North-East OHIO 2.5GTs ? Sighting, GTGs, etc.

[westy66]

i used to have a Stage 4 WRX, so im itching to do a little to the wagon. its only got 23k on it, so im probably going to take it slow. im sure Stage II w/ a TMIC will be good enough.

 

i did order the Prodrive cans the second day i had it i have a Prosport boost gauge to install (got a wiring diagram BTW) and i have to decide where to buy an Accessport. Buscher has the AP, but doesnt really do and LGT stuff.

 

hopefully we can get together for a cruise this Summer!

 

Bob

[TSiWRX]

Buschur should tune the LGT - I know that Al will do it, but I'm not sure that David will...I know he's plenty capable , don't get me wrong, it's just whether if he's got enough experience to justify his time-worked/pay scale.

 

The Leggy wagon, Stage II, will be a very capable daily-driver, for sure! It certainly won't be as fast as your Stage 4, WRX, but a Stage II (ECUTeK'ed by Tim Bailey - I'm still on the factory TMIC, and still carry the last cat) 5MT LGT will be about 25 horses and 75 lb.ft. of torque over a factory-stock STi (this comparison is as-measured on Buschur's Mustang, and is a true figure that's practically one car on dyno, the next off).

 

 

You'll love the creature comforts of the LGT!

 

---

 

BTW, are you on LERSOC?

[westy66]

my WRX only (ok, i shouldnt say "only" ) put down 263hp and 257tq on a dynapack dyno at Godspeed in Michigan. and the numbers im seeing of the Stage II LGT's are beyond that. so im sure ill be happy. the large torque numbers are what intrigue me.

[TSiWRX]

my WRX only (ok, i shouldnt say "only" ) put down 263hp and 257tq on a dynapack dyno at Godspeed in Michigan. and the numbers im seeing of the Stage II LGT's are beyond that. so im sure ill be happy. the large torque numbers are what intrigue me.

 

That sounds like a fun little Rex.

 

What's a stock STi or EVO MR do on that dyno?

 

The LGT's extra half-liter of displacement really helps with the torque. Tim Bailey also likes to really work on the torque curve, down low, so that really helps, too.

 

The stock turbo, though, is a real downer when it comes to horsepower numbers. She just runs out of steam up-top. My EvoIII 16G'ed Talon, which put down about 300/300 even, to the front wheels, is a totally different animal on the open highway. Whereas my Legacy spanks my Talon on the zero-to-sixty sprint (particularly when there's slippery stuff on the ground), on the highway, I can easily feel how different the two are. Even though the Talon's turbo isn't really a "big" one, compared to our stocker, it's still just night-and-day.

 

----

 

jeguzik -

 

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194

 

^ I don't know how much that'll help. I'm still looking for my printed notes, too.

[TSiWRX]

NEW SIGHTING -

 

Appx. 4PM, Sunday, 6/15. Target/Kaufmann's shopping ctr. at corner of Cedar and Warrensville, University Heights.

 

Silver '05 LGT sedan, with factory wing - otherwise stock-appearing.

 

You were coming out of what used to be the Topps area of the parking deck, in the right turn lane at the three-way stop - I was in my wife's silver '05 WRX sedan (stock, with factory wing), and waved to you at the sign.

 

You'll pulled next to us at the next stop-sign, but I didn't want to distract you from traffic.

 

Just wanted to say "hi" if you're here, and also to let you know that your RIGHT REAR BRAKE LAMP is out-of-operation!

 

[jeguzik]

Who wants to be the first to congratulate me, I am Stage II as of yesterday. I just installed the STI Up / Invidia Down and tossed on some Kartboy bushings front and rear for good measure. All in all I am pretty happy with how she is feeling. I guess I was expecting a bit more power, but maybe the map has just not taken yet. I am running the Cobb Standard stage II map, any other recommendations?

 

TSI thanks for looking that up for me!

[TSiWRX]

^ CONGRATS!!!!!

 

jeguzik, honestly, I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more/better help. Things just got buried, over time - she's been "Stage II" since September of 2005, and it looks like my materials have really settled on top of themselves in the pile.

 

Give the car some time to learn its new powerband.

 

Make sure you've got good fuel in there, too.

 

And remember, with what our weather has been for the last week or so, she won't be performing at her best, no matter what. High temps plus high humidity really kills our performance no matter what "Stage."

