About to buy an 07 GT Limited

[NickCawks]

Hello Legacy forum lurkers and posters. This is my first post in the land of legacies because I have spent the better part of a decade driving a WRX which is partially the subject of this post.

 

My WRX had a hybrided engine with the WRX heads and everything else in the bay swapped from an 07 STI. In addition to this it had just about every bolt on possible as well as a PPG dog box.

 

To avoid belaboring a sad story, last week after almost 10 years the engine gave out.

 

On the bright side, I think it might be time to get an adult car . My buddy who works at a shop tells me he has an 07 GT limited with 130k and my name on it. After a test drive and some soul searching on whether it is time to let go of my childhood race car I decided, I am going to buy it.

So here lies my question(s): What parts from my 02 WRX with STI block are swappable to the 07 legacy?

 

I understand I will probably not be able to use my exhaust or wheels, but my concern lies with things such as my EWG, downpipe, boost controller, suspension, transmission, and anything else you guys could possibly think of.

 

Also, I was hoping to confirm what turbo comes in the 07 GT as I have seen a couple different answers.

 

and as a side note only because I have not actually searched for this answer, what kind of numbers are safe to run on the stock tranny in the 07 GT.

 

EDIT: I thought of another question I had. How does the SI-Drive interact with a cobb? Is it possible to have different maps set to the SI-Drive that can be swapped to with the knob?

 

Thank you guys in advance! I am glad to be here and will probably be doing a lot of lurking around in the future!

Nick

[GEE-OTTO]

Most of those bits on that car wont work nor will the COBB, wheels or suspension. First thing you need to do is get a leakdown and Compression check on the 07 LGT. While they are the boy racer abused and tossed aside car like some WRXs they get tossed once a major maintenance is due or engine failure is looming. Do not buy a used turbo Subaru with out some sort of checking over/out first or accompany the purchase with a warranty.

 

The 07-09 LGT came stock with a VF46 and shares a DP with the 08-14 WRX. Common issues are failed turbos and blocks due to oil starvation, failed engines due to "DIY " tuning or running mixed parts and tunes and general neglect leading to a major problem.

 

That transmission would bolt up to the EJ255 but it may not match the FDR, the 07 LGT is a 4.11 FDR, the wheels could work with adapters for 5x100 to 5x114. The IC, VF34 and intake could work if you felt like dealing with that but you would need a tune or correct model COBB AP + tune to run it correctly.

 

5MT gearbox strength varies but generally you are good on the stock clutch pack up to 300-325 crank HP it is rated at 296ftlb/296hp with wiggle room.

 

If you buy the 07 Id part the other car out and use that money to buy a really good tune for the 07 LGT and ensure its ready to run for another 130K miles FIRST, then look into the fun bits.

[NickCawks]

Thank you for your response. I had started to think that everyone just assumed I was an idiot and didn't want to try and help me (been on nasioc too long).

 

I appreciate your input, as for the condition of the car its coming from my buddies shop. I believe he has already compression tested (messaging him now to confirm), I have taken the thing out for 3 test drives and everything feels solid. It comes with a 3-month extensive warranty, and once that's over I will move on to the "bro warranty". This will be the second car I'm buying from him and I know he will help me with whatever pops up.

 

With the common issues, you'll be glad to hear that the only reason I do not already have possession of the car is that my mechanic is waiting for a new turbo to come in. As well as I have a very competent tuner who I have been going to for the past 3 years. Not to mention that I am myself am a fairly experienced garage mechanic and with all my Subarus (specifically the turbo'd ones) I maintain a strict 3k oil change policy, 10k tranny fluid changes (a habit I picked up from owning the PPG), 20k rear diff fluid, and yearly coolant flushes.

 

That transmission would bolt up to the EJ255 but it may not match the FDR, the 07 LGT is a 4.11 FDR.

So to fix this, rather having to crack both trannies and swap the center diffs, could I possibly swap the rear diff? Just curious about that one, I will probably be keeping the stock tranny in the leggy.

 

 

VF34 and intake could work if you felt like dealing with that but you would need a tune or correct model COBB AP + tune to run it correctly.

