Help Me Out...

[Sinister Subaru]

I want some questions answered.

 

I've driven the LGT, and was very impressed with it. But I like straight-line speed. How fast is a manual LGT compared to an automatic LGT in the 1/4 mile?

 

Also, I would definitely want to do some basic mods. I have a Cobb AP Stage 1 on my STi, and I'm fairly happy with it. Is there an aftermarket for the LGT? My goal would be to put out around 325hp at the crank, when all is said and done. What would I need, and how much could I expect to spend?

 

How responsive is the LGT to mods?

 

Are there any reliability issues that I should be aware of before considering purchase?

 

How has the interior held up?

 

Thanks.

[TSiWRX]

Sinister,

 

Welcome to LGT.com

 

The Leggy is as responsive to tuning as any other forced-induction Scooby. Have a look around, and you'll find plenty of parts and EM, and stuff that goes truly from mild to wild. While most of us are still in the Cobb "stages," there are several members now who have either started to or are long-gone from such, and are truly starting to up the whps on their rides.

 

Per quarter-mile traps, there are also many past posts that will give you some real-world data to compare with.

 

As to interior durability?

 

I'm at 10K miles, and the interior looks NEW.

[Sinister Subaru]

Sinister,

 

Welcome to LGT.com

 

The Leggy is as responsive to tuning as any other forced-induction Scooby. Have a look around, and you'll find plenty of parts and EM, and stuff that goes truly from mild to wild. While most of us are still in the Cobb "stages," there are several members now who have either started to or are long-gone from such, and are truly starting to up the whps on their rides.

 

Per quarter-mile traps, there are also many past posts that will give you some real-world data to compare with.

 

As to interior durability?

 

I'm at 10K miles, and the interior looks NEW.

 

Thanks for the welcome, Bro.

 

I'm not real familiar with "any other forced-induction Scooby," but I guess I'll rely on comparison from my STi. I guess what I meant was, "With a Cobb AP, exhaust, and cold air intake, how much hp could be achieved at the crank?" Sorry, I should've been more specific.

 

Are there any problem areas that I should be aware of?

[starlabs]

Just the Cobb Stage 1 (which is just the Accessport) will get you around 285hp at the crank, on 91 Octane. 290hp on 93 Octane. See link here. That's Cobb's numbers themselves, which will probably vary according to your specific car.

 

An approx 35hp increase for $650. Not bad huh? http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/151/fingdance3fn.gif

 

Stage 2 will net you 300/91 or 305/93... dunno cost or availability though (just reading from that web page).

 

Not sure what the other mods will net you.

 

As for problem areas, some people have "stuttering" issues with their engine at certain RPMs and throttle. There's supposed to be an ECU fix but dunno how effective that's proven to be (still early I think). Do a search for stuttering/studdering and you'll find lots of posts. Personally I have not encountered this issue [yet]. And I hope I never will! *knock on wood*

[Sinister Subaru]

Just the Cobb Stage 1 (which is just the Accessport) will get you around 285hp at the crank, on 91 Octane. 290hp on 93 Octane. See link here. That's Cobb's numbers themselves, which will probably vary according to your specific car.

 

An approx 35hp increase for $650. Not bad huh? http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/151/fingdance3fn.gif

 

Stage 2 will net you 300/91 or 305/93... dunno cost or availability though (just reading from that web page).

 

Not sure what the other mods will net you.

 

As for problem areas, some people have "stuttering" issues with their engine at certain RPMs and throttle. There's supposed to be an ECU fix but dunno how effective that's proven to be (still early I think). Do a search for stuttering/studdering and you'll find lots of posts. Personally I have not encountered this issue [yet]. And I hope I never will! *knock on wood*

 

Those are some NICE numbers! Nearly 13s in the 1/4 for sure!

 

I didn't notice any studdering from the LGT that I drove.....

[TSiWRX]

 

Also of-note are "clutch stink" and "brake shake."

 

The former seems to definitely be a problem that occurs on select 5MTs. Exact % of vehicles is unknown, as our LGT.com membership attracts, in and of itself, a very specific demographic, but I think it is safe to say that this is an issue that's worth watching out for. It seems *FROM THE NUMBERS POSTED HERE ON THIS FORUM*, that about 2/3 of the 5MT vehicles which suffer from "clutch stink" retains this problem despite mileage, the other 1/3 self-resolve within 1000 miles or so in excess of the "normal" break-in period.

 

"Brake shake" is typically seen with new, "off the lot" vehicles, which may have some rotor oxidation and/or brake-pad deposits, causing uneven braking from various speeds, resulting in felt shake/shudder at either the steering wheel or brake pedal. Typically, a spirited drive with some decent braking will "burn off" such deposits and restore smooth braking.

 

The stock Bridgestone RE92s are definitely *not* performance oriented - you'll find their "acceptability" to be varying among LGT.com members. Most would rate them totally unendurable and recommend tires as a first-mod, but there's a select minority (myself included), who maintain that as long as their limitations are kept in-mind, the stock RE92s are actually not *that* bad. Suspension upgrades in terms of a rear or matching front-and-rear bars is also a favorite amont "first-mods," and will lend our LGTs more neutral.

 

An often cited "problem" - which is really not - is that our LGT 5MTs are reluctant to go into reverse gear. This is simply because we lack a synchro at that gear, and either double-clutching or a "first-to-reverse" shift will easily "cure" this "problem."

