Warp3

FYI: the 1998-2001 2.5RS coupes came with the "tall" wing but the 2.5RS sedans (2000-2001 only) came with a low wing instead (which looks a lot like the "option" wing for the base model coupes/sedans but is a bit different when compared side by side and has "2.5RS" stickers on the sides). NOTE: If you already knew this and he does, indeed, still have the "base option" wing, then just ignore me...LOL

Ok, first you shoot for trophying in a local event (the CCR 24-hour autocross) and (without having even done that yet) you are now aiming for divisional/national level autocross? Let's how you do at the 24-hour first, before you aim that high. I agree the EA82T-based L-series can be made very quick, but I'm not so sure about nationals in SM quick. One thing to remember about autocross is that a wide torque band is more important than peak power. How else do you think I outrun the SM WRXs? Sure some of it is driving and some is weight, but a notable chunk of that is hitting the gas and getting instant power...my EJ25 car is powering out of the turn, while the turbos on their EJ20s are still trying to spool. All the power in the world won't help if you can't power out of a 90-degree turn in low 2nd gear. I'm just afraid that the mods necessary to get the EA82T to 250+ hp are simply going to kill the low end and make serious lag (it is a low compression 1.8 liter, after all). To be perfectly honest, you may very well be faster at autocross by actually making less power and keeping your spool rate fast and your torque curve as flat as possible. Also, remember that suspension and tires will do FAR more for autocross than sheer power. If you don't believe me, just watch Geoff Zimmer's FSP Rabbit at the next event...there is a reason he has taken FTD at local events with that car, and I guarantee it's not making that much power at all.

I guess this is more true for the newer cars than the older ones (unless the exhaust group buy goes well and we can get them to start making more EA parts). For example: - One of the earliest turbo kits for the Impreza was the very popular Minnam Racing turbo kit. - TWE is in Canada and has quite the selection of stuff for the EJ25...pistons, cams, high-lift valvetrain, headers, etc. (and hopefully some exhaust parts for the EA81/82Ts if we can get that group buy on header/uppipes and downpipes going...hint, hint ) - The only remaining rebuilder for the DMS coilovers in North America is located in Canada (DMS North America...part of Lachute Subaru).

The bigger the downstream tubing, the better the turbo likes it. N/A engines need smaller tubing to keep the exhaust gas velocity up (not for back pressure as is so commonly claimed...high velocity with low back pressure is ideal for N/A engines, unfortunately changing piping size changes both). Turbos, however, do not AND they still dislike backpressure, so bigger is definitely better. Now, note I said DOWNSTREAM...the header and up-pipe tubing CAN be too large and hurt performance. Smaller tubing = higher exhaust gas velocity = more power to spool the turbo quicker (but tubing that is too small can't flow enough also hurting power so you have to pick a size that works for both). Anything over 3 inches would likely be unnecessary overkill for the power range the EA82T is capable of (with stock internals anyway), but the 2.5 - 3" range should be quite right. As a point of reference, most of the turbo kits for the 2.5RS that include exhaust, use 3" exhaust tubing and they make like typically 230-250hp from 5-8lbs of boost. (Also, IIRC, the early 90s Legacy Turbo came with 2.5" tubing from the factory and made around 160 or so hp and manufacturers generally tend to undersize their tubing rather than oversize it.)

I agree with Craig...I'd say a muffler shop or finding some pre-bent exhaust tubing (which auto parts stores carry) will be your best bet.

I've said it once and I'll say it again...without all those crazy Aussies and Canadians out there, I don't know how the Subaru tuning world would survive. LOL I mean, most of the suspension parts I've installed (or am about to install) on my Impreza were made in Australia (DMS, Whiteline and Noltec...though the DMSs are going to be replaced with a Ground Control/Koni setup soon) as were the brake pads I have to install on the RX (Axxis Metalmasters). Plus, the Backyard Boys forums (which I haven't visited again in a while) is where I first read stories of EA82Ts boosted to 18psi quite regularly, with some going even higher!

Ok...the correct answer about tire pressure is: There is (in theory) an ideal pressure for each tire on your car given the load, conditions, road/track surface, etc. Going either over or under this pressure will cause a loss in traction, thus causing "slip" on that end of the car. So if you happen to have all 4 tires at "ideal" pressure (good luck with that, btw...lol) and you change the rear tire pressures, going EITHER WAY would increase oversteer/reduce understeer as you are reducing grip at that end of the car. So you are both right and both wrong...LOL Also, remember that raising tire pressures also increases the "wheel" rate and has an effect similar to stiffer springs since it stiffens the sidewall. It's still quite the black art (even among some of the fastest autocrossers in the country) and some people just prefer the feel of "slipping high" vs "slipping low" (most common on Stock class cars where springs cannot be modified so reducing rear grip is done intentionally to assist in car rotation).

