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Valithan posted:I've been contemplating getting a WRX for a few years and happened to drive by my local dealership and spotted a one in pretty decent condition; it's a 2005 WRX, one owner, bout 88K miles, fog lights, seemingly bone stock except for an aftermarket CD player, sticker says $14K for it. Despite this dealership having a pretty good rep as far as dealerships go something feels off about it, I'm heading down there on Saturday when I have a day off work to check it out. I started to pour through NASIOC a bit but wanted to ask here as well about things I should be looking for/asking about in terms of maintenance/mechanical issues, anything that I should make a point to check out/ask about? The usual leakdown/compression test results. Ask when the trans fluid was last changed as well as the diff and what kind of fluid was used (if they know), check the bolts and fastners around the intercooler, intake, turbo and downpipe to see if there are any obvious markings from them being removed. Beyond that the normal used car stuff maintenance history, etc. BobTheFerret posted:Dyno Stuff What mods do you have done? And is it just me or does that e85 tune seem not as high as it should be in comparison to the 93 octane tune.... Maybe I'm just too used to seeing the dramatic change from CA poo poo "91" octane tunes vs e85 tunes... Amandyke fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 06:37
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Amandyke posted:What mods do you have done? And is it just me or does that e85 tune seem not as high as it should be in comparison to the 93 octane tune.... Maybe I'm just too used to seeing the dramatic change from CA poo poo "91" octane tunes vs e85 tunes... Quite a list: 44mm external wastegate, venting to atmosphere (soon to have its own little muffler). Intake (big MAF), catted turboXS downpipe, TGV deletes, Spearco top mount, 1000CC Deatschwerks injectors, Walbro 265 fuel pump, HOA 3-port solenoid, port and polished VF48. CA gas is absolutely awful, and you'll see huge differences between CA91 and E85, while the differences between IL93 and E85 are much more minimal. There are a lot of 315 whp 93 octane cars with tunes geared towards drag racing running around, and I wouldn't guess you'll see more than a handful of stock turbo E85 cars running over 350. Keep in mind, this is also winter blend E85, so the ethanol content is (hopefully) around 70% - it's actually the best time to do the tune though, since the low ethanol content of winter E85 means I'll be better protected come summertime. I don't want to drop the stock turbo (next to no lag as well as lots of available power at lower revs, which is fun for driving around town), and I have kept the stock catback for noise reasons. Going to a catless downpipe and an unrestrictive catback would get me another 10-15 whp, but I don't really see a reason to spend that much money for relatively little power. It isn't a huge change between 93 and E85, but the power and torque I got out of 93 is a little higher than most cars safely make. Some of the modifications might seem like more than the car needs, but I tried to overshoot everything so that I didn't run into problems like excessive backpressure (solved by the 44mm venting to air), poor boost control, heat problems, or inadequate fueling. These cars can make a lot of power on E85 or 93, but without supporting modifications, they can't do it for very long without some serious reliability issues. One big thing is that the mileage is close to 50,000, which is a lot higher than most of the E85 tunes you'll see posted (usually sub-30k). Might make a bit of a difference. I also expressed an interest in trying to see how long I can make it on the stock motor using E85, so we chose to limit the maximum torque and stay very conservative all around. The car initially made 410 lb/ft at ~3100 rpm, but in the interest of longevity we pushed it down to 375. The boost used to make these numbers is a little safer for the stock turbo than other tunes as well - peak boost is 20.5 psi. On the road, I'm hitting peak boost more than 500 rpm sooner than my previous tune, at as low as 2700 rpm in 2nd. I'll do a road dyno in a few days to see what I end up with, since that's easier to compare in some ways. Also, since I remembered it just now, the tuner had an interesting tip for these engines I've not heard before, which is to swap out the spark plug on cylinder #4 with a plug a step colder than all the others after the map has been re-calibrated. Apparently rally teams using Subarus like to do this, since #4 loves to run lean for so many reasons. I'll be giving it a try to see if it makes #4 a happier camper. BobTheFerret fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 07:19
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interesting on the mixed plug. JR knows his poo poo for sure. and yeah making +400lb-ft on the stock turbo is nuts. go e85. it's fantastic for track cars if readily available.
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Jan 25, 2012 08:34
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Why oh why does barely anyone make aftermarket struts for the 08+ Imprezas? I don't want to go coilover, but as far as I can tell, my only option is some $800 Koni sport shocks. 
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Jan 25, 2012 20:41
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jamal posted:interesting on the mixed plug. JR knows his poo poo for sure. Too bad it's nowhere near as cheap as it used to be nowadays with the loss of ethanol subsidies. Not that I'm for the subsidies, but it was fun having a power increase like that for the same mile-per-$ as gas.
