Jolbaru_LGT Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 So, my LGT is stage 2 pushing 290hp. It's had a tune, and it runs pretty good. Now, everything else is pretty much stock. Stock TMIC, original turbo, engine was never messed with, and I just did the Aisin timing belt. Well, I did just upgrade to a Perrin recirculating BOV. But that's about it. Would upgrading the turbo be a good thing? Or am I making it less reliable? I'd also assume I'd need a tune, and I believe my brother (P.O.) had somebody else do it for him. I don't own the device or software. What would I have to do? Is there an upgraded turbo that's worth it, where I wouldn't be pushing it too much? I guess reliability is a factor, but I'd love about +30hp. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holla Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Where are you getting the 290hp figure from? I very much doubt you are at 290whp on a stock vf-40 turbo. Seems like a vf-52 would be good choice for you but if your car is running well, I’d just leave it be and drive it. Just for reference, I have a vf-52, 3” catted down pipe, Perrin TMIC and the car puts down about 275whp with a pro tune. What are your goals for the car? Figure out exactly what mods and tune you have before buying anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 May be he thinks that's the HP at the crank not the wheels. My set up is vf52, catless up pipe, 3" Dp, now a GS tmic, on stock fueling, tuned at 21psi on a Mustang dyno, it made 280 to all four wheels. The car has a K&N panel filter lightly oiled. It's been on Cobb AP since it was released Dec 2004. It has been that way for over 154,000 miles on the vf52. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanyb505 Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Yeah vf52 would be the next oem subaru turbo worth it. But goals are important as stated. Think about what you ultimately want from the car. Throwing random parts at it here and there leads to scope creep, and at some point you'll spend money on the same part twice. For a vf52 you can bolt it on and be tuned for that with the current setup. But how long will it be before you think another 30hp would be fun, and then again after that? So with vf52 being the next step, how does that jive with your final step? And fueling, and a potential new engine always lurking around the corner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleides Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 May be he thinks that's the HP at the crank not the wheels. My set up is vf52, catless up pipe, 3" Dp, now a GS tmic, on stock fueling, tuned at 21psi on a Mustang dyno, it made 280 to all four wheels. The car has a K&N panel filter lightly oiled. It's been on Cobb AP since it was released Dec 2004. It has been that way for over 154,000 miles on the vf52. FWIW, on Surgeline's Mustang dyno, my VF46 wagon made 282 WHP. Might be an elevation thing, a dyno thing, I dunno, but maybe it's because my car had a new engine, etc, but it did do over 280 with a turbo that small. To Jolbaru, the VF52 is the next logical step up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Do you know what kind of tune its currently running? You say that you don't have a device that comes with the car so are you saying you don't currently have an AccessPort? If you're running a Cobb tune then hopefully you can track down the AP for your car. If not then you'll be out about $500 to buy a new one. As others have chimed in, a VF52 would be a decent upgrade from your current set up as it will have similar spool characteristics but will hold power a little better up top. You won't get another +30HP especially with stock fueling but it will be a nice bump in power and its plug and play with your configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Hey....I know about VF52's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 FWIW, on Surgeline's Mustang dyno, my VF46 wagon made 282 WHP. Might be an elevation thing, a dyno thing, I dunno, but maybe it's because my car had a new engine, etc, but it did do over 280 with a turbo that small. To Jolbaru, the VF52 is the next logical step up. The mustang dyno at ESP in Sterling MA is known to be a heart breaker when it comes to HP #'s. But what's important is how the car feels and drives. There is a thread here about Dyno differences. See the Tech Forum. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-BGTLimited Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 The mustang dyno at ESP in Sterling MA is known to be a heart breaker when it comes to HP #'s. But what's important is how the car feels and drives. There is a thread here about Dyno differences. See the Tech Forum.ESP clocked mine at 255whp 310ft lbs running 19psi from a VF46. Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolbaru_LGT Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Alright, so maybe I don't have 290. With that reality check, the VF52 sounds perfect. Now, what else is recommended to upgrade with it? Fuel delivery? A different TMIC?