Turbo help needed

HunterDean

Full member
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21
Location
California
Car
2015 Subaru impreza
My dad just bought a new Subaru Impreza and although it handles great and that the all wheel drive is dope the stock 2.0 engine is too slow for my taste, I've been Trying to convince him to add some performance upgrades, I've been pushing for a turbocharger to kind of turn it into a little WRX. But I'm far from an expert on how much it will cost or what parts we need or even if it's possible. Thanks for the help guys!
 
There are things you can do which will improve performance but you have kinda hit the nail on the head. The simplest way to increase a cars performance is to remap the ECU but this is really only effective if it's turbocharged anyway.

The gains from exhausts and head / camshaft mods are all along the diminishing returns path.

Cost effectiveness is a very subjective thing though. How much cost do you have in mind?
 
Is there any cost effective ways to boost the performance of the car?



Centrifugal Superchargers are a far more cost effective way to boost power. Sorry, but 2 to 3,000 $$$ is not going to come close to your thought process. This disease (Modding our rides) many of us have, becomes very expensive to obtain and maintain! Or IF your dad is also into modding? Then look into a WRX, either low miles or new for a future ride! Full factory warranty to play till your hearts content! |B

To get a cost idea on Centrifugal Superchargers go to http://www.raptorsc.com.au/subaru1.html or go to Prochargers https://www.procharger.com website and contact Tech Support. They will be more than happy to answer ALL your questions about your thought process. As T9 and HDi stated, Turbo charging is extremely expensive to accomplish your goals for added FUN! There also is the added costs for full drive line upgrade to be installed when high performance mods such as these are added.
 
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The centrifical supercharger looks really cool, do I need to run an inter cooler? And doesn't running belts off the engine cause power loss?
 
Yes an air to air intercooler is the safest way to try to minimize heat soak! And Yes there is parasitic power loss from a belt driving it from the engine. By personally speaking with the after-market manufacturers is the BEST way to educate yourself with all the pros and cons of adding power enhancers to any ride. Just remember that the OEM manufacturers any product with minimal durability in mind to last the length of their warranties. Planned Obsolescence in any product is key to a MFG.'s repeat business and their survival. By self re-engineering any product, one must be equal to or greater than in knowledge of that product than the mfg. to obtain longevity from it, while still getting the best bang for your buck to have FUN! That is WHY adding power and going fast is a Practice, not an exact science! And when one decides to self-engineer any product, the mfg. denies any warranty it has issued to it! GO-FAST is a BLAST! Paying for it is where deep pockets are needed!
 
A wrx costs an awful lot more than a non turbo base model so you won't be able to get anywhere near wrx performance for $2000-$3000

Sorry but If you wanted a turbo Subaru then you should have bought one in the first place.
And that is still your best option
 
A wrx costs an awful lot more than a non turbo base model so you won't be able to get anywhere near wrx performance for $2000-$3000

Sorry but If you wanted a turbo Subaru then you should have bought one in the first place.
And that is still your best option




Hello Sleeper,
This young man must learn just like the rest of us did. Speed costs many $$$$$$, but the craving for it is priceless and the rewards of the experience is eternal! Being "Car Crazy" is EXPENSIVE, but truly the BEST drug most anyone could take! |B
 
As above. However a remap, even on a n/a engine, is a cost effective and simple upgrade. You should get around 8-10% increase for around $300. Driven 'normally' a remap will also improve gas mileage.
 
For 2k you can do a lot, but slapping on a turbo isn't an option unless you turn the car into a full-on project and up the ante.

-lose weight in the car. Get rid of anything that is not needed. If it has no purpose, it has no ride. That alone can cost you the 2k if you start replacing parts with cf. The more the car loses, the more you feel the power the car already has. Lose interior trim, carpets, that engine cover, sound deadening material, get rid of the A/C if you have it, cargo mats, ANYTHING you lose will add to the performance of the car. Something may only weight 1lb, which itself isn't anything, but combined wityh 20 other things that are only 1 lb and you have gained the equivalent performance of 1 HP (give or take). The less your car puts out, the more that this plan works.

-relocate battery. Know your car's front-to-rear weight balance and move the battery to a location where it will help that balance out. a 60 lb battery setup (hold downs, batt etc) is 2% of the weight of a 3000 lb car.

-intake-header-exhaust will net you some gains and make the car a lot more fun to drive as it will sound pretty bad-ass.

-Do your homework, make a plan and avoid "that" aisle at the local auto parts store. Bolting on a wing, glueing on stupid little fake vents, exhaust pipe whistles etc only add weight. Weight is bad.

-suspension upgrades will make the car faster, but around corners and not in a straight line

Don't get stuck on the thought process of more engine output, think about making your car faster. i-h-e will improve engine output but the rest is about making what you already have better.
 
Its worth remmebering that

1 Its his dads car
2 its brand new

So removing the carpets etc probably isnt an option in this instance. Same with the air con,
Also as it a new 4wd subaru with the "slow" engine the suspension is probably more than up to the power thats there
 
Yeah I don't think he wants to be ripping out his mats or his are con but the engine swap is kind of a good idea, after he puts 100,000 on it his company is gonna buy him a new car so if I can get ahold of it after that time I could drop a FA20 engine in it and they make bolt on centrifugal super chargers for the FA so that might be in its future
 
Yeah an engine swap might happen way down the line for now maybe just yank the spare with out him knowing, save a little weight......not gonna do that. Guess I just have to wait.
 
A wrx costs an awful lot more than a non turbo base model so you won't be able to get anywhere near wrx performance for $2000-$3000

Sorry but If you wanted a turbo Subaru then you should have bought one in the first place.
And that is still your best option

^^^^this!

Imo better off getting the wrx then tune this instead. Much more bang per buck with a turbo'd car :)
Yup.

N/A - 8-10%
Petrol turbo - 20-25%
Diesel turbo - 35-40%

Yeah sounds about right. I remapped my old Renault 19 16v and got 10% increase but in reality couldn't tell much difference driving it, maybe a tad quicker mid range but nothing to shout about. But a friend had faster cams on his with the same map and was a fair bit quicker.

This v6 has around 23% increase with the remap, but the older 9-3 got a whopping 46% increase! Well worth it.
 
Don't worry I'm still pushing my mom to let me get a 2007 wrx (hatchback of course) but she has been denying almost everyday so I've had to start looking into other means to get a "wrx"
 
Hot hatch. Do some research and show your mom your "responsible" looking little 4 cylinder hatchback, she gives the OK then you mod the responsibility right out of it!
 
The problem is most other hatchbacks out there are pretty dreary and most all of them are NA

It might be prudent here before you empty the bank account for future works, to consider the impact of insurance for a turbocharged car. Real turbocharged power as does the insurance to cover it - costs!
 
not so much in the US. My insurance isn't very much more for the Genesis than it was for my old Versa (1.6L NA Econobox). Being so young he's going to pay out of the snout no matter what he gets.
 

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