Okay... I asked my Subaru dealership this and they were clueless, so I'm hoping someone out there can help me with this!

 

I have a 155hp 1996 Subaru Legacy GT that I'm planning on upgrading... lots of mags with how-tos on the Impreza 2.5RS that I have lots f info... the one thing that nobody can tell me is this:

 

What did Subaru change from the 1996 to 1997 model year to jack the horsepower rating up by 10hp? Can I do this to my engine with relative ease?

 

Thanks all for help!

Okay... I asked my Subaru dealership this and they were clueless, so I'm hoping someone out there can help me with this!

 

I have a 155hp 1996 Subaru Legacy GT that I'm planning on upgrading... lots of mags with how-tos on the Impreza 2.5RS that I have lots f info... the one thing that nobody can tell me is this:

 

What did Subaru change from the 1996 to 1997 model year to jack the horsepower rating up by 10hp? Can I do this to my engine with relative ease?

 

Thanks all for help!

Basically, they went from hydraulic lifters to solid lifters. Piston height may have been an issue too. No, this isn't easy, unless you consider completely changing your heads (at the very least) easy.

 

Emily

http://www.ccrengines.com

head replacement is pretty easy time consuming more than anything else.

Did they also go from DOHC to SOHC then, or was that in later models?

No the '96 and '97 2.5 had DOHC. (Phase I)

 

It is not at all worth the effort to get 165hp, save your money for an '05 GT.

They added the "torque box" in front of the throttle body. That was one thing.

 

I also have a "Shop Talk" somewhere that talks about shortened pistons, moly coating on the pistons, etc. There were some internal changes from 96 to 97. I think they even played with the compression ratio a bit.

 

Commuter

They added the "torque box" in front of the throttle body. That was one thing.

 

I also have a "Shop Talk" somewhere that talks about shortened pistons, moly coating on the pistons, etc. There were some internal changes from 96 to 97. I think they even played with the compression ratio a bit.

 

Commuter

 

Yeah i think they did becasue you only need regular instead of 91 octane gas in the later 2.5s.