OEM vf40 turbo

[Phosoup253]

Bought my 2005 legacy gt wagon with an “oem style” vf40. (Will post pic below) Recently replaced the motor with a lower mileage ej255 w/ 50k. 
Although the car seems to run fine with the replica turbo, I’d feel much better if I knew I had the correct turbo the car came with before I start daily driving this car, which leads me to my next question. How terrible are the stock vf40? What if I got my hands on a good condition low mileage one? 
I know most would recommend just upgrading to the vf46 or vf52, but I’m in no position to start going down this rabbit hole of mods and spending all this money on a tune when I don’t have all the supporting mods yet. 
I’m planning to get an AP and throwing a stage 1 ots as I’ve heard they’re a more efficient than stock. 

So, any input on the oem ihi vf40 if I plan to run bone stock for a while? Preventative maintenance on the turbo if any? Known failure points to look for when buying? 

Edited November 2, 2022 by Phosoup253

[seanyb505]

Seems a little more trouble than it's worth. What brand is the current "oem style"? Any actual reason to believe it's a time bomb? If you're truly concerned, remove the down pipe and feel if there's any play with the shaft. If it's solid, move on to maintaining/repairing other areas of the car. 

I don't think there's anything specifically to watch out for on the oem version different from other turbos. They get tired after a while, they're susceptible to failure when there's oiling issues, just like other turbos. Also the vf46 isn't an upgrade, just a mildly newer model year.

At this point in time (16 years after the last one rolled off the line) I wouldn't particularly have high hopes for a low mileage good condition vf40 that wouldn't also have the same question mark of reliability. Simply because you can't actually know it's past. 

You could get a non destroyed vf40 core rebuilt, but then you're starting to go down a dollar size path that it really should be your final version of the car.  I.e. you'll be spending all of $750 at least to have a turbo do exactly what your current one does. And if you want to modify the car further down the road (vf52, better performing vf40, or some other path) you'll have to spend that $750 again, at least.

For now I'd recommend drive as is, and use the AP to monitor the car's health. Save up for the eventual direction you really want to take with the car. Search this site for banjo bolt screens. You'll want to remove those. 

[kzr750r1]

Reconditioned is $800 now BTW. JDM hooked me up with a rebuild this year... Ebay... meh... Your throwing dice at that point.

VF40 is fine for your needs at stage 1.

[Pleides]

I ran a Rotomaster turbo on my Legacy for 3 years before putting a VF52 in with a billet wheel. No issues with the turbo to speak of. 

A lot of these turbos are rebuilt and resold through auto parts outlets by companies who make OEM turbos for diesel trucks (such as Rotomaster). I wouldn't worry too much unless you hear it making weird noises or it's not boosting properly.

[Phosoup253]

If everything goes according to plan, I might actually be up $100 in the deal with essentially a free vf40 if I play my cards right with a trade I have lined up. 

The car definitely feels “stock” “sluggish”, but then again i never dove a bone stock Subaru so I don’t have anything to reference off of. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Phosoup253

[seanyb505]

In normal day to day driving you won't be faster than a v6 accord. In stock form it's a fat car only vaguely related to STi clutch drop 0-60 times. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by seanyb505

[Pleides]

A stage 1 OTS tune will at least improve the delivery of timing and get the car moving a bit quicker. It won't feel like a monster, but you'll enjoy it. By modern standards, a stock 4th gen LGT is pretty mediocre as a performance car. The chassis is outclasses by a modern Civic and the turbo's power delivery being laggy and old-fashioned makes it feel slower than most modern turbo 4-cylinder cars like a Golf R or Focus ST. 

A VF40 still can rip with a proper downpipe and tune. 

[Phosoup253]

Due to hardship, I’m forced to sell my current daily driver which is a 2018 Camry xse that I’ve owned since it was brand new. 
 

I have absolutely zero intentions nor am I looking for any type of power with this car as of right now. 
Just looking to get to point A to point B as reliable and efficient as possible. 
I do have big plans for the car in the future which is why I don’t want to sell and get another DD. 
Hopefully by summer it can be weekend warrior again and I can start building the car like I initially planned. 

 

[Phosoup253]

Also, any thoughts about up pipe upgrade? Maybe the stock catless 06-07 Wrx/Sti. 
Heard ours had the factory cat and don’t want that grenading. 
Would that require a tune? 

[Pleides]

07 Legacy GT part also works and is catless. Supposedly doesn't require a tune.

[Phosoup253]

Just went and looked at the turbo. 
It was a replica. Might just get a Vf52.

Any recommendation for a good E-tuner? Shop near my house charging $600 for a dyno tune which is fair but I don’t want to that route quite yet. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by Phosoup253

[SoobyDoobyDoo]

 

On 11/4/2022 at 1:11 AM, Phosoup253 said:

Also, any thoughts about up pipe upgrade? Maybe the stock catless 06-07 Wrx/Sti. 
Heard ours had the factory cat and don’t want that grenading. 
Would that require a tune? 

I’ve got one if interested-pm me. Swapping the up pipe doesn’t require a tune.

Edit: Who’s the tuner? Idk what dyno tuning costs are but something to consider is a Cobb is $675 (lower used if you can find). Won’t tune for a VF52 but if you want just a basic Stg 1 tune might not be a bad way to go. Plus it’ll log and act as a DTC reader. Also learn how to data log. You’ll have to do this for e-tuning anyway but it’s also a good way to see what’s going on with the car. Do maintenance stuff before you go tuning it and make sure it’s healthy. Alliance tuning is one of the go-tos on here. PM Maxcapacity he’s friends with the guy who runs it, he can tell you more. Shinji tuned is another good e-tuner, or Cryotuned is a vendor on here.

Edited November 6, 2022 by SoobyDoobyDoo