For pre 97 classics, the differences are ECU I'm told. The WRX's of this vintage made 260 PS on 100RON fuel and a different map that gave more boost.

95 and 96 WRX's had the Z4 ECU which can be put into a pre 97 UK car and you'll have 250-255 BHP on UK fuel with the need to run SUL minimum.

You can either do this or talk to the lads at ScoobyECU who can give you an adaptor with a map that will raise boost up to and beyond the Z4 ECU. The beauty of this way is that you can switch between maps so UK owners can have usual mode (215 bhp 95 RON) or weekend blast mode (250++)

The later WRX's use phase 2 engines, different ECU's and probably not a TD04 to get the 280PS.

Justin

[Edited by Jay m A - 4/3/2003 10:56:06 AM]

 

on a MY95 wrx the compression ratio is listed as being 8:5:1 but on the uk car of the same age it is listed as being 8:0:1

anyone know for sure???

[Edited by jonny gav - 4/3/2003 1:38:49 PM]

 

Do the jap cars have different turbo's and injectors etc then? I'm just wondering why it's "Dangerous" or why UK engines "let go" when they are tuned/tweaked to around 260/270bhp when a jap one comes out of the factory with it seems, just a different ECU
Why can a Jap car come out of the factory running 280ish BHP but a UK car has to have Gauges, extra sensors, Knock detectors,lambda sensors,AFR meters etc if the power is increased by 20bhp and above.
If i put a JAP ECU in my UK car (I don't suppose for a moment that is possible) what stops it having 280bhp?


Mikey

[Edited by Gridlock Mikey - 4/3/2003 5:22:32 PM]

 

you cannot use an import ecu in a uk car, fairly sure the ecu pins are different.

in my opinion no subaru should be without those gauges you like to avoid , especially the imports even in standard form. to me a knocklink at least is a must. andy f was able to detect a cracked piston ring land before a major failure. I was also able to tell the dawes was too high on track for my tmic/turbo with one,even though I was monitoring intake temp. I was also told of a P1 with decat that let go 2 days before it was booked in for a remap. the engine was rebuilt by a dealer and sent off for running in. after running in, the owner decided to get a knocklink and it was lighting up like a christmas tree. he removed the decat and went back to standard exhaust which stopped the knocklink lighting up. I think he is now getting the decat and remap at the same time rather than months apart.

[Edited by T-uk - 4/3/2003 7:26:49 PM]

 

A classic UK engine and a standard classic wrx engine.

Not the STi engine. I just wondered if anyone knew exactly why a uk car is rated at about 215bhp and the wrx at 280bhp. Is it just a different ecu map? or are the engine internals different as well. I know the STi engine has uprated this and that, but do the WRX's

Mikey

 

Hi mikey, as far as i know the jap car has a higher compression ratio than the uk car.
all other differences are in the ECU.

 

As far as I know the compression ratio is the same, however wagons do have a higher compression ratio.

There may be slight differences with the cams, however I have never stripped a uk engine.

SMG would be a good person to comment.

 

Thanks for that, So it's all about compression then? and a relevent map!
How do you change compression then, is it a job that can be done easily? I appreciate that it'd probably be an engine out, strip job, but....
Could it be done for less than the cost of an aftermarket ECU for example?

Mikey

 

Why would you want to?

You could raise the power without touching the compression ration... it can be changed by head gaskets, or skimming the head / block.

im not sure the wrx was 8.5:1 I thought it was 8:1

wagon is 8.5:1

David

 

mikey- Davids ECU mod will give you the results you are looking for, in my opinion on UK fuel you are better off with a lower comp ratio so a good map like the one David does would be ideal for your car.

 

they are all 8:1 CR, the printed 8.5:1 is a mistake in the Subaru literature AFAIK.

Only the 95/96 WRX engines were over 240ps, but about 240hp on UK fuel.

early 95 and before run lower boost, marginally more than UK at top end (something like 1 psi more if any).

Paul

 

Edited cos i put it in the wrong bleedin thread! DOH!

Mikey

[Edited by Gridlock Mikey - 4/3/2003 3:54:10 PM]

[Edited by Gridlock Mikey - 4/3/2003 5:24:03 PM]

 

<<<Davids ECU mod will give you the results you are looking for, in my opinion on UK fuel you are better off with a lower comp ratio so a good map like the one David does would be ideal for your car.>>>

David? As in Wallis? What is this mod please, and is it suitable for a '98 UK car running full decat, and ITG filter?
Thanx,
Alcazar

 

its a good point
and one which i wonder myself

i have a 276 bhpwrx
standerd on 100 ron fuel
mine is running on optimax which will knock a smidgen of power off
but it also has a k&n pannel filter which will probably over come the octane shortfall

i would also like to know the diffrences between mym 276 wrx engine and my mates 215 uk engine, there both the same design, sumbody told me the cams might be diffrent?
surely its not just the ecu/petrol thing
no ecu in the land gives 61bhp lol

sumbody else told me the wrx may run extra boost?

 

paul- thanks for clearing that up

mikey- i think john banks would disagree as he is running a uk engine at over 400bhp!

i know you can change the pre 96 uk ECU for a pre 96 wrx ECU without any problems but not sure about the later cars.

