wrx/uk turbo differences
06 March 2002, 04:18 PM
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can anyone tell me the actual differences in the two, i have been told that the wrx has more power, does anyone know why, boost/internals etc etc
06 March 2002, 04:48 PM
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cheers mate still unsure of the actual engine differences, i know the wrx has more power for definate now but need to know what i will need to do to my uk car to bring it up to wrx standard if i cant find a wrx.....
thanks
thanks
06 March 2002, 05:01 PM
#5
theres options, fit the prodrive performance pack, this consists of better ECU, complete exhaust etc, or fit aftermarket zorst, induction kit, and maybe boost controller and u will see similar performance if not better than a standard WRX I believe.
06 March 2002, 05:09 PM
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The WRX has the same boost as uk cars 0.9 bar,but it has a bigger
turbo and is mapped differently.It also has lower gearing,alluminium bonnet and lighter suspension parts.Post 95
models get 260bhp, even on 97 octane fuel you will still get about
250bhp.
Steve.
turbo and is mapped differently.It also has lower gearing,alluminium bonnet and lighter suspension parts.Post 95
models get 260bhp, even on 97 octane fuel you will still get about
250bhp.
Steve.
06 March 2002, 05:18 PM
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definately gonna have to get an import, if i've got to do that to get wrx power on a uk then i'm at a dis-advantage before i even start, anyone got any views on best import mods?? maybe time for a new thread.thanks for everyones help
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06 March 2002, 06:05 PM
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Well if your going to get an import cos its got more power you have to look at its disadvantages, ie mainly how good is your fuel supply of sul and optimax?
These cars can only run on super unleaded fuel and even with that you could be down on power to a uk car with a decat system.
Your insurance will cost more for an import and you will need an independant subaru speciallist to service her twice a year as subaru uk wont touch em, even for the smallest parts.
The only up side about having a wrx over a uk car is that the wrx's are usually of higher spec but be warned, they need more care and attention as they can suffer from det more easily than a uk car and thats an expensive job if you dont know the history of the car to start with! (ie what fuel the previous owner put into her).
Engine wise, your looking at say a 93 wrx? if you are then upto around 97 the uk cars were fitted with the same type of turbo (td05) and you will probably be down on power to them too! (240ps for pre95 cars running 100ron fuel, equates to 230ish bhp in our terms, pretty much what most uk cars push out) so not really any gains IMHO.
Think carefully though, you could get a newer and better uk car for the money that you will probably spend on a wrx....
Tony
These cars can only run on super unleaded fuel and even with that you could be down on power to a uk car with a decat system.
Your insurance will cost more for an import and you will need an independant subaru speciallist to service her twice a year as subaru uk wont touch em, even for the smallest parts.
The only up side about having a wrx over a uk car is that the wrx's are usually of higher spec but be warned, they need more care and attention as they can suffer from det more easily than a uk car and thats an expensive job if you dont know the history of the car to start with! (ie what fuel the previous owner put into her).
Engine wise, your looking at say a 93 wrx? if you are then upto around 97 the uk cars were fitted with the same type of turbo (td05) and you will probably be down on power to them too! (240ps for pre95 cars running 100ron fuel, equates to 230ish bhp in our terms, pretty much what most uk cars push out) so not really any gains IMHO.
Think carefully though, you could get a newer and better uk car for the money that you will probably spend on a wrx....
Tony
06 March 2002, 06:31 PM
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If you buy a WRX you should stick to a standard or exhaust mod
only car.I owned one for two years and never felt the need for more power.Places like scoobysport will service it for you and source any parts you may need,also if youve got an older car you wouldnt want to spend main dealer prices on repairs.I have a new uk car now.but found it cheaper and easier getting parts for my old car(banzai and jap performance magazine good place to look).
With 97 ron fuel i was getting 0-60 in 5.5secs and from 70mph in 5th on motorways i could leave almost anything for dead.main down sides are insurance and mpg (20mpg max).Hope this helps.
Steve.
only car.I owned one for two years and never felt the need for more power.Places like scoobysport will service it for you and source any parts you may need,also if youve got an older car you wouldnt want to spend main dealer prices on repairs.I have a new uk car now.but found it cheaper and easier getting parts for my old car(banzai and jap performance magazine good place to look).
With 97 ron fuel i was getting 0-60 in 5.5secs and from 70mph in 5th on motorways i could leave almost anything for dead.main down sides are insurance and mpg (20mpg max).Hope this helps.
Steve.
