Forester STI bhp

[triathlonstu]

I feel like I'm jumping on the bandwagon a bit here but you'll just have to take my word for it that I've wanted one of these for a while now. I'm moving back to the UK in June and wanted to ask a bit of advice.

I've been looking to import a facelift model STI, the one I'm looking at is the 2007 flavour, but I've noticed that it's listed as 260bhp. My understanding is that these came in at 280bhp from the Japanese market and Litchfield then bumped them up to 330bhp. My concern is that I've maybe missed something or my knowledge simply isn't up to scratch.

If anyone is clued up on the engines and their respective outputs it would help put my mind at ease before I spend the best part of 10k on something that might not be what I originally envisaged!

Thanks

Stuart

[triathlonstu]

Thanks for the replies everyone, and good to know on the bhp front. Do they run ok ok UK fuel without the map? I guess it's something I'd need to factor in the cost of if I was importing. Not desperate to tune it, it's just a car that ticks a lot of boxes for me. 330 seems like a lot and I don't want the engine turning to chocolate!

[triathlonstu]

TartanPaint said:

The 2.5s can go pop with standard power. Don't assume it's only the modded ones which have problems.

Remember, if it goes, you're looking at an engine out (the joys of working on boxers!), testing, machine shop work, gaskets, timing belt kit, water pump and all the seals and recommended bits while it's out. If the bores are oval, you'll want new pistons, and why do the pistons and leave standard rods? So you'll want rods too. A new set of bearings, and you'll get talked into stronger head bolts too, ARP or RCM. Fluids, running in oil change, new spark plugs while you've got access.... Add the labour and you'd better have £5-6k set aside.

If it doesn't happen, great. If it does, know what you're in for. Of course, once that's done, you've got a pretty much bombproof platform for bolt-on power mods.

Totally do it.

Oh, and forget the BHP figure. It's faily meaningless as the standard turbo is small, meaning it spools up quick, but runs out of puff at high RPM, so the peak figures are never that good. Take a look at the torque though... 400lb-ft is realistic, and that makes for a quick road car!

Thanks very much for the advice - great to hear from someone that is obviously really up to speed on them. My dad is a mechanic so hopefully it would cost a bit less than that but I'm obviously hoping it never gets to that stage! Is it advisable to change timing belt, gaskets and seals as a preventative measure? Or is it just a case of hoping you don't have one that will go bang?

[triathlonstu]

TartanPaint said:

No, just do the belts, pulleys and tensioner, water pump etc to the schedule. I just meant that if the engine does melt, you'll do all these jobs again while the engine is out, so you need to bear in mind that the cost of, say, a head gasket going isn't just the cost of the gasket itself. It's all the other bits at the same time, like strengthening the internals and changing the clutch etc.

If you have access to tools and skills, that should help with the bills, so just go for it, accept that it might melt and you'll need to spend a few grand. Drive it, enjoy it, fix it, then drive it forever more worry-free, because if you do the fix properly it'll never happen again.

Thanks again for your advice. I'm at the stage where I'm resigned to getting one now. I'll cross my fingers and try not to kick the backside out of it!

[triathlonstu]

TartanPaint said:

No, just do the belts, pulleys and tensioner, water pump etc to the schedule. I just meant that if the engine does melt, you'll do all these jobs again while the engine is out, so you need to bear in mind that the cost of, say, a head gasket going isn't just the cost of the gasket itself. It's all the other bits at the same time, like strengthening the internals and changing the clutch etc.

If you have access to tools and skills, that should help with the bills, so just go for it, accept that it might melt and you'll need to spend a few grand. Drive it, enjoy it, fix it, then drive it forever more worry-free, because if you do the fix properly it'll never happen again.

Thanks again for your advice. I'm at the stage where I'm resigned to getting one now. I'll cross my fingers and try not to kick the backside out of it!

[triathlonstu]

Haha thanks! I'm about to pull the trigger on putting a deposit down on one of these, the company I'd be looking to buy from (UK based) are use BIMTA certification. Is this any less thorough than JEVIC? I'm going to put the deposit down before I've seen the car as it's still in transit so just wanted to make sure I'm not going to buy a complete dog.

The dealer has a good reputation on forums but I could do with a little reassurance.

I know that the best way would be to wait and actually go down and look at the car, but I won't be back in the country until the end of May and don't want to miss out on this one.