Another New 2025 ITS Owner - Any Highly Reccomended Mods for Spirited Driving?

[Elusive23]

Hello, ITS crew!

I just picked up my 2025 ITS in Pearl White two weeks ago, and so the journey has begun. It's been 13 years since I last purchased a car, a 2013 Subaru WRX, which finally shit the bed on me.

I did a lot of research before buying this car, and the moment I got in one and test-drove it, I fell in love. I don't miss AWD just yet lol, which I am surprised to say. This car is so dialed from the factory, and I think amongst all the complaints of what's offered in the package, I am just enamoured with the current tech that nothing about this car bothers me, haha. But who knows how that will change over time?

Anyway, I've had the pleasure of reading a bunch of threads here and learning a lot just reading about performance mods, exterior, and interior, and I feel like I have gone down quite the rabbit hole.

I really appreciate being able to find this community around this car and learning what's possible.

Idk if anyone has watched any of the vids on the YouTube ACH Garage channel. But that guy Type-S Terry's build is absolutely dripped the fack out. Not even sure if he tracks his car. I'm not sure if I plan on taking this to the track anytime soon, but I have been overloading my brain watching YouTube videos

That said, I am curious to hear some feedback about the best possible mods for spirited driving on the streets. I'm not sure if I plan on taking this to the track anytime soon, but I have been overloading my brain watching YouTube videos lol

What are some essential mods that won't void warranty and will improve efficiency in terms of temps/oil temps? I'm open to any other suggestions for other bolt-ons.

I am definitely planning on getting the PRL High Volume Intake.

Thank you!

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[elh0102]

I don't do any track events since retirement, but I was active in it for over 10 years. From that experience, I will share some general observations. Assuming a competent car (such as the ITS), most drivers will be well-advised to do nothing to the car for at least the first season of driving it. As you learn to apply your driving skills to the car, you will learn to exploit its strengths and to manage its weaker areas. Many folks who immediately begin to mod the car, will spend all their time tinkering with side effects and imbalances that can result. Modding becomes the focus rather than driving. But, if that's your hobby, then it's your time and money to spend as you desire. If I was still active on track, then I would not own a front driver, just my preference. That said, I've driven quite a few, and the ITS is the best I've encountered, and certainly capable of rewarding good driving skill.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Well put. I would also add that if not tracking the car, the ITS doesn't need anything to have a blast on back roads. I don't think you can safely push the car, on public roads, hard enough to have any issues. I would say if warranty is important, just do some cosmetic stuff. Lower it, wheel spacers, etc. etc.

 

[Spart]

I am making a video on this soon, but get rid of all the silly stuff that makes the clutch pedal feel like a video game simulator.

• Get rid of the delay valve in the clutch slave cylinder (common Honda mod for many years now as they all use variations of the same clutch slave design.)
• Get rid of the damper inline between the clutch master and slave cylinders (this particular design is specific to the DE5/FL5, though the FK8 has one integrated into the master cylinder.)
• Get rid of the helper or "assist" spring on the clutch pedal assembly. Our clutch master has an internal return spring, and this makes the clutch pedal pressure substantially more linear and natural-feeling, at the expense of being about 16% heavier.

 

[Snapt76]

I’ve only done small things but they have made the driving experience nicer.
- PRL rear motor mount for more consistency when launching. Improved 1st to 2nd shifts too.
- Skunk2 weighted shift knob for slightly better feel.
- K&N drop in filter for slightly more sound and gas mileage.
- Tinting since summers in SoCal get pretty hot.

 

[Elusive23]

I don't do any track events since retirement, but I was active in it for over 10 years. From that experience, I will share some general observations. Assuming a competent car (such as the ITS), most drivers will be well-advised to do nothing to the car for at least the first season of driving it. As you learn to apply your driving skills to the car, you will learn to exploit its strengths and to manage its weaker areas. Many folks who immediately begin to mod the car, will spend all their time tinkering with side effects and imbalances that can result. Modding becomes the focus rather than driving. But, if that's your hobby, then it's your time and money to spend as you desire. If I was still active on track, then I would not own a front driver, just my preference. That said, I've driven quite a few, and the ITS is the best I've encountered, and certainly capable of rewarding good driving skill.

I appreciate your insight, Ed! I mashed on my WRX for 13 years on my local backroads, and immediately getting into the ITS, I felt instantly at home. It's kind of wild how easy the car is to drive/shift and how responsive it is. It truly lives up to all the reviews I've read. I'm just waiting to get through this break-in period so I can get a full feel for this car!

I’ve only done small things but they have made the driving experience nicer.
- PRL rear motor mount for more consistency when launching. Improved 1st to 2nd shifts too.
- Skunk2 weighted shift knob for slightly better feel.
- K&N drop in filter for slightly more sound and gas mileage.
- Tinting since summers in SoCal get pretty hot.

Thanks, Alex! This is super helpful. I'm glad you mentioned the first and second shifts. I'm not sure what it is, but the first and second gears just feel a bit rough, and I wasn't quite sure if it was supposed to feel that way or not. But this is exactly what im looking for, anything that improves the driving experience or feel without going down the road of touching the engine or ECU.

 

[its life]

If you don’t mind the trade off of less ground clearance and suspension travel, I would recommend lowering springs. I noticed greater body control, quicker turn-in, and less brake dive under heavier braking with the higher spring rates and lower center of gravity.

