EJ20 N/A to T?!

[zeepey]

guys, you think it's safe? nanghihinayang ako sa warranty ng car pero my GH8 serves as my 3rd car. speedlab turbo package is P180k and dyno proven to add 60-70hp. if only i can sell my car then get a bug-eye wrx or an evo 4 or 5 instead but i can't :rained_down: unless i can sell it atleast P900k which is a far cry! bnew 2.0R m/t is P1.128 btw.

my main concern with the turbo conversion is reliability. what if the engine and/or tranny can't sustain the additional power? hello motor image !!!

engine swap is risky unless galing sa same era ang engine w/c will cost me an arm and a leg. our 320i and 325i feels torquey compared with the impreza due mainly to it's AWD system.

[niky]

Your transmission can take the power... and a 70 hp boost is rather mild, so the NA engine should take it, as long as you tune it for lower-octane fuel and take care of it well. What I'd worry about most is your clutch.

[zeepey]

ok. Atleast clutches are no biggie to replace. is there a shop here where i can buy turbo parts that i need for the project? I'll be going in the states next month also.

[foresterx]

no it's not safe, subaru is a totally differnet car when it comes to mods compared to other japanes cars. if you're planning to keep the car longer than just 2-3 years don't do it. my suggestion is to do a full engine swap, if you really want a turbo car. trust me i've owned subaru's for 6 years now, i'm no car expert but i know some thing when it comes to subaru's. i've seen people in the philippines put aftermarket bov (bad for a subaru) and turbo timer(waste of money since subaru turbo is water cooled not oil cooled).

if you really want to mod your subaru this is a good read.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533787

[zeepey]

Very nice infos there! May i know why bov's are bad?

[zeepey]

also, can you add some more problems that you can see and encountered before? Might as well go for the chip and intake upgrade 1st.

[niky]

Why would it not be safe to turbocharge a naturally aspirated EJ?

The naturally aspirated EJ is no STi mill... hell... it's not even close to the WRX mill... but a low-boost set-up with about 7-8 psi is relatively safe on that motor.

Speedlab has aftermarket manifolds built to bolt up to the engine already. All you need is to source a turbo and the other parts.

The only problem with turbocharging an NA Impreza is that you will never get the same amount of power as a stock WRX reliably without spending a lot on internals. The N/A Impreza has a higher compression ratio, weaker engine internals and a weaker transmission. If you boost it to the same 14 psi as a stock WRX, expect stuff to break.

At the 8 psi you can run, expect to have around 20 horses less than a stock WRX.

If you want more power, you'll be buying new pistons, new connecting rods (around 100-200k pesos, I believe)... perhaps a reinforced gearbox or a gearbox swap from a WRX or WRX STi... actually... you might just want to buy a WRX engine secondhand and swap it in... or better... swap your car for a WRX.

But if you don't mind being "slow", turbocharging your stock engine is fine. Sayang nga lang pera... you need around 200+k for the base turbokit... then you'll spend another 200k reinforcing everything... might as well just trade-in.

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N/A mods... full IHE and chip... will probably get you the same WHP as a stock Lancer... ...problem is the AWD is a big drag on the engine... which is why the Impreza really needs a turbo to come alive.

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Suggestion: Why not trade in for an older Forester XT (the boxy one)? Comes with a stock turbo, a huge trunk, a double sunroof and an automatic. The four-speed AT and stock bottom-end can take 400 hp.

[zeepey]

i wish it's that easy but it was purchased that involved a lot of considerations. I have my reasons why i went for the n/a ONLY. I have two other cars that i use regularly so now i decided to upgrade the car bit-by-bit just for occassional funruns and trackdays until i can finally afford my target car in two years sana . I can't say if i made the wrong purchase but i'm still happy that my business grew since i purchased this car.

[niky]

i wish it's that easy but it was purchased that involved a lot of considerations. I have my reasons why i went for the n/a ONLY. I have two other cars that i use regularly so now i decided to upgrade the car bit-by-bit just for occassional funruns and trackdays until i can finally afford my target car in two years sana . I can't say if i made the wrong purchase but i'm still happy that my business grew since i purchased this car.

Ah. Then stick to the N/A route. If you will turbo the car and take it on trackdays, the transmission and drivetrain will receive a pounding. Plus, sobrang limited yung potential compared to a turbo Subie... which is what you're getting in 2 years?

The stock engine (manual ba?) is pretty strong at 150 hp... with a Unichip and a full IHE build, you should be able to get relatively decent power out of it. Again, it probably won't be as fast as, say, a Lancer EX with the same mods in the straights (high drivetrain losses with AWD), but the balance is good, and the sins of the suspension (a bit too soft) are easy to cure.

That's a car just crying for an exhaust, to uncork the 'boxer burble'...

[foresterx]

bov is bad for the subie because you don't just lose hp, the bov also makes you run rich. you only need a bov in a subie if you're boosting more than 20psi.

it will be much cheaper and safer to get a full engine swap in the long run.

create an account at nasioc.com and ask around they'll be glad to help you. and they'll know much more about subaru's than anyone in the philippines.