I'm pretty sure my WRX's turbo is what failed, so I don't think I will be able to swap that (I've been too sad to work on it). I did actually figure out that my cobb would not work and have ordered the correct one for the legacy. it arrives tomorrow

 

5MT gearbox strength varies but generally you are good on the stock clutch pack up to 300-325 crank HP it is rated at 296ftlb/296hp with wiggle room.

Those numbers sound just about perfect for what im looking to do with this car!

 

If you buy the 07 Id part the other car out and use that money to buy a really good tune for the 07 LGT and ensure its ready to run for another 130K miles FIRST, then look into the fun bits.

At this point, my plan has changed since the original posting. Since no one had been responding I started to dig a little deeper on some of this stuff myself. Upon discovering that so many things are not swappable I decided I am just going to start saving to slowly build the legacy up to around 275hp and just keep it as my nice daily driver. Having the legacy will afford my the freedom to put the work into repairing my WRX which I plan to bang around rallyx when it is fixed. So more or less I'm going to leave my WRX parts intact so that I have them when that day comes.

 

Again I really appreciate the response,

Nick

[shinjyo]

I am still a noob in my car but I will just speak out loud based on my experience.

 

I came from 03 NA Impreza 2.RS to a 07 Spec B after 14 years. After owning for almost 8 months now, I had went through many big items since my car is at 93k miles. I have done clutch, flywheel, oil pick up, TB/WP so far. The one on the list are suspensions, driveaxle and misc refreshing items. I think LGT is kinda different from WRX. The community culture you see here is more conservative owners which they like to stay safe, get the right tune type of owner versus on NASIOC, impreza owners are more dare and brave on diy etc. Engine wise, I think LGT shares more similarity to STI than WRX. My Spec B tranny is same as sti tranny. Our turbo is VF46. I see many ppl has STI short block on their LGT. One thing I do notice is there are much less parts available for LGT or many have stopped producing aftermarket parts for LGT already. SI drive only change throttle input (30, 50, 100%) which result in a different throttle response, it doesn't really matter too much to the tune. I have one map tuned by torque performance for all modes. I typically drive with I mode before temperature gets to normal and switch to S# the rest of the time. You can search more about this on this forum. If you are looking to run higher power, I suggest you look for 07+ Spec B which has a 6 spd tranny same as STI, that can ensure to hold more power for future build. In stock form, the turbo in LGT is a little lower than WRX and STI for adult drivers (I guess). Wheels are PCD 100 for us. Exhaust and suspension are definitely different than WRX. The insurance is cheaper than WRX for sure.

 

I love my SpecB. The power and room space are great for daily drive with my two kids. It's a great subtitle, sleeper that doesn't cause much attention from the crowd. Try to avoid cars from snow region as they often have rusts on it.

 

Hope it helps.

[NickCawks]

The community culture you see here is more conservative owners which they like to stay safe, get the right tune type of owner versus on NASIOC, Impreza owners are more dare and brave on diy etc.

I can definitely see that from my short time on here. Fortunately, I have always been more of a conservative when it comes to building a car up. I prefer having a quick to fastish DD, but am not looking for anything crazy. around 270 to the wheels will suit me.

 

I think LGT shares more similarity to STI than WRX.

My Spec B tranny is same as STI tranny.

I know the WRX and the Impreza are essentially the same car with different trims. From my research over the last week, it appears that the transmissions are swappable across the two models(Impreza and legacy). However, the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel will all need to be taken from the legacy to use my WRX tranny.

 

One thing I do notice is there are much less parts available for LGT or many have stopped producing aftermarket parts for LGT already

This is somewhat disappointing to hear, but I had noticed things are nowhere near as easy to find. Specifically, I have been looking for the JDM double din and this search has not turned over too many results.

 

 

SI drive only change throttle input (30, 50, 100%) which result in a different throttle response, it doesn't really matter too much to the tune.

That's interesting, I was under the impression it actually changes the map. There goes my hope to have 2 tunes I can quickly swap between .

 

The insurance is cheaper than WRX for sure.

Yeah, I had noticed that when I called my insurance. Turns out I can actually ensure this 07 Legacy for about 70 dollars less (premium) then my 99 forester.

 

 

The power and room space are great for daily drive with my two kids. It's a great subtitle, sleeper that doesn't cause much attention from the crowd.

