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How'd the TWE stuff affect turbo lag for you? I'm really worried about fuel as well. Honestly, I don't know how Dennis was able to run 15psi on this engine with the VF-11, since even at the 11 psi or I get the feeling that it's lean. I need an EGT gauge!

I bought a little aftermarket tachometer on my XT Turbo, since my digital dash tach is not as cool as a little needle swinging up and down, it's laggy, and and in the cold (remember, I live in Miami, "cold" is like 40 degrees) the numbers on the digital tach flicker off and on. Don't worry, I didn't get one of those super ricey monster tach's with the huge shift light... lol It's a little 2.5" one that I'm gonna put right on my steering column for that racecar look Anyway, I'm trying to get it installed. I hooked it up to the battery and negative end of ignition coil and it works perfectly. now I just need to get it wired in the cockpit. Drilling a hole in the firewall - driver's side: How thick is it? This is probably a bad idea, but it seems like all the wires for the dash come through on the passenger side. I guess I may just have to run the wire through there, but that's a pain in the rump roast. So is drilling, I suppose, I guess I'm trying to figure out what would be less of a pain... What is the best wire to tap in to to get power and ground in the maze of wires under the steering wheel? It's such a mess in there! There's a another wire that is supposed to go to the dimmer switch, I guess to power the light on the tach. Looking at the FSM, man, I can't find it. I feel like a total retard, At one point I was an electrical engineering major but these diagrams look like the sewers of paris. I am so terrified of doing something dumb and chasing electrical gremlins...

who needs power steering anyway??

Mine is right on the edge of too loud with the TWE header. I have a WRX down/mid pipe (2 cats) to quiet it down. When I get a custom catless downpipe made, I'm gonna have to throw a muffler on it, aren't I....

Go straight pipe!

No power steering here!

That makes sense, I guess I just missed the memo. It's just a pain because now my hood won't close right and I gotta get a dremel and make some space!

Something I mentioned at XT6.net and figured it would be worth mentioning here: The stocker has one pipe length for both exhaust pulses, ie., they both travel together. The TWE header has two, the driver and passenger side exhaust pulses travel independently, and only mesh at the very top of the uppipe. Wouldn't this double or at least significantly increase the effective diameter of the unit as a whole compared to stock? Here's a pic for reference, taken by Kevin: Regarless, it's an extremely worthwile upgrade. Even though the increased lag might mean a few lost drag races off the line, which a subaru was probably never meant for in the first place, there is a very nice powerband now starting from the mid 3's all the way up to 6500, which is as far as I dared take it up to (so far ). 3rd and forth gear have become much more usable, and the car drives more like a high performance machine (feels much faster, more powerful) in my opinion due to the much better top end. Before, the powerband got off with a very forceful kick from around 2800-3000, but around the high fours low 5's, it was time to shift due to a noticible drop in torque. The trade from that nice, violent shove to a more progressive, but steadily building thrust is well worth it. The only time I can think it would be better to have the low end torque of say and XT6 would be in an autocross situation, where the driver might be accellerating from standstill many times. We'll see how the car manages on the Dragon come June!

That's right, Will still has a stock VF7 turbo. Anyone running a VF11 like me or TD04 with the Techworks pipe installed?

It's the same header, isn't it? I think. By "high diameter" I was referring to the larger diameter in the header itself... The low end torque issue I don't care about, it was never my car's strong suit anyway. It just seems like I've got a lot more turbo lag now. Maybe the wastegate was messed with on install? Or exhaust leak? Or boost leak? I gotta play with it.

Well, I re-routed the BPV and it runs fine now. But, I seem to have lost a noticeable amount of low end. First and second gear don't fully spool the turbo until like 3500 rpm. Maybe I have an exhaust leak? Boost Leak? Or maybe it's just the 7.7 CR, cams, and the high diameter exhaust catching up to me?

