What's the point in me getting AP without getting the exhaust? To spend $645 to get only .4hp gain and 7.4 torque gain seems to me not quite worth it. I do understand those gains are measured on a Mustang dyno. Also Cobb states that their Stage I (which the way I understand it is just the AP) is a 260hp package. I can't even see that they are taking about just crank when advertising that. I've gotten this info off of their website...

It seems that Cobb is what EVERYONE raves about so I was wondering if there was something I was missing.

ya man I have wondered the same exact thing. On past models of the wrx it had good gains but for 650 bucks alone for a .4hp gain and 7.4 torque thats kinda retarded. With Stage 2 the horsepower only gains 22 but the ft lbs is crazy , like 50. I think its 275 to the wheels.

I dont see the point really instage 1.

Where did those numbers come from and what year? I know for a fact that my car was much quicker with the ap stage 1. In fact, I thought that when I switch to stage 2, I didn't notice the same increase in power as I had felt when I went from stock to stage 1.

They are talking about 06 2.5L WRX.

If you eventually plan on going to stage 2, you might as well got the AP first and you can run stage 1 untill you get a DP/TBE to flash to stage 2.

Where did those numbers come from and what year? I know for a fact that my car was much quicker with the ap stage 1. In fact, I thought that when I switch to stage 2, I didn't notice the same increase in power as I had felt when I went from stock to stage 1.

Like MF-DIF said, I am talking about my car - an '06 WRX TR. Click on the Dyno picture to see what I'm talking about.

http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/power-s25.html#Stage1

If you eventually plan on going to stage 2, you might as well got the AP first and you can run stage 1 untill you get a DP/TBE to flash to stage 2.

What he said...that's what i'm doing:) Cobb TBE to arrive any day :banana: :disco: :banana:

ya man I have wondered the same exact thing. On past models of the wrx it had good gains but for 650 bucks alone for a .4hp gain and 7.4 torque thats kinda retarded. With Stage 2 the horsepower only gains 22 but the ft lbs is crazy , like 50. I think its 275 to the wheels.

I dont see the point really instage 1.

That's why I jumped right to stg 2 :)

Theres more to what the AP gives you than a Peak HP change. You have to look at the torque/HP curve.

Like MF-DIF said, I am talking about my car - an '06 WRX TR. Click on the Dyno picture to see what I'm talking about.

http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/power-s25.html#Stage1

are we looking at the same dyno plot? There are gains from 2460RPM all the way till 5252RPM... At around 3100RPM there looks to be a 25-30 ft-lbs in torque gain!

Plus the AP will get rid of that crappy drive-by-wire feel.

More waste-gate duty cycle to get the turbo to spool quicker.

Bumps up the speed-limiter.

It smooooooooths out the Subaru's herky jerky programming.

It gives you the ability to pull CEL's without going to a shop, the manual also details all the CEL's.

It has a live-boost reading if you have it plugged in while driving.

Plus the AP gives you a varity of maps. From valet to anti-theft.

Once you get an exhaust you wont have to worry about blowing your motor up because you can tune it on the spot.

Tuners country wide will tune for the accessport.

All that in a mod that cost 645 bucks. Takes 30 minutes for it to install itself in your car. I think its well worth it. Then I went stg 2 and the car runs liked a raped ape and I dont have to worry about it being tuned.

I'm going to get it tuned by a pro-tuner just to get a little bit more out of it and I want to see what kind of numbers I'm putting down.

IMO this is a GREAAAAAT investment if your looking for a conservative tune while still having the ability to take it to a professional to have it tuned.

A side note. You guys have to look at the total powercurve. If the AP gave you 600 HP from 5200-5300RPM's then I'd race you in my stg2 and kick your but everytime. You want a nice curve with high numbers all the way across the scale.

I will admit the STG1 wasnt a huge difference. But it was nice and once it learned for a little while I could definately tell it was running healthier and stronger....

What else you gonna do save until you have the money to by the AP and the TBE at the sametime? Whats the point of that? Might as well get the AP and save for the TBE exhaust because you cant use them in reverse order.

And there isnt a UTEC for the 06's.....yet...

wow.. i didnt know wrx's only get .4 hp from stage1.. i thought that was a typeo till i looked at the chart. yeah, thats def not worth it! sti's get 16.6hp/33.7trq to the wheels & im still trying to justify buying an ap!

Great input CynicX.