(again I'd like it to fit the stock engine cover) and a heat shield? Obviously a tune. But I'd like to gather the funds and slowly buy the required parts. And I wouldn't like to mess with the air intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Kinda have a few options as I see it: 1) VF52 with stock fueling- least amount of investment but least return in terms of a power bump. You won’t see mega gains. 2) VF52 with DW740 injectors and a fuel pump. More investment to be sure but this will allow you to maximize the capabilities of the turbo. Ran this set up for many moons and loved it. 3) VF52 with 1000cc top feed injectors / fuel rails, and a fuel pump. Converting to top feed will keep your tuner from bitching (side feeds are a bit trickier to tune, ‘07+ Legacy’s moved to top feed from the factory), but again ran my side feeds for a long time with no issues. Sure a bigger TMIC will help with heat soak but the stocker isn’t a huge deal at these power levels, (hot summers 4U tho...). Stock intake is fine, actually the best choice for this power level. Heat shield and/ turbo blankie will help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWebb Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 How many miles on the car? Have $5k for a new engine? '05's are old and I wouldnt go crazy at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 i would stick it out till i will be needing a sb then the upgrade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleides Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Alright, so maybe I don't have 290. With that reality check, the VF52 sounds perfect. Now, what else is recommended to upgrade with it? Fuel delivery? A different TMIC?(again I'd like it to fit the stock engine cover) and a heat shield? Obviously a tune. But I'd like to gather the funds and slowly buy the required parts. And I wouldn't like to mess with the air intake. I don't think any of the upgrades for an intercooler will work with the engine cover. The Grimmspeed unit has a modified plastic duct for your hood scoop that gets a healthy amount of air over it. I'm running a Perrin TMIC and have no issues. You'll be slightly boost-limited on a factory TMIC and they don't last forever, so it wouldn't be a terrible idea to upgrade it. A VF52 is pushing the limits of a stock TMIC setup on these cars from what I understand. For fueling, you can run stock fueling, but it's not advised. At my power levels, my injectors are at 90% duty, and I wouldn't want them running anything crazier. A topfeed conversion will be more reliable and will give you more injector options, if that's something you're curious about. Otherwise, 740CC sidefeeds are also an option. Surgeline, the shop local to me, doesn't like messing with bigger sidefeeds. Your fuel pump should be upgraded as well as your boost control solenoid to a 3-port just based on age alone if you want more power. The stock intake is perfectly fine until you have a much larger turbo. Edited January 7, 2021 by Pleides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 If you're getting 290hp and want to upgrade your power output and saving money to make changes, you'll likely be buying a new shortblock. Past 300hp on a LGT, upgrades get expensive fast. And runability starts to go down. Then there's the dreaded failures that range from $100's to $10000's. Before spending large dollars on turbos fueling exhausts tuning etc, I'd look at getting your suspension refurbished and your brakes/wheels sorted. Running lighter wheels will have a drastic effect on perceived power output. Also more power tends to make expensive parts into wear items - hubs, brakes, axles, shortblocks, etc. There's a actual faq about turbo upgrades. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Cost versus gains. That's why I'm still running OEM injectors, they have been at 99% duty cycle since Aug 2011, some 154,000 miles ago. That plastic engine, I removed that back in July 2004 after taking it off the first time to look under and dropping one of those plastic clips. Never put it back on. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Jolbaru- you can run the engine cover over any of the Perrin sized TMIC’s, (AVO, other knock off brands, etc) with just some slight trimming of the of the cover, mostly along the side of the opening for the TMIC closest to the firewall. The actual footprint of these intercoolers isn’t much bigger so the engine cover can be retained. Before I swapped in a Grimmspeed a few years ago, I ran my cover with a Perrin TMIC but you’d never know it. The engine bay looked OEM. Still running the cover with my Grimmspeed actually, you slice the cover in half, right where it surrounds the intercooler and just use the lower half. This way it covers your alternator and all the ugly stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 have madrig customize one for you Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Febreze Mee Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Hey............ i know about Madrig's parts MILKRUN - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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