Fast Hatch to Mega Fast Hatch enginetuner style!!
#63
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
A few updates.
As we all know being a perfectionist can be a costly trait where cars are concerned.
I knew when i picked the car up from Jay that there were a few rough edges i wanted to hone.
To date I have done the following in no particular order..
Number plate - DONE
Boot mat - DONE
Floor Mats - DONE
Hand brake / gear gaiters -DONE
Rear Brakes -DONE
Wheel alignment -DONE
New wipers - DONE
Clear rear fog - DONE
Stereo - DONE
Zunsport Grills - DONE
Front ARB Bushes - DONE
Clutch (CC Stage2) - DONE
Oil Cooler - Done
Catch Can / Breather Setup - DONE
Remap (inc immobilizer CAL) - DONE
Slightly Softer Dampers (BC) - DONE
So some minor things, some major.
Let's look at a few of them.
Oil Cooler.
The engine had a tendency to build a bit of oil temp so oil cooler was the obvious answer, space is tight with Perrin FMIC bein present but RCM cooler was squeezed in. Temps are now under much better control.
Remap....
I'd always felt the engine was not running quite optimally, power delivery was not as smooth as i would like and while it made good power i suspected there was an improvement possible.
Enter Paul Blamire who has done an amazing job of the mapping.
On the road the power delivery is smoother, it's quieter, more responsive, eager to rev and it makes more power !!
Before the mapping it was pumping out 517bhp on RCM rollers targeting 2.0 bar.
Now it clears 538bhp with a boost target of 1.9 bar.
As requested Paul has added an immobilizing cal and has added a cal for 95 ron if the usual diet of vpower is not available.
Other than that there are cal for 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9 bar.
This work has made a big difference.
Suspension...
The AST units fitted to the car as part of the T20 package from Litchfield are great on tracks and smooth roads, however round my way the roads were not good enough for them at least IMHO. The AST's are now for sale and cleaned up like new.
BC units have been fitted in replacement along with new front ARB bushes and fast road alignment setup.
This work has transformed the handling and now the car instills the kind of confidence that an AWD Impreza should. It really is a night and day change from the previous setup.
Also, for some reason the car had rear ARB bushes fitted to the front, theses were binned and the correct ones fitted.
Engine Breather....
I'd noticed some ingress of fumes into the cabin .
Further inspection showed a breather hose venting to atmosphere in the bay and also a fuel tank breather VTA in the bay. Not a great combo.
In the end all the breather hoses were stripped out and a simpler yet more effective setup was put in place. No more fumes a lot less pipes and peace of mind that I'm not getting poisoned by the car
A selection of hoses removed.
The net result of all this is that the car is now on another level altogether.
It has refinement and poise to go with the speed and in fact it goes even faster too.
I chose to entrust all this to RCM and am very glad i did. The attention to detail, the sheer desire to ensure i was 100% happy with the car was a breath of fresh air, as was the way i was kept informed with regular mails and photos i honestly can't imagine taking the car anywhere else now.
As we all know being a perfectionist can be a costly trait where cars are concerned.
I knew when i picked the car up from Jay that there were a few rough edges i wanted to hone.
To date I have done the following in no particular order..
Number plate - DONE
Boot mat - DONE
Floor Mats - DONE
Hand brake / gear gaiters -DONE
Rear Brakes -DONE
Wheel alignment -DONE
New wipers - DONE
Clear rear fog - DONE
Stereo - DONE
Zunsport Grills - DONE
Front ARB Bushes - DONE
Clutch (CC Stage2) - DONE
Oil Cooler - Done
Catch Can / Breather Setup - DONE
Remap (inc immobilizer CAL) - DONE
Slightly Softer Dampers (BC) - DONE
So some minor things, some major.
Let's look at a few of them.
Oil Cooler.
The engine had a tendency to build a bit of oil temp so oil cooler was the obvious answer, space is tight with Perrin FMIC bein present but RCM cooler was squeezed in. Temps are now under much better control.
Remap....
I'd always felt the engine was not running quite optimally, power delivery was not as smooth as i would like and while it made good power i suspected there was an improvement possible.
Enter Paul Blamire who has done an amazing job of the mapping.
On the road the power delivery is smoother, it's quieter, more responsive, eager to rev and it makes more power !!
Before the mapping it was pumping out 517bhp on RCM rollers targeting 2.0 bar.
Now it clears 538bhp with a boost target of 1.9 bar.
As requested Paul has added an immobilizing cal and has added a cal for 95 ron if the usual diet of vpower is not available.
Other than that there are cal for 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9 bar.
This work has made a big difference.
Suspension...
The AST units fitted to the car as part of the T20 package from Litchfield are great on tracks and smooth roads, however round my way the roads were not good enough for them at least IMHO. The AST's are now for sale and cleaned up like new.
BC units have been fitted in replacement along with new front ARB bushes and fast road alignment setup.
This work has transformed the handling and now the car instills the kind of confidence that an AWD Impreza should. It really is a night and day change from the previous setup.
Also, for some reason the car had rear ARB bushes fitted to the front, theses were binned and the correct ones fitted.
Engine Breather....
I'd noticed some ingress of fumes into the cabin .
Further inspection showed a breather hose venting to atmosphere in the bay and also a fuel tank breather VTA in the bay. Not a great combo.
In the end all the breather hoses were stripped out and a simpler yet more effective setup was put in place. No more fumes a lot less pipes and peace of mind that I'm not getting poisoned by the car
A selection of hoses removed.
The net result of all this is that the car is now on another level altogether.
It has refinement and poise to go with the speed and in fact it goes even faster too.
