbon fiber, or a combination of materials to maximize both comfort and grip. But what about that really cool center stripe? The stripe is there to help you navigate your wheels in the right direction during higher speeds. It’s certainly race-inspired and now standard in many aftermarket wheels.

    Circling back to your Subaru, SubiSpeed has all of the options. Pictured above is one of Faction Fab’s units. It is everything you would want in a steering wheel. Quality, thick grip, exotic-like materials. The center stripe, and all you have to do to complete the installation is transfer your center airbag and buttons from your factory steering wheel and you’re set. There are many factory-like enhanced steering wheels like Faction Fab that are brought to you by the likes of OLM and Buddy Club. You can also find options from Sparco and NRG that provide more track-dedicated options with different diameters and shapes to suit your needs.

     

    Shift knobs are probably one of the most popular interior upgrades due to the simplicity of the installation, the affordability, and the ocean of available options available in the aftermarket. However, there was a period where many (not all), Subaru drivers got out of hand with their shift knob selections. From mini baseball bats, beer tap handles, drilled out pool balls, ninja sword handles, and sometimes owners made shift knobs with whatever they had laying around in the garage. Subjectively, it almost hurt the value of these rally-inspired vehicles because during this period, some people could not take early-generation Subaru WRX and STI models seriously anymore. More importantly, some of these makeshift shift knobs (say that really fast) is that they can hurt your transmission as the added weight and mis-shifts can hurt your synchros. Or you also risk going from 5th to 2nd or 4th to 1st under load, and you’ve got larger problems.

    A proper OEM replacement or quality aftermarket replacement from the likes of GrimmSpeed, PERRIN, COBB Tuning, and the rest of the well-established brands SubiSpeed offers. These are all engineered to provide you with comfort, but more importantly, these have been designed with a proper weight from being lighter, or slightly heavier to improve the shift function. OEM options are also available for those of you who just want a clean look because after all, some of these cars are becoming classics as we are seeing clean example bugeyes really rocketing in value, as well as the 04 STI models. Restore and renew the look, feel, and the driving experience in your Subaru with a new and proper shift knob.

     

    Upgraded interior lighting is simple to install yet highly effective. In most vehicles even today, the interior lighting is fairly vague. And to be fair it has to be by design, in case you try to turn a light on while driving it can certainly be a dangerous distraction. With that being said, please make sure you’re in a safe situation or parked while looking for items while in the dark in your vehicle. Oftentimes we may drop our mobile devices or utensils on the floor or even worse, between the seat and center console, and that dome light just won’t cut it especially if you drive an older model.

    With the acceleration of LED technology in the last few years, we have learned that LED lighting produces a brighter beam of light while consuming less energy. So doing something as simple as replacing your Halogen-style dome bulbs with an LED option makes a big difference. Additionally, SubiSpeed carries LED floor lighting kits that greatly replicate mood lighting found in newer vehicles as well and the installation is equally as simple. So without becoming too much of a distraction, you can illuminate the floor of your Subaru in a variety of different color options to not only suit your personal needs, but to provide just enough light to see your phone or water bottle if you happen to drop these items.

     

    Chances are, your WRX is modified. And if you have any turbocharged vehicle or any modified vehicle for that matter, there are a few gauges that you must have. Not should, but must have if you want your engine to live. When getting your vehicle tuned with a piggyback system such as the COBB Accessport, or if you have a stand alone engine management system, or if you are going on the dyno, all tuners will reference one particular gauge and that is the Wideband O2 aka Air/Fuel Ratio gauge. This tells you how lean or rich your vehicle is running under load or under boost. If you are running too lean, then you will melt your pistons and suffer detonation. If you are running too rich then this can be a sign of too much fuel which can wash your cylinders to the point to where your piston rings no longer seal. No matter the fuel type or boost levels, if your EJ is boosting outside of the strike zone which is usually in the 11:1-11:9 ratio, then you will start having really expensive problems.

    The second most important gauge to monitor in your vehicle is your oil pressure. Subarus are very anonymous for rod knock. Rod knock happens when there is no lubrication between the connecting rod beating and the crank journal. Not only will the infamous knocking noise be heard, but more importantly, you see a major drop in oil pressure. The best thing you could do is stop the engine. Don’t continue to rev the engine to see if the sound increases because you are only making matters worse, and the problem is not going away. The problem is that you are further sending more metal debris throughout your oiling system that could get into your turbo and into your heads which will chew into your cams. Low oil pressure can also indicate loss of cylinder pressure if you lose a piston ring. The point is to further prevent more damage and machining in the rebuilding process. And of course, if your oil pressure is in range, then this is an indicator of a healthy running engine.

    Third and also equally as important to oil pressure is a boost pressure gauge. A boost gauge is more of a tool than anything else. If you are not hitting boost levels, then you could have a boost leak somewhere in an intercooler coupler, or a faulty blow-off valve or wastegate. Too much boost pressure means that you need to thoroughly check things over otherwise you’ll be sending your engine to the moon because more boost without fuel and tune compensations will lead to a lean condition. Subispeed carries a great selection of boost gauges in electric and analog examples to provide you with fast and accurate measurements.

    Make sure you have the correct gauge pod to host your gauges. You can find many great examples that are made in materials that closely match your interior in terms of color and texture, or you can choose carbon fiber for that custom look because race car.

    In conclusion, it does not matter if you have a newer or a classic Subaru, these interior upgrades either breathe new life or add more excitement to your interior. After all, this is where you spend all of your time when driving your Subaru. SubiSpeed only carries interior upgrades brought to you by the most established brands known in the industry that will add more value, style, and function to your interior. With the massive variety of choices so take your time, and choose the right product that fits your budget and purpose.

    Shop our Top WRX Pages: 2015 WRX parts, 2016 WRX parts, 2017 WRX parts, 2018 WRX parts, 2019 WRX parts, 2020 WRX parts, 2021 WRX parts.