 

So why is a uk classic about 210 bhp and a wrx classic 93 about 240 bhp, i thought from people off scoobynet that the bottom end was the same eg compression , is it down to different cams? or just programming in the ecu , they both run the same boost 11.5 psi don't they ? Someone out there must know what the difference is?

Mark

 

T-UK and Jonny Gav,

How ya doin? I'm not having a go at monitoring engines (See what happened last time ) and yes there are plenty of instances where being cautious has saved an engine or two of that there is no doubt, what I really would like to know is what is the difference between a UK engine and a Jap WRX one.
Fuel and mapping seem to be favorites at the moment a few unconfirmed issues regarding cams, and compression ratio's. The more I think about it, the more i believe that the engines are 280bhp units as they come out of the same factory, but the UK ECU tames the engine output to conform with regs.
It follows that by tweaking an ECU you can gain power, the opposite must also be true, that it can be used to reduce power.
Now this brings me to a bit of a dilemma. Why have none of the ECU type people been able to take a UK ECU and re programme it using WRX parameters?
I reckon it would be a best seller. A true plug and play ECU. It differs from the existing ECUTEK 1,2,2.5,3 type devices as they are VERY specific to a car and even driving styles. A re programmed UK ECU with JAP parameters could be sold to folk with un modified cars who just want more poke.
If it is just a ECU/Fuel thing surely you ECU programmer guru's could come up with something. Or is it a more profitable business without these ECU's in the market place?

mikey (NOT having a go at anyone or anyones business )

 

Paul, the wagon is a higher compression ratio.. Fact.

David

 

Still not convinced of the higher CR on the wagon, sorry. Maybe the jap wagon with the TD04, but not the UK with TD05. Not until I see a physical difference on a stripped engine, regardless of what info there is on the web.

The highest power WRX before the 97 cars (actually late 96) was 260ps, 13.5 psi peak boost lowering to 12psi at the top end. The fuel difference does add up to more power, up to 20 wouldn't be unreasonable for the difference between 98 and 100RON.

From memory the 94 WRX and 94UK cars run the same boost levels, the only difference will be the ignition and lack of 2nd cat on the WRX, 20hp isn't a huge difference (240ps is about 235hp).

WRX ECU fits and runs on a UK car no problems, maybe some confusion with the version 3 cars that started late 96 which have the 3 plug ECU.

Paul

 

I was not really thinking of the earlier wrx/uk cars with my above post since (iirc) mickey has a MY99/00.

I do have to agree with you to a degree ,stick the same turbo,similar ecu etc,etc on a UK car and a import and there does not seem much between them.

 

Realistic differences between the UK MY99/00 and the WRX MY99/00:

Turbo - UK TD04/WRX VF something!
ECU - UK mapped for 95 octane fuel/WRX mapped for 100 octane fuel
Exhaust - UK peashooter backbox & mid-cat/WRX bigger backbox & no centre cat

So in theory, you can change the turbo, centre section, backbox and get a re-mappable ECU mapped for Optimax, it should be the same sort of performance as a WRX! And that's keeping your UK downpipe cat in place against a standard WRX!

 

Paul - Not all import wagons have TD04 : mines a TD05, @ 1.3 bar.

[Edited by BoxerFlat4 - 4/4/2003 3:34:47 PM]

 

All UK owners should do that then Andy 215 bhp up to 280 and still pass ya MOT
Who wants my ECU to tune?

Mikey

 

Mikey, some of us did and then further!!

Hope you are well chap!

 

All is well Andy, spot of bother with a hang over this morning Works do last night Will i ever learn She was nice though!!!!!!

Mikey

 

except the my97 wrx onwards which also come with 280ps
lol

 

so infact nobody really knows what there talking about then??

come on then people
can anybody list exactly whats diffrent between a 97 uk car and a 97 wrx import

theres a lot of diffrence in power
do they have diff turbos?
do they have diff cams
ovb the ecu is diff
do they have a cat missing?
etc etc

 

Every UK owner on the planet (Well not all of them ) is waiting with baited breath Could it be that the scooby turbo ******* child (the UK Turbo) could VERY SIMPLY be converted safely to have the same power as it's oriental cousin? With out the need for front mounts, bigger turbo's, Expensive ECU solutions, etc.
I have not really seen or read anything yet to suggest that it CAN'T be done but due to confusion over the issue, it seems no one can say that it is DEFINATLEY possible.
Anyone got access to a JAP ECU that they want to bung on thier UK car?
Actually, today I shall speak to the mapping people and see if they can tell me if it's possible.
There has GOT to be a reason why this hasn't been investigated already. Maybe it was many years ago and all the UK cars didn't work as well or something. Maybe some folk have been there, done that. If you have, let us know your findings.
Maybe some folk don't want us to know (Que X-Files music )

Mikey

 

Some of the older Jap wagons were 8.5 for sure. I am not exactly sure of the M/Ys. However since atleast ver 5 all cars and wagons had 8.0:1

 

Mikey...

We have access to maps from many uk, wrx's saloons and wagons..

And yes we could try a wrx map on your car... Why?

David