PART REVIEW: GrimmSpeed Air Oil Separator (2006 Subaru WRX STi)

[@octurbojoe]

The included OEM tire wrench works with the Grimmspeed AOS cap.

[@jivanroberts3500]

I haven’t finished watching the video, but I can tell you from the first 4 minutes that THIS should be at the top of my “04 wrx grimmspeed AOS review” not a damn installation video. I don’t understand why I had to scroll past 20-30 videos to find the one I was looking for. Good shit 💪🫡

[@stickman-1]

The alternatives are more than $100 more. In fact some are $200 more. However I agree with this, this seems over priced for what you get. I think new should be $199 because it works about half as well as the more expensive ones. Thank you for the long term review. You are right, only long term can you give a proper review.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Yep. I have the IAG AOS & it has served me much better. Definitely worth the money to get the job done right.

[@juliobro1]

I live in PR; the lowest temperature you get is about 40F at the mountains in winter (Dec. - Jan.) The lowest you get at sea level is 60F in winter. Is the Grimmspeed enough for my conditions? I do find the Crawford V3 (no maintenance or coolant) at about $100 more.

[@Nultic]

Interesting point on the zip ties. I have lots of oil residue around mine on those metal fittings. Definitely would like to go with IAG. I run a proper AOS on my GTI and it has noticeable positives. Would definitely like the coolant feature on the VW. All of the oil in the AOS is milkshake.

[@BP-fx3qc]

Nothing against you mate, just have to put this out there. I had a ej257 from an 06 sti come in to get rebuilt which had one of these aos. I posted this on the grimmspeed channel but they deleted it and you guys will realize why. The problem with this aos is that the oil filler is always under positive pressure, so oil does not drop back into the system like they would like you to believe, it would work if the filler tube was under vaccuum somehow but that's not the case. With this aos, all you're doing is adding another oil dumping source to your intake system, IT DOESN'T WORK. But don't take my word for it do your own research if you'd like. There are way better options out there.

[@whiteboyNM]

Do you suggest an air oil separator or are they a waste of time and money?

[@BP-fx3qc]

@@whiteboyNM air oil separators are essential to these cars, but you have to buy one that performs as advertised, the grimmspeed one and many others are a waste of money, the only aos that I've seen and installed on sti's that is worth its price is the cobb/iag aos, that one separates each pcv source and is also heated by coolant. Its the only one i can recommend from previous experience.

[@whiteboyNM]

@@BP-fx3qc thanks for your help!

[@adammmtee]

Looking at an 07 Sti in a day or two that has a Grimmspeed AOS installed and I didn't know that's how it's attached. Looks like I'll be swapping to an IAG if I end up buying the car. Thanks for the heads up!

[@Jabbrony]

wonder if this could be the cause of rod knock or burning 2 quarts of oil within 1k miles

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Chances are this wouldn't cause that serious of an issue. I don't like this product, but I don't think it has caused major issues like that.

[@paladain55]

You should have been recording the oil consumption in your car before and after the oil catch can install to see if it did anything. When you change your oil note how much comes out. How else would you know if this piece of bling is useless or not?

[@Drummaboycj]

Thanks for your input I was gonna cheap out on the aos and go with grimmspeed but still undecided just want to save my engine until I can build it

[@cameronmauro7209]

Dunno how you say it saves them money, mine come with just under an extra metre of hose

[@colestinson8564]

I have an 07 wrx with 106k miles and am debating between getting an accesport, an AOS, and air intake. Which one would you suggest I get first? Lol I just got to 16:36

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Good question. I would say either the AccessPORT or an AOS. The AP is a much more fun toy to have, you can check & clear CEL's, etc. & you can use off the shelf maps once you start modifying. The AOS will help your car run a little better, especially when driving hard, but honestly, it's your call. I bought an AccessPORT long before I picked up an AOS & I don't regret that. I would probably make the same choice again today.

[@colestinson8564]

@@hawkeyestiguy Ok thanks for the help!

[@cassiejvance7496]

Great video again and information. Happy Wednesday from soobie guy UK

[@yehornaumov5893]

And then coolant body cracks and coolant going into your oil pan.

[@juliobro1]

"Coolant body cracks"?

[@stevecampos1055]

Nice man. Very thorough.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Thanks. 👍🏻

[@erichelsing8981]

I was looking at both the AIG and Crawford separators, both specified not a catch can. Do you have to have a catch can to run any air/oil sep setup?

[@koozmusic]

So... moisture/condensation is entering the oil system because this (indirectly) joins that to the air intake, right? That does seem like a concern - the froth in the fill cap area would have me constantly concerned about head gasket issues. Is that why some people run a catch can instead? Nice thorough review. I didn't even know these existed, haha.

[@hellcat320]

you dreaded grabbing a 19mm socket? you know the tire iron that comes with the car is the same size right? Pretty stupid complaint.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Justin Williams I didn’t dread it, it’s just a pain in the ass. Let me ask you, why the hell should you need to get a tire iron just to top off the oil in your car? Lol. That doesn’t sound a little ridiculous to you? In any case, I switched to the IAG & haven’t looked back. It functions much better, no milkshake, & you don’t need any additional tools to add oil. 👍🏼

[@hellcat320]

@@hawkeyestiguy Because you chose a AoS that uses the oil filler cap. Another option is to just leave a 19mm sock on a ratchet is your glove box. wrap it in a old cloth so it dosent make alot of noise boucing around.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Justin Williams Exactly my point. Lol. That’s literally what I said in the video. It is highly inconvenient to have to carry around a second ratchet with a rag wrapped around it to silence the noise just to top off the oil. Lol. That is a feature that makes this particular design of AOS more of a pain in the ass to use. I’m not here to argue, I just gave my opinion & review on this part after using it for several years so that other folks can make a more informed decision before buying. If you or anyone else wants to buy one or already had one, great, I’m not condemning it in anyway, I’m simply saying that there are better designs out there that don’t require you to carry around spare tools to top off the oil. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Lol.

