ok, when i was looking into buying a wagon i was going to get a WRX because i couldnt afford teh STI. The manager at the dealership suggested i could but the 2.5 model and basically turn it into an STI for less than the price of the upgrade to the WRX. he said this couldnt be dont with the WRX because it's the 2.0 liter. he said because i didnt care AT ALL about the interior stuff the rest of the stuff wouldnt be THAT much to convert. anyone know what all needs to be converted/how much that might cost? I would appreciate any input! Thanks:banana:

Too bad the STi is a 2.5L like the other 2.5 engines.....

 

You'd never be able to get the tuning and the turbo like the STi. Nor the intercooler. Not unless you wanted to do it yourself.

so if i wanted to do it myself, what all would i need?

First thing off, dont beleive anything a dealer tells you. his job is to sell you a car, not really care about anything else aside from that.

Secondly, you would probably be throwing your warrenty away. Raising the boost may void the warrenty.

Here is a side by side comparison

 

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/impreza/wrxsti2007.html

 

 

nipper

so what you're sayin is.... there is NO way to turn the 2.5i BASICALLY into an STI? :dead: :dead: :dead:

Buying a non-turbo 2.5, and turboing it wouldn't be a verry good idea. Buying a turbo 2.5, like in the legacy GT or i think the forester x? would work. The nice thing is that the people who buy the Sti's upgrade to better stuff and sell the Sti bits on Ebay. You can then buy the Sti parts and bolt them onto your turbo 2.5, giving you stock Sti performance.

non turbo 2.5 cant be turbocharged. a turbo charged 2.5 can possibly be tweaked (fi you dont mind throwing away the warenty). the big differnce is one has lower compression (the turbo) and that can't be bolted on. Then there is probably cam differnces and ecu differnces since i do beleive they have variable valve timing.

 

nipper

From what I understand, the regular 2.5 isnt built up strong enough to handle the forced induction. You would end up melting it pretty quickly.

From what I've heard, EJ25s are crap. Japanese STis have 2.0s. If you wanted to convert, just sell your entire driveline and buy a "replacement" driveline for an STi to put in.

From what I've heard, EJ25s are crap. Japanese STis have 2.0s. If you wanted to convert, just sell your entire driveline and buy a "replacement" driveline for an STi to put in.

 

Explain the 420hp pump gas 2.5's then.

 

If it came from the factory turbo, go ahead and throw all the sti stuff on it. If it came N/A, you'll regret trying to turbo it.

From what I understand, the regular 2.5 isnt built up strong enough to handle the forced induction. You would end up melting it pretty quickly.

 

Older 2.5L were at their design max for the stresses of that engine (as per subaru). The newer versions are re desigend to handle having turbos . Thats why subaru offers them with turbos.

 

nipper

An N/A car can be boosted. It just takes money, tuning, and time. The biggest problem is tuning. The block can handle the PSI (Normal PSI; 8-10), but getting the timing to be right is usually a pain. Better to just get a stock turbo and either start swapping parts or do some tuning (all of which will violate your warranty).

If you could be very specific about exactly what you want in a car - folks could perhaps suggest the best way to obtain it cheaply.

 

IMHO you can't really 'turn' any other soob 'into' and STI. Yeah, you can improve handling and acceleration and even do engine/drivetrain swaps. Still not as good as starting with an STI and probably more expensive.

 

Do you want to autox? or drag race 1/8-1/4 mile? Is it the 'look' you're after?

 

(my '06 WRX has a 2.5l engine - so are you looking at an older WRX or is the 2l still sold in California????)

 

Carl

i have on '06 2.5i. basicallyi just want to make it faster and ad some of the other components as well. It LAGS big time. I'm thinking of doing a break system overhaul too. as far as looks go, pretty much im going to get a scoop for it and thats about it. MAYBE a wing, but probably not. it depends what they have wrecked down at the Subaru Junk Yard.

When you modify a new car you also ruin the value. If you want to modify a car get an older one.

Get another dealer.

so what you're sayin is.... there is NO way to turn the 2.5i BASICALLY into an STI?

Of course there is. But it is not cost effective.

 

And don't forget the rule of thumb - the value of a car with modifications is reduced by the value of the mods.

 

Some folks buy the TR model WRX because they want unique interiors or other mods and don't want to throw away the STI stuff. But the STI has a lot of specially engineered parts compared even to the WRX, let alone 2.5i.

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One of my biggest concerns is the integrity of the transmission. Punks are trashing their 5-speeds by dumping the clutch in their EJ20T WRXs. Add the torque of the EJ25T to it and the strength of the trans. becomes even more questionable. I would not want to boost the output of the engine to STI specs without adding the 6-speed STI trans. behind it. The 6-speed is said to handle twice the horsepower of the 5-speed and it should - it's a monster! That said, the Legacy GT is more my style, and the Spec. B comes with the 6-speed for '07. That would be MY choice.

i have on '06 2.5i. basicallyi just want to make it faster and ad some of the other components as well. It LAGS big time. I'm thinking of doing a break system overhaul too. as far as looks go, pretty much im going to get a scoop for it and thats about it. MAYBE a wing, but probably not. it depends what they have wrecked down at the Subaru Junk Yard.

 

You might enjoy the NA forum over at http://www.nasioc.com . Do a lot of reading and searching there before posting. And just overlook the smart-aleck remarks and keep digging and reading. Again - what do you WANT to do with your car? Suspension bits and 'looks' are easy, raw power will be difficult. A little lag can be helped with a lighter flywheel, lighter (but not under driven) crank, accessory pulleys. And lighter rims have some benefits too.

 

Carl