Engine build advise/ where and what to start with ..
- Thread starter ben1973
- Start date
Hi
Just had a wee read of most of the post
Firstly is your current engine dead does it require a rebuild of is it OK and you just want more power
If its OK which I'm presuming it is as the post doesn't say otherwise I wouldn't be looking into a rebuild till its really needed
The engine in the car is generally well able to give more if in good nick
Decat and decent exhaust and intake the right size injectors and pump a decent turbo and intercooler and a good mapper will generally release the best from your current engine 300 to 330ish is a number that most std engines can do without being opened someone will push further and alot depends on driving style and usage
Next item is the gearbox I for one have no idea what the autos can handle power wise but unless you want to go manual with associated costs look into this bit first 6 speed is the way to go if funds allow
I spent around 11k get my ra to 400ish on a 2.1 forged and all associated upgrades and to be honest I wouldn't do it again even if the engine was blown I'd build std and map it up to a safe level
That's my opinion if rebuild is required then go for all you can afford if that's the route you want to go just remember much more power requires better gearbox suspension brakes become a pressing issue literally
Bigger brakes often require bigger wheels and better quality tyres are a must
Engine building is the tip of the iceberg
Just had a wee read of most of the post
Firstly is your current engine dead does it require a rebuild of is it OK and you just want more power
If its OK which I'm presuming it is as the post doesn't say otherwise I wouldn't be looking into a rebuild till its really needed
The engine in the car is generally well able to give more if in good nick
Decat and decent exhaust and intake the right size injectors and pump a decent turbo and intercooler and a good mapper will generally release the best from your current engine 300 to 330ish is a number that most std engines can do without being opened someone will push further and alot depends on driving style and usage
Next item is the gearbox I for one have no idea what the autos can handle power wise but unless you want to go manual with associated costs look into this bit first 6 speed is the way to go if funds allow
I spent around 11k get my ra to 400ish on a 2.1 forged and all associated upgrades and to be honest I wouldn't do it again even if the engine was blown I'd build std and map it up to a safe level
That's my opinion if rebuild is required then go for all you can afford if that's the route you want to go just remember much more power requires better gearbox suspension brakes become a pressing issue literally
Bigger brakes often require bigger wheels and better quality tyres are a must
Engine building is the tip of the iceberg
Wow.First of all- thank you for your post. There's a lot of sense in what you said. And your honesty in relation to your own experience with building your Ra is , well, refreshing.
No.1. no, my engine is working fine .
It's the 2nd engine I had built 41000 km ago.
Unfortunately the original detonated ( finally traced it to a crack in one of the vacuum lines,at least I think that was what caused it along with a tired fuel pump)
I did an oil change recently and did notice couple of oil leaks developing... Along with possible steering rack leaking. Hard to tell exactly where it's coming from. I think I'm getting a bit of blowback pressure from the pcv setup. Again I'm not a mechanic and it seems almost impossible to find a competent mechanic to look at it for me. And just so we're in no doubt it drives me absolutely fucking mad. My car is in mint condition and I border on obsessive compulsive disorder about the condition it's in.( I find that most of us on here are exactly the same)
I've wanted to gain more power for a while now and always had the 350 ISH mark in my mind.
My car is my only one and my daily.
I don't put huge miles on it and this engine is coming up on three years old(40000 km-not a whole lot for three years)
My idea is to buy and build as and when the funds are there.
I'm not a race track merchant but am totally addicted to boost. I don't need to tell anyone here why . I just like creaming other yokes at lights etc.
I have been worried about the motor since I first noticed the leaks. I was off the road for the best part of 5 months the last time and it was a cluster fu*k. So I would like to have a longblock there just in case.
The 5eat in these are obviously not the best gearbox and I'm unsure of power handling capacity of it. I need to do more research on this. I have a floating memory of it being said the can handle 350 ish- but don't hold me to this- I could be wrong.
Suspension has been changed to bilstein hd at the front and uprated springs all around. Brembos all round 4pots front and 2pots rear - redone seals about a year ago. So cushdie on that front.
Bridgestone Potenza sports front.
Federal Evo on rear.
11 k sounds about right for your engine.