[@hellcat320]

@@hawkeyestiguy I wouldnt say its highly inconvenient. But I see what your getting at. I'd say its a small price to pay to avoid a complex install required for most AoS systems. I just bought a 17' STI, I pick it up saterday so I am on the fence as to which system I want to go with.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Justin Williams Congrats. If you like this one, go for it. I’m just saying it gets really old really fast & you combine that with an AOS that is overpriced for the performance it gives, it gave me good reason to change to a different design. I think you’ll see what I mean after you have it for a couple years, especially if you live in an area that has winter.

[@zachrs43]

I watched more than 15 mins. Good job

[@tylerhavener9210]

Great video, really helped me decide, still considering the grim speed, but definitely thinking about an ieg one. Do you really need a tune for the ieg one?

[@JayMajic8]

Have you sold it, I'm interested

[@UncleRuckis81]

Dibs on the AOS 🤣 great video 🙏🏿

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Thanks man! I need to stop procrastinating & post up my parts for sale. Haha.

[@UncleRuckis81]

HawkeyeSTiGuy and with all your honest reviews I’m sure you’d have no problem selling any of them haha

[@calsiner97]

Would like to know if i should avoid it or actually buy it. Im interessted to this item cause it easier then the other seperator to install and i like the design. But i dont know if its enough efficiant. I have an 04 sti, FMIC, bigger turbo, forged internal. Would it do the job or i should deffinetly get something else?

[@hawkeyestiguy]

calsiner97 In your case, I would recommend just saving up more money & going with the IAG AOS. I think it would serve much better than this. They make a street & a competition version. The competition would probly be better for your setup, but needs tuned for. That’s what I have now & I am very happy with it.

[@reyrallos5042]

Hey bro quick question so I am currently on the market right now for an AOS and I found one for a decent price but my concern its coming out from an 04 wrx, i checked rally sport direct and by the looks of it, it's the same thing, the only difference is the model number. I have a 14 wrx btw. Looking forward to hear your opinion.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Rey Rallos To my knowledge, it is exactly the same, the only difference is the hose lengths that they provide, so you may need to pick up some spare hose, but other than that it’s the same. I would also pick up some small worm-drive hose clamps for the connections. Zip ties do nothing to seal them up. I picked up 1/2” fuel line on amazon.

[@reyrallos5042]

@@hawkeyestiguy Copy! Thanks for verifying that bro. Oh sorry I was just wondering, I noticed you got some patches on your wall. Are you in the service or was in the service?

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Rey Rallos No problem. Happy to help. Yeah, I’m in the Air Guard. Was active for 5 years & have been Guard for 5 years. Hbu?

[@reyrallos5042]

@@hawkeyestiguy Still active bro, Navy E-6. Thats cool man. If you dont mind, do u have IG? I would like to follow you there if thats cool with you.

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Rey Rallos Good stuff! 👍🏼 I do, but I don’t post all that much lately. It’s @HawkeyeSTiGuy

[@SheekTresSesenta]

Thanks for the info. I think I just dodged a bullet. I might just go catch can instead of aos, this way I can rest assured no milkshake makes its way back in

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Sheek Tres-Sesenta Catch cans work, you just have to empty them regularly. I know there are some cheap generic ones, but it’s worth looking into the designs from different companies. Some seem to be better than others. Some guys run two of them too.

[@SheekTresSesenta]

HawkeyeSTiGuy thanks for the advice. Any you would recommend for a 2018 wrx?

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Sheek Tres-Sesenta I’m not sure offhand what is out there. I have heard good things about Radium Engineering, but I know there are others as well.

[@SheekTresSesenta]

HawkeyeSTiGuy thanks!

[@SheekTresSesenta]

HawkeyeSTiGuy thnx!

[@HJ-sn5gt]

Hey thanks for the great video! I like this simple design over pulling off the inter cooler and triple the tubing. 😬

[@mikesierra7611]

i love you man

[@trevsmoove]

I have one that came with my 2011 STi. Haven't had issues yet. You think I should change it?

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Trev Smoove Id you want to upgrade to something better, it wouldn’t hurt, but I think you’re fine with it. I think it’s better than using nothing at all, but it doesn’t perform as well as they claim, so I’d hate to pay full price for it.

[@michaelschafer8979]

Dude it's 19mm and your lug nut wrench fits it...so that con is a bit lame. And lazy

[@hawkeyestiguy]

Michael Schafer Out of curiosity, do you have one? Ok, my bad, 19 instead of 17. I hadn’t used it in a while. I think it’s lame to have to pop the trunk & pull out your tire iron anytime you want to add oil. Lol. 🤷🏻‍♂️ That’s not me or anyone else being ‘lazy’ that’s an incredibly inconvenient design. If someone wants to deal with that, that’s cool, but after 6 years or so of having this AOS, I’m 100% over it. If it worked properly, I might not mind it so much, but this item is over priced & under delivers. Not trying to convince anyone not to buy one, just giving my experience with it. 👍🏻