I'm pretty happy with the Kumho Ecsta ASX I'm running currently (W-rated A/S). They are quite grippy in the dry (possibly even better than the summer-only Ecsta 712), decent in the wet (huge primary water channels) and decent in the snow (I've had very little snow experience on them, thus far, though). My only complaint so far is that the sidewalls are a bit soft for a UHP tire (great for ride, bad for handling), but a little extra tire pressure helps some there. My previous tire was the Sumitomo HTR4 (H-rated A/S) which had surprisingly good dry grip for an H-rated tire (similar to some Z-rated summer tires...actually won a local autocross on them (as I had corded one of my Victoracers at the previous event)...lol), passable wet grip (their sole weak point in my opinion), good snow grip and unlike the ASX has good sidewalls (not summer tire stiff, but still stiff enough for some halfway decent cornering). They have phased out the HTR4, but have another HTR-series tire (can't remember which model right now) that looks to be the successor to it. Both of the aforementioned tires were on my 2.5RS, BTW (on the stock 16x7 wheels) and both were purchased from TireRack (http://www.tirerack.com). Both are very inexpensive tires as well.

You are still modifying the pulley, though, so it's not stock legal. Same legality as the underdrive pulleys.

STS is a very fun class. That's the class I started autocrossing in (since I had a rear swaybar and short shifter already before my first event) and it's a great class for street driven, lightly modded cars. No need to change tires at the event (while still being competitive) and you can do a good bit of suspension work and still stay in STS. Plus there is always a decent turnout since STS is a very popular class, so you have a good assortment of people to benchmark your times against.

Not legal in Stock...It is legal in STS, STX or FSP, though. Legal in Stock, but I'm not sure it would really do all that much. Only legal in Stock if power steering was an option on the trim level of car he has. Otherwise, he would jump to FSP (using the update/backdate rule). Not legal in Stock...the A/C system (or just the belt driving it) can be removed in STS, STX or FSP, though.

Some of the things you can change and stay in Stock are: - Front swaybar (and the accompanying endlinks) - Struts (incl. adjustable ones) - Any wheel that is stock sized in both width and diameter and is no more than +-0.25" from stock (wheel sizes that were *factory* options are good as well) - Any DOT-approved tire that fits on the aforementioned wheels - Exhaust (catback only...cats and headers must remain stock...if they go bad and must be replaced, cats must be "OE-type" not high-flow versions) - Any replacement air filter in the stock box (no other intake mods are legal) Here is a decent copy of the SCCA Stock rules: http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Rules/stock.html (Keep in mind this is an *unofficial* source, however, the text is taken straight from the rulebook and stays decently up-to-date.) I would recommend tires and struts first. In addition, an upgraded front swaybar will help reduce body roll and improve turn-in but may also induce a bit more understeer at the limit (though that "limit" will still typically be a bit higher than before due to the reduced body roll). Upgraded front swaybar endlinks will improve turn-in and make the bar respond more quickly and more predictably (compared to the stock crappy plastic endlinks). R-compound tires (Hoosier A3S04, Kumho Ecsta V710, Kumho Victoracer V700, Kumho Ecsta V700, etc.) will make the most pronounced difference, though making this change necessitates a 2nd set of wheels to race on and requires swapping tires at an event (it will make your car loads faster, though). If you do this and plan to run primarily in local events, I'd recommend full-tread Victoracers. They are quite cheap (for R-compounds anyway), last quite well, and are decently competitive (especially on a local level). I'm running Victoracers on my 2.5RS in SM and even with a codriver at some events (including one event that clocked a total of 17 runs (between 2 drivers) on the car and would have been closer to 20 if I hadn't fried the clutch... ) and they are holding up very well and should at least last me the rest of the season (including the upcoming 24-hour autocross we have locally) if not more. If you do not wish to swap tires/buy R-compounds, then I'd recommend perhaps jumping to STS. You can do much more suspension work there (struts, springs, camber plates, even real coilovers if you wish), and you can run any wheel size up to 7.5" wide with up to 225 wide tires, but the class runs on "street" tires, so tire-swapping is unnecessary unless you run national-level events (the rule for STS is 140+ treadlife tires, and the Falken Azenis RS (not the ST115) is definitely recommended here...not only is it one of the best STS-legal tires, but it also happens to be one of the cheapest). The site I quoted above has the Street Touring (STS/STX) rules on there as well, if you wish to go that route. However, as always, the #1 improvement you can make is the DRIVER! Whether it be a school put on by your local region or one of the invaluable Evolution Performance Driving schools (http://www.autocross.com/evolution), an autocross school will make more difference in times than ANY modification to the car itself could ever do. I've heard several former Evolution students note that it's the best $200 mod they've ever bought (the school is more like $225 now, IIRC). I've been to one of the EVO Phase I schools myself (I won it as a door prize in one of last year's SouthEast Divisional events) and I am definitely planning to go back again!