 

Give her a couple of days and a few hundred miles. There should be quite a noticeable difference in how she launches.

[westy66]

what kind of tunes (custom) are you guys running?

[TSiWRX]

I'm on ECUTeK, from Tim Bailey/PDXTuning.

 

When I sought tunes, the only one available locally was Buschur, through Al (DynoFlash), and at the time, Al used only ECUTeK.

 

Although my experience with Al was rather negative (when the tune started developing trouble, he eventually stopped answering his e-mail, even at the solicitation of ECUTeK, NA), I was impressed with the level of customer-service that ECUTeK supported, and when the re-tune took place (pre Ver2 AP), I decided to simply stick with it, particularly as I preferred the laptop interface.

 

Given today's AccessPORT, though, I'd likely have gone that route, instead.

 

I absolutely love Tim's tune, and will recommend him/PDXTuning to anyone and everyone.

 

Same to David Buschur's shop. He was a complete gentleman the two times I was there on the LERSOC tune-dates - I think, each time, we chatted more about our daughters and being a father than anything else. Great guy.

[westy66]

yea, Jarrod from Buscher told me that Tim comes down every "two or three months" for tuning and to give him a shout. i want an AP and i might just go Stage I with a TMIC until the 60k powertrain is up. i dont want to get denied if i have a problem just for being catless

 

when i had my WRX i got a UTEC from Buscher and they were great. i was there for like 2 hours just BSing with them.

 

i wonder if Tim does any eTuning?

[jeguzik]

I don't have an ECUteK in my car, is that a pre-requisite for a custom tune or is that something that can be done via the AccessPort? I have not review this topic much yet. Also, what should a custom tune cost me?

 

J

I'm on ECUTeK, from Tim Bailey/PDXTuning.

 

When I sought tunes, the only one available locally was Buschur, through Al (DynoFlash), and at the time, Al used only ECUTeK.

 

Although my experience with Al was rather negative (when the tune started developing trouble, he eventually stopped answering his e-mail, even at the solicitation of ECUTeK, NA), I was impressed with the level of customer-service that ECUTeK supported, and when the re-tune took place (pre Ver2 AP), I decided to simply stick with it, particularly as I preferred the laptop interface.

 

Given today's AccessPORT, though, I'd likely have gone that route, instead.

 

I absolutely love Tim's tune, and will recommend him/PDXTuning to anyone and everyone.

 

Same to David Buschur's shop. He was a complete gentleman the two times I was there on the LERSOC tune-dates - I think, each time, we chatted more about our daughters and being a father than anything else. Great guy.

[TSiWRX]

westy - Thanks for that info: it's good to know that Tim's still coming out to Buschur's! I'm sure that he does. I think that's probably pretty bread-and-butter for any tuner/tune-shop. I believe that Tim's still working for PDXTuning (not sure), but also maintains his own tuning outfit called "Surgeline Tuning." See if you can contact him, either way. I've been out of the "shopping for a tuner" market for a while.

 

jeguzik - Nope, the AccessPORT will do you just fine.

 

Currently, ECUTeK and AccessPORT are still the top two, in terms of Subaru aftermarket engine-management - with the latter being almost overwhelmingly more heavily preferred/used by end-hobbyists.

 

A live custom tune, with dyno time, will run about $300 to $400, I'd think. Prices tend to be lower if you wait to get in on a "tune date" with, say, the rest of the LERSOC crew.

[jeguzik]

TSI,

What types of improvements could Tim offer over the Cobb Stage II Map? What should I expect, is it worth the added expense?

 

jeguzik - Nope, the AccessPORT will do you just fine.

 

Currently, ECUTeK and AccessPORT are still the top two, in terms of Subaru aftermarket engine-management - with the latter being almost overwhelmingly more heavily preferred/used by end-hobbyists.

 

A live custom tune, with dyno time, will run about $300 to $400, I'd think. Prices tend to be lower if you wait to get in on a "tune date" with, say, the rest of the LERSOC crew.

[TSiWRX]

Hey bro,

 

How's she doin? I bet that with the last couple of day's worth of cooler weather, she's feeling better?

 

I'm not sure of the numbers - that's not my game....given that David's dyno is a heartbreaker.

 

The difference is that a custom-made map is always better optimized to your specific vehicle - and that's important to both "safety" as well as performance. But don't worry, the gain over an OTS map will be healthy - particularly when "area under the curve" is taken into account. Your power will roll-in sooner, and will be smoother through the progression, too.

