2008 2.5i N\A Tuning (It has started)!!!

[gimpydingo]

I would not worry about this, at the stealership I went to they know me personally. They knew my STI , and know my legacy and outback I have. the lead tech Jason was an STI guy and most of the tech have turboed cars and knew we modded thing. They never gave me a problem. Hell I got many free services on my cars with out charge.

 

You can also reflash back to stock, or play dumb and say you took the neg terminal off lolol

 

The sh!tty stealer that is local to me is a complete joke, I know more than the "Master" mech they have. The last straw was me telling them my head gaskets are blown and they tell me nothing is wrong. Called Subby corp to help me out, which they did and the Service Manager (I could care less about this incompetent woman) had to call me to apologize. I come to find out they also saw my valve covers were leaking again (though I hadn't seen any issues) from when they did them the year prior and didn't bother to tell me. I do as much work on my cars as possible, but there are times things need to be fixed ASAP and I have yet to find a solid Subaru shop near me that I don't have to wait a month+ to get an appointment.

 

But I digress...

 

And them giving me crap about an our of warranty car. I have to deal with them on the airbag recall, not looking forward to that.

[THE RZA]

This is very nice power, not close to my old 04 STI, but still nice. It's all about driver man. That's all I can tell you.

 

Now back on topic of 2.5i tuning.

 

Just wait i'm not even Stg 2 yet. With Stg 2 I will push somewhere in the 305-310 range. Also keep this in mind the FA20T is very low end torque dominant unlike the EJ257 so it handles nice and quick on back roads and auto-x courses. On a real Road course where an STI can really let loose it will take me since I find a fall off between 55-6000 RPM

[west_minist]

Reason being for that performance is because of the new design. As that turbo increase and no antilag, that lowend tq will go. You just have to find the right balance.

 

But all of this is off thread.

[THE RZA]

I'm aware, with a twinscroll turbo and mounted on the exhaust manifold it spools much faster than the single scroll the EJ had + different mounting point. I do autocross and spirited drives, low end torque is perfect for those applications. Like the OP said, power isn't everything. Steamspeed has developed a true turn key stage 3 solution that you can run an aftermarket turbo on the stock block comfortably and get 350WHP/360tq which is the most I would want out of this car honestly.

[dgoodhue]

I have tuned my '12 2.5i. I have a lot experience tuning but not experience with Subarus ECM. I initially paid someone for an e-tune. I did a little more on top of the e-tune, but I stopped. At the time, my car had ~15k miles, so I didn't want to mess with it too much since it was under warranty. {I also was do a lot of tuning on my turbo vehicle, I needed a little break from driving around with a laptop and playing with ecm tables everywhere I went} I have been planning to dial it in further once I was out of warranty. I have about 2500 miles left on warranty, so I am going to put some additional effort into my tune. I was kind of hoping this topic was going to be other DIY tuners tuning 2.5i's and sharing ideas.

 

Their definitely some hp to be gained in my '12 tune at WOT. The factory AFR (air fuel ratio) is ~11:1 at WOT. Mine is now 12.5:1 range. (N/A cars usually like 12.5-13.0:1 AFR) The timing at WOT is super conservative in the factory tune. The factory tune really only adds timing at 5600+ rpm. It is almost like Subaru wanted wanted to advertise a hp number, this might work well with a CVT that slips to 6000rpm, but I have a 6MT. I was able to add 6-8 degrees of timing in below 5600 rpm range at WOT. On of the biggest difference I noticed, it how much more hp and torque it makes in the 4000-5000 range.

 

Obviously this isn't an apples to apples comparison. On my turbo vehicle, I added 4 degrees of timing and cleaned up my AFR at the drag strip, it was at high 10's and I cleaned it up so it was 11.2-11.3:1 (which is about ideal for alky). My 1/4 mile went from 12.3 @ 111mph to 11.9 @ 115mph with those changes alone. I ran the same boost, my 60' time were within 0.03 of each other. I gain about 40hp, obvious I am not going the same gains on 450 hp v6 vs a 170hp 4 cylinder. Adding timing and not running so conservative of AFR can add hp.

 

I hand calculated my fuel economy every fill, I gain 1.5 mpg of fuel economy on the highway from the tune as well from the additional timing added at part throttle.

[west_minist]

Making those changes helps tremendously.

 

Maybe you should create such a thread and start from there.

[NORULZleggy]

So V4 was installed on the car and I have been driving around for a bit. I was not able to get to do much due to a sick kid all weekend. (life )

 

I will tell you this, the car is learning very well with the new tune, I went out for a drive to harbor freight, one the take off to the main highway the car shot of and shifted fast out of fist gear, into 2nd very well.