[niky]

quad-post... who'd a thunkit? Damn internet.

[niky]

quad-post... who'd a thunkit? Damn internet.

[niky]

quad-post... who'd a thunkit? Damn internet.

[niky]

Yeah... about American Subarus. They don't sell the current-gen 2.0RS there. The lowest trim level for Imprezas there is the 2.5RS. Yes, they know a lot, but come on... it's not like there are no local tuners who know Subarus. Orange has a few 400-hp plus builds, Speedlab has a 450 hp Forester that's on the stock block and transmission (automatic!) and has been going strong for several years already.

The difference between US tuners and local tuners is that there are more of them and less of us. They have a big knowledge base because they have a lot of people breaking stuff, but they don't know everything. I know a few guys locally who've done swaps that "experts" on US forums swear won't work. My cams and cam gears? I was the first one on my US Forum to actually buy those cams and write about them... and the first one to make the problematic cam gears work properly with an aftermarket ECU. They don't have a big knowledge base about the Unichip there, either. Only a few tuners use it... though they have some tricks in fooling the stock ECU that I don't see implemented here widely.

Yes, by all means, read NASIOC, because there's lots of good information there, but local guys can help you out just as well. Try logging on to Subaru Club Philippines to find out about trusted local suppliers and what guys with the same car as you (the 2.0 RS, which isn't available in the US) are getting with the mods you're looking at.

A word from our friendly neighborhood tuner: In his opinion, the current gen N/A is a dead-end in terms of modification due to the electronics, unless you spend for a standalone engine management unit. They've tuned one with full IHE and a chip to about 118 whp (probably at Autoplus)... that's about the same the Lynx makes with a chip and IHE (the Lynx is 140 bhp, but only FWD).

They've boosted one, and at around 7-8 psi on a custom kit, makes about the same to the wheels as a stock "235 hp" WRX, but again... longevity is a question, especially if you will take it to the track.

[zeepey]

what am i gonna do now lol ? 1 suggestion from a tuner was jus make a swap from an older ej20 turbo to keep the cost lower. Main concern lang is it was never attempted yet. So few problems may occur. that is if i'm brave enough for it hehe...

[niky]

what am i gonna do now lol ? 1 suggestion from a tuner was jus make a swap from an older ej20 turbo to keep the cost lower. Main concern lang is it was never attempted yet. So few problems may occur. that is if i'm brave enough for it hehe...

Do you really want to cut up a new car's wiring harness for that? It would be the simplest way... but sayang lang yung car. I don't know if Subaru maintained the same electronics between this generation and the last... at the very least, you'll need an OBDII engine. You'll also need to change some other stuff to make the turbo-engne fit.

Personally, I don't favor swapping out a perfectly healthy engine just for the sake of more power. (went down that road before, it's not pretty).

Kaya nga, if you want a toy with power, swap the car for an older Subie. ;)

[jdrex04]

i wish it's that easy but it was purchased that involved a lot of considerations. I have my reasons why i went for the n/a ONLY. I have two other cars that i use regularly so now i decided to upgrade the car bit-by-bit just for occassional funruns and trackdays until i can finally afford my target car in two years sana . I can't say if i made the wrong purchase but i'm still happy that my business grew since i purchased this car.

Stock tune will definitely last longer than a tuned car. Be it N/A or Turbocharged. If you like attending trackdays, why not try to setup your suspension first? front strut bars, a good set of tires, Camber bolts , sway bars, coilovers will make a lot of difference in your lap time. especially in clark international speedway where there are few long stretches. You get to enjoy your car's AWD grip and have many years of reliable miles !

[zeepey]

honestly, all i want is to feel more torque like a 6-cylinder engine. I have an e36 325i with upgraded chip and remus exhaust sarap ng torque. Topspeed though is almost same lang when it was stock. sana linabas nalang yung 2.5 version ng n/a dito sa atin.

[zeepey]

honestly, all i want is to feel more torque like a 6-cylinder engine. I have an e36 325i with upgraded chip and remus exhaust sarap ng torque. Topspeed though is almost same lang when it was stock. sana linabas nalang yung 2.5 version ng n/a dito sa atin. The 2L engine is so slow. Mali ko i never had a test drive before purchasing it. Sabi ko pa sa agent gusto yan non turbo para matipid at mura hehe..

[foresterx]

*niky: although nasioc means north american subaru impreza owners club, since it is the biggest subaru forum in the world, the members there aren't just from america and there are also american owners who was a 1999 impreza which is a 2.0. and yes i agree that speedlab and orange are very great tuners, but just like i said it will be cheaper and safer in the long run if he does a swap.

*zeepey: if you want a swap go to fuzionR at e.rod. also i agree with jdrex better to do some suspension mods. i'd rather have a slow car but handles really well than have a fast car that can't turn at all. plus with a proper driver on a lightly modded impreza can outrun an STi on the track. going fast on turns is more fun than going fast on a straight line.