Brain surgery

T

TortoiseAWD

New member
Yesterday afternoon (in 98' heat), I removed the ECU from my car, and sent it off to COBB Tuning for a re-flash. The Stage 2 reflash should be good for about fifty hp over stock, with a similar bump in torque.



If you're at all interested, you can read about the re-flash here: http://www.cobbtuning.com/wrx/accessecu-faq.html



Dyno plot of the Stage 2 re-flash here: http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/images/ae-stage2-dyno.jpg



Nice fat, flat torque curve for a 2.0 liter; I'm looking forward to it . . .



Tort



"Turbos make torque, and torque makes fun." -- Corky Bell
 
Sweet! I can't wait for a road test report! I am dying to do this to my S4. It will pump it up to about 310 hp. I just need approval from the "boss". I'm working on it!:rolleyes:
 
The ECU should be back on Tuesday, and by all reports it takes a few days for the ECU to "learn" the new timing and boost curves (the computer tries to advance timing as much as possible without seeing detonation, so it can take a few days to find maximum power). I'll be sure to post my impressions sometime late next week.



In the meantime, I'm driving my mom's mid-90's Buick, and boy, does it need some lovin'. I thought I'd try to shine it up as a "thank you" for letting me borrow it while my WRX is lobotomized . . . I think I bit off more than I can chew. I spent several hours this morning just claying and removing tree sap from the horizontal surfaces. Good thing it's a long weekend! I'm going to try to finish claying then fire up the PC tomorrow. Something tells me I'll be working on it some Sunday, too . . .



Tort



P.S. Going from the excellent chassis of the WRX with aftermarket suspension to the rolling couch that is my mom's Buick is excrutiating. I appreciate the loaner, but what a change . . . rally-bred, stiffly sprung suspension to Detroit luxo-barge. Yuck. Oh well, it'll be a shiny boat when I'm done with it.
 
Tortoise,



I'm sure you will be very happy with the Cobb stage 2. I went from stock (227 hp) to TurboXS stage 4+ with Ecutek (370hp+) in a weekend and the difference in speed is intense... and scary. I almost scared the poop out of myself when I first hit the accelerator :eek:



Good luck with the new ECU... Trey Cobb is definitely one of the best Subaru tuners in the country.



-Bob
 
50? As in 1 more than 49? From just computer tuning? Yes, you must do this. Just another reason for me to like those cars. :xyxthumbs



You *did* send it FedEx with enough insurance, didn't you? Would be a bad time to lose your package. :scared
 
dookiebob said:
Tortoise,



I'm sure you will be very happy with the Cobb stage 2. I went from stock (227 hp) to TurboXS stage 4+ with Ecutek (370hp+) in a weekend and the difference in speed is intense... and scary. I almost scared the poop out of myself when I first hit the accelerator :eek:



Good luck with the new ECU... Trey Cobb is definitely one of the best Subaru tuners in the country.



-Bob
Click to expand...



THE Scooby folks are Prodrive in the UK.



They run the WRC program on behalf of Subaru.



Not cheap tho ...............



BUT



Check out that torque curve - Yummy.



Scooby Prodrive Performance Pack



I guess the difference between 'good' and 'awesome' is making ALOT of usable power without shortening the life of the engine.
 
Smoker,



That package is for the '03 European STi . . . the '04 STi in the states has a 2.5 liter motor; the rest of the world keeps the 2.0. To my knowledge, the only packages Prodrive offers for the USDM Subies is an axle-back/suspension package. I don't believe they're providing reflashes in the US (yet).



Tort
 
dookiebob said:
Tortoise,



I'm sure you will be very happy with the Cobb stage 2. I went from stock (227 hp) to TurboXS stage 4+ with Ecutek (370hp+) in a weekend and the difference in speed is intense... and scary. I almost scared the poop out of myself when I first hit the accelerator :eek:



Good luck with the new ECU... Trey Cobb is definitely one of the best Subaru tuners in the country.



-Bob
Click to expand...



Is that 370 at the wheels or at the crank? Dyno results? If that's at the wheels, then you basically doubled the power of the car.



Having any tranny problems yet? Or have you beefed it up? At that kind of power, I'd really start to worry about the drivetrain in ANY car - axles, syncros, gears, the works.
 
It's alive!



I've only had the ECU back in for about a day and a half, and so far, I'm very pleased. Throttle response is greatly improved . . . I get quantities of torque at part-throttle that used to require WOT. Part-throttle third gear around an on-ramp was very grin-inducing :D



:up :up :up



Tort
 
TortoiseAWD said:
Smoker,



That package is for the '03 European STi . . . the '04 STi in the states has a 2.5 liter motor; the rest of the world keeps the 2.0. To my knowledge, the only packages Prodrive offers for the USDM Subies is an axle-back/suspension package. I don't believe they're providing reflashes in the US (yet).