 

Also at slow speeds the car still shift smooth as butter. Before the tune the car would stumble a bit like it was confused. This are going great with the tune.

 

I will be loading V4-a and V4-b very soon. I did clean the MAF sensor, I am still going to be doing the list below soon. I had to work on my 06 Outback LTD this past weekend.

 

I do now have the V4-a and V4-b log , these are going to be tad better. we are getting to the end of tuning. well until the ram air setup and Intake chamber

 

What's Next for future:

 

JDM Kakimoto Intake Chamber on the way for japan(smooth T tube)

Clean MAF (Completed)

AVO Panel (want tot test it out)

Change ATF (Amsoil Syn, I have it in there now shifts very smooth)

Change Oil (Amsoil SS, I have ran since I bought the car)

Tune After Chamber is on the car

[GEE-OTTO]

There is no OEM F/I EZ30 but rather a EZ30+ 6MT which equals the sacred JDM Spec.b. Such a lovely platform

 

I think he OPs tuning experience is ideal for those looking to follow along.

[NORULZleggy]

Well there a BRZ at my job that has exhaust and other unknown things. I been wanting to give this guy some hell cause he is always making noise with his spinning tires and all that jazz.

 

Before XRT Tune:

 

I caught this guy before my tune and did have trouble keeping up with him on some straights, but the corners were mine do to having gobs on money in my suspension. I was not to far behind but I knew I was not going get him.

 

With XRT Tune:

 

So I am leaving work and he darts in front and out the drive onto a long stretch, so I am like oh hell yeah (Lets See what this XRT Tune can do). He takes off, his mufflers screaming and I just punch it (In sport mode). I caught up with him in a flash and had to break hard cause the car was just pulling. Now that's when I was just going to drive home, but he noticed me, and decided to she his A@@ by taking a quick corner.

 

So I cornered fast to . This confirmed it was on for me:spin:. So he was waiting at the stop sign to another road and I wondered what he was doing, I then see cars coming and he darts out, he A@@ end gets tail happy, so I stomp the gas, car rolls through the RPM's quick and I caught him again. Now this is where I need to hit so back roads to figure out the new bit of power.

 

He yanks a right, and I knew these things are corner machine's, so I yank the same corner with no brake. My swaybars notices, The car acts as if it's on rails. I feel the front starting to slide a bit, so I let off the gas, then the back rear tries to come out on me. (the left rear I am used to from snow drifts)

 

So I , let off the gas for a few hairs, (car does not down shift cause XRT tune), then I taped the gas fronts grab hard, rears get in order and I launch off after the guy. A drop of pee about came out when this happened but since I go out when I am bored on curvy roads and hit snowy parking lots,I know the way the car reacts since it stays so flat.

 

All in all, it was fun to see what the car could go.

 

NOTE:

This was all on my winter tire setup, My wider 18"s with more grip world have been much better.

 

I still have to load up V4a and V4b, stay tuned

[MatsuDano]

[NORULZleggy]

XRT V4-b tuned installed:

 

So I installed the V4-b tune last night. I was just able to drive it this morning, after letting it idle and poke around my area.

 

Of the bat the Idle is much better, looks to be at 800 RPM which is perfect. Now with a much better idle the car take off even stronger.

 

It felt as if the car with the lower idle made it have to catch up be for it jumped off. I know it's hard to describe, so it you get a XRT tune you would know.

 

I am adding my Amsoil Dominator Octane booster to my gas tank today to see the logging difference. This will also let me see the nice gain in the graph if any with the product.

 

Here is a link to the Dominator and a small description to how it helps and works.:

 

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/fuel-additives/gasoline/dominator-octane-boost/

 

Maximizes power and improves performance in all two-cycle and four-cycle gasoline engines. Increases octane up to 4 numbers. Reduces engine knock, improves ignition and engine response, helps fuel burn cleaner and inhibits corrosion. Recommended for off-road and racing use.

 

I also run the P.I and saw how insanely clean my, pistons, valves, and intake port were when I pulled the motor.:

 

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/fuel-additives/gasoline/p-i-performance-improver-gasoline-additive/?code=APICN-EA

 

P.i. improves fuel mileage an average of 2.3% and up to 5.7%. Reduces emissions such as hydrocarbons (HC) up to 15%, carbon monoxide (CO) up to 26% and nitrous oxides (NOx) up to 17%. Restores power and performance. Reduces the need for costly higher octane fuel. (API)

 

 

What's Next for future:

 

JDM Kakimoto Intake Chamber on the way for japan(smooth T tube)

Clean MAF (Completed)

AVO Panel (want tot test it out)

Change ATF (Amsoil Syn, I have it in there now shifts very smooth)

Change Oil (Amsoil SS, I have ran since I bought the car)

Tune After Chamber is on the car

[fishbone]

Just curious, how much money do you have invested in the performance mods that increase power, and how much power above stock do you estimate?