06 March 2002, 07:01 PM
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Steve are you saying that you only had an exhaust on yours or did you have other mods??
also, any ideas on a local supplier for the mentioned mags??
Also any other peoples opinions?? would like to hear from any other uk or wrx drivers.
also, any ideas on a local supplier for the mentioned mags??
Also any other peoples opinions?? would like to hear from any other uk or wrx drivers.
06 March 2002, 08:40 PM
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Tween,
This old chestnut pops up now n again m8
Yes the early motas both had the same size turbo, but as has been pointed out the wrx has an alloy bonnet (considerably lighter).
The wrx is more expensive to insure but thats because of the performance (they are quicker than uk) due to lower gearing (more smiles per mile
). If I was buying 1 again i`d still go for a wrx, as i`ve been in a lot of my mates uk`s but they jus don`t feel as qwick. As Steve has said getting parts is not a problem so it`s a "u pays ur money and u get wot u ask for"
This may help u out a little though
http://www.scoobymods.co.uk/SRollingRoad02.htm
Bear in mind my mota is a 94 wrx
What could i get in the uk
to replace that? YEah the torque is a little down but that was running 0.8 bar of boost
Hope this helps m8
Pete
This old chestnut pops up now n again m8
Yes the early motas both had the same size turbo, but as has been pointed out the wrx has an alloy bonnet (considerably lighter).
The wrx is more expensive to insure but thats because of the performance (they are quicker than uk) due to lower gearing (more smiles per mile
). If I was buying 1 again i`d still go for a wrx, as i`ve been in a lot of my mates uk`s but they jus don`t feel as qwick. As Steve has said getting parts is not a problem so it`s a "u pays ur money and u get wot u ask for"This may help u out a little though
http://www.scoobymods.co.uk/SRollingRoad02.htm
Bear in mind my mota is a 94 wrx
What could i get in the uk to replace that? YEah the torque is a little down but that was running 0.8 bar of boost
Hope this helps m8
Pete
06 March 2002, 08:55 PM
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I have owned both a UK MY98 turbo and MY00 WRX and they are different. Insurance is about 33% extra more for me (than the UK I had), economy is slightly worse but only a few mpg. Yep I run on optimax and octane booster. Servicing isnt really a problem as there are some good specialists out there and cheaper than dealers labour rates (in my case anyway).
I was worried about servicing, parts etc. but it seems to have worked out for me.
Lastly performance, drive them both but I know my UK was a lot slower but then again it was 70 bhp down and didnt have the lower ratio gears.
I was worried about servicing, parts etc. but it seems to have worked out for me.
Lastly performance, drive them both but I know my UK was a lot slower but then again it was 70 bhp down and didnt have the lower ratio gears
.
07 March 2002, 02:31 AM
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i have had a couple of opinions from both uk and import owners and it sounds like i'm gonna be dissapointed with the uk model, i know that i get the dealer back up but it seems i get the lack of extra's , performance and although it cant be verified, the milage of most of the cars i have looked at have favoured the imports, everyone hates the magic words "sorry mate that part is main dealer only" and why is it, because they take the p***, i never really intended to take my car to the dealer if i do buy a uk car, it seems that the uk car owners on this site have a bad opinion of imports which is fine, but i am looking for an all round opinion that isnt too bias, are there any uk owners that can give me any positive reasons why i would be better off getting a uk car....
thanks for any comments good or bad....
thanks for any comments good or bad....
07 March 2002, 07:38 AM
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I've had 2 Uk cars and now run an import - mine is a Sti Ra so a bit different to Wrx but the arguments are basically the same.
Tony says 230bhp on a stnd Uk car ? This has been seen on the odd car especially the bigger turbo models in 97/98MY. I dont believe all Uk cars come with that - they only advertised 207 bhp !
Fuel - my Sti runs quite happily on all fuel - obviously Sul and Octane booster is best as they are tuned for 100 ron but unless you are at the track the odd tank of lower stuff is fine. Uk cars are meant to be run on 97 anyway.
Servicing - yeah, can be a pain if there is no specialist near you, but there are so many around I cant believe that will be the case. With the help of this BBS you can get the car sorted with no probs.
Insurance - killer - shop around but this is a major cost. Of course declaring mods to a uk car can bring premiums right up - dont forget this.
But overall I didnt want to decat the car and have loads of mods. Who needs the bother at MOT time of getting the cat put back on for one. IMHO it must be better to get a car which is designed to have the additional power rather than mod a car that wasnt ? The Wrx has alot of upgraded internals so will surely cause less problems.
