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Welcome to Saab92x.com!
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This is for an 05 2.0 Saabaru:
Here is my Stage 1 review:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=4320
Here are the detials on how the install went.
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12615
and trimming the heat shield:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12762
OK, finally I am at Stage 2 (93 octane map). I got a Stromung shorty divorced DP and a STI UP for Christmas but I needed help with the install. Long story short, I installed the parts with some help 2 weeks ago. It looks like my boost numbers are where they should be (peak - high 15s in 3rd and low 16s in 4th and around 13.1 or 13.2 at redline in 3rd)
Stage 2 is very good, but different than I expected. I was expecting a ton of low end torque to hit with me with very quick turbo spool (like in my 1.8t) but I didn't get that. Sure, a lot of the lag is gone and the car spools up say 500 rpms sooner, but it still isn't great down low. That being said, the improvement is very notable and makes the car so much more fun to drive, especially around town.
For whatever reason, the car feels more powerful even before the turbo is spooled. I can better keep up with traffic when only shifting at 2,500 rpms. If you stomp on it at 2,000 rpms you are still going to have to wait a second for the power, but when it hits it hits harder and the pull around 3,000 rpms is much stronger than at Stage 1. The mid range is great. At stage 1 I would really have to rev the car up to 6,000+ rpms when I wanted to drive quickly but now shifting at 5,000 rpms provides just as much if not more power. You can drive briskly without revving the piss out of the car.... the turbo does more of the work now. 5th gear passing power is greatly improved, once above say 50-55 mph or so. Downshift is not need anywhere near as often due to the better spool up and greater low end.
1st gear is stronger, 2nd gear pulls much nicer, and 3rd gear seems to be where I feel the biggest difference. The car effortlessly pulls up to 90 mph. I imagine 4th gear is even more impressive. It is much quicker than Stage 1 and I don't even want to think about stock.
Up top, the car is actually stronger than I thought it would be. Looking at the Cobb dynos, the Stage 1 hp curve seems a little more flat at high rpms so I figured that Stage 2 would have a little bit more of that puke and die sensation. Not at all. Maybe it is that there is just so much more power, but to me the car feels like it pull just as smoothly to redline but now with a lot more motivation. To me, it feels like it is still pulling very well past 6,000 rpms up to 7,000 rpms unlike stock where it fell on its face. 
Overall I am very happy with the power increase.
For $200 in parts 
and 8 hours of work (including heat shield trimming) 
I still think it was well worth it. Heck, I think I may be getting slightly better MPG too. 
(still too early to call) The install was much more difficult that I thought, even after doing a ton of research, and there is a lot of potential for things to go wrong.... so IMO you should not attempt it if you are pressed for time (it is your daily driver) unless you know what you are doing. The only real negative I see in being stage 2 is some more turbo noise (which I kind of like) and more potential warranty issues. That being said, if I really needed to, with 2 hours of work and I can be back to stock appearance.
As far as going through inspection, the same thing goes. You would really have to know what you are looking at to notice anything different about my car vs stock... really only the DP is noticeable. And if it fails when I have to get it test a few years down the road.... not problem, I will just put the stock DP back in get it tested, and put the Stromung back in. I am curious to see if it passes. I think it may, as long as I can go right in and keep things hot for the test.
To me this is probably the sweet spot without spend a lot more money. A bigger turbo and more power would be nice, but I really wouldn't want more lag or anymore stress on the drivetrain. I think I am staying at Stage 2 for the foreseeable future and am going to be happy with it. Now that the car is somewhere around a 100 mph trap speed car, it is no slouch and Magnum R/Ts, Chargers, stock Mustangs, S2ks, stockish Sis and GTIs, the last gen G35s and so on better think twice before trying to lay the smack down on this little red wagon. 
IMO, the Saabaru has finally reached respectable power levels. 
Here is a post of interest when flashing your car to a higher power level:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12737
You want your power map to be your base map, not your real time map to get the full potential.
And some stage 2 DP info and how much more noise to expect over stock/stage 1:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12618
Update:
Yes, my mpg improved a little bit, I would say about 1 mpg over stage 1.... maybe slightly less. I got 26.5 and 26.6 on my last two tanks. 27 and maybe even could be easily had with less stop and go.