[MasAyinde]

Just curious, how much money do you have invested in the performance mods that increase power, and how much power above stock do you estimate?

 

He's maybe 6 months and $2,000 away from getting stock LGT power levels.

[fishbone]

I enjoyed reading the BRZ story. They are never a disappointment when I run into either a BRZ or an FR-S owner. I am guessing the GT badge doesn't mean anything to them on the Legacy, so they probably assume it's just a NA 2.5 because more often than not, they will end up flooring it. Just the other day on my 4 hour drive I dusted a couple of them. At 95. In tight turns.

 

Now, op's story is a lot more intense, because the Stage 2 on Konis means an uneventful, unfulfilling, anticlimactic experience because it's all over in about 2 seconds. I think I am finding myself wishing I had a NA Legacy so that I can live the same intense racing experiences against BRZs, with little pee coming out and all.

[Phate]

Now, op's story is a lot more intense, because the Stage 2 on Konis means an uneventful, unfulfilling, anticlimactic experience because it's all over in about 2 seconds. I think I am finding myself wishing I had a NA Legacy so that I can live the same intense racing experiences against BRZs, with little pee coming out and all.

 

I originally was planning on boosting my accord that I keep around as a weekend toy, but daily-driving the LGT and then occasionally driving the accord makes me appreciate the fun of an NA powerband a bit more.

 

Going WOT in the GT results in breaking multiple laws very quickly. You do a pull, then coast down and drive like a normal person for a while. Most drives are short bursts of full thrust between a relaxing cruise.

 

Slow-but responsive cars are a blast because they aren't fast enough to get you in trouble quickly. You can drive around and wail on the car, for an extended period of time, without committing multiple felonies.

[NORULZleggy]

I just wanted to add that I have had nothing but great service from Ed at XRT (Extreme Racing tuning). I know I have posted about the tune revision versions and how the car is running and so on but I thought that it needed to be stated that his Customer service is top notch.

He is quick on his replies and always is willing to help. No question is dumb when it comes to the car. He always recommends things that can help, along with telling you if you have issues with the car that he can see while checking out logs.

I swear he never sleepsJ. If you’re looking to get a all around better running 2.5i, 3.0R or 3.6R N\A, XRT is the way to go. He also does Turbo car to. I really love his no BS way tuning.

To the fact that some peeps think it’s dumb to do things to a 2.5i, and that the car is this and that, well so be it. You can think what you like. But for people who start out with a 2.5i or other N\A, there is so much you can do.

[NORULZleggy]

V4b Tune:

I loaded the V4b tune from XRT and went out and was finally able to test, and get some logs. The car of course runs golden. Cause Ed is the N\A Master. I noticed a much better idle and also when doing logs the car seems to pull and pull and pull.

So I was able to get out Saturday night on the strip with this new tune. Got to play with a 240 (No turbo) after we both left the strip to go home had exhaust that was nasty loud. I kind of liked it. It remained me of my 04 STI cat-less exhaust. I had to go manual mode because he was 5MT. There was no issue with staying next to him. We just traded back and forth after that. Then he took off and was not going to go 65 in the construction zone . I am no dummy. Plus I am friends with many Highway patrol and city police.

I now have V5 Loaded and will be testing it out. I still need to get some logs, get my Blackbird Ram air setup, and kakimoto chamber (on the way). I also and changing my oil to some Dominator series Friday night.

Stay tuned and if you N\A GET TUNED by XRT.

[StoplightAssassin]

So what did you run?

[whitetiger]

I had to go manual mode because he was 5MT.

 

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

 

until you post a 1/4mi slip or a real dyno chart, this is all meaningless.

[THE RZA]

instead of 105whp, he is now 115whp, serious gainz and now the engine's ECU is tuned to be pushed to the limits all the time.

[MasAyinde]

I love how there's a map for fuel economy at WOT that works by reducing fuel so the car can run lean at WOT. Brilliant.

[THE RZA]

my completely stock 2.5i blew up from driving it with a heavy foot, I can only imagine how much worse that is for the engine when you retune the ECU to push it to the limit all the time. If you want power gains out of this, you need to do some internal upgrades like Cams and valve springs otherwise you just retuned a toyota camry.

[LegGTLT]

So what are the V5 numbers seriously? There HAS to be some dyno time involved in all of this right?

[MasAyinde]

He posted this: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5339190&postcount=54

 

So he has apparently gained 8whp and 12 lb-ft wtq

[housemusic1]

I love how this thread quickly went from a NA Legacy owner documenting his experience, making his vehicle a little more user friendly, to something that you would expect from a WRX forum.......stay classy.