More torque?

[dmg0001]

quick questions for you wrx'ers..

I currently drive a bmw, but I need a daily driver as I put about 40 miles a day on my car. Unfortunately, most cheap new cars are front wheel drive, and I refuse to drive a front wheel drive car (ugh). So, that's oddly how I ended up looking into suburu, and I really like the idea of that so far.

I drove an 05 the other day. It really felt underpowered for 227hp.. maybe I wasn't pushing it hard enough. The turbo also seemed to be stuttering occasionally when I'd stomp on it. I kept thinking, this car has to be fast, people love these cars. Maybe I'm just used to the bmw.. Is it just being choked by the stock exhaust or something? Do you think doing some generic aftermarket stuff like an intake, headers and exhaust will open it up a bit more? I think the car will be a blast to drive, I just want it to be a little spunkier, and I really don't want to mess with tweaking the turbos.

[Integra96]

BMW power will come on more gracefully, but a Rex will kick its butt unless you've got an M3 or something. You can increase the horsepower and torque very easily by just getting rid of the 3 cats in the car. Engine management is also a great way to liven things up. For around $1000, you can push the 2.0L close to 300hp and have a very quick car.

By the way, don't bother with an intake. Just stick with the basic uppipe/downpipe/engine management and you're just about there...

[bluerex47]

The M3 will spank our car, and a 330 might also. But an 05 with low mileage isn't broken in too well and might have some sputtering, but they are pretty quick...especially with a nice launch.

I agree, getting rid of 2 if not all 3 cats really helps performance of the car. And engine management is another big help, but a warning, theres supposedly a program in the stock 05 ecu that records something (boost levels I think). So if you have a problem, SOA can find out what kind of boost readings you've had. Maybe try to find an 04 or older (if you want used) and you won't have this problem.

Either way, I think you'll be happy. Oh, and don't look into intakes, they aren't any real help on this car.

[dmg0001]

BMW power will come on more gracefully, but a Rex will kick its butt unless you've got an M3 or something. You can increase the horsepower and torque very easily by just getting rid of the 3 cats in the car. Engine management is also a great way to liven things up. For around $1000, you can push the 2.0L close to 300hp and have a very quick car.

All I know is, when I stomp on the gas in the bmw, the car responds. When I stomped on the gas in the WRX, it didn't really do much. And even when the turbo spooled it really didn't feel like it was doing that much.. so either I wasn't driving it right or something was wrong with the demo car I drove. Although, until the turbo spools it *is* just a 2 liter engine pushing a ~3200lb awd vehicle.. that's heavier than the bmw. I plan on driving one again just to rule out those two possibilities.. like I said, it doesn't make sense for a WRX to be slow. Maybe I just have to keep the engine wound up a little bit all the time.. I don't know.

By the way, don't bother with an intake. Just stick with the basic uppipe/downpipe/engine management and you're just about there...

Cool.. thanks. Any recommendations? I don't know much about suburu aftermarket..

[Integra96]

Well just the nature of a turbo car vs. an N/A car will be different...there will always be some turbo lag in the Suby. But you do have to push the car a bit to get great acceleration. It really doesn't come alive until right before 3,000RPM - and from there it's great up to about 6,000RPM. The midrange pull is the best attribute, so you don't have to flog it too much.

You were driving a manual, right? The autos tend to be sort of sluggish, as I'm sure you know.

For aftermarket recommendations, I'd just say do some searching to get different ideas. In general, the best companies will come up over and over (Helix, Perrin, Cobb, Bosal, STi, etc.).

[krazyimpoRts]

When are you stomping on the gas? In 4th gear going 40 mph? Because I think it's rather BS if your stomping on the gas in 1st/2nd gear and it's not moving.

[dmg0001]

The M3 will spank our car, and a 330 might also. But an 05 with low mileage isn't broken in too well and might have some sputtering, but they are pretty quick...especially with a nice launch.

I agree, getting rid of 2 if not all 3 cats really helps performance of the car. And engine management is another big help, but a warning, theres supposedly a program in the stock 05 ecu that records something (boost levels I think). So if you have a problem, SOA can find out what kind of boost readings you've had. Maybe try to find an 04 or older (if you want used) and you won't have this problem.

Either way, I think you'll be happy. Oh, and don't look into intakes, they aren't any real help on this car.

ok, cool.. so you think the sputtering will go away once the car is broken in? I've never been interested in 0-60 or quarter mile times.. I'm more into a little torque and overall balance. I just want something fun to drive.. something I can drive through the mud to get to my office (regular occurance) .. and I'm not driving the next M3 through the mud. :P

So just putting a turbo-back exhaust in isn't going to trigger any alarms with SOA, right?