I'm sure there's something I'm missing as Cobb seems to be THE choice for most of the Subaru enthusiasts from what I've seen. I was in fact leaning towards just waiting and getting the AP and TBE at the same time. I guess I'll just see what happens. Plus I haven't researched UTEC yet at all...

Nobody really stops at just stage 1 anyways. ;) The problem I think is that the turbo is maxed out even on the stock map, so no amount of tuning is going to make more hp up high. Throw on the 18g and reflash, and then the ap is gold.

The turbo is NOT maxed out straight out of the box and although there aren't huge WHP numbers to be had there are enough to make a very noticeable difference and heaps of torque to be had. With a catless up-pipe a stock with tune should be way faster than the numbers you are seeing from the COBB. We get heaps more than that on a DynoDynamics.

Once you go from STG 1 to STG 2 you'll wonder how you lived without the AP. Its just soooo convienent...

Now UTEC is a different story. I'm very happy with the Cobb but I see alot of BIIIIIGGGG numbers coming from other EM. Cobb seems to be very conservative and thats good for me.

You wont get much better gains from any EM's OTS maps. Its just to dangerous for them to tune an OTS map to be ultra aggresive. I'm sure if you have car A with XX EM and car B with Cobb, you'll be able to get the same numbers out of both after a pro-tune. Some EM might be a little fancier and have some nicer options, but they are all doing about the same thing.

PDXtuning will create a custom map more specfic to your car for a mere 150 bucks. Then EMAIL it too you (i guess). You load it onto your AP and go tune your car. Could it get any easier then that? You dont even need to leave your property. Of course its still not as nice as a protune.

If you were to dyno tune your car twice you would break even money wise and still not have all the options and upgrades availible for the cobb ap.

If your looking to make an all out race car you'll definately want to shop around though :) .

I have stage 2 for only $1430 shipped (uppipe included). Way cheaper than Cobb prices. You have to know where to shop. ;)

I was just wondering. If I bought the stage 1 package and then later on I decide to go Stage 2, would I be able to just download the Stage 2 map for free and then just put it on my car?(assuming I already have the tb)

the maps came with the AP or if its not updated, you can download it for free.

oh, ok cool. thanks

i think ap stage 1 is really worth it for all cars....if u like a more efficient car...mpg etc then get it otherwise if u don't understand what its doing just leave ur car stock...use search button! ap stage 1 is a very good investment

Guys, I just came across this I was just reading this thread and noticed something weird. I followed AutoBahn's link to Cobb's site for the 2006 WRX, and there is no way a car with 235 ft-lb of torque at the crank (from Subaru's official web-site) is going to put out 234.2 ft-lb at the wheels (from Cobb's dyno plot). I think Cobb must've goofed up on the dyno plot. I'd give them a call if I were you.

Otherwise, if their numbers are right, then I wouldn't invest in an AP just for stage 1 (at least for a 2006 model).

My $0.02.

I did call and asked if there was something I was missing and was told no! I forgot who I spoke to, but I did ask why should I get Stage 1 and was told that it really isn't that necessary (that I really wouldn't notice any difference) and that if I want to get noticeable improvement to just get Stage 2 right off the bat.

OK. So that must mean that Subaru tuned the 2006 WRX to its limit and it really does put out 235 lbf*ft at the wheels. WOW :eek: !!! That would mean it's putting out like 250-260 hp and 270-280 lbf*ft at the crank. WOW, again :eek: !!!

Man, this makes me think I should have waited for the 2006 to come out before buying my WRX. LOL.

But to come back to the original question, yeah, I wouldn't bother getting a Stage I reflash if you have a 2006.

Anyways, that's my $0.03. Enjoy your new car :D !

The stage I provides 260 horsepower and 305 ft pounds of torque at the crank doesn't it?

I don't know why Subaru wouldn't advertise 250-260hp/270-280 lb ft if that was what the car put out at the crank...only thing I can think of is to keep the STI as glorified and priced as it is. Unless Subaru advertises their hp and torque at the wheels not crank, this would be the first case I heard of where a car manufacturer did something like that. Normally they would advertise as high a numbers they could, which would be why their hp/torque advertisement numbers would be assumed to be at the crank.

Corkfish, I can't seem to believe that when looking at the dyno, even taking into account that it is a mustang and the measurements are at the wheels.

I know that Subaru underated the HP of the Forester XT and Dodge did the same thing with the SRT4. A shame someone doesn't have a before and after dyno chart using only stage one. I find it hard to believe that Cobb would try to sell something that has no effect. They seem to have a good reputation.

