500bhp Build
21 February 2011, 09:46 PM
#61
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+1 For Tracktive, they have done all the work on my car including a recent 500 build. Personally i wouldn't go anywhere else.
I cannot comment on the other companies listed as i have not dealt with them but from what i can see they will also do a good job & have a good reputation. The decision is down to personal preference & funds.
BTW Badbird, was yours the blue blobeye ?
Dave
I cannot comment on the other companies listed as i have not dealt with them but from what i can see they will also do a good job & have a good reputation. The decision is down to personal preference & funds.
BTW Badbird, was yours the blue blobeye ?
Dave
21 February 2011, 10:02 PM
#62
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There are a few tuners out there that would build you a good engine @ 500 Bhp.
There are also some that aren't favoured by some.
A lot will depend on your budget mate, but as Chunky said, there is only one tuner in the UK that knock out work like this. RCM
500 lb/ft - 540 Bhp - 32,000 miles including many raggin' sessions on track) and all that's gone wrong was a Map Sensor failed. Nothing has broke.
There are also some that aren't favoured by some.
A lot will depend on your budget mate, but as Chunky said, there is only one tuner in the UK that knock out work like this. RCM
500 lb/ft - 540 Bhp - 32,000 miles including many raggin' sessions on track) and all that's gone wrong was a Map Sensor failed. Nothing has broke.
Last edited by SkullFudge; 21 February 2011 at 10:03 PM.
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22 February 2011, 12:38 AM
#64
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My vote would be Scoobyclinic or RCM both have many proven track wins under there belt over the past few years, Scoobyclinic are still racking up the wins in many areas. Both build amazing engines & i believe they work together & Support each other in Buisness. Good luck with your choice & enjoy the ride !!
all you need is good parts and a good builder 
22 February 2011, 08:17 AM
#69
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haha, your not the only one that thaught that then
its very easy to just throw pictures around about whos done what etc. but as said i just don't see how you can justify the extra considerable expense
p.s. someone will now post pictures of the gobstopper, but not the costs involved in doing it
Last edited by Tidgy; 22 February 2011 at 08:18 AM. Reason: added p.s.
22 February 2011, 08:22 AM
#70
chunkb's post 2nd pic down Ultimately it comes down to how deep your pockets are, and for the majorrity it would be hard to stretch to the expense of an RCM build regardless of quality.
As what would be the point of a having a awesome build but being in a shedload of debt?
22 February 2011, 09:57 AM
#72
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500bhp scoobies have been around for a few years now so all the parts have been tried and tested, there is no need to deviate or invent the wheel, so as long as the company has a good mechanic that can put things together and pay alot of attention to what he is doing you'll end up with a good car. All of the forementioned shops can do the job just fine and there's no need to spend a fortune.
22 February 2011, 10:16 AM
#73
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If you're going for a "reliable, drive in, drive out" 500bhp it will cost a sizable chunk of money to do properly where-ever you go; that kind of spec costs! Period.
You play, you pay!
22 February 2011, 10:46 AM
#74
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500bhp scoobies have been around for a few years now so all the parts have been tried and tested, there is no need to deviate or invent the wheel, so as long as the company has a good mechanic that can put things together and pay alot of attention to what he is doing you'll end up with a good car. All of the forementioned shops can do the job just fine and there's no need to spend a fortune.
keeping it is another story,
if its not built right it wont last, and im afraid iv been bitten there twice,
one can be down to bad luck but twice on the trot??? the aforementioned shops can aslo do it wrong too...
in one case incorrect machining and in another bad choice of parts
both ended up with ruined engines
Last edited by Badbird; 22 February 2011 at 10:48 AM.
22 February 2011, 11:16 AM
#75
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Again, i beg to differ, big power builds are nigh on impossible to do on a tight budget unless you are capable of doing most of the work yourself. Ask anyone with a 600+ build whether it is a classic shape or a newage and there will be a fair old chunk of money thrown into the car.
Last edited by bigsinky; 22 February 2011 at 11:19 AM.
