FAO ScoobieWRX

[CaptainSlow]

Your advice please. Just bought a 2004 Forester 2.0XT with 88k miles. Pick up next week and wondering on the suitability of tuning it. I have research the PPP option which seems to give good gains. Any advice please?

CS

[alanyork]

just get the ecu remapped, scooby clinic, andy forest, simon/jgm, zen performnce, to name a few,

[ScoobieWRX]

Your choices are either an Ecutek dealer or someone like myself that offers Open Source Tuning. Regardless of the tuning tools used the end results will be purely down to the quality and skill of the mapper doing the tuning.

PM me and i can advise further.

[paulmoonraker]

Sorry to hijack your thread - but are there any material differences between an open source remap, and one done with EcuTec? Also, is it possible to tell that an ECU has been remapped, or would you need to put the car on a rolling road (I am asking for insurance reasons - i.e. is there a way for them to determine this from a car inspection).

[ScoobieWRX]

paulmoonraker said:

Sorry to hijack your thread - but are there any material differences between an open source remap, and one done with EcuTec? Also, is it possible to tell that an ECU has been remapped, or would you need to put the car on a rolling road (I am asking for insurance reasons - i.e. is there a way for them to determine this from a car inspection).

Normally the insurance company wouldn't read the ECU to confirm the car is standard. However, they are not stupid and know well enough that if a Subaru has things on it like an aftermarket backbox then it's likely to have an uprated air filter, and perhaps even a cat back exhaust which they can see from underneath the car upon inspection.

If they see any of these things they may well enquire as to whether the car has been remapped, and if you say no and they don't believe you they may well then read the ECU and compare the mapping with a standard car.

Change anything on the car physically though(even something as insignificant as an air filter or backbox) for something that isn't standard, and that you haven't declared, then they can refuse to pay out in the event of a claim.

An open source remap isn't detectable even by a dealership so that's probably the last of your worries. Think more about any physical changes you make on the car.

ETA: No material differences in the end results of a remap by either method, like i said it's all purely down to the mapper as to what results you achieve.

Edited by ScoobieWRX on Sunday 7th November 21:18

[CaptainSlow]

ok thanks, what sort of power gains are possible from a remap, high flow backbox and induction kit? Also is this appropriate for a car with 88k miles?

[ScoobieWRX]

CaptainSlow said:

ok thanks, what sort of power gains are possible from a remap, high flow backbox and induction kit? Also is this appropriate for a car with 88k miles?

Don't bother with an induction kit. Complete waste of time unless you're looking at making big power and somehow that doesn't sound like your plan.

You need to get a high flow flat panel air filter for your standard airbox and do a Snorkus delete (DIY resonator chamber modification). That takes care of air coming in.

The backbox isn't going to do anything for you apart from make a nicer sound. You need to get a decat uppipe before the turbo to replace the precat pipe, and get rid of the scrubber cat for a straight through pipe after the main cat. In effect decat uppipe and Cat back system.

So long as you leave the main cat in place you'll get through emissions testing come MOT time, and you'll see 265-270bhp. Engine wise your Forester XT is basically a newage 2.0L WRX. The fact it's done 88K miles is not so much of an issue so long as it's mapped sympathetically with more torque being much more important than more power.

Torque makes the car quick and a much nicer drive from low down as well as keeping it reliable.

[paulmoonraker]

Thanks for the response... I have all my other mods declared no problem. Since asking this I have done some googling and it seems that Admiral (who I am with) are a bit difficult when it comes down to declaring a remap (it seems a technical difference between 'chipping' and 'remapping').

If I am gonna remap then I may need to change insurers.

-P

[CaptainSlow]

paulmoonraker said:

Thanks for the response... I have all my other mods declared no problem. Since asking this I have done some googling and it seems that Admiral (who I am with) are a bit difficult when it comes down to declaring a remap (it seems a technical difference between 'chipping' and 'remapping').

If I am gonna remap then I may need to change insurers.

-P

I'm with Admiral, which mods have you declared and what impact did it make? Also I always get routed to India when speaking to customer services and have struggled with them whilst discussing some basic things when I go off script.

[markCSC]

I doubt you'll see much beyond 220bhp with the standard TF035 turbo. You will need a TD04 (or something else) to get more power out of it.

[CaptainSlow]

markCSC said:

I doubt you'll see much beyond 220bhp with the standard TF035 turbo. You will need a TD04 (or something else) to get more power out of it.

tbh I think 220bhp is enough considering standard is 177bhp. What would need to be done to change to a TD04?

[markCSC]

It should just bolt on (then obviously mapped to suit).

[paulmoonraker]

CaptainSlow said:

I'm with Admiral, which mods have you declared and what impact did it make? Also I always get routed to India when speaking to customer services and have struggled with them whilst discussing some basic things when I go off script.

I only have an exhaust/manifold declared on my STi (which covers my backbox, de-res centre and de-cat centre (scrubber cat)). This cost about 30 pounds IIRC. Most of that 30 pounds is an admin charge (you pay everytime you declare a mod for just the policy change). If you want to avoid india ring early morning UK time as most call centres use a follow the sun approach.