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Jan 25, 2012 22:09
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syphon posted:Why oh why does barely anyone make aftermarket struts for the 08+ Imprezas? I don't want to go coilover, but as far as I can tell, my only option is some $800 Koni sport shocks. it's really worth it to spend the extra money on suspension. low budget options for the 08+ are: konis - under 700 shipped by my numbers Feal inserts - i think around 800 GTWorx bilsteins - $1000 they all work really good with RCE springs. and then for coilovers the KW variant 1 is around 1400 jamal fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 22:10
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So I stopped this middle aged man to ask him if he would sell me his Legacy GT Limited, 65K miles, 2005, clean car fax, not a single modification, all liquids and filters changed at dealer with Subaru fluids. I offered him US$11,000+, he said: "sure, why not, I have another car and I don't use this one often". 1) Too good to be true? 2) What do I have to do at 65,000 miles? 3) When is the turbo supposed to explode? My plans: Axle back exhaust, Perrin airbox filter and not a drat thing done to the engine... MAYBE a better (the most conservative) tune for better economy and performance. Pics:   
mulligan fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 06:00
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Leak it down. Turbo? Depends. When you say changed by dealer, do you mean it got dino juice every 7500mi? If the banjo bolt is still there, tomorrow, maybe. If syn every 4000mi or so with a removed banjo bolt, you'll likely get well into 100k. Also, 11k seems about right for a 65kmi automatic sedan.
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Jan 26, 2012 06:29
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don't buy a perrin filter. they're a really oily foam deal that I don't particularly like. If you want to spend money on a drop in I'm partial to the cosworth filter. It's "a lot like" an AEM dryflow.
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Jan 26, 2012 06:38
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jamal posted:don't buy a perrin filter. they're a really oily foam deal that I don't particularly like. If you want to spend money on a drop in I'm partial to the cosworth filter. It's "a lot like" an AEM dryflow. Can't find them online, what about the AVOs? or Blitz? Also, the oil is whatever the only official Subaru dealership in the country told him to use. Edit: Yikes, did not know about the banjo bolt... Also, should I switch to Mobil synth on the next oil change? mulligan fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 07:32
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mulligan posted:My plans: Axle back exhaust, Perrin airbox filter and not a drat thing done to the engine... MAYBE a better (the most conservative) tune for better economy and performance. haha yeah sure, I was like that too. 
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Jan 26, 2012 14:17
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mulligan posted:
No. Plenty of people seem to like Rotella T6 though.
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Jan 26, 2012 14:35
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So i preordered myself a 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport in late november of last year, i got it mid way through december after an anxious wait. Subaru had decided to change the brake boosters in all the new impreza's due to a problem they had with older outbacks and legacy's so i had to wait a couple extra weeks. Ive had it for little over a month and figured i'd wait for the right time to upload some pics, the first real snowfall.   They supposedly redesigned the impreza's. Theyre lighter and they switched to a 2.0 boxer instead of the 2.5 and the wheelbase is longer. It still has plenty of getup and i got a 5 speed because well, gently caress automatics. I have a 100k mi warranty on it so i dont know what i want to do quite yet in terms of upgrades up i absolutely want an exhaust and intake as soon as possible. I need to figure out what kind of exhaust i can get without voiding my warranty, does anyone know about what i can and cannot do with that?
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Jan 26, 2012 15:54
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sanchez posted:No. Plenty of people seem to like Rotella T6 though. OK, I thought that on modern, turbocharged engines switching to a full synthetic oil even if the PO wasn't a religious zealot about synthetic was not a problem as in older models, as the dino oil would've sealed parts of the engine that the cleaning agents on a modern synthetic would dissolve? I've had nothing but great experience with Mobil 1 Synthetic oils, is there a reason why this particular brand is wrong or is it something else? Really appreciate the input!
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Jan 26, 2012 15:55
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mulligan posted:
T6 is synthetic. M1 5-30 has a bad reputation for shearing/thinning down quickly in Subaru engines (as do most 5-30 oils tbh?). If you change your oil fairly often (say 3500 miles) it's not a big deal but if you want to push more towards 5000 or even 7500 it will be. I'd be looking at belts (timing?), fluids (ATF) etc before upgrading anything else.
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Jan 26, 2012 15:57
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sanchez posted:T6 is synthetic. M1 5-30 has a bad reputation for shearing/thinning down quickly in Subaru engines (as do most 5-30 oils tbh?). If you change your oil fairly often (say 3500 miles) it's not a big deal but if you want to push more towards 5000 or even 7500 it will be. Oh upgrading is very low in the priority list, I can't find Rotella for sale in my country, any substitutes? and a full ATF change is in order.
