Forester tuning
Discussion
Afternoon all,
Thinking of buying a '99 Forester S Turbo, and wondering what they are like to drive compared to a similar age Impreza? I used to own a 1999 UK spec turbo, tuned to around 240 bhp. So I'm thinking the Forester will be similar, if a bit slower and a bit wallowy in the corners?
Also, since the Forester uses an essentially detuned version of the same engine, what modifications would I need to do to get the power up above 200bhp? Not looking for silly power, just would be nice to have a bit more grunt than standard. Can this be achieved with a TD04 turbo and a 1.0 bar actuator?
Basically can I do much in relative safety without shelling out for a remap? The car itself is worth less than £2k so don't really want to spend £500 on a remap if I can help it.
Cheers
Thinking of buying a '99 Forester S Turbo, and wondering what they are like to drive compared to a similar age Impreza? I used to own a 1999 UK spec turbo, tuned to around 240 bhp. So I'm thinking the Forester will be similar, if a bit slower and a bit wallowy in the corners?
Also, since the Forester uses an essentially detuned version of the same engine, what modifications would I need to do to get the power up above 200bhp? Not looking for silly power, just would be nice to have a bit more grunt than standard. Can this be achieved with a TD04 turbo and a 1.0 bar actuator?
Basically can I do much in relative safety without shelling out for a remap? The car itself is worth less than £2k so don't really want to spend £500 on a remap if I can help it.
Cheers
-Lummox- said:
ScoobieWRX said:
Same mods you'd do for an Impreza you would do for your Forester. You then need to find yourself an EcuTek dealer to do the remap. Try Simon (JollyGreenMonster) for remapping.
How much is a EcuTek remap normally? Doubt I'm going to spend that on a car worth around £1800.
What can I do to get the car closer to the 200bhp mark without unduly risking damage to it?
Obviously I accept that a remap would be best and a bleed valve is a bad idea, hence why I'm asking if I can just fit a higher pressure actuator and possibly a TD04 turbo to get a bit more grunt. All ECUs have a certain amount of flexibility programmed into them, what can you get away with on the Forester before you start running unreasonable risks?
What can I do to get the car closer to the 200bhp mark without unduly risking damage to it?
Obviously I accept that a remap would be best and a bleed valve is a bad idea, hence why I'm asking if I can just fit a higher pressure actuator and possibly a TD04 turbo to get a bit more grunt. All ECUs have a certain amount of flexibility programmed into them, what can you get away with on the Forester before you start running unreasonable risks?
If you have an adjustable actuator arm on the turbo then you could adjust that for a bit more boost. Only thing with adding more boost is you need more fuel to avoid detting. There will come a point where the ECU can't fuel the engine any more and you run lean. There is also potential to encounter boost cut if you adjust boost too high. No point sticking a TD04 on there, you'll have to definitely map for that.
I'm afraid it's remap or bust to make anything of your mods.
I'm afraid it's remap or bust to make anything of your mods.
Well I've been to see the car, it looks like a good one and I've put a deposit down. It's a '99 model with 56k on the clock, cambelt changed at 45k. Mostly standard except it has a Magnex exhaust, WRX rear ARB and uprated drop links.
On a Forester forum it seems quite a few people are using HDI electonic boost controllers to increase boost to around 15 PSI, these units come with their own boost solenoid so can get around the fuel cut on the original solenoid. Lots of people saying they have used this setup without any problems, plus it gives the option to effectively switch between an economy boost level and a performance boost level to suit the journey. Does anyone on here use a similar setup?
I know the remap would be the better / safer option but for a '99 car it would also cost well over £500 wouldn't it? I got the car for £1675, not really looking to spend over a third of the car's value on a remap. Plus at that price, I think I'm willing to gamble a little bit with it.
On a Forester forum it seems quite a few people are using HDI electonic boost controllers to increase boost to around 15 PSI, these units come with their own boost solenoid so can get around the fuel cut on the original solenoid. Lots of people saying they have used this setup without any problems, plus it gives the option to effectively switch between an economy boost level and a performance boost level to suit the journey. Does anyone on here use a similar setup?
