Dave K

With a good quality adjustable boost controller he can probably avoid detonation by keeping boost low on pump gas and kicking it up when he's got the good stuff. He'll also need to verify that his injectors can handle the supply side of the equation or even race gas won't save his engine (will depend on how much he's increasing power). Assuming his engine has stock internals (he hasn't messed with CR) it's likely he's making more power by simply turning up the boost (bolt-ons, intake, exhaust, etc...), the above solution with work fine in that instance. Everything I've read indicates that the Soobs are pretty particular when it comes to adding boost... very easy to break em. Your buddy should already know the answer to your question or maybe he's not quite ready to play those games (unless he's got the cash to blow on a new engine). Finally it won't hurt to consult an expert... find a local shop that specializes in forced induction setups. I know enough to be dangerous (my soobs are both NA, but my Z28 is a 600hp blown beast), but I didn't put that rig together without a lot of help from guys who've been there.

Wow, I wish I had your problem. My 00 Legacy GT pushes like a snowplow, same with my wife's 96 outback. My summer fun car is a 500hp Z28, needless to say I'm used to oversteer... and perfer it to understeer in virtually ALL circumstances. Recently drove a EVO and it was SOOO much more fun to drive, very neutral handling which made it easy to apply pedal to set up a nice drift on dirt roads. No doubt the lack of available power is part of the problem, but I also think the suspension setup is super conservative. Eventually I'm going to have to do something about that, anyone got any recommendations on suspension setup to get neutral handling?

I THINK those tubes serve the same purpose on the Soobs as they do on my Z28... and that's as an intake silencer. It keeps the whistling noise down by using a tuned column of air. Took mine off of my Z28 when I installed an electric water pump, intake is a bit louder but no other effects... and I have a laptop plugged into that car all the time so I'd have seen any significant changes to MAF or MAP.

If you're doing internal work on any car it's just about imperatave to get a good manual. I have not modified either of my Soobs so I don't know what to recommend... but I'm sure you can ask around and get some imput. I also don't know what the intended function of the "triphase module" is, but if it's a typical inexpensive bolt on that is supposed to enhance performance by changing the MAF signal to lean out the AF mix... it's not going to work. a 98 vehicle is OBD-II, and any tweak to the maf signal will quickly be corrected out in the block learn tables... if it's a big enough change it'll throw a code. NOW... if this doohickey also intercepts the O2 sensors... well then it may be worth something, but I've yet to see a bolt-on that can scale O2 sensor input. (although I don't know what's out there for subaru's)

my 00 was leaking pretty significantly... drove it for a couple months before I got the energy to take it in. $1200 later the head gaskets are new and the leak is gone... no damage was done to the engine in the interim (but I did have to keep an eye on the coolant level during that period).

Thanks for all the tips guys... I've asked about exactly what's in the repair and they're going to do everything except they weren't planning on changing the tensioner. I also asked about warranty coverage... we'll see how that goes.

Yea... the Legacy is 3200lbs vs 2500 for the Civic, it's going to be tough taking them on pavement. Next time get him in the snow or on a dirt road... thats when my Legacy GT starts getting fun (although the fact that it pushes like a pig makes it challenging). With around 300hp the legacy would be a total blast to drive, might even give my Z28 a run for its money to 60 (can you say AWD LAUNCH!). I saw a page when I was wandering around the net for a guy who was getting something like 260hp just off idle out of a turbo 2.5... that might be the way to go, looked like a VERY well set up engine (probably pretty expensive though).

thanks... I've done head gaskets before, on one of my first cars... a Lebaron GTS Turbo (a 4 cylinder Mitsu engine IIRC) and on my Z28 when I put on a set of ported heads and an aftermarket cam (vroom vroom ). What steams me is that my blasted 96 Z28... a car that I've extensively modified and beat the daylights out of... has been more reliable than either of my subaru's (96 Outback and 00 GT Limited) IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO WORK THAT WAY! So... I've got the mechanical skill, but I'm not real excited about working on the Legacy unless it was to drop a WRX powerplant into it, and right now we're in the process of trying to sell our house and move to a new place... $1200 hurts... but 5-10 g's would send my wife into the stratosphere. Sounds like the $1200 estimate is fair... it includes the timing chain (edit... BELT... blasted imports ), oil pump, and all the gaskets and seals that start leaking around now anyway.

It's around 64k... of course. Most of the places around here charge more if you bring your own parts (if they'll do it at all), they make their money one way or another.

Just got an estimate for new head gaskets on my 2000... $1200. Job includes the usual wear item replacements... timing chain, oil pump, all the seals and gaskets that usually give out. The shop estimated 14 hours... does that seem reasonable to you guys? Pretty disappointed to have this kind of repair needed with only 60k on the odometer.