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Jan 26, 2012 16:01
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Jtbenns posted:I have a 100k mi warranty on it so i dont know what i want to do quite yet in terms of upgrades up i absolutely want an exhaust and intake as soon as possible. I need to figure out what kind of exhaust i can get without voiding my warranty, does anyone know about what i can and cannot do with that? The intake won't do anything without having a tuner change the ECU software (assuming it's still MAF based) to account for the new intake, and might even hurt performance. Exhaust shouldn't void any part of your warranty except for perhaps the exhaust system. I doubt anyone has made an aftermarket header for it yet, but you should be able to get a freer flowing muffler at least.
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Jan 26, 2012 16:03
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mulligan posted:Oh upgrading is very low in the priority list, I can't find Rotella for sale in my country, any substitutes? and a full ATF change is in order. There's nothing wrong with Mobil 1. My friend uses it exclusively in his 06 with 7500 mile oil changes and has never had any issues.
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Jan 26, 2012 16:31
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Exhaust shouldn't void any part of your warranty except for perhaps the exhaust system. I doubt anyone has made an aftermarket header for it yet, but you should be able to get a freer flowing muffler at least. with the stock muffler the car does sound pretty good, but it was designed to be super quiet which it is, sometimes i can hardly hear the engine running. I'm not necessarily looking for something retarded loud but i do want something "freer flowing" that i can get a little more of the distinct subaru growl out of it.
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Jan 26, 2012 21:05
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Amandyke posted:There's nothing wrong with Mobil 1. My friend uses it exclusively in his 06 with 7500 mile oil changes and has never had any issues. If your friend has a non-turbo car he's probably fine, but do a UOA on 7500 mile old Mobil 1 from a WRX or STi or other turbo Subaru motor, and it's likely that you'll end up with an oil that's thinned substantially from shearing. Mobil 1 is an oil meant for economy rather than for maximum protection of parts in a performance car, from what I've read. BobTheFerret fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 21:45
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I really prefer using a 5w40 synthetic in turbo subarus. Actually pretty much all subarus. There's something about the mobil 1 5w30 that doesn't get along well with these cars, and there are quite a few reports floating around where that oil was the leading suspect in a spun bearing. Also that 2012 impreza is hot! I need to go stick my head under one to see if an exhaust from another car will fit. I'd go with "very likely." mulligan posted:Can't find them online, what about the AVOs? or Blitz? actually the cosworth, blitz, and avo all look to be about the same thing. I guess whichever seems the coolest. Also I can get you pricing for them if you want. jamal fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 22:17
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Rotella T6 5w40 is what lots of Subaru people recommend for the WRX, AND what lots of SV650 people recommend for the SV650, so I figured I'd make things easy on myself and only have to keep one kind of oil around.
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Jan 26, 2012 22:23
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I have a stock outback with 150,000 miles - did I understand right that synthetic 5w40 is also recommended for those without turbo?
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Jan 26, 2012 22:45
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That's disconcerting. I put Mobil1 Synthetic 5w-30 in my '10 WRX.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:04
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Running a 5w40 like T6 should probably be in info section of the OP somewhere, the topic seems to come up pretty often.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:15
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It's probably more to do with it being -30 than it does with being Mobil 1.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:23
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Mobil 1 especially is known for shearing down to a 5w20 quickly, as early as 2,000 miles if some reports are to believed. There's a long thread on a well known Subaru forum about it.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:44
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blargle posted:Running a 5w40 like T6 should probably be in info section of the OP somewhere, the topic seems to come up pretty often. done. do people look at the OP? anyone have anything else they think should be in there?
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Jan 27, 2012 01:47
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jamal posted:it's really worth it to spend the extra money on suspension. low budget options for the 08+ are: I already have a set of Epic Engineering springs that I want to use. I didn't want to just swap them onto my stock struts (since I've read that has a tendency to blow them out) so I was looking for a replacement set of struts to put them. That way, I'd still have my stock strut assemblies to put back on for when I sell the car.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:55
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Epics don't have that much more additional spring rate over stock, or at least they did for my 06. That said, my rear struts were dead at 60k when I pulled them. Buy blown struts (I got a set for $20) and swap Konis into them if you're going that route.
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Jan 27, 2012 01:56
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'11+ WRX you HAVE to use 5w30 or you risk having warranty work denied if your engine goes boom. 5w30 synth is the ONLY option in the owner's manual now, they no longer offer a range of weights.
