BoozeRS05 Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I have been very reluctant to start power modding mostly because I need a reliable car and can't afford serious powertrain damage at this point in my life, but I'm taking the leap, so please pardon the noobness.. First, I have a OEM catless UP & Magnaflow CBE already installed on the car, stock.. In the Cobb directions it states that no additional hardware should be installed without proper tuning adjustments.. I assume a my exhaust mods are ok, am I wrong to assume this? Secondly, I'm worried that my gas is pretty poor quality even tho I have 93oct readily available. Would it be a bad idea to run the Cobb ots 91oct map even tho I'll be using 93oct? I don't really care about the extra power, I'm more concerned with reliability, and if 93oct on a 91oct map would somehow be 'safer', I'm fine with less power.. Lastly, are there any measure I should consider taking, aside from logging & a UOA, before doing this with 77k miles on the motor? Tranny seems fine, oil loss is not an issue, most fluids are fresh, 'stg 2' suspension modded already, rotors, fluid & pads are good... TIA,Erik EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleM Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Hey erik, I don't wanna misguide you, but I'll throw my 2 cents in. The exhaust won't be an issue, the only thing that would screw up the cobb stage one map that cobb mentions specifically is intakes. I think the 91 octane map might be a little more conservative, but the only people i've seen that have 93 available but use 91 only do that just in case they are even in an area where 93 might not be available. Stage one isn't really too huge of a step, I think you'll be fine. But i'm not the expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Thanks matt. 5 Star Performance sells a 'stg 1.5 power kit', which is the Cobb AP with an UP. They don't specifically mention any additional tuning software not provided in the OTS maps, so I figured that was ok.. Just looking for someone to tell me it's fine & I'm obviously being overly cautious, which is in my nature.. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 The octane question was my primary concern.. With winter coming, and the fact that I use discount fuel about half the time (albeit 93oct), I thought the 91oct map would be a safer alternative.. At this point I'm likely to run the 91oct map even tho I'll be using 93oct to offset crappy winter gas coming & poor quality gas in general... Is this a backwards approach?? EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 1. You are a downpipe away from being able to use stage 2 map and get a much larger gain. Stage 1 doesn't make a material difference from stock, Stage 2 does. 2. It doesn't matter, you can use the 91 octane map with 93 octane gas but not the other way around (well you could, but your ECU would be pulling timing). Unless you see the majortiy of cars in your are on the side of the raod with damaged engines from the :bad gas" forget about it. 3. none. Just drive the car and enjoy If it starts acting funny don't ignore it, but don't go looking for trouble. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Great, thanks... EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regal05LGT Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 You will be fine, I ran stg 1 with the magnaflow for a while, no issues...... If you are extremely worried, spend a couple more bucks and get an e-tune from PDX, much better than Cobb's OTS maps.... and lots of folks actually get better gas mileage after flashing through the stages, if you drive it conservatively lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnAWD Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I have been very reluctant to start power modding mostly because I need a reliable car and can't afford serious powertrain damage at this point in my life, but I'm taking the leap, so please pardon the noobness.. Erik - my 2005 lgt ltd is tastefully modified and very reliable. A stage 1 or stage 2 car will make you smile and treat you well, as long as you treat it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 Thanks for the replies.. I'll likely stay with Cobb's ots maps for a little, eventually get an aftermarket TMIC, and then go to PDX for a stg 1 e-tune.. I'll ideally stay in the 240whp range until I'm finanically able to do a serious stg 2 all-around setup including upgrading brakes, tranny, power, suspension, some int/ext bits, and so on.. I don't want one aspect of the car to stand out above another.. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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