what ecu for more bhp ??

[mikewrxturbo]

hi guys im new to the subarus i have a 1996 classic wrx, its running around 320 bhp with basic mods like hks air filter dump valve and straight through exhaust. how can i get more bhp ? i got quoted 600 pound for a new ecu and a re map what gains would i get? and is this a good price? im in east sussex. i have seen apexi ecu,s on eBay for around 350 pound whats my best option ?.

thanks guys and girls.

[Gambit]

I can't see you getting much more with the ECU they might get it to 350. But I would check before going and spending the money 1st they should be able to tell you. £600 seems a lot to me but depends on what they are selling you. And again with going for the ECU on eBay you can only take it as far as your engine mods. So think if your looking at taking her over the 400BHP mark you will need to get some more mods under the hood too.

[Jay762]

As the ECU puts a specific amount of fuel in the chambers at specific time intervals in theory you could have a standard subaru unit remapped and have 1500 bhp churned out. Its the other mods that will give the most returns and the ECU should be remapped to ensure optimum running in conjunction with the mods.

 

You have a a good initial set of mods there and I would wager the ECU has already been remapped to suite.

 

Air in Exhaust out - done

 

next step would be more fuel in - uprated fuel pump and bigger injectors, high flow manifold - remap to suite

 

bigger bang equals more heat - not good sorted by bigger (possibly STI unit) or front mount intercooler

 

next could be bigger turbo but...

 

if you are going to run more boost you would need to look at ensuring the head can take it - thicker gasket to lower the compression ratio and uprate the bolts + oil pump

 

if you have the head apart you could look at stroker kits and forged pistons, lighter components reduce inertial mass and dont rob as much energy giving more bhp

 

you could transplant an EJ25 unit

 

taking weight out of the car and changing the power to weight ratio is a cheaper way of getting gains

 

what I would advise before starting on engine mods is to make sure the stuff you have is running at optimum, are the injectors and bores clean, fuel filter in good shape etc has the transmission fluid been changed recently with some quality lube have an engine flush completed then have decent oil in - all helps the mechanicals move with low friction and good lubricant flow. Know and be confident the point you are starting at before investing potentially large sums of money into bolt ons

 

hopefully food for thought

 

PS The feb issue of Jap Performance car has an article (p72) about a chap who races a classic 2000 model subaru on a budget, runs about 400bhp but mixes it with 800bhp nissans

[mariocinq]

its not what your bhp figure is, its how it drives and uses the power, my old primera sr20de was running around 150bhp but i could easiely keep up with cars with over 200bhp,

 

1 because i can drive

2 becuase it was planted and i could carry soooo much more mid corner speed.

 

Power isnt everything but it sure does help.

 

do you do track days with your car or is it just a daily???

[mikewrxturbo]

thanks guys like i say im very new to all this just trying to learn, it had a re built engine in 2012 with td05 turbo, its only daily use that she gets used for so only looking to run around 400 bhp really.

thanks again.

[Gambit]

Well Jay listed in a lot better detail on what I was trying to say :) So his post best to look at if I was going to push it up to 400 I think I would upgrade fuel pump and injectors on the mods you have then a remap to suit.   

Only thing I didn't know was you could still get more BHP from the ECU even if the engine is not up to it. But I knew it would kill the engine quick ;)

[Jay762]

dont think I explained myself too well...

 

what I meant was if you have standard subaru ECU as opposed to an aftermarket one you could still remap it to suite the mods you have done so if you fit a completely bored out forged engine with a huge turbo you could use the standard remapped ECU.

 

buying an aftermarket one can give additional functionality for monitoring or multiple maps stored but wont necessarily give you anything more from a performance perspective than a standard unit that has had an appropriate remap.

[mikewrxturbo]

jay your a star over the next 6 months them mods will be my goal ill post pics of any work thats done :)  :D

[Gambit]

I thought you did alright Jay. and Yes your 2nd one made more sense with the ECU to the point I understood it :D

 

Sound's good to me Jay and I love a good project thread and more so with a tune ;)

[mariocinq]

just want to jump in since my choice of weapon is now public.

 

i have (well getting soon) a 1993 Legacy saloon 2.0 turbo, it has a piggy-back ecu (apex-i maybe) and i am reading this wondering why if the stock ecu is map-able, or are the earlier ecu's un-map-able????

[Gambit]

I think the after market ECU can have multi maps on them you can switch, and some carry more features like being able to see temp's and pressure.

[mariocinq]

think i will need to get this looked at by a professional at some point lol

[Gambit]

I would be interesting to see whats on it and what it can do. I'm sure they shouldn't charge to look at it.

[mariocinq]

well i am taking it to a local Tuner on the 2nd June if not before hand as i am orginising a RR day for then.

 

oops highjacking someone else thread, will take my plans to my thread lol.

[Gambit]

your still on about Ecu's so I guess your still safe in here ;) But feel free to start your own if you wish. Sounds like your going to be having a busy month then mate ;)

[Jay762]

Piggy backing ecu's does give some more flexibility but it can lead to fluffyness lower down the rev range because the second ECU is trying to fool the first and you get a delay in the signal flow albeit micro / nano seconds but it impacts fuel delivery.

 

Sometimes these things show up on the dyno but when driving you dont really notice it.

 

Remapping the OEM ECU is more common place now - I dont know about the older ones but if the coding is the same there shouldn't be an issue, next thing would be if a base map is available to start with, if not they would be starting from scratch which would bump the cost up a bit but because the EJ20 and EJ25 configurations have been around for a while there should be plenty of info.

[mariocinq]

in theory my base map should still be there since the piggy back would have been the one getting played with, once i actually have the car i am going to take it to my local tuner and see what they say.

 

if i can get my ecu re-mapped and ditch the piggy then i will go that route.

[Jay762]

and then you could get some money be reselling the redundant ecu

[Gambit]

and then you could get some money be reselling the redundant ecu

My thoughts exactly

[mariocinq]

and put the money towards a rebuild with lots of high end parts that i am now planning.

[Gambit]

you sure you have never owned a Subaru before ? ;)

[mariocinq]

i just know my stuff i guess lol

[scottishtaffy]

im in the same point. my ra has walbro 255 tdo5 full 3in stainless decat with stainless 4 branch. fmic.iTig  induction kit and only running 0.9 bar boost on standard ecu i got a safe 300 brake at last rr day.been looking i nto how to get get more power up around the 350/60 mark. was told at the rolling road a apexi power fc with commander and 440 or bigger injectors would give me that. if you want more then would need a bigger turbo and other tweeks but once you start near 400 then you would need to uprate gear box , ideally for a 6 spd but you would need to change rear diff and drive shafts too. bigger expense. if you are looking for a safe run about and fun car then go for the remapp with a fmic and injectors would see you at a safe 350. i am actually looking for a engine to do a rebuild with, new big end kit so i know when i start upping the power the engine should be ok. when you start upping old engines. well its only as strong as the most worn part of the engine internals.

[odessey]

ive been ringing loads of ppl about getting my ecu on my 95 wrx remapped and everyone says you cant remap the oem ecu, don't know if they are trying to fob me off by trying to get me to part with more money on a new ecu, but its abit funny how they are all saying it.

[Gambit]

I would say there right mate or it's to much hard work for what they have to do to chip it 1st. I know there is loads of after market ECU on eBay you could always buy one from there and get it remapped if it works out a bit cheaper :)