Chris_Kokopelli

Hi Guys n girls,

I have just purchased my very first Scooby. Its a V reg UK 2000 AWD turbo model with 59,000 miles one owner and full subaru history.At the moment it is completely standard however not or long!! I have around £2000 to play with and I am looking for some advice on the best products to spend it on.

I am looking to improve the performance first and I am planing to purchase an exhaust and filter straight away, are there any recomendations on which go best together, also how much benefit is there from changing the down pipe for an aftermarket pipe?

I have also read on here that adding an after market induction kit can cause major problems to the MFP because it is weak and breaks easily. Can this sensor be changed for an aftermarket one?

I was also planning on having a knock link fitted, is this beneficial? Are there any other mods which can help ensure the reliability of the car which I should consider?

What other mods do you guys recomend within my price range and as I am not mechanically minded who are the best people to do the work in the North West?

Any advice would be much appreciated?

Cheers

scooby L

Break disk/caliper upgrade
PPP it or Ecutek remap with faster flowing exhaust system
Knocklink if your are re-mapping (piece of mind)
Boost gauge if you are re-mapping
Induction Kit....dunno... I would use a quality panel filter (STI or Green) and stick with that.

Chris_Kokopelli

Thanks, for that Does anybody know where I can I get it remaped in the North West?

Graz

Good choice

Didn't take long for the modding bug to bite then For that sort of money you can get at least Prodrive Performance Pack (PPP) type performance, probably more with the use of aftermarket parts, ECUTEK mapping etc.

Pretty much what everyone does. Exhausts are very much down to personal choice, the performance differences between the various stainless steel options are fairly marginal with perhaps one or two exceptions. If this is the start of your modding and you plan to take things further later then perhaps a 3" system is worth considering. Most of the popular systems are however 2.5" (e.g. Hayward & Scott, Scoobysport, ScoobyWorld etc.) and this is adequate for most people. Changing the downpipe is the most crucial part of the exhaust system in terms of power gains as this is the greatest restriction, aside from the turbo itself, due to the large cat in it. You will have to decide if you want to run full de-cat, with the hassle of putting the centre cat back on for each MoT, or get a sports cat.

Regarding panel filters the STI one is popular as it seems to flow well, good for 300bhp+ and MAF sensor friendly. Unfortunately due to the weak MAF sensor on MY99-00 models (may be worth changing yours for peace of mind) induction kits are not a good idea. There are other considerations as well in that an induction kit should suitable ducted to a cold air source, drawing in warm air from the engine bay isn't especially desirable.

There aren't any aftermarket MAF sensors that I know of. The only realistic option is to run an engine management system that doesn't use it e.g. Link. That's an expensive option. Personally I don't think the marginal gains to be had from induction kits are really worth it on a forced induction car due to all the hassle involved. It's only really a requirement for big BHP builds.

I would consider a KnockLink essential before any major mods to the car, it give instant warning of any engine destroying detonation that may be occuring allowing you to get off the throttle before any major damage is done. You should also ideally have a boost guage, Air/Fuel Ratio Meter, and optionally oil temp and pressure.

Once you have the exhaust and panel filter an ECUTEK remap is worthwhile, many say it is the icing on the cake in terms of driveability, power and torque.

Of course gains in driveability can also be had from uprated suspension and brakes. Even something as simple as full geometry setup to Prodrive spec. and bumpsteer mod. can make a huge difference to the way the car handles.

So in terms of a power hike:- Knocklink, AFR guage, boost guage, full decat exhaust, STI panel filter, ECUTEK remap. Should leave a few £ out of £2000. But as mentioned also consider, brakes, suspension etc.

HTH

Graz

Chris_Kokopelli

Cheers Graz, your advice is much appreciated! Does anyone know how much a PPP or Ecotek remap will be?

Graz

AFAIK an ECUTEK map will set you back somewhere the the region of £550 - £600. There was a group buy going on for BR Developments ECUTEK re-maps on a while back, worth keeping an eye out as these pop up from time to time and save a few £.

Wuss

I think you are probably better off with a full decat and a custom ECUTek remap on a car of that age. One of the best reasons for opting for a PPP upgrade was that it left your warranty intact. I am assuming your car no longer has a warranty, so I probably wouldn't bother with the PPP.

I have an MY00+PPP which is great, but if my MY00 was completely standard now, and I was upgrading, I would get a full decat and custom ECUTek remap. It is also worth mentioning that the brakes really are quite crap and you could do with some sort of brake upgrade. I didn't bother and I have almost totaled the car on a couple of occasions due to (a) my crap driving and (b) the crap brakes!!

Good luck.

Mark.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Good advice above, except the bit about the standard brakes: Subaru 4pots are perfectly good, if a little heavy, what you might like to upgrade are the pads (the weak link), hoses and fluids for normal fast road use. If you plan on going on trackday, grooved discs may also be beneficial.

All the best.

Wuss

Good point! I agree completely, I just couldn't be bothered to go into it in so much detail...!

Mark.