 

Many consider the stock/factory windshield wipers to be somewhat lacking. Popular replacements include both the PIAA silicone wipers (either refills or the entire blade, your choice) and, newer to the market, ones marketed by RainX.

 

Our windshields are also somewhat "soft," and scratching/denting by road-debris has been cited as a concern by some, although I would estimate the fraction of LGTer's citing this problem is less than 50%.

 

Moving inside, our climate control system has been the source of complaint for many. Read up in the "Interior/Audio" section on how the dual-zone climate control works, and study our owner's manual in-detail, and you'll avoid most "problems" in this area. However, the issue of rather unpredictable cold-air cycling remains a mystery.

 

The interior "metailic" trim is easy to scratch. No known solution so far. However, aside from this issue, the interior seems very durable. Vinyl-induced "fogging" on the inside of windows seems to be an issue with almost all Subarus (and many other makes/models of automobiles, particularly when new), and our LGTs do suffer from this, too. Regular cleaning will "solve" this problem on a temporary basis.

 

That's all I can think of on short notice.

 

Oh, and BTW, Cobb currently does not recommend the use of anything other than the stock airbox (with or without aftermarket panel filter, with or without intake "silencer"/resonnator removal) for their off-the-shelf AP maps on the LGT. If you truly desire an aftermarket intake on your LGT, I would strongly encourage you to e-mail or otherwise contact Cobb to insure that either your chosen intake is "approved for use," or to see if you'll need a custom map (i.e. ProTune/StreetTune, additional cost).

 

Hope this helps!

[Sinister Subaru]

I get "clutch stink" in my STi also, and it has about 5500 miles on it. I have no idea if I'm damaging the clutch, or if it just smells, but who knows......

 

Surprisingly, and I'm sure somebody will raise the "bs flag" on this one, but I drive the STi pretty normally. I don't hammer the gas very often, and I just drive it like it's "Mom's Camry."

 

Get me on some back roads, and I'll get the lead out a bit, but never push the engine or the car to the limits. I just value my hard-earned cash that I spent on the STi. $31,000 isn't cheap, so I'm going to do my best to make sure the car sticks around for a while; a long while.

[TSiWRX]

No "BS flag" from me. I'm Jekyll and Hyde, too.

 

For "clutch stink," there just seems to be way too many experienced MT-drivers, with many miles and many, many years under their belts, to be able to isolate the problem to driver-error.

 

It definitely seems to be a problem with faulty parts getting into the mix. But at what ratio, we simply don't know.

 

It's like the ECU "stutter/studder" issue - our demographic here at LGT.com is inherently skewed, so there's no way to predict one's purchasing odds at such problems.

 

Like starlabs mentioned, this problem is currently being addressed via a targeted recall, but even its fix (SoA reflash) is currently debated as to efficacy (most report increased smoothness and driveability, but that the stutter/studder is still there under certain conditions) - and its compatibility with Cobb AP reflashes unknown (i.e. what happens, exactly, when you flash back to the "stock" base-map?). Cobb is known to have tried extensively to increase driveability with their maps, and so far, it is reported by members that both Stage I and II maps will virtually eliminate stutter/studder for between 300 to 500 miles of the re-flash, but alas, this is still thus NOT a permanent nor perfect fix. Further driveability improvements are expected to be just down the line.

 

As EcuTek is purportedly able to access areas of the ECU that the Cobb AP cannot, it is also currently speculated that a full professional tune using EcuTek may net better driveability results than an "off-the-shelf" map from Cobb, but again, this remains unconfirmed.

[Sinister Subaru]

No "BS flag" from me. I'm Jekyll and Hyde, too.

 

For "clutch stink," there just seems to be way too many experienced MT-drivers, with many miles and many, many years under their belts, to be able to isolate the problem to driver-error.

 

It definitely seems to be a problem with faulty parts getting into the mix. But at what ratio, we simply don't know.

 

It's like the ECU "stutter/studder" issue - our demographic here at LGT.com is inherently skewed, so there's no way to predict one's purchasing odds at such problems.

 

Like starlabs mentioned, this problem is currently being addressed via a targeted recall, but even its fix (SoA reflash) is currently debated as to efficacy (most report increased smoothness and driveability, but that the stutter/studder is still there under certain conditions) - and its compatibility with Cobb AP reflashes unknown (i.e. what happens, exactly, when you flash back to the "stock" base-map?). Cobb is known to have tried extensively to increase driveability with their maps, and so far, it is reported by members that both Stage I and II maps will virtually eliminate stutter/studder for between 300 to 500 miles of the re-flash, but alas, this is still thus NOT a permanent nor perfect fix. Further driveability improvements are expected to be just down the line.

 

As EcuTek is purportedly able to access areas of the ECU that the Cobb AP cannot, it is also currently speculated that a full professional tune using EcuTek may net better driveability results than an "off-the-shelf" map from Cobb, but again, this remains unconfirmed.

 

True, about the AP. However, with Cobb's Street Tuner package, I believe you can customize your own maps, as with the other EM tools on the market...

[TSiWRX]

Yes, the StreetTuner allows that ability, whereas with EcuTek, it's more comparable to a ProTune using the AP.

 

I'm currently in a mental deadlock as to which of the two routes to choose:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17480