Nutts

Hi guys, i've got a 97 wrx wagon,luv the car and that model so don't really want a later version sti right now even though i would get the power i want so can anyone tell me if and how to go about getting this much power out of a 97 model. Do i need an engine rebulid or different ecu or both,and if it is possible can anyone recommend somewhere southeast that would do the work?

Cheers chaps

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Easily see 300bhp+, as long as you are prepared to have a different:

turbo
injectors
fuel pump
intercooler (although it is possible without changing, I'm not sure how safe it would be)
ECU and mapping

You can probably get away with same internals, although there will eventually be an impact on your clutch, gearbox and you may find the brakes unable to do their properly.

I've seen MY96, MY97, MY98, MY99 and MY00 UK (similar to the WRX engine, depending on model year) cars pushing out over 300bhp on standard internals.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I would recommend the following:

Injectors (currently 380cc) change them for either 440cc or 500cc
Walboro fuel pump
Ideally a front mounted intercooler (Group buys on the Hybrid (sp?) ones seem very well priced)
ECU and mapping - At the cheaper end of the scale look at either a Link (mapped by BR Developments based in Swindon) or a Power FC (mapped by Andy F based in Scotland or you pay travelling expenses)

I won't mention turbos as there are so many options, depending on whether you want big figures, low end power, lag, etc. The various options have been discussed several times here.

Nutts

cheers Andy,thats more than i knew before,don't mind spending a few quid as long gets me there car is reliable. Would do brake conversion as part of upgrade anyway.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I highly recommend the AP Racing kit for brakes!

I ran my old car with the 330mm 6-pots and they were fantastic, if not too good!!! After having them fitted I was braking as I normally would for traffic lights and stopped about 3 metres before the line!!

Nutts

Nice one,AP is exactly wot i wanted. Wot do BR do,just the mapping or could they do the whole job. Don't mean to be thick but only heard the name before not sure wot they do.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

BR Developments will supply, fit and map the ECU for you. Worth calling them up if you are after something specific.

There are numerous garages who can under take the work including, TSL Motorsport, Roger Clark Motorsport, Rivetts, Xtreme Scoobies, Power Engineering, Barretts Motorsport, some Subaru dealers, etc, etc. (they are dotted all over the place!!)

I have not used any of these garages for this sort of work, so I really can't comment. It is just to give you an idea of some of the garages to call.

Worth calling up a few garages to give you a rough idea on fitting the above kit. Have a look through some of the recommendations in 'Dealers & Third Party', I'm sure that will give you some idea, but remember to extend the time period of threads to go back a bit more than the last week.

Also it normally works out cheaper to get hold of some of these bits through the 'For Sale ads' here, as well as the 'Group Buy' forum.

As a side issue, it's worth going to the local meets to get an idea of what sort of mods, tuners, etc.

If you are in the South East, 1st Sunday of the month is the West Sussex meet, 2nd Sunday of the month is the Surrey meet. There are also regular Kent, East Sussex and Essex meets! Loads of cars, various levels of modifications and tuning, all with different recommendations on the above!

Good luck!

RLE

iTrader: (2)

Hi mate,

Currently running just over 300 bhp on a UK97. Jap Innovations did all my work. Running same intercooler and injectors and internals although as Andy says clutch had to replaced and I'm on the look out for a WRX gearbox (although mines not shot YET).

Run this very reliably for six months with no issues-however had to run Millers NF booster. Now going for a map on the 11.11 just to get the best out of everything.

Spec:

TD05 turbo
Full decat
Scoobysport back box
HKS EVC 5 boost controller
Lightened pulleys
Powertec Induction kit
Uprated fuel pump
Samco Hoses
HKS FCD

Invested in a knocklink to keep my eyes on things and soon the Apexi PCF should be on.

Expect to see a few more bhp (rolling road 26.11.04) but I think thats as far as I can go with the current oem intercooler.

Good luck