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WRX vs NSX and S4 ....

4K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  PlatinumWRX 
#1 ·
last night I had a little stoplight drag to 60mph against an NSX and an S4..nice combo to line up next to... WRX by ~3 car lengths over the NSX with the S4 bringing up the rear by 60mph. I backed off at that point because Thats the only type of street racing I'll do..from a stoplight, all clear ahead, no entrances or exits for suprises and only to 60..I try and keep it fun and safe at the same time. I love this car!!

Mods:

PERFORMANCE:
Psi-Fi Intake
samco turbo hose kit
APS dual vent BOV
Unorthodox Ultra S crank pulley
HKS headers
PSP up-pipe
MRT turbo back exhaust w/4in single tip
Turbo XS stage 2 unichip w/MBC @ 16.5psi
Subie column mount boost gauge

HANDLING:
SSR competition rims 17x7.5 w 225/45 Sumitomo HRTZ-2's
MRT rear adj sway bar
White Line sway bar end links and bushings front and rear

BRAKING ...going in this weekend! :):
Wilwood 13.1in 2pc rotors/6 piston calipers ( front )
Wilwood 12.9in 2pc rotors/4 piston calipers ( rear )
Goodrich braided steel lines
Motul600 fluid
Hawk pads
 
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#4 ·
Penguinking said:
awesome! i bet the NSX was surprised :D
When I glanced in my rearview mirror he looked kinda stunned.. like this.. :-O The WRX is a badass car off the line!

Cant wait unti I do a TurboXS stage 4 kit with Vf30/sti injectors/upgraded fuel pump... there will be a lot more
:-O faces here in S. Fl. LOL.
 
#6 ·
Re: S4's are officially in the 11's now,

Lycanthropic said:
and that's without any weight savings efforts yet.

so, we are catching up reaaaaal quik!
S4 is a sweet ride! I test drove the S4, 330xi, 330ci and the WRX when it was buying time. The reasons I chose the WRX over the rest were that it was almost 18K$ cheaper and I honestly liked the "bare bones, no luxury, all performance, factory hotrod" personality of the WRX over the S4. The S4 was awesome ( my last car was a 450+rwhp TTZ so I have a soft spot for twin turbo power ) but a little too soft/cushy and too much luxury for my personal tastes.

Considering they are basically equal in performance under 100mph ( where I do 99% of my driving now ) I couldnt justify the extra 18k$ for the S4..But I did love it and it certainly has great potential for more power. and it kicks butt at 100+mph when the engine really gets to sing.

The two cars are so different...hotrod/rally racer vs refined luxury GT...the fact people even compare them and you consider S4's as "catching up real quick" is a huge compliment to the WRX considering the vast differences in cost and purpose. I am a true auto enthusiast and enjoy the full automotive spectrum. We are all fortunate to have so many incredible choices in autos these days.
 
#7 ·
Tell you what, Im getting tired of the lack of mods available for the S4

You guys have all the luck. Mods for miles!

If you want to seriously tweak an S4, you better have a machine shop in the family, and a 3d CAD program on your PC.

I love my S4, but I miss having a car that has an endless supply of aftermarket parts; so that i can spend the weekend spinning wrenches.

At least I still have my GSXR to wrench on....................
 
#8 ·
I love my S4, but I miss having a car that has an endless supply of aftermarket parts; so that i can spend the weekend spinning wrenches.
That makes me curious, what kinds of mods are available for S4s? I know my dad was really thinking about getting an S4 so other than chips and exhaust (since that's all I know of based on the friendly S4 people who visit here), what other kinds of mods are there?
 
#10 ·
Re: Tell you what, Im getting tired of the lack of mods available for the S4

Lycanthropic said:
You guys have all the luck. Mods for miles!

If you want to seriously tweak an S4, you better have a machine shop in the family, and a 3d CAD program on your PC.

I love my S4, but I miss having a car that has an endless supply of aftermarket parts; so that i can spend the weekend spinning wrenches.