Are you going to keep running stage 1? If not, then why complaining about stage 1 doesnt give much HP? stage 1 is a start for your car if you decide to go with AP. After that, when you decide to go higher than stage 1, you will see what the AP can do. :lol:

I find it hard to believe that Cobb would try to sell something that has no effect. They seem to have a good reputation.

I totally agree! That is why I started this thread...

Did you check the Utec for your year and see what is the difference from stock and stage 1? If its more than AP, go with Utec.

COBB dynoed the stock 2005 WRX at 174 hp and 170 lbf*ft at the wheels. Subaru claimed 227 hp and 217 lbf*ft at the crank. That's 174/227 = 170/217 = 77.5% driveline efficiency (or 22.5% driveline loss).

So if COBB dynoed the stock 2006 WRX at 202 hp and 234 lbf*ft at the wheels, that means that the crank numbers should be 202/77.5% = 260 hp and 235/77.5% = 303 lbf*ft :devil: . And yes, I'm a severe nerd.

So either Subaru is severley under-stating the crank numbers because they want to protect the STi market-share or COBB dynoed some sort of "ringer" car from Subaru. I think the former is much more likely.

Since the 2006 Stage 1 can only get you 260 hp and 305 lbf*ft at the crank (from Corkfish's post), which equates to 202 hp and 236 lbf*ft at the wheels (again multiplying by 77.5%), I wouldn't get an AP FOR A 2006 CAR IF YOU ONLY PLAN TO STAY AT STAGE 1. You do get more area under the torque curve (how much I don't know, I don't want to start integrating), especially down low, but not enough to justify $650.

If you want to go to Stage 2, then go ahead and get the AP, because, IMO, it's the cheapest way to get off-the-shelf maps and even custom maps if you want to get a pro-tune.

For a 2005 car (like mine), I'd get Stage 1. And hope I don't run into a stock 2006 WRX, LOL :D !!!

Again, this is only my opinion. Feel free to disagree with my findings.

COBB dynoed the stock 2005 WRX at 174 hp and 170 lbf*ft at the wheels. Subaru claimed 227 hp and 217 lbf*ft at the crank. That's 174/227 = 170/217 = 77.5% driveline efficiency (or 22.5% driveline loss).

So if COBB dynoed the stock 2006 WRX at 202 hp and 234 lbf*ft at the wheels, that means that the crank numbers should be 202/77.5% = 260 hp and 235/77.5% = 303 lbf*ft :devil: . And yes, I'm a severe nerd.

So either Subaru is severley under-stating the crank numbers because they want to protect the STi market-share or COBB dynoed some sort of "ringer" car from Subaru. I think the former is much more likely.

Since the 2006 Stage 1 can only get you 260 hp and 305 lbf*ft at the crank (from Corkfish's post), which equates to 202 hp and 236 lbf*ft at the wheels (again multiplying by 77.5%), I wouldn't get an AP FOR A 2006 CAR IF YOU ONLY PLAN TO STAY AT STAGE 1. You do get more area under the torque curve (how much I don't know, I don't want to start integrating), especially down low, but not enough to justify $650.

If you want to go to Stage 2, then go ahead and get the AP, because, IMO, it's the cheapest way to get off-the-shelf maps and even custom maps if you want to get a pro-tune.

For a 2005 car (like mine), I'd get Stage 1. And hope I don't run into a stock 2006 WRX, LOL :D !!!

Again, this is only my opinion. Feel free to disagree with my findings.

I believe that the 06 WRX is Great! Because I saw a black 06 WRX (stock) on I-294 and I was flying by him and then he caught up with me. If they made the 02 2.5L, I'm all over for it!!! :D

I believe that the 06 WRX is Great! Because I saw a black 06 WRX (stock) on I-294 and I was flying by him and then he caught up with me. If they made the 02 2.5L, I'm all over for it!!! :D

I SECOND THAT :D !!!

Stage one felt great on my car. Granted it wasnt a huge difference, But it was soo much easier and funner to drive around town.
There is alot to be done with the Stock TBW mapping and the OL/CL delay.

Must a part produce peak power? I personally want power everywhere, not just at my max.

Honestly I think the AP is a great first mod, First gear gets alot scarier.

Did Cobb dyno a 2006 WRX? I don't see that they got 202 HP and 234 ft lbs anywhere on their web site.

Did Cobb dyno a 2006 WRX? I don't see that they got 202 HP and 234 ft lbs anywhere on their web site.