Why would you need a haltech? I'd imagine something like a MegaSquirt would be quite capable of tackling this task for far less money.

I had heard that the design that the Impreza tranny used was "old" but didn't realize it was to the point that it was interchangeable with older trannies! Sweet.

I try not to...really...LOL Regardless, though, conservative flywheel estimates (based on the AWD dyno runs we did in Mooresville) puts my 2.5RS at 192hp and 204lb-ft which is a bit below what you seem to be planning for the RX. FYI: From what I've heard the actual case and many of the inner parts are actually identical between the 2.5RS and WRX trannies with the primary differences being different gears (as the WRX has completely different gear ratios) and a pull-type clutch setup.

I've found that the gearing of the RX is surprisingly close to that of my 2.5RS (which has very tight gearing). I base this not on actual ratios, but the fact that they have similar redlines and hit almost identical speeds at redline in the first few gears (rev-limiter on the 2.5RS is 30mph in 1st, 50 in 2nd and 75 in 3rd). The STi also has similar top speeds in the first few gears but has a higher redline so the actual gearing is tighter. So, in other words your gearing should already be on par with a 2.5RS (which has a much closer ratio than a WRX or Legacy and isn't too far behind the USDM STi ratios). Which means to get better gearing you are looking at a $5000 USDM STi gearbox or STi-RA gears in a WRX or 2.5RS tranny (not as much as the STi gearbox, but still several thousand dollars). If you are simply doing this for gearing, I don't see it being worth the cost (or if your current gearing is wider than that of my 86RX, maybe you need a PT4WD D/R tranny (or some other EA82 tranny) instead). Also, don't forget your dual-range tranny (you do, have a D/R tranny, right?) gives you "half-gears" that you won't get with an STi gearbox. Perhaps try something like: Launch in 1st 4WD LO, shift to 2nd (still in 4WD LO as you simply won't have time to change it yet...1st HI goes by fast enough as it is...lol), then shift up to 4WD HI when you run out of revs and that should be enough gearing to get you around most local autocross courses, but with a better launch than using just HI range.

If you are talking about Subaru's "TechInfo" subscription site (which isn't a secret), that's where I got several of the Subaru FSM PDF files I have currently. Unfortunately, they don't have any of the 80s Subarus on there yet.

If you mean the crush washer that normally goes on the drain plug, it's not needed as the fumoto valve comes with a rubber washer/gasket deal that you use instead.

If you haven't "deglazed" the pads (based on my earlier suggestion in another thread), then definitely give that a shot, it only takes a couple minutes (just take the pads out, hit them up with some rough sand paper, then reinstall). Otherwise, it sounds like you may still have some air in the system.

Using straight power/weight ratio math and calculating based on a USDM 1986 Subaru RX Sedan (2520 lbs), you would need about 185 hp (which is how much power is required to have the same power/weight ratio as a USDM 2005 WRX which has a 0-60 time in the low 6s range). Note that this does NOT account for traction or gearing, however, so this is definitely just a ballpark figure. To calculate this same basic figure for a different car, use: ({your car's weight} x 227) / 3085 = {required hp}

The link above is a UK site which is not listing US specs for these cars. The 1986 Subaru service manual lists the RX sedan at 2520 lbs and, while I don't remember the exact weight, I do recall that the XTs were heavier than their equivalent configurations (FWD vs 4WD and SPFI vs MPFI Turbo) would be in the L-series sedans/coupes (though I'm not quite sure why the XTs are heavier).

Sorry...didn't see you were in Finland. The numbers I gave are for the US models. I have no knowledge about the Euro models, so I can't help you there.

The stock power specs for an RX (or any EA82T for that matter) is 111 hp @ 4800 rpm / 134 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm for the 85-86 model and 115 hp @ 5200 rpm / 134 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm for the 87+ model.

FYI, this is the same type of setup the Forester Automatic has from the factory for an oil cooler (i.e. a sandwich adapter).

I've had one on my Impreza for a while now and have another waiting to be installed on the RX when I do my next oil change. I love these things...hehe