Another big plus to stage 2 is that while the lag is still annoying with the AC on, it is a lot less noticeable than it was stock or at stage 1.
Here is a 60-90 mph 3rd gear run at stage 2:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12964
40-120 stage 2:
https://youtu.be/-4b1LGFd5xQ
Some good stage 2 posts for those of you searching (including lots of DP info):
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=24663
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=24535
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=445812
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12513
STI Axle back install/review:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=23767
More Info on STI VS WRX axle back/mid pipes:
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format … 1258631502
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr … r+canister
Cobb Stage 2 map notes:
http://www.accessecu.com/accessport/sub … 20v130.pdf
Trimming the heat shield:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=12762
FHI 20 mm rear sway bar review.... best bang for the buck handling mod:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=6936
Another good link:
https://saab92x.com/viewtopic.php?id=9396
AP V1 map NOTES
http://www.cobbtuning.com/Maps-Archives … -SF-Intake
Last edited by Snaab9-2 (2015-09-02 20:50:09)
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Great review!! Congrats!
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Enjoyed the review!!!
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Any wastegate flutter?
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Thanks guys.
As far as wastegate flutter, well I guess there is a bit of chatter other than turbo spool but nothing noisy or anything. I would say not very much, but I am not 100% sure what I am listening for. Is the flutter loud? For the most part I hear turbo spool At high rpms I hear a different noise than when stock, I I think it is just all the exhaust flow that I am hearing in the DP.
Last edited by Snaab9-2 (2007-05-06 08:34:42)
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Thanks for the great review. As soon as you hit the track with the Stage 2, please post some updated numbers. Thanks again.
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8 hrs??? is that because of the uppipe?
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Yeah, and I guess I am slow. Getting the intercooler back on added an hour and the heat shield took an hour and a few other glitches added 30 min here or there.
I am not the most mechanically inclined person out there, but if I was to do it again I could probably do it in 5-6 hours. 
Yes, the UP was a bitch. Once the UP was removed, getting the car back together only took less than an hour (other than the intercooler).
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Snaab- Great review and I agree with everything you wrote. I would say your reviews were the most accurate reviews I read as far what I could expect when I went stage 1 & 2.
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bump
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Snaab, im looking into stage 2 right now, this post was very informative. Props
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DamienR8 wrote:
Snaab, im looking into stage 2 right now, this post was very informative. Props
I posted it with you in mind. 
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Snaab9-2 wrote:
DamienR8 wrote:
Snaab, im looking into stage 2 right now, this post was very informative. Props
I posted it with you in mind.
im gettin' there, im gettin' there hehe. Just a little more time..
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bump - seems to be some stage 2 questions floating around.....
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Fantastic thread. Really helped me along the way.
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Great review. You've always been one of the best writers and one of my favorite posters on this site. You express yourself so well, and I also love your CSBs which are some of the most finely crafted tales on the interwebs.
Your review makes me nostalgic for my very brief, very fun Saabaru Stage 2 experience before it went boom (more like rattle rattle clankety clank).
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Bunnspeed wrote:
Great review. You've always been one of the best writers and one of my favorite posters on this site. You express yourself so well, and I also love your CSBs which are some of the most finely crafted tales on the interwebs.
Your review makes me nostalgic for my very brief, very fun Saabaru Stage 2 experience before it went boom (more like rattle rattle clankety clank).
Thanks man - I appreciate the kind words.
What is a CSB?
Yeah.... wish your stage 2 experience worked out better - though it sounds like your GTI is a lot of fun. I would love to have a highway assn (most of my driving is on the highway)!
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Snaab9-2 wrote:
Bunnspeed wrote:
Great review. You've always been one of the best writers and one of my favorite posters on this site. You express yourself so well, and I also love your CSBs which are some of the most finely crafted tales on the interwebs.
Your review makes me nostalgic for my very brief, very fun Saabaru Stage 2 experience before it went boom (more like rattle rattle clankety clank).Thanks man - I appreciate the kind words.
What is a CSB?
