Hello all! I haven't posted in a bit, and I hate to start a new thread, but there are some "issues" I'm having with my Subaru that I've thought and thought about, and I'm having a hard time figuring out what I should really do. First off, my car (a 2004 WRX wagon) actually feels really good. It is modified with an STi uppipe, a Titek catted downpipe, and a Borla XR-1 3" catback exhaust. I just finished installing an STi intercooler. I am running a Cobb Accessport with a stage 2 OTS map, and my only gauge is the factory boost dial. I would have Scott Seigel protune this setup, but I'm holding off until this summer after I install another turbo, injectors, and a fuel pump. Anywayyyyy...... allow me to explain what's bugging me. Even though the car seems to pull strong, more often than not it seems to have a hard time getting into Cobb's target boost range. It often puts out around 15.5 psi, but it's only after extended driving and ideal conditions that it wants to push 15.8 or more. (The Cobb targets are 16.5 +/- .7 psi.) For example, yesterday I took the car out (temps were high 70s, I guess), and at first it was maxing out at @ 15.3 going down interstate. After about a half hour of whipping it pretty hard, it finally began to touch 15.5, and right before I got home it hit 15.8 for a split second. (These reading were all from the live boost function on the Accessport.) Took the car back out earlier today, and it maxing out in the low fifteens again. I would consider trying the HWG map, or maybe adjust the wastegate, but there's more to the problem. I have had times (but they are very occasional) when I've taken the car out, and it boosts right over 16 psi, and there have been a couple of very rare moments when it has actually hit 17. Heck, I just finished the intercooler install a few days ago, and on my first drive after having it installed, it hit over 16 psi without a problem. I found that especially odd since the car had struggled to hit 15.5 during the previous two weeks. But then again, the next day it was struggling again. Now, I wonder.... is the car acting just as it should, or should I be seeing target boost ALL of the time? As said, it does at least feel good and drives well. I considered flashing the HWG map for the heck of it, but I guess that might be a bad idea since I don't have an EGT gauge or wideband to monitor a potentially risky tune, and I wonder if it might be a bad idea since the car does technically see target boost on rare occasions. Many thanks if you took time to read all of the above text. Hopefully someone can give me some helpful advice.... -Jonathan
Mine rarely does either but I may need another wastegate hose, I messed up and cut it and to put it back together plugged a "t" into it with a closed tip.
I appreciate the input, guys. I'm still not sure.... I'm a little tempted to try the HWG map, but then again I guess there's just not any point in taking a risk of any sort to pick up one psi... Cobb doesn't really recommend using that map if you're just off by a less than a pound or so anyway, do they? And I guess the same goes for adjusting my wastegate. That could just end up causing another issue that has to be sorted through when I finally get this thing tuned. I guess for now I'll just live with it. I'm hoping to have the car's turbo upgrade complete and getting tuned at TopSpeed by July.
Yea I'm running a similar setup and only see 16+ psi on accessport when climbing hills in 3rd or 4th gear WoT.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Cobb targets were for a cat-less exhaust. You have a cat in the downpipe. Could be that that's slowing you up. So, what? If you like the setup, go with the flow. I have a cat-ed DP and I don't make the targets. I have plenty of HP, so I'm not fretting.