22 February 2011, 12:46 PM
#76
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if you find one mechanic who is in it for the love of mechanical side of things and not just to see how much money he can get out of you, then things are a pleasure. you can leave your car in to be upgraded knowing he will treat your car as if it was his own and you will not be stroked or have your pants pulled down.
IMHO All you need is to find a decent man who will pay his full attention and not rip you off and its not that hard as its what people expect of a professional garage and noone would be recommending API or Subaru4You or Enginetuner and they wouldnt still be in that business after all that time if they werent.
Again, i beg to differ, big power builds are nigh on impossible to do on a tight budget unless you are capable of doing most of the work yourself. Ask anyone with a 600+ build whether it is a classic shape or a newage and there will be a fair old chunk of money thrown into the car.
Yes, if i wanted to build something which requires tons of knowledge and precision, say a 900bhp scooby and i had the money i would only go to the best people in the business, people who have already done it before and have the proof that it works and delivers, even if it costs me twice as much as the next guy who only has the general idea on how to do it.
22 February 2011, 12:50 PM
#77
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I've had my 500bhp car built in 2007 and even then there was plenty of knowledge around on how to get it done and there were quite a number of people who had it done, i imagine in 4 years the game has moved on a bit so the knowledge of how to build a 500bhp car is pretty much set in stone as people are aiming for much higher numbers in this day and age.
theres many way to skin a cat, and also make 500bhp. the main thing being capacity and how they perform, eg you can get 500 from a 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5 etc etc
the best around for the road is prob a 2.5 due to the extra torque, but thats opinion only and depends who you ask.
22 February 2011, 01:09 PM
#78
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That too was known in 2007 and it was known that 2.5 would be cheaper but less reliable than anything built on 2.0cdb or 2.2cdb platform to make 2.35 which seems to hold true today.
Last edited by serega; 22 February 2011 at 01:10 PM.
22 February 2011, 01:18 PM
#79
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why would the 2.5 be any less reliable?
i'm not sure if i'd go down the 2.5 semi closed route for 500, but whats stopping you using a 2.5 cdb?
there are several 2.5 semi's running above 500 and have been for a number of years, although i do know at least 2 that split the bores apart due to the level of boost required.
The thing is its not just the engine tech thats come on, turbo's make a massive difference and the level of development in the past few years has been huge. Billets have come on the scene which have taken things another step forward.
the car is only as strong as the weakest part, even down to the bolts the package as a whole (aka the engine build and spec) have moved on a long way since 2007.
i'm not sure if i'd go down the 2.5 semi closed route for 500, but whats stopping you using a 2.5 cdb?
there are several 2.5 semi's running above 500 and have been for a number of years, although i do know at least 2 that split the bores apart due to the level of boost required.
The thing is its not just the engine tech thats come on, turbo's make a massive difference and the level of development in the past few years has been huge. Billets have come on the scene which have taken things another step forward.
the car is only as strong as the weakest part, even down to the bolts
the package as a whole (aka the engine build and spec) have moved on a long way since 2007.
22 February 2011, 02:06 PM
#80
That happened to mine, hence moving to 14mm studs.
You can go linered - but they sometimes move too, with the same result.
If I was building again I would have kept my '05 JDM STi SCDB and gone 2.1 - I thought about it but they were only just coming in to favour so there were not many out there and I wasn't brave enough to give it a go.
I know a few folk who have tried 2.5's >500bhp but, ultimately, revert back to 2.0 CDB as the basis of the build.
22 February 2011, 02:12 PM
#81
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As I understand it, the liners lift slightly - boost and/or heat - as they're not that well supported, causing momentary headgasket leaks that ultimately cause the head gaskets to fail.
That happened to mine, hence moving to 14mm studs.
You can go linered - but they sometimes move too, with the same result.
If I was building again I would have kept my '05 JDM STi SCDB and gone 2.1 - I thought about it but they were only just coming in to favour so there were not many out there and I wasn't brave enough to give it a go.
I know a few folk who have tried 2.5's >500bhp but, ultimately, revert back to 2.0 CDB as the basis of the build.
That happened to mine, hence moving to 14mm studs.