At least I still have my GSXR to wrench on....................
So true! That was the big draw for the WRX. I have always been a gearhead and modified every car I have owned. There are so many excellent performance mods for low$$ for the Subie! Plus it is a very easy car to work on. With all I have done so far and including the big brake kit ( which came last night..gonna be incredible! ) I still have only 31k$ total into the car. Add about 2K$ more for turbo/injector/fuel pump mods and I'll have a car easily running very low 4's to 60mph and solidly in the 12's in the 1/4, stops from 60-0 in about 105ft, and will out slalom an M3 or Z06..not to shabby for a 4 door sedan for 33k$!
 
#11 ·
IsraelGT, if you go to UserCP at the top right, and then go to Edit Options, at the bottom you'll see a section for Avatars. Enable yours and then follow the instructions from there :)
 
#13 ·
Re: Re: S4's are officially in the 11's now,

twinz said:


The reasons I chose the WRX over the rest were that it was almost 18K$ cheaper and I honestly liked the "bare bones, no luxury, all performance, factory hotrod" personality of the WRX .....
I agree. There is something to be said about cars that have a raw edge about them. I think it adds to the driving pleasure, at least for myself. It's Impressive that there are cars that can do just about it all, but some of them are lacking the "Primitive Spirit" of others. This does not take away from them, its just a personal preference.
 
#14 ·
this is representative of what is easily available for the S4. If your willing to go "one off", then you can always have someone build a "relocated turbo" engine, so that you can take advantage of much larger turbos.
Verdugo said:


That makes me curious, what kinds of mods are available for S4s? I know my dad was really thinking about getting an S4 so other than chips and exhaust (since that's all I know of based on the friendly S4 people who visit here), what other kinds of mods are there?
http://www.s4-mtm.com/library.htm
 
#17 ·
Re: s4 is a great car

99 m3steve said:
i was wondering twinz what are your performance #'s. 3 car lengths on a nsx that must have shocked the hell out of him. nice kill!
I dont know for sure, I have not brought it to the track yet. I have my trusty stopwatch which I have always use for reference runs and its probably fairly close...When the car was bone stock ( except for ssr rims and 225/45 ZR's ) I was getting 5.4-5.5sec to 60 consistently. Now I get 4.5's every time unless I screw up the launch, so I have dropped about a second off the 0-60 time. Dont know about 1/4's yet...definitely should be very low 13's..
 
#18 ·
Re: Re: s4 is a great car

twinz said:


I dont know for sure, I have not brought it to the track yet. I have my trusty stopwatch which I have always use for reference runs and its probably fairly close...When the car was bone stock ( except for ssr rims and 225/45 ZR's ) I was getting 5.4-5.5sec to 60 consistently. Now I get 4.5's every time unless I screw up the launch, so I have dropped about a second off the 0-60 time. Dont know about 1/4's yet...definitely should be very low 13's..
are all the mods you listed on the beginiing post the only stuff you've done to your car?

if so, i was just wondering about what you thought of the aps bov. hows your mileage since you've put it on?
 
#19 ·
Re: Re: Re: s4 is a great car

Penguinking said:


are all the mods you listed on the beginiing post the only stuff you've done to your car?

if so, i was just wondering about what you thought of the aps bov. hows your mileage since you've put it on?
Yes, thats it so far. The APS BOV is excellent. What I really like about it is that it works very well but is very quiet..I want max performance with minimal attention. It is the best engineered BOV for the WRX imho. since it is also a recirc valve, there are not the fuel issues a full bov seems to have on the WRX. I definitely notice that it keep the turbo spooled up on hard, full throttle/boost upshifts..much more so than the stock unit. My mileage varies but if I keep the lead out of my shoe I average about 24mpg or so..dont really pay much attention to it as I have only a round trip commute of 11miles a day. I bought my car last november and just hit 3k miles!
 
#20 ·
well, if you're getting 24mpg, and i'm already seeing 20mpg with my pretty much stock wrx, then i guess theres no harm in getting the aps bov. that was the only issue i have w/ aftermarket bovs - the full vent/recirc problem of running too rich at one point and lowering your mpg.

how different is the sound of the bov - if any? you say its quiet but i kinda want that intimidating (but not obnoxious) bov sound. is it audible if you're standing next to the car?
 
