Category Archives: Tune/Protune

Mods, mods, mods…

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Today, after much mental debate and procrastination, I pulled the trigger on the parts/mods I’ll need to go Stage 2.

These are the parts I’ll be receiving soon:

Cobb AP v3
Grimmspeed 3 port EBCS
Walbro 255 fuel pump
Nameless Intake
CNT Catted DP
3-inch Downpipe to Factory Cat-Back Exhaust Adapter

I’ll also need to get a new DP gasket, a flat 3″ exhaust gasket, a new donut gasket (the gasket that goes between the DP and midpipe), and longer bolts.

I’ve ordered everything but the EBCS and Walbro FP.  Once I’ve received everything, I’ll have my work cut out for me, because that fuel pump replacement is a 2 hour job at the very least.  The EBCS will be laid out the day before the protune (technically, I don’t need an EBCS, but it may make the tuner’s job easier, as well as making it easier to upgrade later on).  The DP will be installed the weekend before the tune, as well as the Nameless CAI.  Both of those can use the Cobb OTS tune that pertains to the Cobb DP and AEM CAI.

I still need to contact iAG to arrange a consultation and so they can tell me what I need for the protune, as well as to schedule it…I’ll call them after I’ve dealt with the fuel pump and DP.  They’re probably also going to ask me what type of tune I’m looking for, and I haven’t thought a lot on that yet.  I definitely want a safer tune than the stock tune, but I also want power.  I don’t need to be on the ragged edge tune-wise, though.  Basically,  I want as much HP as I can get while staying safe when using premium fuel.

As well, I’ll ensure that the car has been serviced before the protune.  It’s not yet due for an oil change but I’m not going to wait until it’s due.  I just might change the oil myself from now on, since I’ll be adding the DP and CAI…those parts tend to stick out during a dealership service.

This month may be pretty busy for me with the parts flowing in and the installs that I’ll need to do.

Nameless – CAI for GRs/GVs Released!

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So, Nameless Performance finally released their new cold air intake for GR/GV models.

c though! I’m not sure I want it, now, but I may purchase it anyways…gotta recrunch my numbers, because I’ve a budget of $2000 for mods this year (including a protune). $300 may put me over the budget limit.

Now, what’s cool about this intake is that it is compatible with COBB’s AccessPort Off The Shelf Stage 1+/2+ Tunes for the AEM or COBB Intake. Also note that a tune is required to run this (and any) intake.

Also, the the cost can escalate, as you can customize this intake’s coloring. The coloring options are listed here.

Post by Nameless Performance, Inc.

STI-specific Walbro Fuel Pump

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So, I’m currently conducting research on the parts I want to install before I go to get tuned.  One of the parts is a Walbro 255LPH fuel pump.

In my quest of knowledge, I decided to check several import shops for this part.  I found this link.  It’s a $98 part that comes with an install kit.  It also has a customer review section on that page.  There are several reviews that mention that the factory housing had to be modified a bit for it to fit.  Dunno if I like that, but if I can understand what area of the housing needed grinding, I can fortify myself with that knowledge when the time comes for me to swap out the stock part with the Walbro.

One of the reviews also stated that the install kit was a waste of money and wasn’t needed.  He’s probably right, as I remember doing a direct swap when I bought a Walbro for my Talon back in the day…it was a direct swap and no install kit was needed then, either.  This link is the Walbro without the install kit.  it also has a linked video (which I’ll embed in this post) and a review that states there are YouTube videos that show how to modify/grind the factory housing.

 

EDIT:

That video was LONG and INVOLVED! Good grief. I don’t remember the Talon’s swap being that complicated. The video didn’t show the modding of the housing but did state that IWSTI had a write-up in their How-To section about modifying the housing. I looked for it and found it here.

National Speed – Tuner

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So, I’m interested in determining if I should use National Speed (which I’ll sometimes refer to as ‘NS’) as a tuner.

I reached out to them via Facebook yesterday.  Below is the conversation.

Me:  

Do you guys do e-tunes? I’m looking at your web page but I don’t see mentions of e-tunes, so I’m going to assume that you don’t offer them. There are tuners up here, but you guys seem to run a great shop!

I’m in the Washington DC area…you guys aren’t exactly far, but far enough that a tuning trip might be complicated.

Manager:

Hi, Jon! First of all, what vehicle are you working with?

If you can wait a few months, we’ll have a shop much, much closer to you. We’re opening our Richmond, Virginia location shortly!

Me:

Oh damn! That’s great news! I’ve a 2011 Subaru STI (sedan) with zero mods. I can definitely wait a few months for the Richmond location to open!

Manager:

Oooo, we do love Subaru’s around here. 

What are your plans for it? Keep it simple, make it more fun? Those cars wake up big time with just a tune. Here’s a 2012 Subaru WRX STi sedan we did a while back, the only modifications are an Injen intake system, an Invidia Q300 catalytic-converter-back exhaust system, and a custom dyno tune via COBB Tuning’s AccessPORT (did I get all of that right, Christine?).

The blue graph was the first pull on stock calibration (with said bolt-on modifications), the red graph was after tuning. Quite a difference!

Me:

My list so far is, Grimmspeed 3 port EBCS, Walbro 255 fuel pump, and Cobb catted DP (as well as a Cobb AP v3).

This isn’t going to be a wild build…I’m just looking to get rid of the stock tune. I want a safety-oriented tune, but will take as much power as I can get while still being somewhat safe, if possible. I want to go straight to Stage 2 to get the most out of the time and money spent on the tune and parts. The biggest worry for me right now is driving on the stock tune. The car only has 15K miles on it, so I’m hoping the stock tune hasn’t damaged things already. I don’t beat on the car but I do autocross it (I’m not a serious competitor, though).

