i have a 97 turbo 2000 uk which has a 3 plug ecu, ive seen sti ecu's which are also 3 plug, does this mean i can do a straight swap with an sti ecu for mine to upgrade? will it work as a straight replacement being same 3 plug and make my impreza run as an sti or is there more to it then just plug in and go?

 

dont do it mate.i also have a 97 uk scooby and looked into this when i got it a few months ago.i've even found someone selling a wagon on ebay stating they have fitted an sti ecu giving it better performance and economy but they dont work on 97-98 uk cars.been told that for a start the sti ecu revs to 8k when uk cars go to 6k and also the fuelling etc will be miles off as different injectors etc...
got to save for simtec set-up like i am then its off to alan jefferies.

 

ah ok mate cheers for letting me know i would of wasted my money or damaged the engine... so i just need to get my ecu re-mapped then!!! whats the best cheap re-map youve found im just looking to go to around 300bhp, i already have 2.5" decat exhaust blitz mesh induction kit blitz dump valve and sti intercooler, from standard turbo 2000 uk 208bhp i estimate mines about 225-230bhp at the moment got a manual boost controller coming this week to as heard they can boost higher than electronic ones plus dont fancy spending £400 on electronic one to.

 

Not a good idea, swapping your Uk for a STI ecu will only cause problems. For 97 Cars you have ESL, Apexi power FC, Simtek ECU's to name a few. Also not a good idea to fit a manual boost controller. It’s best to pay that much more to have things set up correctly; it often saves you more in the long run.

You also won’t see 300 on your current turbo and injectors; 270-280 is more realistic.

Fitting a Power FC or ESL board will be your best option.

 

ok cheers, what sort of problems would swapping ecu cause? ecu re-map to 280bhp would be fine thats good enough, so i will have to uprate the injectors and the turbo to get up to 300bhp or above? whats wrong with a manual boost controller? its just a screw adjust ball and spring valve so i can run it low or higher and apparently stops boost waste.