You may have a problem properly declaring a remap with Admiral (google it and you will see many threads on the topic).

If your new car as the same turbo as the Impreza WRX then it will good for what ScoobyWRX has quoted (I had my WRX at 265 or so with the standard PPP setup).

[ScoobieWRX]

Mark is correct, it is a TF035, my mistrake, which you should be able to squeeze 13psi from which is good enough for 230-240bhp although it's not power you really want. 220bhp with 240+ftlb should make it very spritely indeed.

You have the benefit of AVCS which the WRX doesn't so properly mapped it should help with Turbo spoolup from much lower down than a TD04 which means more torque from low revs although your turbo has properly run out of puff by 4500-5000rpm.

You won't need to swap to a TD04 to get to where you want to be although if you do it would be a worthwhile excercise for the extra grunt.

I've just had a look at the mapping for your car and there is plenty of room for manouvre over standard, with supporting mods of course.

[CaptainSlow]

ScoobieWRX said:

The backbox isn't going to do anything for you apart from make a nicer sound. You need to get a decat uppipe before the turbo to replace the precat pipe, and get rid of the scrubber cat for a straight through pipe after the main cat. In effect decat uppipe and Cat back system.

So long as you leave the main cat in place you'll get through emissions testing come MOT time, and you'll see 265-270bhp. Engine wise your Forester XT is basically a newage 2.0L WRX. The fact it's done 88K miles is not so much of an issue so long as it's mapped sympathetically with more torque being much more important than more power.

Is that 265 with a remap or before? If before what power would you estimate (from standard 177bhp) with a panel filter, decat uppipe and cat back system?

Edited by CaptainSlow on Monday 8th November 13:37

[ScoobieWRX]

CaptainSlow said:

ScoobieWRX said:

The backbox isn't going to do anything for you apart from make a nicer sound. You need to get a decat uppipe before the turbo to replace the precat pipe, and get rid of the scrubber cat for a straight through pipe after the main cat. In effect decat uppipe and Cat back system.

So long as you leave the main cat in place you'll get through emissions testing come MOT time, and you'll see 265-270bhp. Engine wise your Forester XT is basically a newage 2.0L WRX. The fact it's done 88K miles is not so much of an issue so long as it's mapped sympathetically with more torque being much more important than more power.

Is that 265 with a remap or before? If before what power would you estimate (from standard 177bhp) with a panel filter, decat uppipe and cat back system?

Edited by CaptainSlow on Monday 8th November 13:37

After remap. However, that TF035 won't deliver 265bhp, maybe 230-240 tops. With a TD04 then you could be looking at 270-280bhp but like i said, torque is more important whichever turbo you have.

[paulmoonraker]

The Do-Luck one is meant to be the best according to some recent article, and I had one. However, I could not find a decent review of the filtration so I removed it and sold it. I think I will get a green cotton as they are tried and tested. The performance gains of 13 BHP claimed by the Do-Luck review were probably fiddled anyway.

-P

[FlickingTheVeeS]

ScoobieWRX said:

CaptainSlow said:

ok thanks, what sort of power gains are possible from a remap, high flow backbox and induction kit? Also is this appropriate for a car with 88k miles?

Don't bother with an induction kit. Complete waste of time unless you're looking at making big power and somehow that doesn't sound like your plan.

You need to get a high flow flat panel air filter for your standard airbox and do a Snorkus delete (DIY resonator chamber modification). That takes care of air coming in.

The backbox isn't going to do anything for you apart from make a nicer sound. You need to get a decat uppipe before the turbo to replace the precat pipe, and get rid of the scrubber cat for a straight through pipe after the main cat. In effect decat uppipe and Cat back system.

So long as you leave the main cat in place you'll get through emissions testing come MOT time, and you'll see 265-270bhp. Engine wise your Forester XT is basically a newage 2.0L WRX. The fact it's done 88K miles is not so much of an issue so long as it's mapped sympathetically with more torque being much more important than more power.

Torque makes the car quick and a much nicer drive from low down as well as keeping it reliable.

Scooby, i was going to replace my centre section with a straight through pipe, as it needs replacing, and keep the cat in the up pipe? I was told there should still be some gains, while passing the emissions? what do you think?

[ScoobieWRX]

So long as you keep the main cat in place, that's the first cat immediately after the turbo at the end of the very short downpipe, you will get through emissions testing. Subarus only need the main cat to get through.

On WRX's you get rid of the pre-cat in the uppipe and the scrubber after the main cat.
On STi's you just need to get rid of the scrubber after the main cat as there isn't a pre-cat.

Stick with aftermarket exhaust parts that are the same diameter as the standard factory pipework. That's 68mm or 2"5/8

If you know a firendly MOT place then just go fully decat but stick with the standard diameter pipework unless you're planning over 350bhp, otherwise going to 3" will lose you torque.

[CaptainSlow]

ok thanks so if I'm correct these two items will fit and be a worthwhile buy?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IMPREZA-NEW-AGE-01-06-CENTRE...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IMPREZA-2-0-WRX-STI-CENTRE-C...