I chose to entrust all this to RCM and am very glad i did. The attention to detail, the sheer desire to ensure i was 100% happy with the car was a breath of fresh air, as was the way i was kept informed with regular mails and photos i honestly can't imagine taking the car anywhere else now.
Last edited by matt-c; 17 April 2020 at 04:35 PM.
#65
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
As i mentioned it recently made 517 at RCM and now 538, at 1.9 instead of 2.0. The setup was struggling to maintain 2.0 causing boost instability.
Bum dyno says it's faster now and for me that's all that matters.
Even if it had lost 25hp (which i'm sure it hasn't) it would be worth it to have it running so much better.
Last edited by matt-c; 21 December 2014 at 04:19 PM.
#67
The car has gained about 21hp when comparing before and after figures on the same dyno on the same day whilst using 0.05bar less boost to do it. That's why it doesn't feel like it's lost any power!
Last edited by Pavlo; 31 December 2014 at 01:42 PM.
#76
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
Fuel
So i wasnt really happy with the way the fuel system was plumbed in.
Looked a bit like a disaster waiting to happen.
Perished hose from swirl pot
Replaced and proper fittings exiting Bosch secondary pump
All fuel rail unions replaced with goodridge fittings
This was purely for safety because i was not confident with the push on fittings that were used previously.
Looked a bit like a disaster waiting to happen.
Perished hose from swirl pot
Replaced and proper fittings exiting Bosch secondary pump
All fuel rail unions replaced with goodridge fittings
This was purely for safety because i was not confident with the push on fittings that were used previously.
Last edited by matt-c; 17 April 2020 at 03:34 PM.
#77
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
Quick update to keep this thread current to the state of the car.
ARB's adjusted today.
Now 20mm front (standard subaru bar)
And 21mm Whiteline at the rear
Down from the 22mm all round setup.
New configuration allows the BC's to do their job much better. For me this is a road car or be it a very fast one and the softer bars are a nicer setup, large reduction in harshness over our bumpy roads.
That was the last mechanical job i had in mind for the car.
Other items if / when funds become available.
1) Re finish steering wheel
2) Speedline Turini's in anthricite
3) Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres
4) Black vinyl wrap on the roof or bonnet
But for now it's point at a corner and enjoy.
Even had 26.5 MPG on the last tank due to motorway driving.
ARB's adjusted today.
Now 20mm front (standard subaru bar)
And 21mm Whiteline at the rear
Down from the 22mm all round setup.
New configuration allows the BC's to do their job much better. For me this is a road car or be it a very fast one and the softer bars are a nicer setup, large reduction in harshness over our bumpy roads.
That was the last mechanical job i had in mind for the car.
Other items if / when funds become available.
1) Re finish steering wheel
2) Speedline Turini's in anthricite
3) Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres
4) Black vinyl wrap on the roof or bonnet
But for now it's point at a corner and enjoy.
Even had 26.5 MPG on the last tank due to motorway driving.
#80
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
Update to keep the thread current.
DAMD Flat bottom steering wheel has gone on (pics in the hatch thread)
Silent coat 3mm applied in boot area and under rear bench (recommended, and again pic in the hatch thread)
On order STI Flexi front strut brace, STI front cross member support.
Next I'm thinking about giving the interior some love. Headliner, Door Cards and Carpets would benefit from TLC and really lift the interior.
DAMD Flat bottom steering wheel has gone on (pics in the hatch thread)
Silent coat 3mm applied in boot area and under rear bench (recommended, and again pic in the hatch thread)
On order STI Flexi front strut brace, STI front cross member support.
Next I'm thinking about giving the interior some love. Headliner, Door Cards and Carpets would benefit from TLC and really lift the interior.
#83
Scooby Regular
It took the class win at the Snetterton round of the 22B sprint series so I'd say quite well
#88
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
Just wanted to bring this thread up to date.
Back in May DAMD wheel went on, really nice upgrade.
Also did some work adding Silent Coat into the car, slight weight penalty but nice improvements in NVH levels.
More recently Michelin PS4 tyres have been a revelation, STI centre decals also..
Roof and Spoiler were wrapped in Gloss Black
Black STI inserts were added
Seats had their stitching coloured in.
I wasn't happy with the black paint on centre console, so i finally did it again and went back to standard heavier gear ****.
Back in May DAMD wheel went on, really nice upgrade.
Also did some work adding Silent Coat into the car, slight weight penalty but nice improvements in NVH levels.
More recently Michelin PS4 tyres have been a revelation, STI centre decals also..
Roof and Spoiler were wrapped in Gloss Black
Black STI inserts were added
Seats had their stitching coloured in.
I wasn't happy with the black paint on centre console, so i finally did it again and went back to standard heavier gear ****.
#90
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
Of course the process of continual development is ongoing.
So the car is away at the moment, for fitting of the following parts.
STI R205 Suspension
STI Front Cross Member support
STI Front Strut Brace
The oft maligned BC coilovers, really are not that bad in my experience, particularly combined with a reasonably compliant tyre like the PS4.
Those BC units will be available for sale soon at a nice price, PM if interested.
However, mine and the wifes backs dictate a move to more OE setup.
The car's concept is more Rally than Race you could say.
So the car is away at the moment, for fitting of the following parts.
STI R205 Suspension
STI Front Cross Member support
STI Front Strut Brace
The oft maligned BC coilovers, really are not that bad in my experience, particularly combined with a reasonably compliant tyre like the PS4.
Those BC units will be available for sale soon at a nice price, PM if interested.
However, mine and the wifes backs dictate a move to more OE setup.
The car's concept is more Rally than Race you could say.
Last edited by matt-c; 01 September 2016 at 01:58 PM.