Stock vs. Mod'd

[11blackSTi]

I have been wondering...I see a lot of "I now have 350whp" and such on here, but I don't see a lot of posts about how much of a difference you guys have seen in actual performance other than that you can obviously tell that it feels faster, or there is quicker turbo response, etc, etc...

What kind of differences have you seen in measurable performance such as quarter mile/0-60/etc/etc from stock to where you currently sit on your mod'd STi/WRX's?

I by no means am intending to say that there is no point in upgrades and mean no harm by this post, it is actually just true curiosity. I also know that by no means is 1/4 mile and especially 0-60 is any indication on "performance" of cars (especially if you are talking suspension mods), but sadly it is a few of the true measurable pieces of info.

Thanks!

[RayfieldsWRX]

I've owned 2 different 2002 WRX's...between them, I've spent a fair amount of time at various stages of tune: Stock, stage 1 (ECU tune), stage 2 (ECU tune+tback), VF34 turbo swap, and finally, a hybrid build (2.5 from later year, 2.0 heads, 18G turbo, TurboXS IC, injectors, pump, dyno tune, blah blah blah...)

I haven't taken it to a track; the car's 11 model years old, and I need to keep my transmission in one piece. I suppose you could make a case that my current car is no faster now than when I started with it 7 years ago. Being an engineer, I suppose I put more credibility on empirical measurement than that. The Mustang dyno where my car was tuned suggests that it's putting out around double the torque of a stock 2002 WRX. The car generally pulls like a freight train, and I had to let up a few months ago so I wouldn't bump into the back of a new generation STI that was trying to pull away from me.

Good enough for me.

[Sinister]

My vf39'd WRX went high 13's at 6000ft elevation.

Never ran it on the 430whp setup, but similar setups here run in the high 11's.

Stock 06 WRXs are usually low 15's up here.

Look at my mod list in my sig if you'd like.

Stock 06 WRXs are around 165-185whp on local dynos. That means I almost tripled the stock hp :-)

[zax]

and I had to let up a few months ago so I wouldn't bump into the back of an STI that was trying to pull away from me.

Is this actual credible evidence that Ray may have been... Street racing?!?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Sinister]

I'd say that's ban territory Rayfield... You know what the forum rules are

[RayfieldsWRX]

Is this actual credible evidence that Ray may have been... Street racing?!?

No racing involved...err...just two Subaru's accelerating, one after the other. I am guilty of speeding, and resolved not to repeat the incident!

[jsBLwrx]

^^^ All three posts are like :beer:

[11blackSTi]

Thanks for sharing...Really was just curious what the differences would be from stock. Surprising how much power one can get out of a 4-cylinder engine!

Also, re the having to slow down behind an STi, it is interesting (although you won't here an STi owner bring it up much), that even the stock WRX gets to 60 faster than a stock STi, 3rd gen anyway...also driver factor being equal...I know that it is pretty much due to the gearing on the 5speed vs. 6speed, but still interesting! Despite that I will take all the advantages that you get with the stock STi (transmission, brakes, suspension, WING!!!, etc).

After being on this forum for a while now, I never look at a WRX the same because for all I know it could be one of you guys with 400whp!

[Donkey]

Even a "Stage 2" WRX or STI is a night and day difference from stock. This is basiclly a turbo back exhaust with an ECU retune.

[RayfieldsWRX]

Yep, the universal reply when most people (at least with the older cars) flash to stage 2 is, "holy crap, the car should have come this way from the factory!"

With regard to comparing the WRX and the STI acceleration...the newer model cars are pretty close in terms of quarter mile traps, but not so if you start comparing new STI's to older, 2.0 liter WRX's. I think the magazines were getting traps in the mid-90's mph for those cars, back then.

[zax]

but not so if you start comparing new STI's to older, 2.0 liter WRX's. I think the magazines were getting traps in the mid-90's mph for those cars, back then.

Yeah, 2.0L stock were getting about 14.0-14.5 @ 95 mph at the strip, 2006-2007 WRX were similar.

Nowadays all models get about 13.5 @ 102 mph, so

[lokey]

Though I expect to be in the mid 12s after my new clutch is installed, I doubt I'll drag it again. I'm on the fence.

Anyway, if straight-line performance is the goal, this is not the right platform to start with. That being said, I think a quality Stage 2+ setup is almost a necessity for these cars, whether you track it or not.

[11blackSTi]

Though I expect to be in the mid 12s after my new clutch is installed, I doubt I'll drag it again. I'm on the fence.

Anyway, if straight-line performance is the goal, this is not the right platform to start with. That being said, I think a quality Stage 2+ setup is almost a necessity for these cars, whether you track it or not.

Nope, straight line performance is certainly not my goal. If it was I would be driving a Mustang GT or similar. My goal is to have the best handling all season performance sports car for under 50K. Also, I just love subaru's always have since my first one (06 Impreza 2.5i).

Only reason I ask about these performance specs is there are not truly a lot of "measurable" specs out there (other than of course "I now have 100 more WHP than I did before," which can vary widely depending on the car you are talking...For example, an AWD car such as ours will obviously perform differently with an extra 100 WPH than say a Mustang GT would). I only ask out of curiosity!

FWIW...I am definitely considering going stage 2 this spring. I was thinking stage 1, due to the ease of flashing back to stock ECU settings and having a good chance that no-one would be aware you did such a thing, but I don't think my dealership would notice an aftermarket DP unless they were looking for it. If I had a serious issue that could be blamed on the DP then I would have it taken off before that was investigated, but stage 2 flash vs. stage 1 flash is probably just as easy to flash back to stock specs (assumption here). I am going to be approaching 50K miles this spring and I figure (might be a stupid assumption here) that if nothing "major" has come up drive train wise yet, then chances are it is not going to in the next 50K miles.

[RayfieldsWRX]

Only reason I ask about these performance specs is there are not truly a lot of "measurable" specs out there (other than of course "I now have 100 more WHP than I did before," which can vary widely depending on the car you are talking...For example, an AWD car such as ours will obviously perform differently with an extra 100 WPH than say a Mustang GT would). I only ask out of curiosity!

There is all sorts of measurable data out there. People often have their stock car dynoed, make an upgrade (for example, to a tuned Stage 2), and then compare the dyno numbers. Done on the same dyno, within a couple days time, I believe this to be quite valid. It's fun to be a skeptic, but the upgrade path for these cars has been fleshed out and confirmed over the last 10 years.

Not sure I understand the point you're making. 100whp, measured on a given apparatus, is 100 more horses to the ground, regardless of which car we're talking about. The other variables, (gearing, vehicle weight, tires, driver, etc) will certainly play their part, but a car that has undergone a 50% increase in hp to the ground will be a different animal.

[11blackSTi]

I guess maybe I worded my original question a little wrong...I know that WHP is a measurable piece of performance data, but to someone like myself it doesn't really translate into what is the actual difference after said mod's (as I don't really have any real performance mod's (YET!!!), like easy to understand data like my car now does the quarter mile 1 or 2 seconds faster

And the Mustang to our car comparison is not really that much of a valid statement I agree, but really what I was trying to say is that with AWD, it is easier to get additional horsepower to the ground than with 2WD rear wheel muscle car!

Either way, I am enjoying the responses that I have received regarding the mods that were done and the differences noticed after!!! Thanks a bunch guys. Hopefully soon I can add what my new WHP is and I will probably understand the differences the additional power provides with some real world experience!!!