Safely and tuned correctly, how much HP and boost can a stock block hold on an 06 WRX? Just wondering since I want to start adding some juice to the car but dont want to be rebuilding/messing with internals as I am not that rich at the moment...car payment/insurance sucks the money outta me :rofl: any suggestions on mods that people have on stock blocks that run all day with no probs please feel free to post. Thanks
i run a 2006 wrx tr with a stock block and turbo with 230hp and 305 tq at 17psi. I have a reflashed ecu tuned by SS, a turbo back exhaust and sti TMIC. I'm pretty confident it will last a while. I know russell (Strayen) has an 2006 wrx limited with a vf39 (sti turbo) and makes much more power than mine (somethin glike 275 hp and 354tq) and it is very safe and stable. I'm not really sure of the limits of motor itself but it will hold enough to make you happy.
I am not too familiar with the 2.5 engine in the '06s but I am pushing almost 100 (crank) hp over stock in my 2.0L with stock internals. That being said I think you should also worry about your 5 speed transmission. The 6 speed can take a beating but the 5 speed can't take crazy torque.
this is true, my tranny is doing great (knock on wood) after about a years worth of that power. ask Strayen about his car.
I think the major worry is with the transmission then the engine. Once you start worrying what the engine can handle, you're either really rich and can afford a new block or you're crazy to try it without the financial backup. I don't have any problem so far and I've been running what SS tuned me at (see my sig) and the engine and transmission is fine so far. So stock parts can handle at least 50% more power over stock. I think we're like 189hp/200tq at wheel stock? I'm at 337tq at wheel? so I'm pushing just under 60% more tq. It's fun and according to SS, he tuned my car at a safe level and asks me 20 thousand questions if I bring up about pushing my car more aggressively. hehe...
Awesome input...im thinking maybe a simple flash to stage I of the ECU...downpipe with catback system...maybe some pulleys...so i guess i will keep it simple for right now till i know that I can back up the money for anything serious.
If you have a downpipe and catback (turbo back exhaust) get an uppipe and flash to stage 2! Its about 60 whp over stock (on the 2.0 atleast) and perfectly fine. I've been running it on stage 2 for about 10 months, occasionally pretty hard on mountain runs.
To answer the original question, I think the commonly agreed upon answer for the sti is around 450-500 before they pop. I don't know why it would be any different as it is the same basic engine in the wrx right? I mean just different heads and cams. Should be able to hold way more than the rest of the drive train. That said, the rear differential is also a weak point I believe in the wrx.
I thought I read that our rear diffs were just fine. And of course the 06's have a much better tranny than the 02's (and the trannies basically tapered upwards towards better over the years). For hardware I added an STi intercooler (and there's way better IC's out there with better gains). Did an axle-back exhaust, downpipe and an Injen CAI along with some EcuTek tuning with SS for approximately 250 HP and 320 ft. lbs. at (target boost levels of) 18 PSI. Of course the TD04 runs out of breath at around 6,000 RPM's so you'd need the VF39 or better to get better numbers. That reminds me I need to buy a 39 or 34....