 

 

Is it worth the cost?

 

I'd say so, but everyone's opinion on this issue differs somewhat, as most are quite happy with the canned tunes.

 

It's just that little extra touch - and most who are "custom tuned" (in one way or another) will definitely say that it's worth it.

[jeguzik]

I have read e-tunes run about $150, are these any bit as good as having a true dyno tune. Also, how are these typically handled? I saw my buddies 350z, he has a ECUtek installed, so that makes sense to me now. Honestly pretty cool stuff, I don't necessarily know that I would want that much opportunity to mess my gear up.

 

She has gotten a wee bit stronger over the last few days, 3rd gear is my personal fav... Watch out on ramps...

[TSiWRX]

My feeling is, honestly, that an e-tune should be every bit as good as a "live" tune....however, that this is with the stipulation that you log accurately and consistently, and that you have good communication with your chosen tuner, as well as that the chosen tuner is willing to repeatedly review logs and re-adjust your tune's parameters until things are "just right."

 

 

And as for worrying about your gears, don't. "Stage II" is honestly very benign. As long as you, yourself, are relatively "mechanically empathetic" and are willing to go the extra mile with a religious fluid/filter change interval, I truly feel that this particular stopping-point for modern Scoobys is a really fun, and yet really durable/reliable place to be.

 

Many of us "Stage II" guys are still on our stock clutches (despite relatively routine, albeit not too-aggressive [i.e. "sidestep"] launches and spirited overall driving) - to say the least of the gears, and people have racked up 50K+ miles and/or 3+ years of daily driving at this particular power/mod-level, with no ill effects.

 

[jeguzik]

One question, how do I go about logging?? I saw my buddy do it with the Ecutek, but I have not seen how an Accessport will help here. I assume I need a laptop, so application, and some interface to the cars ECU. Got any 101 tips for me, once again I have not even started to research this.

 

J

[TSiWRX]

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20090

 

 

The AccessPORT cable and a laptop are all that you'd need - aside from that, download the latest from RomRaider:

 

http://www.romraider.com/

 

[jeguzik]

Ask and thou shalt receive... I will have to read up on this, maybe I will spend the next few months figuring this out. I should give me just enough time to get bored with my stock Cobb map. Thanks for the help. One of these days we will have to schedule a get together, it would be nice to put some faces to some names...

 

J

[TSiWRX]

Cool beans.

[krompir]

That poor bloke was me. I was rear ended by a cell phone distracted woman during the 480 rush-hour commute. She managed to cause a 5 car accident, and over 10,000 in damage to my 05 LGT MT wagon. The shop is still revising the estimates, so it might get close to a total loss. I'll know more this week, but they are guessing it won't be fixed until the 2nd week of July.

 

BTW, the car is stock except for a set of 18" Rota Tarmac 3 in sports bronze, and 06 WRX flywheel/ACT street clutch combo that has less than 8k on it.

 

Did Any one of our wagon driving brethren get in an accident on 480 west today around 5:45? I saw a 5+ car fender bender and there was some poor bloke in a Legacy Wagon, looked modified, picking up the rear...

[TSiWRX]

Oh man. Sorry to hear - hope you and any passengers were OK.

[westy66]

sorry bro.... wish you good luck. we all know how you feel. i would have had a meltdown on the side of the freeway!!

 

check my other thread for a possible local GTG later this Summer

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90909

[crunchymac187]

Black 2.5i seen often in Lakewood Hospital

[jeguzik]

Dude sorry to hear, she looked pretty with those rims. It is a nice combo. Make sure to hit her insurance company up for depreciable value compensation in the event you get your car back. As it will be worth less to a respective buyer, and her insurance company needs to make you whole again. None the less, it is just plastic and metal, so we are glad to hear you are alright.

 

 

That poor bloke was me. I was rear ended by a cell phone distracted woman during the 480 rush-hour commute. She managed to cause a 5 car accident, and over 10,000 in damage to my 05 LGT MT wagon. The shop is still revising the estimates, so it might get close to a total loss. I'll know more this week, but they are guessing it won't be fixed until the 2nd week of July.

 

BTW, the car is stock except for a set of 18" Rota Tarmac 3 in sports bronze, and 06 WRX flywheel/ACT street clutch combo that has less than 8k on it.