Anybody with AccessPort or STi pinks willing to show off their car?

[slomatt]

I'm thinking of upgrading from my '02 WRX to a Legacy and am trying to determine how it will perform relative to my current car which has Prodrive springs, upgrade brake pads/lines/fluid and a Stage 2 AccessPort.

 

Last weekend I test drove a STi and also a 5spd legacy GT. The STi obviously has much tighter handling and more responsive power, but the price is high and it's too close to my current car. The Legacy has a much nicer interior, is more comfortable, quieter, and has more room. But, from test driving it I was a bit dissapointed with the spongy brakes, soft suspension, and turbo lag. I should say that overall I as very impressed with the LGT, the above are issues I also had with the WRX when I first bought it.

 

If I do move forward with the LGT I would consider minor upgrades such as I made to my current car.

 

My question is, is there anybody in the Bay Area who has upgraded their springs and/or re-flashed their LGT and would be willing to show off their car some evening? In particular I am very interested in evaluating the JDM STi pinks and AccessPort Stage 1 or 2.

 

Thanks.

 

- Matt

[emlevins]

Many of us have come from a WRX. Many of us have also driven an STi (I just did on Saturday) so we know of what you speak . If you do a search on the questions you have, you'll find many threads discussing how these things can be improved. Many of us have replaced tires, rear sway bar, and have upgraded pads and lines (the latter is my next upgrade...especially after driving that STi ). Lots of folks have the AP and have done suspension work.

 

What is perplexing to me is your comment about turbo lag. I understand the spongy brakes and soft suspension as those are things I noticed coming from a WRX and am working to improve on. But turbo lag? Did you drive the manual or automatic? One of the things I was very impressed with in the 5MT LGT as compared to my WRX was the virtual ABSENCE of turbo lag (OK, there is a little) but NOTHING like the 02 WRX I owned.

 

I understand that turbo lag is a bit more apparent in the automatic than in the manual LGT.

 

Anyway, I'll let other folks weigh in here. I can tell you that tires and a rear sway bar firm things up a bit but I am looking for a tighter suspension as well.

 

Hopefully, you can find someone near you who has the mods you are interested in and who will let you take a spin so you can make an informed choice.

 

Cheers,

[inthedeck]

Well, good luck with your quest. I know what you mean, and good luck getting a ride.

[slomatt]

emlevins,

 

Thank you for the reply. I probably should have been a bit more specific in my post but wanted to keep it somewhat brief. I was identifying aspects of the car's performance that I would like to upgrade (based on my test drive) and I've done a large amount of research to determine which parts I would use to make these changes.

 

Suspension:

 

- swap over my 17" rims and 225/45 ES100s from the WRX (same 5/100 bolt pattern as the LGT)

- 20mm JDM rear bar,

- JDM STi pink springs. In the future I would consider adding the JDM GT or Spec-b struts.

 

Brakes:

 

- upgraded pads (Axiis Ultimates if they are out yet)

- stainless lines

- fluid

 

Shifter:

 

- Kartboy shifter and bushings (have these in the WRX, very nice)

- possibly the STi tranny mount

 

Engine:

 

- AccessPort Stage 1

- I can modify my Helix catted downpipe to fit the LGT for Stage 2, but would wait on this.

 

Most of these mods are inline with what I've done and been happy with on my WRX.

 

My question was, before I buy a LGT and start down this path I wanted to see if I could evaluate these mods (specifically the springs and AccessPort) on someones car to see if they truly do address some of the few shortcomings I perceive in the LGT. I've read the positive reviews, but would like to experience the changes first hand.

 

As for the turbo lag. I've driven both the 5spd and auto LGT and both exhibited turbo lag below ~3k, which is to be expected in a turbo car. By comparison, the STi was much less laggy and had a much more abrupt and immediate throttle response. According to Trey@Cobb the LGT has a small throttle delay programmed into the ECU. I'm interested in determining if the AccessPort removes this delay and makes the LGT's throttle more like the Sti's, or if the difference between the two is instead caused by a difference in the engine. Perhaps the Sti's different intercooler, manifold, sodium filled valves, turbo, etc... cause the difference and it can't be cured by a re-flash.

 

- Matt

[slomatt]

Ok, big "derrr" for me. I forgot to put my location in my profile which doesn't help.

 

As my initial post states I'm in the Bay Area, San Francisco specifically.

 

Thanks.

 

- Matt

[emlevins]

As for the turbo lag. I've driven both the 5spd and auto LGT and both exhibited turbo lag below ~3k, which is to be expected in a turbo car. By comparison, the STi was much less laggy and had a much more abrupt and immediate throttle response. According to Trey@Cobb the LGT has a small throttle delay programmed into the ECU. I'm interested in determining if the AccessPort removes this delay and makes the LGT's throttle more like the Sti's, or if the difference between the two is instead caused by a difference in the engine. Perhaps the Sti's different intercooler, manifold, sodium filled valves, turbo, etc... cause the difference and it can't be cured by a re-flash.

 

- Matt

 

Matt - I have not seen any comments from anyone with an AP that has indicated that the turbo lag below 3K is reduced or eliminated - but I do not yet have an AP and can not comment from personal experience. I know Cobb has posted dyno graphs on their site for both Stage 1 and 2. If you haven't seen them, they are here: http://cobbtuning.com/legacy/power-s.html#stage1

 

Good luck with your info gathering and decision making.

[funkdoc]

Matt- I have a stage 2 Gruppe-S Ecutek tuned with tmic. I am in San Jo if you want a ride. You will likey likey!! Definitely a nice change from my old catless Stage 4 WRX.

[slomatt]

funkdoc,

 

Sounds excellent, are you going to the Mt. Hamilton meet this weekend by any chance? I noticed you don't have your email/pm listed on the site, please drop me a pm when you have a minute, thanks!

 

emlevins,

 

Thank you for the link. I've been evaluating Cobb's dyno plots for a while looking at the differences between the stage 2 WRX and the stage 1 LGT. They put out the same hp, but the LGT has much more torque. Since Trey has a LGT as his daily driver I'm hoping he has dialed out the throttle delay in his maps.

 

- Matt