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Jan 27, 2012 02:23
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I live in one of the hottest places in the caribbean, so I guess ANY synthetic 10W40? What about Motul? the Subaru community here swears by it (specially Motul Turbolight or Motul v300). mulligan fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Jan 27, 2012 |
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Jan 27, 2012 03:17
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mulligan posted:Oh upgrading is very low in the priority list, I can't find Rotella for sale in my country, any substitutes? and a full ATF change is in order. I use Lubro-Moly 5w-40 and I get good UOAs. I only go to 4000mi though. I also had good luck with pentosynth. Neither of these are exactly high volume in NA, but if you're elsewhere, they might be more common. What country ae you in? the big problem with Mobil 1 and other "syns" here is that many of them are group III oils. Group III uses conventional basestocks and tends to break down quicker than "real" syntehtic oils, grp IV oils. In the US GRP III can legally be branded synthetic. In much of the rest of the world, only GRP IV and above can be sold as synthetic. This actually means that mobil 1 in ROW is formulated differently than North American mobil 1 and is probably better so it can be sold as synthetic. (Same with Castrol Syntec). So it might be worth doing some research as to what you get where you are. edit: Motul is good. nm fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jan 27, 2012 |
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Jan 27, 2012 03:26
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BobTheFerret posted:If your friend has a non-turbo car he's probably fine, but do a UOA on 7500 mile old Mobil 1 from a WRX or STi or other turbo Subaru motor, and it's likely that you'll end up with an oil that's thinned substantially from shearing. Mobil 1 is an oil meant for economy rather than for maximum protection of parts in a performance car, from what I've read. It's an 06 wrx tr. He's got 120,000+ hard miles on it and he's never had any issues or oil consumption. And he has only ever had Mobil 1 in it. I plan to use it in my next oil change actually. He did his turbo upgrade in the last 20,000 miles and made a rather easy 280 whp off an 18g. So if Mobil 1 is known to cause bearing damage, it sure hasn't shown up in his car.
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Jan 27, 2012 03:38
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Epics don't have that much more additional spring rate over stock, or at least they did for my 06. That said, my rear struts were dead at 60k when I pulled them. Also, that's pretty much my exact plan. I found an owner of an '09 who went with coilovers, so I'm buying his old stock struts and putting the Epics on them (whether or not I'll get the Konis, I'm undecided yet).
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Jan 27, 2012 03:59
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I don't understand why people think they need a heavier weight oil if they live in a really hot place. The second number is the viscosity with the engine at operating temperature. Whether you live in a really cold place, or a really hot place the engine still operates at the same temperature, it's controlled by a cooling system. So why not just use the same oil?
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Jan 27, 2012 14:13
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bull3964 posted:'11+ WRX you HAVE to use 5w30 or you risk having warranty work denied if your engine goes boom. 5w30 synth is the ONLY option in the owner's manual now, they no longer offer a range of weights. i have a '12 impreza, they now REQUIRE 0w-20 synthetic for warranty work and i think some '11's fall under that too
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Jan 27, 2012 18:38
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chrisgt posted:I don't understand why people think they need a heavier weight oil if they live in a really hot place. I don't know about people further south, but up in the northern reaches - we can see anything from -20F in the winter (not including windchill) to 100F in the summer. I'll generally stick with a 30 weight, but I do change between 5w30 and 10w30 depending on time of year. It may not be a huge difference, but it is definitely a piece of mind for me when I'm in the cold extreme of the scale.
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Jan 27, 2012 20:11
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chrisgt posted:I don't understand why people think they need a heavier weight oil if they live in a really hot place. When I lived in Minnesota, on cold days -20ish, the car would struggle to break 80C (all temps at the filter) when moving. In California on 100+F days with the a/c on full blast, 110C is common. 120C can happen on long hills or in traffic. I've seen 130C on the track. These are massive differences. I've seen huge difference in oil pressure at higher temps between (both good) 5w-30s and 5w-40s. And it isn't just me. In my manual (05 lgt), subaru recommends 40 weight oils for high temps. Over 100F or so, 40 weight oils only are recommended.
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Jan 27, 2012 20:13
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Amandyke posted:It's an 06 wrx tr. He's got 120,000+ hard miles on it and he's never had any issues or oil consumption. And he has only ever had Mobil 1 in it. I plan to use it in my next oil change actually. He did his turbo upgrade in the last 20,000 miles and made a rather easy 280 whp off an 18g. So if Mobil 1 is known to cause bearing damage, it sure hasn't shown up in his car. That's a pretty amazing little WRX actually, if it's managed to make it 120k (20 of those on a larger turbo) on the 2.5L. Whatever he's doing, it's working for him and I know I wouldn't change anything in his place. That said, I only mentioned it because I've read lots of accounts of Mobil 1 being pretty bad in these cars, for whatever reason, with UOAs showing substantial shearing (from a 5w-30 down to a 5w-20 basically). No clue why that would be the case, either. I personally used it for ~45k miles on my car without a problem, just doing changes every 2500-3000 miles as though it weren't synthetic.
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Jan 27, 2012 20:52
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