Yes, they did:

http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/power-s25.html#Stage1
http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/images/ae-stage1-dyno_2006.jpg

Love my Stage 1.

For a mild tune to smooth out the power delivery, eliminate some of that drive by wire feel and also take things in steps, for me it is totally worth the money( especially if you are eventually going to go Stage 2 -which I will).

The STI for me is already strong enough on the street for my applications.
I want to build power steadily, and enjoy the car in different states if tune.

Patience young grasshopper!

I am quite happy with Stage 1 in my 06 STI

wow...i can't believe the numbers that the 06 wrx's are putting down, 260 hp and 303ftlbs is rediculous. I think I read somewhere that stage 2 was seeing at least 250whp, I bought my 05 right as the 06's came out....only cause i thought they were ugly and I wanted to save some money...I'm probably going to dish out even more $$$ just trying to get to the numbers that they are at...but atleast I won't have to cringe every time i see my car.

Love my Stage 1.

For a mild tune to smooth out the power delivery, eliminate some of that drive by wire feel and also take things in steps, for me it is totally worth the money( especially if you are eventually going to go Stage 2 -which I will).

The STI for me is already strong enough on the street for my applications.
I want to build power steadily, and enjoy the car in different states if tune.

Patience young grasshopper!

I am quite happy with Stage 1 in my 06 STI
True in all aspects for me, just it's not an 06 (04') or an STi (WRX). It also helped the OL/CL problem that occurs in my year WRXs.

T.Vo

So i currently have a 04 wrx with the following power mods:

godspeed uppipe
helix downpipe
hks bov
borla hush catback

so assuming id be looking at a stage2 map, how much hp are we looking at?

Edited for unwanted content...geesh...

Folks, please remember that the original post was regarding a 2006 WRX.

I think we all pretty much agree that the Stage 1 tune is worthwhile on a 2002-2005 WRX. Heck, I know I'd get it if it weren't for Solo 2 rules :D !

are we looking at the same dyno plot? There are gains from 2460RPM all the way till 5252RPM... At around 3100RPM there looks to be a 25-30 ft-lbs in torque gain!

Plus the AP will get rid of that crappy drive-by-wire feel.

More waste-gate duty cycle to get the turbo to spool quicker.

Bumps up the speed-limiter.

It smooooooooths out the Subaru's herky jerky programming.

It gives you the ability to pull CEL's without going to a shop, the manual also details all the CEL's.

It has a live-boost reading if you have it plugged in while driving.

Plus the AP gives you a varity of maps. From valet to anti-theft.

Once you get an exhaust you wont have to worry about blowing your motor up because you can tune it on the spot.

Tuners country wide will tune for the accessport.

All that in a mod that cost 645 bucks. Takes 30 minutes for it to install itself in your car. I think its well worth it. Then I went stg 2 and the car runs liked a raped ape and I dont have to worry about it being tuned.

I'm going to get it tuned by a pro-tuner just to get a little bit more out of it and I want to see what kind of numbers I'm putting down.

IMO this is a GREAAAAAT investment if your looking for a conservative tune while still having the ability to take it to a professional to have it tuned.

right, well said!

A side note. You guys have to look at the total powercurve. If the AP gave you 600 HP from 5200-5300RPM's then I'd race you in my stg2 and kick your but everytime. You want a nice curve with high numbers all the way across the scale.

I will admit the STG1 wasnt a huge difference. But it was nice and once it learned for a little while I could definately tell it was running healthier and stronger....

What else you gonna do save until you have the money to by the AP and the TBE at the sametime? Whats the point of that? Might as well get the AP and save for the TBE exhaust because you cant use them in reverse order.

And there isnt a UTEC for the 06's.....yet...

Again, well said!

wow.. i didnt know wrx's only get .4 hp from stage1.. i thought that was a typeo till i looked at the chart. yeah, thats def not worth it! sti's get 16.6hp/33.7trq to the wheels & im still trying to justify buying an ap!

OMG, flipping read and look at the curve, gosh!

I did call and asked if there was something I was missing and was told no! I forgot who I spoke to, but I did ask why should I get Stage 1 and was told that it really isn't that necessary (that I really wouldn't notice any difference) and that if I want to get noticeable improvement to just get Stage 2 right off the bat.

Cobb told you that? Yeaaa.. I don't know why you even started this thread.


