Set this noob on his way to a faster '03 Legacy.

[Nickel Plated]

So I bought an '03 Outback wagon a couple weeks ago. 2.5l N/A engine, auto trans.

I'm a total noob to Subarus and was hoping for some general help in the right direction. From the reading I've done. I didn't exactly pick the right car for power mods. Can't get much out of this engine in N/A form. And can't turbo it because it's too weak to handle it. But perhaps there's options I haven't considered.

My previous car was a '98 Camaro V6 auto. Not the epitome of Camaro performance by most people's standard. But it was still a fun car to drive and got good fuel economy. The engine is a 3800 V6 with 200hp and 225lb/ft torque. Car weighed about 3300lbs. So not that much lighter than my Outback. I figure if I can get the car somewhere in the Camaro's territory, I'd be happy with it.

 

I will be doing some weight reduction on it. It's got power heated seats. So there's plenty of weights to lose. Though it is a DD so not pulling out things like radio, A/C or interior trim. Though between the power seats, insulation and sound deadening, extra speakers (I'll just keep the 2 at the front) lighter wheels and many other things here and there, I think I could atleast get it down to 3300lbs from it's current 3500. I'm willing to go with some indepth weight reduction as long as interior comfort is not sacrificed by too much.

 

Next step will be lowering it, the right way with all the necessary subframe swaps from a standard Legacy wagon. And then install some KYB struts and H&R springs, as well as other suspension bolt-ons. Basically de-Outback the Outback. That should tighten up the handling considerably.

 

And most importantly, and apparently most difficult, will be upping the power. What can I do here to get to 200-220hp and try to stay above 20mpg? Would prefer to stay N/A but from what I read, that's not gonna be possible with the power gains I'm looking for. So I'm open to turbo.

Is a 2.5 block/ 2.2 head N/A frankenmotor worth it if you already have a EJ25 in the car. I heard it's not because it's just a cheap way for 2.2 Subies to get more power without a full engine swap. But I've seen claims of ~185hp with a basic frankenmotor build which gets me pretty close to my goal.

What about turbo? Should I get a factory turbo motor? What size?

Or install a turbo on the existing 2.5?

I guess getting it to 200-220hp isn't too much to ask of a turbo so could I get a small set up that spools up pretty quick and doesn't kill my MPG?

Any other ways to get ti to my mark and what can I expect to spend for that power?

 

Sorry if this is kinda noobish, but there seems to be alot to learn when it comes to upgrading Subarus so I would appreciate a place to start and a nudge in the right direction. Not like the 4gen Camaro's where there's less choices in engine and parts for it. So it's all pretty straightforward. 

[gbhrps]

Nickel Plated,

 

You've asked for opinions.

 

Don't waste your money or your time trying to butcher an 03 OBW into something it is not, nor will ever be.

You chose the wrong car and engine for your tuner dreams, as you've stated in your first post.

 

And if you bought an 11 year old car because it was in your price range, is it wise to be spending money on

anything other than fuel, insurance, replaceables such as tires, brakes and wiper blades, and unexpected repairs?

 

If you must have a speed demon, then upgrade to an OBW with the  XT(turbo 4 boxer) or the H6 (6 boxer) engines

and go from there. Better still ... buy a WRX or the STI.

[idosubaru]

you've done your research and know exactly what to do, so you're obviously capable and ready to dive in.

 

Subaru's are not performance minded, well not the one you bought.  they don't drive like camaro's and they don't perform like Beemers.  trying to make one "faster" is a dead end street to me. if i'm going to modify something I want it to be actually fast.  On NA subarus every mod is like  "i think that made it faster....maybe".  it's not forced induction, it's not a big engine, and Subaru doesn't design for 0-60 times.

 

if you mean you want to play or have the "feel" of performance and enjoy tinkering and novelty without any quantifiable gains in 0-60 times, etc, then go for it and do whatever you want.  net gains will be miniscule so it doesn't matter what you do, just dive into the projects that are the most fun for you.

[WoodsWagon]

Put a good trans cooler in and learn how to brake torque launch it.  Smaller outside diameter tires will help too. Your weight reduction plans will be a bunch of work for a tiny % of the cars overall weight and you won't be able to feel the difference in performance.

[Fairtax4me]

No way to keep it "comfortable" and lose enough weight to make a difference. An Outback is just the wrong car to go that direction with.

You can lower it to the ground, it will still be a pig in corners.

Take away the power heated leather seats, sound insulation, and you maybe lost 100lbs.

 

Sell it, buy an Impreza. 500lb crash diet, with the ability to shed a few more.

Less sound insulation to begin with, lighter components all around. Add in the shorter wheelbase and you get a capable car with the proper tires.

 

Cams, intake, full exhaust, and a tune will get you 20-30 extra horses out of the 2.5, for around $1,000-1,500.

[Junkie]

As far as power goes, forced induction is your best bet. 

 

Your geometry won't be too horrible with the Outback subframes and stock Legacy GT suspension, although I'm sure the right subframes will help.

[Nickel Plated]

gbhrps: Perhaps pouring a bunch of money into mods for an 11 year old car is not the wisest thing to do. But I've never been accused of being wise. Either way I prefer older cars. Even if I had 30k for a brand new Outback. I'd probably still just buy a nice older one for 5k and spend the rest to really pimp it out. As for making the Outback something it's not. Really I wanted a regular Legacy wagon. But there were none out there in my area for the price I was willing to pay. So I figured I'd get the Outback and return it to regular Legacy spec. That in and of itself is not that big a deal. A few part swaps on the subframe and new struts and springs (which I would have done to a regular Legacy anyway). Also remove that ugly Aztec body kit. In the end it'll be a Legacy which is what I wanted. For about the same price as a 2003 Legacy if I could find one.

 

But either way. After some more research and thinking it over. It seems that a EZ30 Legacy is what I really needed. Not much room for upgrades. But it already makes the power I want without any of the turbo complications. but ofcourse the pickings were pretty slim when it came to H6s as well around here. I figured "Subarus are supposed to be modular right? I'll just take what i can find just to have a working car (that Camaro is a bit of a basket case) and then do what needs to be done to turn it into what I want" Turns out that while they're modular enough to do what you want with, usually it's still not worth the hassle of actually doing it.

 

So for now my conclusion is do some basic N/A mods to this car and wait for my next bonus check from work. Then sell it and use all the money to buy an H6 Legacy. Not even gonna bother with an H6 swap since the expense involved will just get me a whole H6 car with none of the hassle.