You can go linered - but they sometimes move too, with the same result.
If I was building again I would have kept my '05 JDM STi SCDB and gone 2.1 - I thought about it but they were only just coming in to favour so there were not many out there and I wasn't brave enough to give it a go.
I know a few folk who have tried 2.5's >500bhp but, ultimately, revert back to 2.0 CDB as the basis of the build.
no no i mena litteraly split the bore apart on the cylinder, can;t find any pictures of what i mean, sure someone has some somewhere
22 February 2011, 02:42 PM
#83
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The liners problem on a 2.5 is purely about expansion rates of different types of metal. Fitted properly top hat liners cannot go anywhere. They sit on a ridge at the bottom of the cylinder and are sat on a corresponding lip at the top. What happens is that the steel of the liners and the alloy of the block expand and contract at different rates and after a few heat cycles end up in a different place to where they started.
There are various ways around that, but in the case of most, it is a full strip and skim and then re-assemble - which is likely to have a cost of some £1500.00 or so in labour and parts. Not ideal. Curiously enough, once heat cycled and skimmed they don't ' move ' again.
2.5's will split the liners, as the bore walls are very thin and with big boost they flex. Any piece of metal that is bent and straightened often, will snap. Which is what the original bore wall and inbuilt liner eventually does.
When building or upgrading a 2.5 we usually start again with a new block, we very rarely will modify a 2.5 that has done more than say 15,000 miles without using a new block. It may not be worn badly - but it will have been flexing for 15,000 miles and no-one can say how much longer it might hang together. A 2.5 can be linered and the Darton type liners seem to be a good solution, BUT given the likelihood of needing to strip and skim after running in it makes more sense to start with a new block and be done with it.
A 2.5 is best left below the 500 hp mark in the opinion of API. But, as said previously somewhere, do not imagine that any of them running above 500 will not need a refresh quite regularly, certainly by about 20,000 miles.
Good Luck all David APi
There are various ways around that, but in the case of most, it is a full strip and skim and then re-assemble - which is likely to have a cost of some £1500.00 or so in labour and parts. Not ideal. Curiously enough, once heat cycled and skimmed they don't ' move ' again.
2.5's will split the liners, as the bore walls are very thin and with big boost they flex. Any piece of metal that is bent and straightened often, will snap. Which is what the original bore wall and inbuilt liner eventually does.
When building or upgrading a 2.5 we usually start again with a new block, we very rarely will modify a 2.5 that has done more than say 15,000 miles without using a new block. It may not be worn badly - but it will have been flexing for 15,000 miles and no-one can say how much longer it might hang together. A 2.5 can be linered and the Darton type liners seem to be a good solution, BUT given the likelihood of needing to strip and skim after running in it makes more sense to start with a new block and be done with it.
A 2.5 is best left below the 500 hp mark in the opinion of API. But, as said previously somewhere, do not imagine that any of them running above 500 will not need a refresh quite regularly, certainly by about 20,000 miles.
Good Luck all David APi
22 February 2011, 02:50 PM
#84
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I now know many in the Scooby world and Bigsinky's remarks are just about perfect answers.
There are not many proven 500+ Impreza's that are USED. Out of all the ones I have known above 450 all but two have broken and they are no longer owned by the guys.
There are many 500+ cars at events, shows and in the pubs. In reality there are very few that can use there big power without worrying something will break or blow.
A reliable 500+ WILL cost you a shed load of money. It doesn't stop at the engine.
We are currently building a 650+ race car and I intended to try a complete the car on a budget. I now realise it's impossible to achieve if I want it as reliable as my road going P1.
There are not many proven 500+ Impreza's that are USED. Out of all the ones I have known above 450 all but two have broken and they are no longer owned by the guys.
There are many 500+ cars at events, shows and in the pubs. In reality there are very few that can use there big power without worrying something will break or blow.
A reliable 500+ WILL cost you a shed load of money. It doesn't stop at the engine.
We are currently building a 650+ race car and I intended to try a complete the car on a budget. I now realise it's impossible to achieve if I want it as reliable as my road going P1.