I had an intake on my list (AEM), but I’m not sure if the car actually needs it, so I removed it from my list.

That chart is extremely impressive…sick results! I like how the peaks and valleys of the blue graph were filled in on the red graph, too.

I’ll share the news of your upcoming Richmond shop on the IWSTI.com forums.

Car Owner of Tuned STI / Customer of National Speed:

That was it Jordan! And after that, I installed a high-flow catted DP and gained no power at all on the next tune, so I took that to mean that the stock DP and cat is already pretty much maxed out on the STi (just in case you want to save the money Rob). But I was impressed by the gains just a couple bolt-ons and a custom tune made!

The conversation dwindled after that.

I wanted to share this because, when I first saw the gains, I thought they were hokey.  They included a dyno chart that showed both the baseline (the mods were on when the baseline was run) and protune results.  They had some very high gains:  60HP/82TQ peaks, on just the tune alone (!!).  The exhaust was an Invidia Q300 catback (which is 2.75″ inch diameter and is really a full exhaust).  I’m wondering if the Invidia is what was the main factor of the tune (it would almost certainly have to be).  I also thought that the shop shouldn’t have run the baseline with the intake installed…I thought that was a huge no-no.

I posted about this on IWSTI and after discussing with another member, came to the conclusion that I should not use National Speed.

I also posted to IGASTI (igotasti.com) and provided the same information and actually got a wealth of information back from them (more so than my post at IWSTI).  One poster at IGASTI stated that I don’t really have enough information to suggest that National Speed’s numbers were hokey…I agree, in hindsight.  But my main concern is that tuners should offer as much information as possible to potential clients so that they don’t assume…NS did leave a LOT of gaps in their description of that tune, and there are not all that many Subarus making 60HP from just a tune.

I will continue to watch National Speed, but I will be checking out IAG next.  For now, it’s a bake-off between IAG and NS

Ptuning – Dyno sessions

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Ughh… In researching to see how much Ptuning charges for dyno tuning sessions, I found that they charge between $500-$750. They also have retuning sessions priced at $400 (the car must have previously been tuned by them). Simple dyno pull sessions are $95 for AWD cars.

Kinda high…I thought the average price for dyno tuning was well under $500. I’ll continue to look around.

EDIT: MachV has a dyno and charges for tuning and dyno runs. They charge $500 (flat rate) for a Cob ProTune session. Baseline dyno session is $100/hr.

Also found that Curry’s Auto Service in Chantilly, VA, has a dyno…that is documented here, but the thread (on NASIOC) is old. I’ll have to validate if that Curry’s location still offers dyno services and in what capacity.

Additionally, iAG Performance (located in Gaithersburg, MD) charges $500 and provides up to 2 hours of AWD dyno tuning.

444 whp / 388 ft-lb from a built internals EJ257!

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Post by National Speed.

Cobb Tuning – Researching AP v3 for Subaru STI

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So, I’m conducting research on the Cobb AP just so I can make an informed decision on if this would be a good idea for my car.  The latest version of the AccessPort is expensive ($650), but the v3 offers a lot more functionality than the v2, so this may be what I’ll get.

In today’s research (this will take awhile), I saw the following:

http://www.cobbtuning.com/Dyno-Database-s/70119.htm, then select “Han Wu”

Summary:

This guy already has a rather strong STI (248HP/254TQ at the wheels).  When Stage 1 OTS was applied, the dyno read 269HP/319TQ).  From there, he got a protune while still at Stage 1, netting 276HP/327TQ.

If you click on all three dyno runs, you can see the differences between the three (there will be six graphs).  In particular, look at the stock and the Stage 1 OTS graphs.  Two things are apparent:  1.  There are a several big dips in both the HP and torque graphs on the stock dyno run; 2.  There are huge gains in the OTS map (21HP and 64TQ peak).  The last set of graphs looks to be where the owner decides to go Stage 1 protune (at 18.5 psi), where a few more HP and TQ are squeezed out.

The dyno session started at 9:30AM and ended at 10:11AM (granted, the work wasn’t much, as they went from stock to S1 OTS then protuned off of that).  IMO, that’s a significant gain and the session probably costed $300 (not sure where the tune was done).

PTuning is near me (in Manassas, VA), and I’m pretty sure they do protuning…I’ll check their rates.  I’ll also check their site to see their pricing on a Cobb AP and what they charge for a tune.

Cold Air Intakes by Nameless Performance

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 Nameless Performance Cold Air Intakes for 2008+ WRX/STIs, coming January 2014.

 

 

Post by Nameless Performance, Inc.

 

 

After seeing this FB post, I’ve decided to purchase a Cobb AP and this intake (provided it is reasonably priced, ie $200 or so).  I’m actually still on the fence about the AP purchase, but looking at that FB post and the dyno chart posted by Nameless, the gains are really strong (9HP and 34TQ, peak measurements), you can’t really argue with that.  And Nameless even posted a chart awhile back that showed similar gains with just the damned axleback…crazy.  Add the Nameless axleback, the intake, and a safe but good protune, and I’d be close to 300TQ and maybe 260HP.  And I suppose if I get in over my head (I’ve done the modding game before…after awhile, it got tiresome, and that was before my kids arrived), I can always remove the bolt-ons and revert to an OTS (or run stage 1 without mods & with safe protone, which would still give me gains).

RRE Tuning with STIs/WRXs

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A 2013 Subaru WRX. BONE STOCK. The owner is looking for something more reliable and responsive than the stock tune.  In the same post, a 2005 STI was also tuned (or retuned):

 

 

Post by Road Race Engineering (official).

 

 

2011 STI Stage 2 tune:

Post by Road Race Engineering (official).

 

 

Baseline On Brand New 2014 Subaru WRX STi:

 

 

Post by Road Race Engineering (official).