Yeah.... wish your stage 2 experience worked out better - though it sounds like your GTI is a lot of fun. I would love to have a highway assn (most of my driving is on the highway)!
CSB = Cool Story (Bro) = street race yarn.
The GTI is definitely a lot of fun. I haven't had a chance to drive it for a few weeks since it's still on summer auto-x tires (parked at my parents' house) and winter is here. 
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Snaab9-2 wrote:
bump - seems to be some stage 2 questions floating around.....
I've had my 05 9-2x Aero MT for a few years now, and I'm finally ready to start some performance upgrades. I was reading through this post and it was very helpful. My biggest complaint is the turbo lag before 2500 RPMs-I can't get out of my own way before the turbo kicks in! I was looking at the Cobb "Stage 2" package and it looks like it will give me everything I'm looking for. I am wondering if it's worth $2k, or if I can piece the components together for cheaper. Is the Cobb exhaust better than the others out there? I also don't want my car to be super loud, but a nice growl would be welcomed. I am also surprised the kit only has a drop in air filter, and not a cone style intake. Would there be even more gains with a different intake? Thanks in advance-I've done some research but it gets overwhelming. I figure I'm better off asking some of the fine folks on this site with the experience!
On a suspension note, I saw that the biggest upgrade seems to be the 20mm rear sway bar. I've always been fairly impressed with the stock handling of the car, but it sounds like this would take it to the next level. Besides tires (and I'm thinking about going to an 18" in the summer and staying with the stock size for the winter), are there any other "best bang for your buck" suspension mods? I don't want to lower my car any more than it already is either as I drive in deep snow in Idaho and Wyoming.
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You can a piece stage 2 together for $500. Used V1 AP, used shorty DP, and used UP. people say that version one access ports can fail so it may be better to spend some more on version 2. It may be really hard to change the up pipe on your car because it's so old. be prepared to have broken studs and allow a lot of time to do the job. If it's your daily driver be really careful as to when you do the work. COBB does not want you to use the intake with their stage 2 program if I recall correctly. They may say its ok to use their intake will have to read up on that. COBB makes good exhaust components but that's not to say there are others out there that are just as good. If you want a slightly louder growl try a sti axleback you can get one used for about $100 or less. there are tons of reviews out there on exhaust but I recall people really liking Prodrive for a nice growl but not too loud.
18s are pretty big for your car. Others on here can probably tell you the pros and cons but you may be better off with 17S. A little extra side wall may help the ride. there's no performance gain going bigger than 17s. If anything you will lose performance of the upspring weight will be more.
the rear sway bar will make your car over steer easier in the snow which can be fun but a bit more scary if you're not expecting it so keep that in mind we do a lot of winter driving. it is easy enough to change out for the winter if you think the difference is too much though. I would write more but I'm on a tablet hopefully that's enough for now.
Last edited by Snaab9-2 (2015-09-02 20:43:37)
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FWIW, the only official mods certified by Cobb for a stage 2 are axleback exhaust (DP + Catback) and a SF intake. Everything is completely stock. Yes, the UP is a mod, but it is not what the official Cobb stage 2 is. You can find cheap axlebacks for not too much. If you want something that's not as loud, look into a Maddad Whisper. They sound great but without the ear splitting sound.
If you're looking to cut costs, look for a V2 AP. You can get them for about $300 or so and the extra money spent is well, well worth it. The V1s had so many issues it's not even funny. Even Cobb recommends staying away from them.
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catback is not required for Cobb stages
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The experts at Cobb seem to disagree with you, and also agree with me that the UP is not in the map notes.
https://cobb.app.box.com/02-05-wrx-map-notes
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oh yes you guys are right. I am a bit rusty and wasn't thinking. The Uppipe is usually done as it helps with the lag. Most would say the turbo spools up about 500 rpm sooner with an up pipe. I didn't have a cat back online for a year so after going stage 2. You make another five horsepower with a cat back or axle back but it's mostly for sound.
I am pretty sure version one map notes said that a pipe was okay to use but not required.
Last edited by Snaab9-2 (2015-09-03 06:36:41)
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Up pipe is considered a reliability mod on the 2.0s. The cats can break apart and shred the turbo.
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