Signs of impending water pump failure?

Thanks for the info imperfect, for high hp builds OEM is the optimal choice.

With that said, I bought my vr4 with an UDP and im not in the slightest bit worried about it.

if you bought it that way, or will be n/a till the day you die, then don't worry about it.

i, for one, do not buy replacement parts on what is "minimally acceptable". i hate having to re-invent the wheel when i aim for bigger things later.