First off, my car has many suspension mods on it in addition to brakes, so that is out of the way. Performance wise, it has an up-pipe, dp, and cat back w/ a AccessECU reflash (i will ecentually upgrade to AP) and a ported and clipped stock turbo. i thought that all of this would be satisfactory, but the mod bug has bitten hard, and now i want some more power. i guess my next rout is a turbo upgrade, but i really don't know where to start. my car is a daily driver that i take to every autocross i can make it to. so, any recomendations? -ben
Get a bigger TMIC, a little bigger turbo, perrin boost controler(ebcs) and some tuning from SOG your good to go!
Moderate turbo upgrades: 16g or vf34, sti pink injectors, wahlboro fuel pump, better tmic, and a protune. A lot of people think the 16g is better than the vf34 for total performance. I would say collect them over time and acquire used parts, besides the turbo. Definitely stay with the TMIC though for autox. Don't go to a vf22, because it takes the longest to spool, the vf30 takes longer also. I would say get a set of pulleys also to help out on the low end.
Check out this thread for some great turbo talk, http://www.wrxatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6298 .
thanks. i was trying to figure out which turbo would work w/ what i had in mind and got swamped by all the choices. now that i have a starting point, i can start figuring all this out and collecting peices...
if you want good responsiveness for autoX then don't go too big. if you're not lookin' for big #'s then the vf34 wouldn't be bad for the autoX
what would you guys reccomend for a larger TMIC? STI or something aftermarket? does one have an advantage over the other?
A Perrin top mount would definitely have an advantage over the STi piece as would pretty much any larger bar and plate type intercooler. Make sure you check into Y-pipes before you try to install though.
Common brands: TXS, ebay brand TXS, Perrin. Two important qualities of note are fin density and core volume. The ebay is the largest of the bunch (visual comparison), hyperflow is a close second [~635 cu. in.], as well as perrin [600 cu. in.] is a close third. As far as density goes, I havent personally compared the hyperflow to the perrin, however, compared to the ebayer (most common comparison), the hyperflow's fin density is larger (see pictures below). I did some diggin on nasioc, and found this thread http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=861014. Size comparison of ebay, hyperflow and stock wrx respectively. Fin density of ebay Fin density of hyperflow So, as you can see, the turboxs actually has a higher fin density than the ebay tmic. Check out that thread for fitment, etc.
Buy Veck's VF24. It's almost identical to my VF29, with which I can get 19psi at or before 3000rpm, perfect for autocross. I think he was selling it for less than $300. Spools quicker than a VF30/34 but also wont make near as much topend but will spool quicker and be torquier. http://www.wrxatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6308
I'd imagine it would still hang with most other IHI turbos. If you were in town I'd give you a ride, it's pretty quick. My only dyno numbers that I made with it was 220whp/230lb*ft of torque at 19psi but that was peaked out at 3500 because beyond that my dead MAF sensor (unknown at the time) was making my car extremely rich. Those numbers at least show you how it pulls up to 3500 and with a bad tune. Sorry for accidently editing your post, I clicked the wrong button.
From What I understand The top mount STI intercooler is about the best thing if your going to stay with the top mount set up. In my opinion Your just wasting money for something larger because the cooling affect will be the same from the hood scoop no matter what. I think Top speed can reiterate on this.
gt35R and turboxs front mount..that should cure your want for more power....for a little while atleast
The larger scoop (wrx vs sti) is not just for aesthetics I believe; however, the splitter is the key here. If you can direct more air over a larger surface area it will be more effect than that same amount of air spread over a smaller surface area (see aftermarket tmic versus stock sti tmic).