Why would you not go that route again??
I bought a mates 93 ra totally mechanically std bar an exhaust and intake possibly not the best comparison as the early wrx ra had really short gearing and with 240hp was an absolute blast to drive way more fun than the 00 wrx ra with 11k engine build and 400hp
First of all- thank you for your post. There's a lot of sense in what you said. And your honesty in relation to your own experience with building your Ra is , well, refreshing.
No.1. no, my engine is working fine .
It's the 2nd engine I had built 41000 km ago.
Unfortunately the original detonated ( finally traced it to a crack in one of the vacuum lines,at least I think that was what caused it along with a tired fuel pump)
I did an oil change recently and did notice couple of oil leaks developing... Along with possible steering rack leaking. Hard to tell exactly where it's coming from. I think I'm getting a bit of blowback pressure from the pcv setup. Again I'm not a mechanic and it seems almost impossible to find a competent mechanic to look at it for me. And just so we're in no doubt it drives me absolutely fucking mad. My car is in mint condition and I border on obsessive compulsive disorder about the condition it's in.( I find that most of us on here are exactly the same)
I've wanted to gain more power for a while now and always had the 350 ISH mark in my mind.
My car is my only one and my daily.
I don't put huge miles on it and this engine is coming up on three years old(40000 km-not a whole lot for three years)
My idea is to buy and build as and when the funds are there.
I'm not a race track merchant but am totally addicted to boost. I don't need to tell anyone here why . I just like creaming other yokes at lights etc.
I have been worried about the motor since I first noticed the leaks. I was off the road for the best part of 5 months the last time and it was a cluster fu*k. So I would like to have a longblock there just in case.
The 5eat in these are obviously not the best gearbox and I'm unsure of power handling capacity of it. I need to do more research on this. I have a floating memory of it being said the can handle 350 ish- but don't hold me to this- I could be wrong.
Suspension has been changed to bilstein hd at the front and uprated springs all around. Brembos all round 4pots front and 2pots rear - redone seals about a year ago. So cushdie on that front.
Bridgestone Potenza sports front.
Federal Evo on rear.
11 k sounds about right for your engine.
Why would you not go that route again??
Ya need alot of space and skill to make use of 400hp in anything other than a straight line I certainly could never make full use of it
I’m at the same conclusion as Kev (nivek) and modifying the same gf8 Sti wagon since 2009 , power levels rose from 280hp to 448hp which it’s at now , with 2-3 broken 5 speeds in the early part of the project at 350hp level and eventually going full 6 speed in 2013 and adding Brembos all round, couple of 2.5 forged engine builds , one I did myself in 2010 and then the second one after 80,000km , with stuff done to keep it together at 400-500hp and if I’m honest ,
If I was to pull everything apart again I’d use a good standard engine with a standard Sti quick spooling turbo and map to 320-320hp
I do a lot of track days and the difference on the stop watch between 350hp and 450hp is 1 second a lap as your on the brakes more trying to stop the thing
The best setup is to copy the factory, twin scroll Sti with a 6 speed gearbox, good brakes and decent suspension for covering ground on any road
If I was to pull everything apart again I’d use a good standard engine with a standard Sti quick spooling turbo and map to 320-320hp
I do a lot of track days and the difference on the stop watch between 350hp and 450hp is 1 second a lap as your on the brakes more trying to stop the thing
The best setup is to copy the factory, twin scroll Sti with a 6 speed gearbox, good brakes and decent suspension for covering ground on any road
As @wagon dec said to me years ago 300 bhp useable on a back road is more than enough for any driver. I'm at 344bho and can't remember torque and at times you'd wanna be awake 
Having being down the engine building road it’s usually just a money pit . Having spend 15k on a 2.1 closed deck block engine it’s just a rabbit joke you go down wren usually listening to other people .
350 in a classic and 375 bhp in a newage is more than you will ever need or be able to put down in a road car . 450 sounds like a nice round figure but to get there I’d say your looking at 15k
300-350 would be 6-7k new standard newage Subaru block and go from there
Ask hassen on here how much it’s standing him as he’s the last man to go big power for a while
350 in a classic and 375 bhp in a newage is more than you will ever need or be able to put down in a road car . 450 sounds like a nice round figure but to get there I’d say your looking at 15k
300-350 would be 6-7k new standard newage Subaru block and go from there
Ask hassen on here how much it’s standing him as he’s the last man to go big power for a while
I am aware of the cost involved....