I know the remap would be the better / safer option but for a '99 car it would also cost well over £500 wouldn't it? I got the car for £1675, not really looking to spend over a third of the car's value on a remap. Plus at that price, I think I'm willing to gamble a little bit with it.
not willing to spend 1/3 the price for a proper map but happy to gamble the whole thing on a cheaper mod?
I say this with no knowledge of the mod in question and its effectiveness or reliability so it may be a good bet.
I just know from past experience with my 2 scoobs it is better to do things properly rather than cheaply.
I say this with no knowledge of the mod in question and its effectiveness or reliability so it may be a good bet.
I just know from past experience with my 2 scoobs it is better to do things properly rather than cheaply.
It's fair to say when you do things on the cheap it has an uncanny knack of eventually coming back and biting you on the bum.
A remap is the only thing that will make it all come together and give you the performance you're looking for. You can chuck all the dressing you like on it and it will make precious little difference.
I've never understood people buying these cars cheap, spending good money on mods to make it go faster and sound beefier, and then never getting their cars remapped to actually make them go faster
Doesn't matter what the car did or didn't cost, if it's modified you need a remap.
A remap is the only thing that will make it all come together and give you the performance you're looking for. You can chuck all the dressing you like on it and it will make precious little difference.
I've never understood people buying these cars cheap, spending good money on mods to make it go faster and sound beefier, and then never getting their cars remapped to actually make them go faster
Doesn't matter what the car did or didn't cost, if it's modified you need a remap.
Is there anywhere that does remaps for a '99 car that don't cost 500 quid or more? I'm not opposed to paying for a remap, but the cost seems high for these cars. I exchanged a remapped ECU on a previous Saab for under 300 quid, and I had a very satisfactory remap on my old Fabia vRS for not much over 200. Why are the remaps for the Scooby so expensive?
Carfiend said:
Same reason they are expensive for Skylines, because people pay it because "it is specializt innit".
You'd think they might twig that the cars are pretty old by now. It's to be expected I suppose trying to get away with a "mug tax" on new performance cars, but when they are ten years old, it's unlikely the owners are going to be prepared to spend the same cash. A remap on a european car like a Skoda or Audi or Saab is nothing like the remap on a Subaru. Euro cars get a quick single flash of a generic map hence why it's costs less than Subaru tuning.
Subaru get a full custom remap specially tailored towards the car it's going on, hence the word Full Custom. It can take anything from a few hours to a whole day depending on how many performance brick walls you come up against.
What your Subaru will get is real tuning, not some flash and go that takes less than an hour.
What is expensive is £200-£300 for a quick flash of a generic map.
Now you know the difference can you tell me, hand on heart, that Subaru tuning is expensive.
Subaru get a full custom remap specially tailored towards the car it's going on, hence the word Full Custom. It can take anything from a few hours to a whole day depending on how many performance brick walls you come up against.
What your Subaru will get is real tuning, not some flash and go that takes less than an hour.
What is expensive is £200-£300 for a quick flash of a generic map.
Now you know the difference can you tell me, hand on heart, that Subaru tuning is expensive.
Of if you are feeling brave and/or just have a few supporting mods http://www.chiptorque.com.au/Ezy-FLASH_Pro.html
A dangerous tool in the wrong hands and it's flashing a generic map only. 
My new neighbour has a Mk1 Focus RS. He has a DreamScience flashing box for it. Does all those cool things like data logging, ECU reset, Stores maps, flash new tunes, road dyno etc...
He wanted to reset his ECU using his DreamScience box. This is something simple you can do with any hand held or laptop based OBD diagnostic tool. I have a Bluetooth one linked to my HTC FLyer, works great and easy to use.
To cut a long story short, between the DreamScience box and because he didn't have a clue what he was doing, he's had to pay for a brand new ECU and fitting making his wallet £1300 lighter.
That was one expensive reset!!
My new neighbour has a Mk1 Focus RS. He has a DreamScience flashing box for it. Does all those cool things like data logging, ECU reset, Stores maps, flash new tunes, road dyno etc...
He wanted to reset his ECU using his DreamScience box. This is something simple you can do with any hand held or laptop based OBD diagnostic tool. I have a Bluetooth one linked to my HTC FLyer, works great and easy to use.
To cut a long story short, between the DreamScience box and because he didn't have a clue what he was doing, he's had to pay for a brand new ECU and fitting making his wallet £1300 lighter.
That was one expensive reset!!
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