I don't know why Subaru wouldn't advertise 250-260hp/270-280 lb ft if that was what the car put out at the crank...only thing I can think of is to keep the STI as glorified and priced as it is. Unless Subaru advertises their hp and torque at the wheels not crank, this would be the first case I heard of where a car manufacturer did something like that. Normally they would advertise as high a numbers they could, which would be why their hp/torque advertisement numbers would be assumed to be at the crank.

*sigh* Are you a senior in high school? I love the logic, reasoning, and your, trying to keep a straight face, outcome :rolleyes: :lol:
Look at automotive history.. I don't even need to say anymore..

I know that Subaru underated the HP of the Forester XT and Dodge did the same thing with the SRT4. A shame someone doesn't have a before and after dyno chart using only stage one. I find it hard to believe that Cobb would try to sell something that has no effect. They seem to have a good reputation.

Right, they "underated" the engine's output. Also, READ AND LOOK AT THE DYNO PLOT. Its comparing what you're looking for. Cobb is selling something that has an effect, its called the Accessport :rolleyes: They DO have a good reputation. There is so much gosh darn misinformation in this thread it makes me wanna vomit!!

COBB dynoed the stock 2005 WRX at 174 hp and 170 lbf*ft at the wheels. Subaru claimed 227 hp and 217 lbf*ft at the crank. That's 174/227 = 170/217 = 77.5% driveline efficiency (or 22.5% driveline loss).

So if COBB dynoed the stock 2006 WRX at 202 hp and 234 lbf*ft at the wheels, that means that the crank numbers should be 202/77.5% = 260 hp and 235/77.5% = 303 lbf*ft :devil: . And yes, I'm a severe nerd.

Retarded nerd maybe...if you can't realize driveline efficiency isn't a fixed number, and changes proportionally, assuming all things equal, as power increases (or decreases). So your numbers are probably off some. Not trying to be harsh, just point out the obvious... and yes I know the tranny's etc and the drivelines are the same.. think!


pacRim and BelvnAWD....they're talking about the 2.5L WRX

Just trying to fix up this thread and the misinformation in it. I've been up for 36 hrs, so I'm going to bed.

Ck

ps.. my nerd comment is truly lighthearted and ment in a "joshing" manner :)

No offense taken.

I was just making the point that the '06 stock car is significantly faster than the '02-'05. I don't claim to know everything, even with an engineering degree. I was just giving an estimate. I don't know if the driveline is exactly the same from '02-'05 to '06, because I haven't looked into it.

And even if it is the same drive-line mechanically speaking, no two cars are exactly the same, just as no two transmissions or differentials are. But my efficiency and power numbers should be in the ball-park. I guess I shouldn't have used so many significant digits. My bad, LOL!!!

Now my question to you: why does driveline efficiency change with speed? I'm not asking to be a smart-a$$. I'd really like to know. I can understand if you have an automatic transmission since a torque converter's output varies with speed because of the fluid coupling, but I don't see it in a manual tranny. Can you shed some light or suggest some reading material? Thanks.

Retarded nerd maybe...if you can't realize driveline efficiency isn't a fixed number, and changes proportionally, assuming all things equal, as power increases (or decreases). So your numbers are probably off some. Not trying to be harsh, just point out the obvious... and yes I know the tranny's etc and the drivelines are the same.. think!

He didn't use a fixed number. He used a percentage.

pro·por·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pr-pôrshn, -pr-)
n.
A part considered in relation to the whole.

per·cent also per cent ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pr-snt)
adv.
Out of each hundred; per hundred.

n.
pl. percent, also per cent One part in a hundred:

Not to be pendant, but a percent is a proportional notion. I could see your argument if he said "The 05 WRX loses 30hp from the crank to the wheels, so lets look at the 06 WRX's horse power, and subtract 30." But no, he used a percantage.

And yeah, granted, it's not exact. You could take a look at 5 different 2005 WRXs that are supposedly exactly identical, and they'd all have different wheel horsepower, crank horsepower, and driveline efficiencies. It's just the nature of the beast when dealing with a mass produced car.

But his estimate is probably as close as you're going to get without pulling the motor out of the car, and dynoing it on a bench at the crank. It's definitely a reasonable method of extrapolation.

No offense taken.

I was just making the point that the '06 stock car is significantly faster than the '02-'05. I don't claim to know everything, even with an engineering degree. I was just giving an estimate. I don't know if the driveline is exactly the same from '02-'05 to '06, because I haven't looked into it.

And even if it is the same drive-line mechanically speaking, no two cars are exactly the same, just as no two transmissions or differentials are. But my efficiency and power numbers should be in the ball-park. I guess I shouldn't have used so many significant digits. My bad, LOL!!!

