[amcarroll32]

So I bought a 2015 WRX at the beginning of the year with 26k miles on it. Got it for a good price and everything. I love the car - I'm 35 and at a point in my life where finances and family needs let me get exactly what I wanted...I could have gotten a lot more car, but this one checked all the boxes for me. It looks amazing, it's fun to drive, it's practical, and it's not something you see every day. The old owner had meticulous records and performed all maintenance perfectly. Even got an extra set of wheels and almost brand-new snow tires.

So why - after three months - am I feeling buyer's remorse?

The car I got was tuned at ~10k miles with a full Stage 2+ setup. The dyno sheets say 300 WHP - a legit shop did the tuning and there's no signs the car was abused in any way. I even did a deep dive into the previous owner and while it's clear he REALLY liked the car (his fiance / future baby-momma made him get something more 'practical'), there's nothing to make me think he even ever took it to the track.

Now, I'm easy on the car. I haven't even gotten into it yet - the most I've ever run it up to was ~5.2k RPM. A tiny bit of spirited driving but nothing 'hard'. Rarely do I even get it over 10 psi of boost and almost never go WOT. Most of the time I'm basically driving like my grandma. But I'm worried that something's going to happen that'll pop the engine, even if I'm babying it.

I've thought of taking it to be detuned a bit - turn the max boost down, whatever would give me more of a cushion, but I don't know if that'll even make a difference. I know it's pay to play, and if it does blow up on me it's more of a financial annoyance than disaster, but damn is my wife going to be PISSED.

So, with that in mind, and what I said about my driving habits, should I be worried? Does anyone have a rough estimate of chances that a Stage 2 car will blow up prior to 100k+ miles if it's not beat on? And - if I'm babying almost all the time - should I be considering detuning it a bit to give the engine more breathing room?

Just worried that I made a mistake and hopefully getting some reassurance (or at least confirmation that yeah, I did so I can plan accordingly).

Thanks in advance!

 

[XJman]

A stock vehicle can blown up under 5k miles. So sure. The chances are there you blow it up before 100k.

Are the chances higher than stock? Yes. High enough to be of concern? With a proper stage 2 build and tune, probably not.

 

[YBNormal07]

It would help to know the details of the tune? Off the shelf map? Custom tune? By who? Stage 2+ infers additional mods. What are they?
I've owned 2 Subaru's, both with Cobb Stage 2 tunes (tune/exhaust/intake). Basic stuff in this day and age. Neither one ever had an engine issue and I probably put around 100K total with both car's mileage combined. There is always risk with any car. Risk/benefit is what you are looking for and if you bought the car partially for its performance aspects, only you, as the owner, can decide what risk you are willing to take in light of how much performance you want and can afford.

 

[amcarroll32]

The car was professionally tuned by TPG in Pittsburgh. Pretty standard Stage 2 results - 301 peak whp / 316 peak tq. Below is the (performance-related) mod list:

- Perrin Cat Back Exhaust (non-resonated) - 2015 WRX / 2015 STI
- Cobb 2015-2016 Subaru WRX 6MT Stainless Steel 3in Resonated J-Pipe w/ High Flow Cat
- Cobb 2015 Subaru WRX MT/CVT SF Intake & Air Box
- Cobb 3-Port EBC Solenoid
- IAG TGV Delete
- IAG EGR Delete
- Cobb Accessport v3

I'm in a position where I can absorb a decent amount of risk - if I grenade the engine I'll have a short block on the way within a day or two. My wife will end up driving her GTO instead of our truck until the WRX is back up and running. I just don't want to be driving a ticking time bomb that'll be lucky if it makes 100k miles. I found quite a few people saying 'stage 2, running strong' but when you look most of them are <50k. I realize it'll probably be a few more years before there's a substantial number of people getting in the 100k+ range though and the blown engine thread is obviously going to attract people who blow their engines.

Mainly I'm trying to quantify the risk that I took. E.g. if 95% of stock engines that make 20k miles will make 100k w/o issues, I'm fine with the gamble if say...90% of Stage 2 engines make 100k (double the stock risk) but if only 50% of Stage 2 engines make 100k (10x the risk), I'm not nearly as fine.

I know there's not going to be some exact figures, but I assume that there are people on this forum who can ballpark it much better than I can. Basically, gut feeling along the lines of slightly increased risk over stock / 2x risk / 10x risk, etc. Assuming I mostly baby it with an occasional non-abusive but spirited drive.

 

[XJman]

The car was professionally tuned by TPG in Pittsburgh. Pretty standard Stage 2 results - 301 peak whp / 316 peak tq. Below is the (performance-related) mod list:

- Perrin Cat Back Exhaust (non-resonated) - 2015 WRX / 2015 STI
- Cobb 2015-2016 Subaru WRX 6MT Stainless Steel 3in Resonated J-Pipe w/ High Flow Cat
- Cobb 2015 Subaru WRX MT/CVT SF Intake & Air Box
- Cobb 3-Port EBC Solenoid
- IAG TGV Delete
- IAG EGR Delete
- Cobb Accessport v3

I'm in a position where I can absorb a decent amount of risk - if I grenade the engine I'll have a short block on the way within a day or two. My wife will end up driving her GTO instead of our truck until the WRX is back up and running. I just don't want to be driving a ticking time bomb that'll be lucky if it makes 100k miles. I found quite a few people saying 'stage 2, running strong' but when you look most of them are <50k. I realize it'll probably be a few more years before there's a substantial number of people getting in the 100k+ range though and the blown engine thread is obviously going to attract people who blow their engines.

Mainly I'm trying to quantify the risk that I took. E.g. if 95% of stock engines that make 20k miles will make 100k w/o issues, I'm fine with the gamble if say...90% of Stage 2 engines make 100k (double the stock risk) but if only 50% of Stage 2 engines make 100k (10x the risk), I'm not nearly as fine.

I know there's not going to be some exact figures, but I assume that there are people on this forum who can ballpark it much better than I can. Basically, gut feeling along the lines of slightly increased risk over stock / 2x risk / 10x risk, etc. Assuming I mostly baby it with an occasional non-abusive but spirited drive.

There are no hard numbers.

 

[Jbravo_AK]

Its impossible to predict when something will go. I've seen bone stock cars blow up at 4500 miles or never blow up at well past 125k miles, Or stage 2 cars blow up right away or continue driving to this day. There are so many variables like how you drive, temperature outside, warm up procedures, ect. I wouldn't worry too much about it if you can pay for the damage to be fixed. I wouldn't call it a ticking time bomb but there is always a possibility, as long as you stay within a safe zone tune and don't redline it around every corner I'd say the risk is minimal.

 

[JaySin]

Go get the car looked at by a reputable shop. A good once over if you will. Get the warm and fuzzy feeling you're seeking...and enjoy the car!

 

[ChristopherWRX]

If you go back to stock, I promise you will be disappointed. I am only stage I, but it has made me fall in love with my 2016 WRX. Prior to the stage I, I was seriously contemplating trading the car in.

Just the simple things, such as no rev hang and a more accurate throttle response have really improved my sentiment towards the car. I couldn't go back to stock now.

As JaySin said, get the car looked over by a good mechanic for a little peace of mind. Did the car come with an Accessport? Use it to monitor the cars operation. Drive moderately with a little joy here and there and enjoy the car!

 

[JaySin]

How's the remorse? Conclusions?

 

[josnroh]

How's the remorse? Conclusions?

Yeah, any updates? Still have the car?

 

[HRTATAK]

The bolt ons will do nothing more than help engine efficiency. It all depends on the tune. The tune can decide if the engine blows or not.