Andy Forrest & Ecutek messages

[R4WLV]

Emailed the above yesterday regarding replacing my centre pipe on the WRX-S.

I'm not interested in power at the mo. Just want a bit more noise. My question was, could I fit a straight through centre (sticking at 2.5") basically just no resonator, and a Cosworth panel filter, without having to remap. Mine is already 252bhp as standard, so a map wouldn't really gain me anything, and for the cost including the initial licence fee. It's just not worth it.

Ecutek say that I wouldn't get much if any power increase (I know this already) but stated that "the boost can go up by changing the centre pipe which is unsafe"

Andy said this may be the case but as I still have the factory down pipe and cat in place I would probably be fine.

Just to be cheeky I replied to Ecutek, (as on their website they claim responsibility for the Prodrive map on the WRX-S) my question was, because the Wrx-s in effect has an Ecutek map from standard would I not have to pay the initial licence fee? Lol

Nice try but basically no!

[R4WLV]

Anyone know whether an sti centre pipe would be a better option?

Pretty sure they're a direct fitment, just the resonator is a lot smaller on the sti, think it's shaped more like a cat than the huge resonator box on mine.

[stants]

If the cats are still in place I wouldn't think it would be an issue,it would only be if you changed the cats out and put a filter on, so it would breath and expell air out faster

[R4WLV]

I was just planning on a Cosworth panel filter

[Gambit]

As Stants said just a filter will be fine the cats will bring up ECU light if removed until they're mapped out :) 

[Rick 2014]

Both my cats are gone and I have no lights lol

[stants]

Different for us mate, we only have the one 02 sensor upstream, new age have two one up and one down, plus the pre cat in up pipe. was told if you change the filter or decat you'll be fine but if you do Both then you get problems with afr and can run into some serious problems

[R4WLV]

Not planning on decat, but if that is true for the centre section too, I may as well just go for the cossie filter £34.50 and stick at that for now

[JusNoGood]

I have a 2.0 blob. I replaced with Pipercross filter and just replaced the back box (to get more noise) and a remap got from standard 225 to 272.

Quite surprised you think you won't make more with a filter and remap

[Jay762]

Ecutek say that I wouldn't get much if any power increase (I know this already) but stated that "the boost can go up by changing the centre pipe which is unsafe"

 

 

struggling to understand how the boost may go up unless the existing pipe is stopping the turbo spooling up to its proper operating rpm by some sort of back pressure??

 

with a correctly operating wastegate and boost level set by the ECU increased boost by changing this section of pipe should not be an issue, sounds like someone covering themselves

[Rick 2014]

From what I understand airfilters don't give power .There has been loads of tests done and it just give induction roar and something like 1 bhp gain.

[Rick 2014]

Different for us mate, we only have the one 02 sensor upstream, new age have two one up and one down, plus the pre cat in up pipe. was told if you change the filter or decat you'll be fine but if you do Both then you get problems with afr and can run into some serious problems

Im glad we have only one sensor.And for future reference if your lambda does go again the lexus is200 share the same sensor same connection.I stumbled across this when building my mates lexus is200 turbo engine up and I tried it.

[JusNoGood]

From what I understand airfilters don't give power .There has been loads of tests done and it just give induction roar and something like 1 bhp gain.

That's true but does help engine breath especially if you're going for a remap.

[R4WLV]

Quite surprised you think you won't make more with a filter and remap

Problem is mine is the wrx-s which comes standard remapped to 251bhp (from the standard wrx 226) with prodrive back box included. So the remap may not give any more than the map already? Ecutek quote 260ish so that'd be 9bhp for me.

I suppose it was still mapped with emissions in mind, I may get 15-20bhp from a filter & map.

[JusNoGood]

Yea, and mapped to VPower too if you use that.

Just can't believe a 2ltr will make more than a 2.5

[R4WLV]

The older prodrives were 260 odd bhp I think, and the hatches get equal length headers which are meant to give more power than unequal, but I'm beginning to doubt this fact and you also lose the classic boxer sound with the equal length headers too!

[stants]

By all accounts up to 15 hp with equal length headers.

There's a back to back dyno comparison that a US site did to see what the benefits were. I'll see if I can find it again as was interesting read

[R4WLV]

Don't know where the weakness on this model is then, maybe a map would see me some good gains after all.

[stants]

Maybe it's just the engine, How many miles has it done ? Nick was saying the guy that was mapping his said it took to the mods really well and extra power was easily extracted

[R4WLV]

Oh right, I don't really know anything about them lol. Only had it 7 weeks.

It's done 26k miles.

[JusNoGood]

Problem is mine is the wrx-s which comes standard remapped to 251bhp (from the standard wrx 226) with prodrive back box included. So the remap may not give any more than the map already? Ecutek quote 260ish so that'd be 9bhp for me.

I suppose it was still mapped with emissions in mind, I may get 15-20bhp from a filter & map.

 

The WRX-S will still only have a tweaked map that was the same on all the mass produced WRX-S's ( One that needs to cope with all conditions and types of fuel ).  So I'd expect a remap specific to your car to bring out the best in it. 

 

I don't have any experience of remapping a WRX-S...it's just I can't believe you can't make more BHP than my 2ltr car :)

 

Also, not sure how safe it is to tinker with a 2.5 either with all the stories I've read of standard cars giving up the ghost after 30k miles 

[R4WLV]

Thanks for that! That makes me feel a whole lot better (not) lol

[stants]

The issues can be addressed with a remap mate, a few had Ringland failure and we're recalled by subaru. If yours has a prodrive map I wouldn't worry as it was incorporated in the package

[JusNoGood]

I wasn't intending to pass you off...I just wanted to point out you shouldn't just listen to any old muppet (me) on the internet you should ask the expert mappers :) I don't want to be held responsible ;)