hi to all on scoobynet,
after much argueing with the wife i went and bought a 2000 forester s turbo today (i had my heart set on a impreza wagon hence the arguments) im quite happy with it but would like to do sensilble mods to it intercooler exhaust filters etc cant seem to find much advice on where to start so i was hoping you guys could help ,
thanks darren

 

bump

 

get it remapped first

 

Basically as per wagon although I've heard that Foresters are a bit more difficult to tune

Anyway - sti panel filter best - no need for induction cone until 400+- decat downpipe (H&S, Miltek?) and back, and no need for FMIC again until 400+, but you can get bigger TMIC to fit. Probably best to remap as well if you decat and change intercooler as you will make it breathe a lot more = lean running - ecutek, simtek would be fine. Bob Rawle is the main man imho for mapping and also will know exact answers to these questions and is very helpful ( rbr@brdevelopments.com ). He's based near Swindon but there are plenty of other people out there as well if that location doesn't suit you with good reps ( and some with crap reps...)

 

Get yourself over to Europe - Subaru Forester Owners Forum for the best advice, the forester runs differnt cams and turbo to impreza's so the same tuning advice doesn't apply.

I'm running about 210bhp (up from 168) with no remap and simple mechanical mods.....

No point touching the filter, on a 2000 its worth doing the exhaust at least, but the first power mod is to check the recirc valve isn't leaking (common problem - unique to 99/00 Foz) restricting you to about 0.3bar boost, fixing its cheap (almost free) so don't panic. You'll also want to address the suspension (Impreza rear ARB is the first mod so again cheap) and brakes (that's a heavy car to stop) as well.

Simon

 

thanks everyone
just wondered simon how to check the re circ valve for leaks ?
also i have seen some people upgrading turbos to td04 and td05 is this advisble or should i stick to a remap air filter and exhaust ??
thanks
darren

 

Not to discourage you from here but the Forrester Owner Club has specific information for Forresters. For instance the FMIC for your vehicle is different to that for a WRX/STi.
First place regardless of Forrester or WRX/STi is a complete decat exhaust. Second on the list would be ported headers and matched uppipe. The Subaru pannel filter is OK with the standard air box for now and changing it will not add any power. You can run with these mods but to get the best from them arrange a remap with Bob Rawle who does a lot of Forresters.
Your turbo is fast spooling and good for something more than 280 bhp or thereabouts and I suggest you go in that direction and reconsider your plans before looking at changing to a bigger turbo that is never going to spool as well.
If you are going for a bigger turbo you embark on a lot of expense because you need not only the turbo but injectors and an FMIC to run over 300 bhp. However the above mods hold you in good stead.

 

I should have said, fit a boost guage, it is a most useful addition and for £60 for an accurate guage and small pod, a really worthwhile addition.

 

To correct Harvey, the s-turbo MHI TF035 is only good for about 230bhp, even with a TD04 its 260-280 (with lots of mods) due to the less aggresive Forester cams, on a 99/00MY its not really worth decatting the exhaust as the (4cm2) turbine housing is the most restrictive part of the exhaust by a long way, an 01-> TF035 larger turbine housing is a good upgrade or jump to a TD04, TD05 isn't a good match with the Forester engine, next step up from the TD04 tends to be the VF35.

Recirc valve, get a boost gusge on it as Harvey says, I use a cheapy Tim one bluetacked to the dash when I need to watch boost, stock boost should be 0.5bar to 0.55bar, this will usually be 0.3bar if the valve is leaking.

Simon

 

Thanks for the correction. I did not realise the car had a TF035 but should have done as we have actually fitted a TD04 as an upgrade in the past.
Just shows that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

 

thanks for all your replies
i have now joined the forester owners club so look for advice on there as well .
ordered a boost gauge today so can start with the basics and go from there
again thanks to everyone

 

Dazz, see you over there!

No probs Harvey, you know your Impreza's, but as Forester's are rarer, no-one expectes you to know everything!

Simon