Harman Motive, Inc.
02-17-2006, 10:00 PM
The legacy is a fun and sporty sedan, throwing you back in your seat at low rpm's and scaring unsuspecting motorists. The soul of the performance oriented sti lays benieth the subtly performance oriented bonnet (yes i did just say bonnet) and is a great platform to work with. As we know from litterally countless sti's with upgraded turbos, this block has more potential than subaru gives it credit for. Our attempt is here is to increase performance while not putting tremendous stress on the rest of the cars' parts.
At this point in time i have a custom boost mod (gotta have a secret, right?) PDE up-pipe, a PDE Catless downpipe, and an Accessport.
no upgraded top mount, no front mount, no upgraded cat back, no upgraded injectors, no upgraded fuel pump, no upgraded fuel rails, no upgraded boost controller, no inlet hose, no sti swap.
Went out for a road tune afterwards, and after many many consecutive runs, it never pulled timing, meaning the top mount seemed to be sufficient for these slightly elevated boost levels.
The fact that it pulls past redline (actually all the way to 7200) is something pretty neat considering our redline is at 6500!
Versus Stock:
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian18gvstock.jpg
The one thing that is the most noticable is just how smooth it is. Im sure its a combination of the turbo AND the tuning, but everyone i took for a drive was excited by how the power just kept going, and going...
I apologize for no boost levels on my first tune, we didnt have the dynojet boost accessory at that point in time
Catless tuned, vs 18G catless tuned:
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian18gcomparo.jpg
Just as a little observation, after shifting from redline, i end up in the 5k range, putting me 10+whp over where i was previously, then the gap widens by redline again to about 30+whp over the stock turbo. I do really like the 5 speed more than the 6 speed from the sti, the long gears really compliment this setup.
As you can see, peak torque is about 500rpm later, but holds between 10 and 40lb/ft over the stock turbo.
The difference is apparent above 3300 or so, where the small stock turbo hits its efficiency threshold and the 18G's potential becomes apparent.
Next mod will be the fuel pump from Rallitek (AVO) to see how low we can get the stock injector duty cycles. The injectors are not maxed out by any means (dan had no problem richening the top end during tuning) but they are on the high side, hence the new pump.
In addition, when i tested the PDE prototype cat back along with the catless reflash, the car achieved about 320lb/ft of torque, which goes to show there is still plenty of room for improvement with this turbo. With an intercooler upgrade a cat back a fuel pump and injectors, this 18G would get closer to where it is most efficient... probably about 20psi.
Just as a heads up, this 18G came with a 10 or 11 psi actuator, and for a race gas tune, a 15lb would be recomended.
In conclusion, the loss of low rpm power is without a doubt noticable. The extremely strong low end is one thing that i will miss, but the top end will make this car an even bigger highway surprise. What i would really like to do is have someone in the area take my car out and give me impressions. My problem is that i drove a great mid range car every day for my commute...but drove GREAT HYSTERICALLY fast top end cars every day at work. Its not so much that im underwhelmed, its just a different beast now. So if anyone who is a good driver happens to be in the area, feel free to stop by!
Updates will follow in the future, including driving impressions from my next track day and tuning with an upgraded intercooler and cat back.
Another comparison:
LGT specific 20G v LGT specific 18G
20G mods:
PDE Catted DP
Nismo Injectors
Stock IC, Airbox, Catback
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian_v_ivan.jpg
:banana:
Ian A.
Sales Manager
Harman Motive, Inc.
www.harmanmotive.com
(310) 618 0284
At this point in time i have a custom boost mod (gotta have a secret, right?) PDE up-pipe, a PDE Catless downpipe, and an Accessport.
no upgraded top mount, no front mount, no upgraded cat back, no upgraded injectors, no upgraded fuel pump, no upgraded fuel rails, no upgraded boost controller, no inlet hose, no sti swap.
Went out for a road tune afterwards, and after many many consecutive runs, it never pulled timing, meaning the top mount seemed to be sufficient for these slightly elevated boost levels.
The fact that it pulls past redline (actually all the way to 7200) is something pretty neat considering our redline is at 6500!
Versus Stock:
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian18gvstock.jpg
The one thing that is the most noticable is just how smooth it is. Im sure its a combination of the turbo AND the tuning, but everyone i took for a drive was excited by how the power just kept going, and going...
I apologize for no boost levels on my first tune, we didnt have the dynojet boost accessory at that point in time
Catless tuned, vs 18G catless tuned:
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian18gcomparo.jpg
Just as a little observation, after shifting from redline, i end up in the 5k range, putting me 10+whp over where i was previously, then the gap widens by redline again to about 30+whp over the stock turbo. I do really like the 5 speed more than the 6 speed from the sti, the long gears really compliment this setup.
As you can see, peak torque is about 500rpm later, but holds between 10 and 40lb/ft over the stock turbo.
The difference is apparent above 3300 or so, where the small stock turbo hits its efficiency threshold and the 18G's potential becomes apparent.
Next mod will be the fuel pump from Rallitek (AVO) to see how low we can get the stock injector duty cycles. The injectors are not maxed out by any means (dan had no problem richening the top end during tuning) but they are on the high side, hence the new pump.
In addition, when i tested the PDE prototype cat back along with the catless reflash, the car achieved about 320lb/ft of torque, which goes to show there is still plenty of room for improvement with this turbo. With an intercooler upgrade a cat back a fuel pump and injectors, this 18G would get closer to where it is most efficient... probably about 20psi.
Just as a heads up, this 18G came with a 10 or 11 psi actuator, and for a race gas tune, a 15lb would be recomended.
In conclusion, the loss of low rpm power is without a doubt noticable. The extremely strong low end is one thing that i will miss, but the top end will make this car an even bigger highway surprise. What i would really like to do is have someone in the area take my car out and give me impressions. My problem is that i drove a great mid range car every day for my commute...but drove GREAT HYSTERICALLY fast top end cars every day at work. Its not so much that im underwhelmed, its just a different beast now. So if anyone who is a good driver happens to be in the area, feel free to stop by!
Updates will follow in the future, including driving impressions from my next track day and tuning with an upgraded intercooler and cat back.
Another comparison:
LGT specific 20G v LGT specific 18G
20G mods:
PDE Catted DP
Nismo Injectors
Stock IC, Airbox, Catback
http://www.harmanmotive.com/forums/legacy/ian_v_ivan.jpg
:banana:
Ian A.
Sales Manager
Harman Motive, Inc.
www.harmanmotive.com
(310) 618 0284