wrighty338

iTrader: (33)

what are the differences between say a normal uk turbo engine & and an sti red top apart from it been 'blueprinted' & whats this mean?

can anyone shed the light as to why these engines are so much better and produce more power - do they have different internals?

how much power can you get from one?

just engines, not talking gearbox's!

T4YLOR 83

iTrader: (2)

for a start sti's have forged pistons and conrods and are map'd for more power as they can easily handle this. as far as being bluprinted i dont think they are (correct me if im wrong)

M535I

i believe the st's have better heads aswell that flow better and produce moe power , but its the maps that make the biggest diffence a nomal wrx will match a std sti by changing the map and one or two things.

rbaz

iTrader: (1)

STIs have forged pistons (think the rods and crank are the same) blueprinted What is Engine Blueprinting - CJS Racing South West, different heads and cams, Turbo, intercooler bigger injectors (later WRX had these too) and a different ECU/mapping.

wrighty338

iTrader: (33)

They are very re-defined then compared to a stock wrx

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

the earlier sti's were allegedly blueprinted but I imagine as technology improved along with materials and processes etc that the blueprinting stopped.

The main differences are the heads and cam profiles along with different engine maps to match these changes. You can map a wrx to the same level as an sti, but on a like for like basis the sti will still theoretically be more reliable and probably still faster.

Beware of engines being sold as STI red tops as it is just the inlet thats painted red so you get quite a few wrx's with the red inlet manifold being passed of as sti's

wrighty338

iTrader: (33)

if i were to purchase one how would i tell it was an STI item? any stamps etc?

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

in all honesty it would be a case of probably stripping it down. You may be able to tell what heads are in there by removing the rocker cover

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

On the passenger side front suspension turret should be the VIN plate. The 7-digit 'Applied model' code should have an 'E' (regular STi) or 'D' (STi Type RA or R) as the 6th character (2nd from the end). If it's an '8' or '7' then it's not an STi. See here for a full breakdown of model codes and what they mean, etc... Which Car is a WRX STi

Of course, this info may be no good to you if you happen upon a cut 'n' shut/ringed car though