ScoobyTaffy

Hi Guys ,

Looking some expert advice regarding changing to hawkeye . Ive been after a Hawkeye STi UK and am biding my time to find the right one for me .

Can someone explain to me the positives and negatives of a Spec C Japanese Import regarding insurance , getting parts for it etc and basically just help me understand the difference between them . Also what year do they make the hawkeyes in to in Japan ?

Cheers

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

All hawkeyes are MY06/07 cars, the JDM cars are 2ltr twin scroll engines producing more power out of the box than the 2.5's and suffering none of the issues the 2.5's suffer.
You get a higher spec of car with a Spec C (mechanically), with an engine oil cooler mounted on the drivers side, transmission oil cooler, quick rack steering and a proper intercooler water spray (with a 12ltr tank in the boot).

Insurance will or should be no different to that of a UK car, parts are just as available as a UK car (if you have tried getting hold of parts for any subaru from IM then you will find its much easier getting parts for a JDM ).

The car is totally different to drive, either a total pussycat or a manic rev happy monster, hence why us JDM owners wont buy another UK car
Oh and if you get an early hawk you wont get hammered in tax, 215 quid a year is great

Tony

ScoobyTaffy

Hi Tony ,

Thanks again for the info . The JDM sounds like the way to go !!! What i dont understand though is how can I be offered a 2011 hawkeye if the new shape came out from 2008 ???

Cheers , john

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Its not a 2011 but its probably been registered new if the car has been stored etc, the car will still be either a 2006 or 2007 model year and I would recommend changing all the fluids and belts as they will be 4-5 years old now.

Tony

daz1968

iTrader: (13)

If the 2011 is a spec c then there was a few about for sale

ScoobyTaffy

Oh i see cheers Tony , what sort of price is realistic to pay for one with low miles on ?? below 10k !!!

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

12k gets you this http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3393211.htm but you will pay more for a hawk.

Tony

ScoobyTaffy

I do want a hawkeye Tony , had my blobeye for near 3 years now and although i love it to bits and it goes great , i just love the styling of the hawkeye . Im just unsure what to go for with regards to the engine concerns for the 2.5 etc , I dont drive hard , dont do tracks etc , but i dont want to buy hawk uk and be worrying about head gaskets etc !!!!

Pramas

the 2011 spec c hawk just aint be registered, imo opinion they are the best of the lot ( i have a thing about hawks lol ) , but in all honestly even though i have a type uk, if the spec c or even a jdm had been available when i needed a new car i wouldve took those, they are rather rare on the for sale adds, or were at the time
1 last thing , u only hear bad things on the internet, bit like in business, no1 says well done, but if something goes wrong you have 500 people complaning, every engine has problems, you only hear the bad bits, albiet it you seem to hear 2.5 issuses more than 2.0 but ive not had a problem and iam running 370 on standards

ScoobyTaffy

Ok cheers mate for the advice . The JDM and Spec C are both japanese STi"s right or wrong ?? From what i can gather the Spec C is like a modifed JDM Sti or am i wrong ?

Like i said above i do love the blobeye i have now but i do prefer the front of the hawk and the general exterior of it and wanna get something reliable . Regards to mapping a hawkeye UK STi is this gonna improve reliablility or weaken it ? I thought i read somewhere that mapping them makes them more reliable !!

I agree what you say above mate , once one person bad mouths something more usually follow , thts life unfortunately for some innit !!!!

Pramas

given the choice, funds allowing ofc, id personally go spec c hawk, then jdm hawk, both are 2.0 twin scroll which is the better engine, next up is prob the type uk which is 2.5 and has tons of torque, but it does in some cases have issues, like i said iam running 370hp and 400ft lbs with no issues so far, that isnt to say ill not be back crying next week my engines gone pop . Honestly my best advice is whatever car you buy have it remapped, theres some real pros on this site ( bob rawle, simon or duncan) they will see your engine safe

ScoobyTaffy

Thanks mate its all valuable info !!! Yeh ive heard good reports about all the guys you mentioned also and spoke to Simon and found him really helpful and informative !!

Suberman

Yes, both JDM and Spec C are "Japanese STIs" JDM stands for Japan Domestic Model. They are usually referred to as "JDM STI" and "Spec C" because it is understandable that a Spec C is only available as a JDM whereas an STI can be a Euro/UK spec car, hence the "JDM" moniker.

AFAIK Remapping do make them safer if you're after a remap where the tuner maps the car for safety instead of maximum power (although power gain is usually a result of such a remap ) The tuner basically makes sure that air/fuel ratio and boost is spot on based on a certain type of petrol, air temperature etc. Sometimes certain car runs a little lean when coming on boost (maybe for emissions?) and that is not the most ideal situation. Mapping the car for maximum power would mean increasing boost and ignition timing to the point that the petrol would take before it detontes. Sometimes this higher state of tune may be too much for certain engines under certain operating conditions.

That said, it doesn't mean that the JDM engines are bomb proof (although frequently referred to as) they are just built with more headroom for power increase and are more robust.

Frankly, if you're not tracking the car - maybe just an occasional blast, i wouldn't totally ignore a good uk car if you come across one as with a good reliable tune from a reputable tuner - it should not give you any problems as Pramas have experienced.