#21 ·
Penguinking said:
well, if you're getting 24mpg, and i'm already seeing 20mpg with my pretty much stock wrx, then i guess theres no harm in getting the aps bov. that was the only issue i have w/ aftermarket bovs - the full vent/recirc problem of running too rich at one point and lowering your mpg.

how different is the sound of the bov - if any? you say its quiet but i kinda want that intimidating (but not obnoxious) bov sound. is it audible if you're standing next to the car?
well its audible, but nothing like a turboXS RFL type ..these two would be opposite ends of the spectrum for noise levels. You really dont hear it blowing off unless your under boost..since it is also a recirc you wont hear it blowing off when revving like you would a BOV that vents only to atmosphere. The WRX seems to need a partial recirc type BOV from what I have read. Seems many people who have atmospheric bovs have the fuel issues and LOSS of performance on full throttle shifts..I wont spend money on my car for something that drops my performance.
 
#22 ·
pk,

I have the APS BOV as well. I love it. I did A LOT OF HW before my purchase and choose the APS. I believe it has the largest cylinder of any WRX BOV and will handle massive boost pressures.

Like twinz, I believe the WRX requires a dual-vent (if not full recirc) design.

The APS is fully adjustable, sounds awesome, but is never intrusive. Passengers will notice, and as always, the resonator removal will increase what is heard in the cabin. As far as pedestrians and other vehicles hearing it, they might start to turn to look, but most of the time I'm past them before they have to.

It is very quiet when off boost, so at a standstill it is completely inaudible. I find it loudest at about 5000rpm under full throttle. The engine isn't too loud yet, but the BOV sings.

I don't believe the BOV had any effect what-so-ever on my fuel economy.

-Jim
 
#23 ·
PlatinumWRX said:
pk,

The APS is fully adjustable, sounds awesome, but is never intrusive. Passengers will notice, and as always, the resonator removal will increase what is heard in the cabin. As far as pedestrians and other vehicles hearing it, they might start to turn to look, but most of the time I'm past them before they have to.

I don't believe the BOV had any effect what-so-ever on my fuel economy.

-Jim
Agreed, the APS unit is an excellent design. As an aside, I noticed a very big decrease in turbo and bov noise after replacing the stock ic hoses with the samco hoses...much quieter than when the stock silencer was first taken out for installing my intake.

The stock IC hoses cause a lot of turbulence so the louder sound of the turbo and bov when the silencer is taken out is actually a sign of how poor the stock hoses are for airflow. pop in a set of samco hoses or the apc ic hose and you get better performance ( 14% better air flow! )and decreased noise also.
 
#24 ·
Nice job twinz!! I haven't had the pleasure of racing an NSX yet but i look forward to it. Anyway, you need to get some time off and coma hang out at tower shops in davie one saturday night. there are a ton of cars to race there. Anyway, I cant wait until tuesday. The vf30,sti Injectors, and PE pump will be installed. still no ecu but i can run 14-15 lbs of boost which should be good for mid to high 12's Im hoping. Get some time off so i can see that bad ass rex of yours.
 
#25 ·
Nice job twinz!! I haven't had the pleasure of racing an NSX yet but i look forward to it. Anyway, you need to get some time off and come hang out at tower shops in davie one saturday night. there are a ton of cars to race there. Anyway, I cant wait until tuesday. The vf30,sti Injectors, and PE pump will be installed. still no ecu but i can run 14-15 lbs of boost which should be good for mid to high 12's Im hoping. Get some time off so i can see that bad ass rex of yours.
 
#26 ·
MotorMatrix said:
Nice job twinz!! I haven't had the pleasure of racing an NSX yet but i look forward to it. Anyway, you need to get some time off and coma hang out at tower shops in davie one saturday night. there are a ton of cars to race there. Anyway, I cant wait until tuesday. The vf30,sti Injectors, and PE pump will be installed. still no ecu but i can run 14-15 lbs of boost which should be good for mid to high 12's Im hoping. Get some time off so i can see that bad ass rex of yours.
Hey Mike, sounds awesome! I am going do exact same upgrades but gonna have to wait until july/august or so. Between big brakes/susp mods/kartboy shifter ect ect I gotta get the plastic back down to 0$ before I indulge in any more toys! Just dropped off the rex this a.m for everything to be installed, cant wait...I'll keep in touch for a tower run by end of month...
 
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