This is actually the driving factor behind me deciding not to buy another WRX. I want more space and less attention.

 

Try to avoid cars from snow region as they often have rusts on it.

Unfortunately, this is unavoidable living in Colorado. However, I have thoroughly looked over the legacy and have found no rust.

 

Thank you so much for your input, Its good to have some more knowledge and opinions on the table.

[dgoodhue]

With the common issues, you'll be glad to hear that the only reason I do not already have possession of the car is that my mechanic is waiting for a new turbo to come in.

 

Whoa, does the GT that your buying has a blown turbo?

[NickCawks]

SI drive only change throttle input (30, 50, 100%) which result in a different throttle response

I just received my new(old) Accessport for the leggy. it is still married to a 2013 STI (I will be sending it into COBB to have this taken care of soon). Looking through the tune that is currently on it I noticed that it has different boost parameters for the different SI drive modes.

 

So maybe there is more to the SI drive then we had thought! I'm kind of excited by this discovery

 

Whoa, does the GT that your buying has a blown turbo?

 

It has some compressor surge? My mechanic is sure the turbo will fix this issue, I am waiting to see how it feels afterward. It was only mildly noticeable during test drives.

[shinjyo]

Something I also learned is the run data log for the car. Check values like DAM, FKL, Boost Psi etc. You can spot issues from there.

[GEE-OTTO]

I just received my new(old) Accessport for the leggy. it is still married to a 2013 STI (I will be sending it into COBB to have this taken care of soon). Looking through the tune that is currently on it I noticed that it has different boost parameters for the different SI drive modes.

 

So maybe there is more to the SI drive then we had thought! I'm kind of excited by this discovery

 

 

 

It has some compressor surge? My mechanic is sure the turbo will fix this issue, I am waiting to see how it feels afterward. It was only mildly noticeable during test drives.

 

Surge can be caused by a few items: bad WG actuator, pressure line disconnected, bad boost controller, large DownPipe and incompatible tune, bad tune.

 

But the CHRA usually isnt the culprit, if he replaced the turbo its b/c it failed or noticed it failing (excessive shaft play, weeping oil.coolant) or upgraded to a PnP VF46 or other turbo.

 

Turbo failures of the oil starvation variety are the worse b/c they failed due to debris (typically metal) clogging the oil supply which could be bearing material. It fails and sends more metal through the oiling system and all those bits hide in placed like the oil cooler and cam journals and internal oil passages. The "pin has been pulled" and can lead to your car eating turbos over and over or worse SB failure and head damage.

 

I wouldnt put too much money into tuning for a few miles, I would make sure it is in good shape.

[dgoodhue]

Surge can be caused by a few items: bad WG actuator, pressure line disconnected, bad boost controller, large DownPipe and incompatible tune, bad tune.

 

Technically those are boost control issues not compressor surge. Compressor surge is when the engine is operating in boost in a region of the compressor map over the surge line. A stock Legacy turbo isn't going to operate in the is region is unless it has been compromised in way that shift the compressor maps and surge line.

 

http://cdn.speednik.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/04/surge_line.jpg

[FLlegacy]

Si drive I do believe can get you different swappable maps, some older Subarus did this with buttons like rear defogg or something of that variety. So yes you can have on the fly map adjustments with Si drive.

 

As for the parts compatibility there are plenty of WRX parts that will bolt right into the Legacy, browse the 4th gen forum and see whats what, it is a rather large repository of info and the trolls there are plentiful but someone will pop up that is genuinely helpful if not more.

[NickCawks]

Well I picked the car up yesterday. The new turbo was installed the day before.

 

I'm thinking he might have just made a bad diagnosis. Even after the turbo has been replaced im still feeling a slight "surging" in the power band specifically in the S# mode. I would place the feeling as more of a failing fuel pump rather than a boost issue.

 

Im gonna take it back in on Monday so we can dig a little deeper.

 

Glad to have her even with the issues! took it straight to the wash and man is the paint in better condition than i had thought. *tried to upload a picture, it refuses to stick today*

[NickCawks]

I just wanted to thank you guys for all your responses. Now that I have the car I am going to go ahead and start a new thread in a more appropriate place to ask some more specific questions.

 

Thanks again!

-Nick