Hey guys long time lurker first time poster. I have a MY17 CLA 45 AMG for the last couple of months, but I just recently picked up a used MY12 WRX for a daily driver. I got one privately for a great price and only 52,000km on the clock and I want to put some more power into it. I have been out of the JDM scene for nearly 18 years so naturally I am like a born again virgin lol. So bare with me

I have done a fair bit of reading but I am still unclear on somethings, so I am hoping some of you fellas/gals can tell me if I am on the right track.

I am wanting to get around 220-230kwatw and around 380-420Nm (gotta love some pull no homo lol) with the following mods with stock internals. Am i dreaming? Or is it not too far of a stretch?

1) Invidia Q300 Turbo Back Exhaust
2) COBB Up-Pipe
3) COBB SF Air Intake
4) ID 1000 Injectors (ready for flex fuel in future)
5) DW300 Fuel Pump
6) Process West Manifold
7) Process West Top Mount Intercooler
8) Silicone inlet hoses etc.

I added the manifold incase it could help to make me reach my target easier with the VF52 stock turbo. I will possibly go with a bigger turbo in future but at least the mods will be installed and ready to go for when that time comes much later on.

As for tuning. I'm a little hesitant with ECUTek (being locked and all) so I will rather find someone who can do a custom tune with the factory ECU.

So overall what do you guys think? Is my target mentioned above of 220-230kwatw and 380-420Nm with the mods listed and a custom tune of the factory ECU a possible goal?

Looking forward to any info and input provided

Cheers Legends,

Steve

You're not going to hit 300-310hp with the stock turbo and 98ron fuel. The mod list is solid however, EXCEPT the manifold. Spend the money on suspension and handling instead, or aftermarket headers. They will give you some increase in torque. I am at 280kw/375hp (hubs) on the stock plastic manifold (2008 WRX, built engine). You're not going to get any gains by changing it to a Process West item. You will easily see 380nm of torque, and definitely 400nm+ with afterrmarket headers.

If you want an open-source tune then Tokyo Motorsport is your only choice now. They do ECUTEK, but also now offer open-source tuning. Maximum Motorsport and Racetorque have good names but are ECUTEK dealers/tuners.

__________________
[I]trolololol[/I]

Cheers for the input Trolley! I probably should have mentioned that I do already have coilovers, brakes, sway bars etc installed. So that aspect is sorted. I would always do the brakes and suspension before doing engine mods. That's one thing I do remember from the old days

Didn't think of headers because I've seen a number of people say they aren't needed as the stock are fine for most moderate setups. If i was doing a full rebuild and a big turbo then fair enough.. But if this was misinformation then I would change the manifold to UEL headers. Cheaper too by around $300 or so


220-230atkw would probably be dyno reads but real world would be probably more around 200-212kwatw which I would be happy with. I won't be smashing it 24/7 but I like the odd spirated squirt on my daily commute.

Agree with Mr Trolley on the manifold suggestion. If you're considering flex fuel I would do it straight up. I ran my betty on corn for about a year before going to a flex set up. I would never go back to dedicated corn as the servos do run out from time to time and I have misjudged my consumption a couple of times.

Your vf52 on corn will make mental response and be a lot of fun to drive.

I would also not use id1000s again I would move up to the 1300 for more head room & better idle. My engine idles like fucken truck regardless of which fuel it's on.

__________________
Bye bye betty blue. Hello F6.

You said you were hoping to get a bigger turbo at some stage so it would make sense to include aftermarket headers with the list you have now. By the looks of it, money isn't an issue in terms of parts or labour so you might as well. As I said, they will net you gains.

In the 8 years I have had my car, I have done everything you're about to do to a ej255 and (now) more. I made 312hp with my Blouch td05-20G at 20psi on the stock block. That lasted 6 months before stretching head bolts. You're not going to see that figure with a VF52 unless you add headers, e85 and a stupid amount of boost for a stock bottom end. It will last you a couple of months, then you'll be looking at 12-15k to build a new engine + new, bigger turbo.

My advice is forget about figures for the moment and just get a before and after dyno run with whatever workshop/tuner you choose. Concentrate on the gains it makes rather than the final number. The numbers you're quoting are American Disney-dyno numbers for stock turbos.

__________________
[I]trolololol[/I]

Dump process west manifold
Dump up pipe
Dump cobb intake
Add ~TD05 20g size turbo (or there abouts)
E85 tune
Done

__________________
MY08 WRX 325hp/456nm/18psi E85

Hey fellas,

Cheers for the information! Worrying I didn't reply took the wife away for the weekend.

@JRecardo but if I buy a 20g will that require an engine rebuild with forged rods and pistons etc? Or is it a case of getting a larger turbo and running it at lower boost = more power over stock but no engine rebuild?

Steve

That's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question. A forged build isn't required for a TD05 and there are plenty of people running similar turbos (myself included) on stock bottom ends, but any time you go fitting bigger turbos to cars and chasing power things can go wrong. It also depends on the history of your car, how well it's maintained now, how it's driven day to day, the tune, etc. That same risk is present when trying to extract power using your factory turbo too.

__________________
MY08 WRX 325hp/456nm/18psi E85

JZ4 - as I said above, I went to a Blouch td05-20g with all pretty much all supporting mods that could be done and it lasted 6 months. My car is meticulously maintained and no corners cut. It's a matter of "when", not "if".

__________________
[I]trolololol[/I]