It's a balance coz Uk cars come with a defined history and imports can be difficult to track - but get one from a decent source and you'll be smiling for along time.
Tony says 230bhp on a stnd Uk car ? This has been seen on the odd car especially the bigger turbo models in 97/98MY. I dont believe all Uk cars come with that - they only advertised 207 bhp !
Fuel - my Sti runs quite happily on all fuel - obviously Sul and Octane booster is best as they are tuned for 100 ron but unless you are at the track the odd tank of lower stuff is fine. Uk cars are meant to be run on 97 anyway.
Servicing - yeah, can be a pain if there is no specialist near you, but there are so many around I cant believe that will be the case. With the help of this BBS you can get the car sorted with no probs.
Insurance - killer - shop around but this is a major cost. Of course declaring mods to a uk car can bring premiums right up - dont forget this.
But overall I didnt want to decat the car and have loads of mods. Who needs the bother at MOT time of getting the cat put back on for one. IMHO it must be better to get a car which is designed to have the additional power rather than mod a car that wasnt ? The Wrx has alot of upgraded internals so will surely cause less problems.
It's a balance coz Uk cars come with a defined history and imports can be difficult to track - but get one from a decent source and you'll be smiling for along time.
07 March 2002, 07:43 AM
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as subaru uk wont touch em, even for the smallest parts
Sorry i don't believe that as I've turned up at 2 dealers and had them supply and fit minor parts to my very obvious import
without problem..They just said "For Gawds sake don't tell IM we are doing this " LOL
Oh yeah and they were based in Belgium
07 March 2002, 08:25 AM
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How much difference does the lower gearing make.
The later uk turbos did allegedly come in at 220bhp, but they are obviously more expensive.
Presuming an early wrx comes in at 240(on high ron fuel) possibly 230ish on optimax and a later uk turbo with 220 ish (depending on opinions (Ill use my uk99 as an example dynod at 235bhp)
What would they compare like in straight line acceleration say up to 100 mph
Are there any disadvantages f having such short gear ratios? does a wrx run out of steam higher on due to this?
How much extra bhp would a uk car have to make to match the acceleration of a wrx
Anyone who knows ?
This is very interesting
Thanx in advance
The later uk turbos did allegedly come in at 220bhp, but they are obviously more expensive.
Presuming an early wrx comes in at 240(on high ron fuel) possibly 230ish on optimax and a later uk turbo with 220 ish (depending on opinions (Ill use my uk99 as an example dynod at 235bhp)
What would they compare like in straight line acceleration say up to 100 mph
Are there any disadvantages f having such short gear ratios? does a wrx run out of steam higher on due to this?
How much extra bhp would a uk car have to make to match the acceleration of a wrx
Anyone who knows ?
This is very interesting
Thanx in advance
07 March 2002, 01:25 PM
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And how would that compare to a 280 bhp uk car
What im trying to assess is the effectives of the gearing on a wrx vs a uk. Providing the power levels are the same would there be a great difference?
Sorry for the questions but im really interested, never been in a wrx
What im trying to assess is the effectives of the gearing on a wrx vs a uk. Providing the power levels are the same would there be a great difference?
Sorry for the questions but im really interested, never been in a wrx
07 March 2002, 01:29 PM
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Whatever the % change in gearing, will translate directly into that % increase in torque at the wheel and hence acceleration.
The shorter gearing with have negligable effect on through gear manoevers (0-100, 1/4 mile etc etc).
The shorter gearing with have negligable effect on through gear manoevers (0-100, 1/4 mile etc etc).
07 March 2002, 01:32 PM
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Best bet is to drive a UK and an import before deciding (or a few of each). Condition and mileage is important, i ended up going for a slightly modded 95WRX a year ago with a 10K budget at the time i was struggling to find a uk 97 spec car in good nick for 10K, (the earlier UK ones have ****ty seats!!) and in the end went for the WRX, maybe a year or 2 older than a similar priced UK - but in top condition and v.low mileage. It is in my opinion faster through the gears than a uk but to be honest, unless youre taking it on the track the differences are fairly irrelevant - but its still nice to have a car with near 300bhp!!