Now my question to you: why does driveline efficiency change with speed? I'm not asking to be a smart-a$$. I'd really like to know. I can understand if you have an automatic transmission since a torque converter's output varies with speed because of the fluid coupling, but I don't see it in a manual tranny. Can you shed some light or suggest some reading material? Thanks.


its all good dude, i just didn't want to come across as a total asshat :-P,... i'm a very sarcastic person and take everything lighthearted, but sometimes when I type what I think/ would say in person (without face expressions), it could be taken in the wrong way. i'll def post some quality info from a book dealing with this topic....it contains information about what WHP is needed to achieve a desired quarter mile time, because driveline losses and air resistence increase the coefficient of friction and all that wonder physics jazz, proportionally. I'll have to find the damn thing, its in with all my college stuff. I know the guys from a local motorsports garage and we used these equations to help ballbark some cars a few years ago, but now I've just been racing SCCA in a built miata whenever I get some spare time. I'll post that ASAP and PM you some scanned pages if you want to read them :) Engineering, woot. What type are you? Thats too much math for me. I decided, undergradutate at least, to get a bio/chem degree, physics minor then do the whole MD thing. Its nice to have a gentlemanly discussion on NASIOC, without it turning into, "my car is fa5t3R" or NOOB, haha :)

He didn't use a fixed number. He used a percentage.

pro·por·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pr-pôrshn, -pr-)
n.
A part considered in relation to the whole.

per·cent also per cent ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pr-snt)
adv.
Out of each hundred; per hundred.

n.
pl. percent, also per cent One part in a hundred:



Speaking of majors, go away english major. I ment proportion, not percentage. :lol:

I did 06 Stage 1 today as I wait for my remaining Stage 3 pieces to ship. F the dyno graphs, my butt dyno tells me it is a great improvement from stock :D

I did some daily driving butt dyno runs before and after loading Stage 1. Acceleration from stop. Acceleration and lane change from 35mph. 50mph to 25mph to 50mph. Etc. It responds and daily-drives so much better. If I didn't have the VF39 already, I'd probably hang around Stage 1 for awhile.

The real test will be the wife dyno. She drives the car this weekend. Let's see if she notices the new found pep :)

Redearo:

Best of luck with the wife :D !

Clark Kent:

I have a BSE in Mechanical Engineering. Please do post some material on drivetrain efficiency. The only models I have dealt with ignore things like frictional losses (which would be speed and temperature dependent, now that I think about it) and aerodynamic drag (which wouldn't matter on a dyno run, but it would still be interesting). Granted, I've only taken one vehicle dynamics course :D .

No worries about it turning into "my car is the fastest" contest. I know my car is slow :lol: ! But STX rules dictate what I can and can't do. I can't bring myself to de-cat the car (except maybe for that up-pipe cat so it doesn't get eaten by the turbo) to run the STX-legal stage 2 map, and stage 1 is not STX-legal. And I can't find a local pro-tuner for the AP.

So if COBB dynoed the stock 2006 WRX at 202 hp and 234 lbf*ft at the wheels, that means that the crank numbers should be 202/77.5% = 260 hp and 235/77.5% = 303 lbf*ft :devil: . And yes, I'm a severe nerd.

I'm confused, wouldn't a 235ft/lbs at 77.5% efficiency 182.125? (235*0.775).

I'd expect a non-linear function describing parasitic losses in relation to power output. The losses are due to friction - which should remain nearly constant - but you are also pumping various fluids i.e. gear oil etc.

That said- stage 1 is worth it - boosts quicker and more. Smoother, valet map, reads/resets codes - and just waiting for the TBE. Stage 2 06's are becomming the new 'tHe f4ster'.

add a VF-39/STi TMIC for $6-700 - now we are at $2k ish for somewhere around 80-90 HP

Redearo:
Best of luck with the wife :D !

Got the Stage 1 seal of approval from wifey! :lol:
She got in the car and after driving around for a bit asked me what I did to the car :p She likes the extra pull as soon as she steps on the gas.
Stage 2 and 3 are in the basement. I was going to go straight to Stage 3 but I think I want to give Stage 2 a run for a few weeks just so I can get a good comparison of all three stages.

I'm confused, wouldn't a 235ft/lbs at 77.5% efficiency 182.125? (235*0.775).

You multiplied, when you should have divided. 235lb/ft is what was measured at the wheels. Which equates to around 303lb/ft at the crank, given the same drivetrain as previous WRXs.