advice needed please
 

Hi guys i own a 96 2000 turbo and would like to start getting some modds to up the power but from what i can make out my standard ecu cant be remaped. So could i change it for a different one. I am a unsure what to do.

Welcome! How much power are you going to be aiming for?

You can add an esl board to your ecu which then allows mapping. Thats probably your best option

Im guessing you will prob be ok doing a cat back exhaust and filter before needing to remap your mate

Thanks for replys. I would like to get close to 300 bhp. Im glad i asked i always thought a remap would be needed if i had a decat. Is it a nightmare when it comes to m.o.t time

You will need to remap it if your going for 300bhp matey but source all your parts 1st then add them all on and remap it at the same time

That was thr plan as its off the road anyway.what would you recomend for reliable power

It would be useful to know exactly which model you have when you say 96 turbo 2000. Is the car an MY96 (pre facelift VIN code GC8C...) or a MY97 (post facelift VIN code GC8D...)? Makes a difference on what bits you might need and what would work best.

Its a pre facelift mate

OK, cool. That actually makes life a bit easier as the standard turbo (TD05-16g) fitted to your car is more than capable of producing 300bhp. A remap alone would get you 300bhp.

The turbo is capable of around 325-330, but there are a few things that will prevent you from making that much power: fuel system and intercooling. To get to this power safely, you would need to upgrade

- fuel pump
- injectors
- uprated top mount, or front mount intercooler
- MY97-MY00 map sensor (depending on remap options)

Those are probably your most cost effective option. To get much more than this gets expensive quickly as your gearbox, conrods and pistons would need upgrading.

Thanks for the help you have saved me a load of cash as i was going to buy a td05 lol. What injectors would be best also whats a map sensor?

Your car is fitted with 380cc injectors, good for around 290-300bhp. These were fitted to all MY92-MY96 cars (all pre-facelift cars, including STi v1 and v2).

The MY97-MY00 JDM cars were fitted with 440cc injectors, which are good for around 330-340bhp. These can be had fairly cheaply second hand, but be aware if you get phase 2 injectors (99-00) you will need an adaptor kit to make them fit.

If you want to support power above this level you'll need either aftermarket injectors or modified injectors. You can squeeze a bit more power out of the stock items with an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, but the reality is this gives only a small increase. Generally it is best just go for the right sized injectors.

The MAP sensor is the manifold pressure sensor. This measures and controls the boost. The sensor fitted to your car only reads to 1.2 bar, but your turbo is capable of generating around 1.35 bar in the mid range. To get best boost control and retain the overboost fuel cut (safety feature!) you ideally should get a higher reading map sensor. The sensor from the 97-00 cars reads up to 1.8 bar. Fitting one of these will allow the ECU to monitor and control the boost better. They are pretty reliable items and can be had for sensible money second hand. (Don't buy new from subaru - staggeringly expensive!)

The later model MAP sensor isn't a straight plug and play - the connector is different and the calibration in the ECU MUST be changed when it is fitted, hence this should only be fitted at the point of mapping. The wiring can be found with a search on scoobynet.

Thanks mate you have been a big help

Aside from the above, you may need to uprate your clutch, watch your gearbox due to the increase in torque (it probably will break), definately do something with the brakes and the suspension is 16 years old unless its been rebuilt/replaced.
Welcome to the world of tuning :D (its not a cheap road)

Tony:)

I'm glad Tony mentioned 16 years old.........how many miles has it done? What sort of service history, what's the rest of the engine like, any problems so far?

With a car that age and maybe high mileage, you may just be importing trouble modding it.

And if you think MODDING is expensive, try a rebuild.......:(

Its done 100,000 miles. I know i got to change thr suspension as it was leaking when i had it on the road. Its got ap racing 330mm brakes on the front. Not had any major trouble with it apart froma leak in the boot and drivers side front and rear carpet getting wet.
So will the clutch and gear box not handle about 300 bhp as that is what i would like to get.

First misconception: it's NOT power that kills a gearbox, it's torque.

As soon as you mod for more torque, you put the OE clutch and gearbox under strain.
Do you know when the car last had a new clutch? If ever? And if so, what was fitted?

The gearbox on your car is also a weak point, I would think that it might start causing (expensive) problems at 300ft lb.

While we're clearing up misconceptions... metal doesn't get particularly weaker with age. Assuming your car hasn't been abused (and a 2 yr old car can be abused just as much as a 16 yr old car) the gearbox is probably pretty much as strong as it was when it rolled out of the factory.

That said, the gearbox in your car is one of the weakest boxes to go into an impreza. I know of a few cars that are running the spec I described above; the life of the gearbox depends on how the car is driven. If it is just getting road use with the occasional work out, avoiding heavy launches, it will be fine. Cars I know running the higher spec described above which do a mix of road and track/competition work tend to kill gearboxes after about 10k miles or so. You can always replace the box then with a stronger TY754 gearbox from a later car.

As for the engine, again assuming not too much abuse, there is no reason why the pistons and con rods shouldn't be as strong as they were when they left the factory, and they are quite capable of handling the spec above. Of more concern is the big ends at that mileage - I've known subaru engines of that era to do 200k miles on the original components but those are cars I know for a fact spent most of their life on low boost. Assuming the car has been driven enthusiastically, it is likely your big ends will have worn to some extent. It is impossible to know how much life they have left but to be honest, 260 vs 300 vs 325 probably won't make much difference if the car is properly mapped and set up. When they go, they will go. Could be 5000 miles, could be 50000 miles.

As for the clutch, as your car has 100k miles on it, I doubt it is on the original clutch. How much power it takes at a given rpm depends on what is in there.

If your car is being remapped, you always have the option to pull back a little the max torque (mid range boost) a little to protect the gearbox or if the clutch is not coping during the mapping session. That's the beauty of a bespoke map :)