I’d recommend Spoon springs as they have an ideal spring rate and drop to me, but the Eibach pro-kit and RS-R TI2000 (which I’m on) are also good options. Just make sure to cut the bump stops.

 

[Elusive23]

If you don’t mind the trade off of less ground clearance and suspension travel, I would recommend lowering springs. I noticed greater body control, quicker turn-in, and less brake dive under heavier braking with the higher spring rates and lower center of gravity.

I’d recommend Spoon springs as they have an ideal spring rate and drop to me, but the Eibach pro-kit and RS-R TI2000 (which I’m on) are also good options. Just make sure to cut the bump stops.

I definitely want the stance and everything you mentioned all sounds like a huge plus. I live in the Bay Area and the certain freeways are worse than others in terms of bumps and potholes.

Just curious, since the introduction of springs and the lower clearance have you had to worry more about steep driveways and speed-bumps? Any scraping you’ve experienced yet? Have you had to drive with a lot more awareness?

I'm already pretty mindful about scraping the front end.

 

[its life]

I definitely want the stance and everything you mentioned all sounds like a huge plus. I live in the Bay Area and the certain freeways are worse than others in terms of bumps and potholes.

Just curious, since the introduction of springs and the lower clearance have you had to worry more about steep driveways and speed-bumps? Any scraping you’ve experienced yet? Have you had to drive with a lot more awareness?

I'm already pretty mindful about scraping the front end.

Driving in the city has been a bit more compromised (I’m in NYC). I rub on the larger speed-bumps (but I also have spacers, so less fender clearance), and I have to angle in and out of gas stations, otherwise I’ll scrape. I’ve also hit the bump stops a handful of times on big potholes. I wouldn’t lower the car past .8 inches, which is Spoon’s advertised drop.

Another caveat is you’ll want to correct the rear camber back to factory spec (you’ll gain negative camber in the rear after lowering) and that requires adjustable control arms. It’s not a requirement, but the car handles better with a front camber bias.

 

[StingertimeNC]

I have the eibach pro kit springs and I think the drop is perfect. 1 finger all around basically. Yes, you will have to watch out for steep driveways and such but it's usually manageable. Worth the trade off in my opinion. I also feel the pro kit is just slightly more abrupt than stock but perfectly fine for daily and again, worth the trade off. It's not super bouncy or anything. Springs and spacers are worth it as the stance improves dramatically.

 

[Elusive23]

I have the Eibach Pro Kit springs, and I think the drop is perfect—one finger all around, basically. Yes, you will have to watch out for steep driveways and such, but it's usually manageable. It's worth the trade-off, in my opinion. I also feel the pro kit is just slightly more abrupt than stock but perfectly fine for daily use, and again, it's worth the trade-off. It's not super bouncy or anything. Springs and spacers are worth it as the stance improves dramatically.

Have you experienced any issues with camber? I've seen some videos about lowering springs, which leads to installing those sexy RV6 Control Arms to fix all the issues and get the proper wheel contact again.

This is all great and also expensive, and further down the rabbit hole you go. Curious if once you get this far, this also voids warranty? Or becomes a ton of extra work to replace all the OEM parts just to file a claim LOL

 

[boosted_canoe]

Wunderladen rear motor mount (street) or PRL if you want something a bit more aggressive without too much NVH

 

[StingertimeNC]

Have you experienced any issues with camber? I've seen some videos about lowering springs, which leads to installing those sexy RV6 Control Arms to fix all the issues and get the proper wheel contact again.

This is all great and also expensive, and further down the rabbit hole you go. Curious if once you get this far, this also voids warranty? Or becomes a ton of extra work to replace all the OEM parts just to file a claim LOL

No problems with camber per se. I'm just under -2 degrees all around. Sure, some increase in tire wear, but I also track my car. If you keep the tires rotated, keep it aligned as far as toe, I really don't think it's a big deal.

In fact, some folks prefer a little more negative camber up front, but my car handle pretty damn good on track.

Honestly, to extract the last 5% of handling at the track it would make sense to dial things in a bit more, but on the street, I really don't think it massively detracted from the feel.

I don't know for absolute certain but I think oem set up is negative camber all around. If I remember correctly, my rear camber is within 1/2 degree of normal.

 

[STi from DSM]

Welcome! I just picked up my ITS last week and just got through my immediate break in of 600 miles. 604 miles on it now. It is astonishing how well this car performs. Corners... What corners... Lol. This thing eats curvy roads and I am loving it. Is it slower than my M850i, yes... But I never had this much fun in any of my last cars. Waiting a few months until AWE has their annual Black Friday sale and will be picking up my Track Exhaust then most likely. I lived the lowered life with my last car. I won't be doing that this time.

 

[ender_ong]

I am making a video on this soon, but get rid of all the silly stuff that makes the clutch pedal feel like a video game simulator.

• Get rid of the delay valve in the clutch slave cylinder (common Honda mod for many years now as they all use variations of the same clutch slave design.)
• Get rid of the damper inline between the clutch master and slave cylinders (this particular design is specific to the DE5/FL5, though the FK8 has one integrated into the master cylinder.)
• Get rid of the helper or "assist" spring on the clutch pedal assembly. Our clutch master has an internal return spring, and this makes the clutch pedal pressure substantially more linear and natural-feeling, at the expense of being about 16% heavier.

This is the first I’ve heard of the helper spring! I’ve done the other 2 clutch mods but will be doing this 3rd one next, thanks for sharing this

Here is a tutorial helper spring delete+ deep dive into the spring

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