[Integra96]

You drive an M3 now?

SOA does not like mods...that's the problem with modifying our cars. You could always gut the uppipe and get a catback for some more power and less lag and they won't care/notice. Anything past that and you're looking for trouble.

[dmg0001]

When are you stomping on the gas? In 4th gear going 40 mph? Because I think it's rather BS if your stomping on the gas in 1st/2nd gear and it's not moving.

The one time in particular it was second gear, but I don't remember what rpm I started it at. Like I said, maybe there was something wrong with that one.. who knows what people do to demo cars.

And it was a manual.. I think its BS, too, that's why I ended up on a suburu forum asking questions. haha..

[dmg0001]

You drive an M3 now?

SOA does not like mods...that's the problem with modifying our cars. You could always gut the uppipe and get a catback for some more power and less lag and they won't care/notice. Anything past that and you're looking for trouble.

No, I have an 02 325Ci 5-speed. I was just getting ready to order an e46 M3, but I kept thinking I needed a daily driver first, and I wanted the V8. So I figured I would wait for the next M3. In the meantime, I need a cheaper daily driver, since the last time the bimmer was in the shop it cost me $1100. Which is too bad, because I love my bmw. I really liked the WRX.. I was afraid it would feel like a tin can (I've owned two toyotas and two hondas, and they always felt like tin cans to me even though they ran great), but its really solid. The bmw feels lighter though.. more balanced. The transmission is smooth as silk, and it has enough torque to make me feel like its fast.

That's why I thought a turbo wagon would be perfect. Fun to drive, 4wd for the mud at the office, and cargo space to bring home plasma televisions and other large objects I currently have to commission other cars for. I just felt like I wanted a little more power.. but I don't want to void the warranty because I plan on getting the 6yr, 100k warranty and driving the wheels off of it, and saving the m3 for the weekends.

[KoreanBeefcake]

my brother has a 2001 330i. stock bmx vs. the stock wrx, the stock wrx is BARELY faster, we have raced quit a few times and yes he is the better driver by far. but with an up and down pipe and intake (yes i have a K&N shorty) (short rams are ok,but not cold-air! ive had both) the wrx will pull. not sure if the bmw was modded though... i love how the power delivery is very smooth on the bmw, i drive on the freeway and can be at like 5k rpm and not even notice i need to shift gears. but i personlly love my rex.

alot of people go with the Utec, cobb acessport, ECUtek, and the new Hydra for EM. some people are starting to frown on cobb because some think he is a total joke and some think he is a god.

oh yea, once my car was broken in, i felt a good differene in power

[MidKnight]

With an uppipe, downpipe, boost controller, and engine management, the wrx is totally transformed.

The wrx doesn't feel as fast as a I6 motor might because the power isn't immediate. But once you let the engine breathe better, there is low end power to be found... a lot of it.

[jojotherider]

I definitely think the WRX takes a lot to get going when you're in the lower RPMs but once you start getting into the mid 3ks it's going pretty well. I get the hesitation from the engine in 2nd gear when I'm coming from low revs (below 3k) and I'm mashing on the pedal. However, if I was just hammering first, I don't get any hesitation or sputtering at all. You might get more balance with aftermarket parts, but I'm just stock and that's all that I can relate.

Either way, I wish I had your problem

Joel

[bluerex47]

I think finding someone around your area with a stage 2 (engine management, turboback, maybe uppipe) and see if they can give you a ride. The difference from stock to stage 2 is night and day.

And you shouldn't have any real problems with warranty. THe only problem is the downpipe, but they need to determine that excess power caused the failure, then they can void your warranty. And finding a mod friendly dealer really helps that too.

[GIRex]

for what you are looking for I would just get a used sti... subaru's are very reliable cars and you can get what you want with a stock sti. try one out, theres a few pretty good deals on this forum for sti's even good enough to fly there and drive it back.

I noticed the same thing you are seeing with a stock wrx... it felt like my miata had more torque to the wheels in the first 2 gears.. truth of the matter is if you look at a stock dino graph it fluctuates so much that you cant even tell when it kicks in, it has peeks and lows insteal of plateaus.

To solve this i got a cobb accessport. I flashed stage 1 and boom.. instant torque very linear. It turns it into a different car, no longer do you get thrown back in your chair because it starts out with the torque. and holds you back. I just added a Bosal dual tip(wrx's sound awsome with a good catback) and the power delivery increased some. I cant wait for the DP i am ordering to get done because im sure that will make a world of difference.

good luck. Im sure you will be happier with a wrx or a wrx sti than an m3.. there is a lot more beating and fun modifying you will have.