Tort
Click to expand...



Yeah but in the UK they dont call it an '04 until it IS 04.



So an '03 will be the same model as yours.



I have noticed, unfortunately, that the US versions seem to lose alot of the goodies that the UK ones get to keep.



The Mitsi Evo has the same problem while you didnt get to see ANY version of the Skyline.



Bummer.
 
Smoker said:
Yeah but in the UK they dont call it an '04 until it IS 04.



So an '03 will be the same model as yours.



I have noticed, unfortunately, that the US versions seem to lose alot of the goodies that the UK ones get to keep.



The Mitsi Evo has the same problem while you didnt get to see ANY version of the Skyline.



Bummer.
Click to expand...
After a little more research, I discovered Prodrive is offering reflashes in the US through select dealerships; however, they're using the ECUTEK flashing system. Since tuners have to pay a license fee for every ECU flashed, ECUTEK flashes are quite a bit pricier than COBB (COBB cracked the ECU in-house, so there's no license fee to pay). Prodrive also only offers their flash as part of a larger package, which includes intercooler hoses and exhaust bits that I already have. Prodrive is definitely good stuff, though (I've been riding on Prodrive springs for a few months now).



You're right about the US getting watered down versions of performance cars, but the '04 STi is a welcome departure from that . . . the US is getting a larger motor and more power than the rest of the world (2.5 liter instead of 2.0) for a change. Neener, neener :D



Tort
 
TortoiseAWD said:
...



You're right about the US getting watered down versions of performance cars, but the '04 STi is a welcome departure from that . . . the US is getting a larger motor and more power than the rest of the world (2.5 liter instead of 2.0) for a change. Neener, neener :D



Tort
Click to expand...





True that! :up ...however, it's just too bad that with the new engine, we're also getting some mild detonation :( ...hopefully to be resolved soon...congrats on the "new" wrx Tort!
 
Tomorrow, a couple of friends and I are installing Autospeed's intelligent intercooler spray controller, a honkin'-big SHURflo 8000 100 psi pump, and some sprayers inside the hood-scoop. Well, actually, Jon and Kevin will do most of the work on my car while I detail Jon's wife's Legacy, because I'm mostly mechanically (and electronically) incompetent.



If you're interested in reading more about the controller and spray setup, check out these links:



http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0527

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng22.shtml



I'm looking forward to regaining some of the performance that the summer heat steals by heat-soaking my IC [shakes fist at Mother Nature].



Tort
 
SickOfItAll said:
Is that 370 at the wheels or at the crank? Dyno results? If that's at the wheels, then you basically doubled the power of the car.



Having any tranny problems yet? Or have you beefed it up? At that kind of power, I'd really start to worry about the drivetrain in ANY car - axles, syncros, gears, the works.
Click to expand...



370 hp crank. I don't have a dyno plot of my car, but here's a WRX with the same kit minus the intercooler:



utecstg4dyno.jpg




The uprated TMIC I have (from M2 performance) has a lower pressure drop than stock and is more efficient because of its bar and plate construction. Others have gotten around 300 whp on pump gas with a uprated intercooler like mine. This is about an 80% increase in whp, and 1/4 mile times back up the stage 4+ setup. 12.5-12.7 seconds at 107-111 mph is typical for a stage 4 with stock intercooler.



7000 very fast miles after getting the kit, I have not had a single problem, and my gas mileage has improved 2-3 mpg (with a much heavier foot). I have yet to hear of an engine failure in a stage 4+ kit tuned by a reputable Subaru tuner. Some people have had some problems with the transmissions in the WRX, but a lot of it has to do with user error (and/or stupidity).



I never drop the clutch, nor do I powershift. I always double clutch on downshifts, and I wait for the syncros when upshifting. My clutch will surely wear prematurely, but I can live with that. The rest of the drivetrain can definitely handle the extra power... I have yet to hear of axles or driveshafts snapping under my level of power.



-Bob
 
TortoiseAWD said:
It's alive!



I've only had the ECU back in for about a day and a half, and so far, I'm very pleased. Throttle response is greatly improved . . . I get quantities of torque at part-throttle that used to require WOT. Part-throttle third gear around an on-ramp was very grin-inducing :D



:up :up :up



Tort
Click to expand...



AWESOME man! :xyxthumbs



If you upgrade your turbo in the future, you'll feel an even BIGGER rush at WOT!



-Bob
 
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