So I got my TWE header installed today. Man oh man, it's awesome. During my drive home, I noticed a huge improvement in top end power. I redlined twice without realizing. The sound, too, is totally kickass!!! At the time of install, however, I did notice a lot more turbo lag, though - and I suspected a boost leak. Apparently, the TWE header moved my turbocharger back a centimeter and up a centimeter. A consequence of this is that the mechanic who did it had to grind down some metal around my downpipe, because the new turbo position caused the DP to rub the chassis, and my intercooler hits the hood so it won't close I get home tonight and try to install spacers in the sense of washers on my hood's latch, so even though it looks retarded (looks like my hood is open) I'll be able to close the hood securely without worrying about busting my IC or forcing it shut. I do that, and it turns out ok. I'm going to have to turn the dremel on the underside of my hood to try and get a little extra space where the IC is. With the hood up I notice that what looks like a large vacuum hose coming from the passenger side head is loose. I figure it might be causing the boost leak, so with a hose clamp I tighten it down. I get in my car and go for a drive. I notice after letting it warm up a bit and get on some boost that the boost lag level seems back to normal. I shift, and I hear a WHOOOSH like if I had a really loud BOV installed, and set to vent. My car has a 100% recirc bypass valve. This immediately threw me off. I didn't have much time to think about it though, since a second later, my car dies on the side of the road, and will not start. I open the hood and notice the little nozzle on the intake where the BPV is plugged into is broken. That explaned the noise, and the lack of starting.... I put the nozzle back in the best I could and the car starts. Whew, I limp home. A hole in the intake would stop the car from starting, right? Here's a pic. I'm wondering if tightning down that hose from the cylinder head was a bad idea. What is that hose for, anyway? I'm pretty sure it's in the right place... Purple = BPV Blue = the little nozzle that broke Green = the hose I tightened. It really sucks that the TWE pipes moved the turbo. In my case, it caused quite a pain in installation.

what are the radiant heat properties of stainless steel vs. cast iron? I am worried about heat from the new header to get to the passenger side head and oil filter, and other engine parts. If stainless steel doesn't radiate any more heat than iron, then I won't worry about it, and won't worry about getting header wrap...

has anyone used or is considering using header wrap on the TWE headers? Anyone know what grade stainless steel the headers are made from? From what I hear 304 stainless + header wrap could mean cracks...

Holy mother of God. Stock turbo? Stock fuel system? Geeeeezus! ~230 crank hp? I've got to get mine dynoed when I get my header in.... At least I know how you got it up to 15 psi.. mine knocks like the UPS guy above 12....

Dude, you've got like 215 hp at the crank, assuming 75% drivetrain loss! :brow: assuming you weigh 2600 lbs, 12 lb/hp! Compare to ~16 for an SVX....

What did you do about fuel delivery? Stock fuel system? Retarded timing? Race gas? 14-15 psi is amazing. I know the previous owner of my car ran it up there, but told me it was VERY lean. I am a believer too! I can't wait to get my header installed! I wonder how a stock WRX downpipe compares to a gutted/straight DP like the TWE.... EDIT: Also, you mentioned intake. You have flapper MAF? By "intake" you mean removing stock air box and slapping on a cone filter? EDIT 2: You have a TD04 turbo right? If I remember, those are roughly the same as a VF11?

I was going to order the gaskets needed from subaruparts.com, but their shipping prices are outrageous. $8 to mail 2 gaskets? Ugh. partsamerica.com, which has the same inventory of the advance auto parts stores, has these part numbers which I am sure are the same gaskets, I just want to make sure... Beck/Arnley 0396261 Beck/Arnley 0396297 Do these look right?

You are supposed to pump to get pressure? I when I pump, it's soft, at first. It then firms up, if the engine is off. With the engine on, it's always soft. I think it holds solid, I will test this in a minute. I bled with one of those pressure bleeders with the plastic tank with the pump. I attach it to the master cylinder, pump it, and then when I open a bleed valve, the fluid poured out. I did this to all the wheels in the X pattern. Was I supposed to pump the pedal first?

yes, i did bleed in the X pattern, from the FSM.

well, i swapped out my old brake lines for stainless steel ones and the result:... Still spongy brakes! arrrgh! I ended up getting the hard line that I broke fixed at my dad's mechanic, they bled it and I bled it again with a pressure bleeder when I got home. I am sure there is no air in the system. I guess the master cylinder needs to be replaced... are these interchangable between the XT and XT6? It looks pretty easy to remove and replace the thing - in the FSM there are like 4 lines dedicated to it. Is it really as easy as it looks?

I've been there twice in my old XT6 for the Alcyone meet that piggybacked on an impreza meet the past 2 years. I thought that the main meet was in May? Anyway, I'll be up there in May with the turbo wedgie! Will, you better come then, too!

Does anyone know if it is a one piece all the way to the master cylinder, or if there are junctures along the way?

thanks for all the help!

So I was installing by new stainless steel brake lines. On the passenger side inner rear lines, I was trying to unscrew the hard line from the rubber line so I could replace it. Turns out, the fitting from the hard line was RUSTED into the rubber line so badly, that in trying to remove the stupid thing, I ended up TWISTING the fitting clean off the hard line!!! Pics of the carnage: What are my options? Forget about finding an XT in the junkyard here in south florida. My last 4 trips, no XT's. I'm hoping it would be possible to find another fitting and flare the broken end of the hard line on the chassis to repair the situation. Any ideas? Am I totally screwed?