However I don't have 10k to burn in one go.
Hence, my plan is to do it in stages.
Just unsure of best route to go as there is so so much conflicting information in the ether.
This is why I posted about the short blocks on ICP as I was told these were an excellent starting point by a tuner up north.
Then again I was also told a v.7 + sti engine was a good starting point and also an ej207/ or a 2.5 bottom end with 2.0 duel avcs heads..... Like I said, I'm not a mechanic so unsure what is best way to go.
My car is my daily, and is running fine, apart from a minor leak in ds of steering rack (new seals ordered) and a oil leak(or possibly blocked pipe in pcv system)from somewhere up top. In process of tracking this down.
I'm in no panic to build this- but I will build.
I suppose it's more of a just in case/preventive thing. I was off the road for too long when my original engine detonated .
From my last experience, the time element of the rebuild is the same- it seems its the components used that eats up the funds
As in higher quality internals able to cope with the power.
Again, I'm open to all ideas and also to being corrected and advised by people on here with much better knowledge and experience than me , that's why I started this thread. Maybe there's a different and much better route to go down- I genuinely don't know. Ask me anything about bodywork, repairs, bodywork, paint correction, how to get a car looking immaculate, what products work best etc etc and I will be able to give you the best options available because that's what I work at. And that's what I'm looking for here, but in an area where I don't have the knowledge or experience to do what I want to do, in a way that minimises fu*k ups and unnecessary costs and gets me a reliable and powerful engine in the most direct and cost effective way by utilising other people's experience in building something similar.
Thanks for that Baz.
I'm rereading the replies and,thanks to everyone who has replied.
I've thought about this option. I'm interested in exploring the idea further.
Are you suggesting a used 08-14 sti engine? Maybe a teardown and refurbishment/; replacement of any parts necessary.?
If this was an option what other parts would I need? Can I use my own wiring loom and ECU or are these needed as well? I did definitely think was an option, but unsure of above questions..
To be fair, I don't mean this is a bad way, but, obviously hunting the power, means hunting the fun factor.
I genuinely would believe a manual 6 speed STI swap would be the way forward, I've had an auto legacy B4, and when I eventually got a WRX, the comparison is unreal, much more fun, and the WRX was actually slower on paper
Just my 2c man
I genuinely would believe a manual 6 speed STI swap would be the way forward, I've had an auto legacy B4, and when I eventually got a WRX, the comparison is unreal, much more fun, and the WRX was actually slower on paper
Just my 2c man
Definitely not taken in a bad way at all Eoin.
This is what I'm looking for, people's opinions and experiences.
I genuinely think this is a solid idea, as in it's a factory engine with all the research and development that was done on it.
I suppose the question is whether an equal OR better engine can be sourced or built for similar amount of money? I don't know, but would imagine that Subaru definitely cut some corners or used less than optimal components in a production run of presumably thousands of power units to cut costs.
I appreciate that Ken. And I definitely like the idea of not having to change tranny( although "tranny" and "change" in the same sentence could mean something completely different
)There seems to be a lot of options on sti short blocks- any preference? And why?
I get you man, I meant change only the gearbox, even tho that's a lot of ball ache in itself, but my thinking was, its not a slow car, manual box would change the experience altogether..
I've never done anything like that tho, so my opinions are kinda irrelevant....but I do still like to share em
fu*k it ,
Strip it out , cage it , full 6 speed conversion, nice engine build and drive on
Ya see- different ideas are starting to rise up.I get you man, I meant change only the gearbox, even tho that's a lot of ball ache in itself, but my thinking was, its not a slow car, manual box would change the experience altogether..
I've never done anything like that tho, so my opinions are kinda irrelevant....but I do still like to share em
I like it.- different approach.
I know that the tuned by sti legacy had a six speed manual. Or was it a 5 speed?
Some research needed.