Phil
Phil
07 March 2002, 02:00 PM
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Not sure how it would it compare to a 280bhp UK car but I know the gears 1,2,3,4,5 on mine feel like
1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4
Ultimate a car with UK ratios would probably be quicker top end. What you have to remember is Japan by law there are restricted to 112mph (180kph) so they put the ratios in to exploit the aceleration and mid range pull. I very rarely have to drop a gear but I am always looking for 6th. I guess the new STI is like this. I would love a 6th gear the same ratio as a UK 5th though []. If you do a lot of motorway stuff then the lower ratio box may not be advisable. As I have said early in my car :
In 5th gear
20mph is 1000rpm
40mph is 2000rpm
60mph is 3000rpm
70mph is 3500rpm
ie 10 mph every 500rpm in 5th.
cheers
chris
1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4
Ultimate a car with UK ratios would probably be quicker top end. What you have to remember is Japan by law there are restricted to 112mph (180kph) so they put the ratios in to exploit the aceleration and mid range pull. I very rarely have to drop a gear but I am always looking for 6th. I guess the new STI is like this. I would love a 6th gear the same ratio as a UK 5th though [
]. If you do a lot of motorway stuff then the lower ratio box may not be advisable. As I have said early in my car :In 5th gear
20mph is 1000rpm
40mph is 2000rpm
60mph is 3000rpm
70mph is 3500rpm
ie 10 mph every 500rpm in 5th.
cheers
chris
07 March 2002, 02:32 PM
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Well im runing 235 at moment and got a dawes to fit this week, gotot get around to dooing down puipe soon, hoping to see 250
But would love a trip in a fast scoob, i wana see how much faster it feels
Cant afford to change though, i plan on keeping this one for a few years, then geitng sometihng better.
Roll on offers to take young catflap for the ride of his life...
But would love a trip in a fast scoob, i wana see how much faster it feels
Cant afford to change though, i plan on keeping this one for a few years, then geitng sometihng better.
Roll on offers to take young catflap for the ride of his life...
07 March 2002, 02:38 PM
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Is the 280ps level quoted for a sti wrx or just a normal wrx??
as i said i dont want to end up buying a uk car that i have spend more than the difference in price to get it to import spec, its nice to hear from uk owners who don't seem to dislike imports as well, the first car that i test srove was a uk turbo and seemed very underpowered. It was the first impreza i had drove and i put it down to a bad example, the next impreza i drove was a year older wrx and drove like i imagined an impreza should, my main problem has been that i have only drove one of each and did not feel that the uk car was running properly..... it looks like if i want to double the speed limit then get a uk car, but if i want low down acceleration then get an import.... my quest continues....
as i said i dont want to end up buying a uk car that i have spend more than the difference in price to get it to import spec, its nice to hear from uk owners who don't seem to dislike imports as well, the first car that i test srove was a uk turbo and seemed very underpowered. It was the first impreza i had drove and i put it down to a bad example, the next impreza i drove was a year older wrx and drove like i imagined an impreza should, my main problem has been that i have only drove one of each and did not feel that the uk car was running properly..... it looks like if i want to double the speed limit then get a uk car, but if i want low down acceleration then get an import.... my quest continues....
07 March 2002, 02:56 PM
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I own uk 99
I sometimes wish i could have afforded a wrx, BUT
It would have to have been a newer wrx, i didnot want an older model. I do crave for extra power (i should see 250 soon, hope that is enough for me) But the price in insurence ment i simply had no choice.
I could have gone with an older model wrx, but instead of a nice 99 uk with low milage i woul dhave had to have gone for a l,m,n wrx, and use the saving to pay for insurence.
so i chose the newer car. and went with a belgum uk spec import for 12k under 2 years old, not bad at all it hasent cost me alot to get 235, and i dont think itll cost much more to see 250, i think it gets more expensive here on in.
Next meet, all you lovely wrx`s take us for a drive, anyone is welcome to come (not literly) in my scoob
I sometimes wish i could have afforded a wrx, BUT
It would have to have been a newer wrx, i didnot want an older model. I do crave for extra power (i should see 250 soon, hope that is enough for me) But the price in insurence ment i simply had no choice.
I could have gone with an older model wrx, but instead of a nice 99 uk with low milage i woul dhave had to have gone for a l,m,n wrx, and use the saving to pay for insurence.
so i chose the newer car. and went with a belgum uk spec import for 12k under 2 years old, not bad at all
it hasent cost me alot to get 235, and i dont think itll cost much more to see 250, i think it gets more expensive here on in.Next meet, all you lovely wrx`s take us for a drive, anyone is welcome to come (not literly) in my scoob
07 March 2002, 03:03 PM
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all my thought have just been smashed, just read a thread from someone who is selling a r reg cat, high miles but looks the blx, and yes its a uk car, just when i thought it was an easy decision, wrx all the way BUT NOW.................