Urban_Grey_2.5

iTrader: (5)

Next year I am hoping to squeeze some more ponies out of my 02 bugeye. I have been building her from the ground up( wheels,brakes,suspension are done, clutch, engine/tranny mounts,105k are next on list) only other mods are greddy evo 2 catback and apexi drop in air filter.

I am looking for a setup that will pass a visual and sniffer so "sneaky" mods are what I am going for. Let me know of what you think of this setup.

08+ large sti intercooler
stock location turbo(not sure which one yet, probably vf39)
Sti catless uppipe
eq header crossover pipe
warlbro 255
Sti pinks or other injectors
open source conservative tune for 91

Like I said I am looking to go with a reliable smogable setup. Let me know of your thought/idea's. Car only has 92k so not really looking to do internals/hybrid blocks or other crazy stuff.

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

Im not a tuner/shop, but i started out with a stock bugeye. I took it to stage 2 and then did a motor swap. See my bugeye thread for how it currently sits. http://tinyurl.com/3vo4362 You are covering the bases. You didnt mention being tuned already so im going to assume you are not.

Transmission:
your 5sp can handle about 300whp before bad things happen so unless you plan on replacing it with a 6 speed, plan around that as your threshold.

Injectors:
if you are planning on running 91, 750DW's would be perfect for you. You wont be running them at full cycle and will still have a bit of room to grow, should you decide to tune more aggressively than your current conservative goal. (I'm selling some DW750's... shameless plug). If you are ever planning on running E85 then you need at least 850CC. Optimally something more like 1000's or 1300's like i just bought.

Intercooler:
most big top mounts will do just fine. I'd stay away from godspeed/ebay big tmic because you may have fitment issues. The biggest TMIC i could find is the PERRIN and i am running it now. If you want to run a strut tower bar, the only big tmic I know of that will work are the spearco and the STi tmic. The spearco is pricy and rarely come up used but IMO its the best option as it is a bit smaller than the perrin but just as efficient due to its design. Once you have the intercooler setup you will want to route air to it much more efficiently than stock. Get a JDM STi hood scoop and the JDM air splitter. For a bit more money you can get the Zero sports air splitter.

Fuel Pump:
I'm running the walbro 255lph with DW 1300cc injectors. Should be fine for my tune and even fine if i decide to go with E85.

Turbo:
any of the VF's are great turbo's. Not very big.. but they all spool fast. I'd definitely finda vf43 over a vf39 as they are pretty much the same size with a different wastegate configuration. All vf wastegates will crack but the 43 will hold up a bit longer than the 39. If you are going bigger than a vf turbo my two recommendations are a blouch 20G-XT with ported WG to avoid boost creep, or even bigger.. The ATP3076 stock location with internal WG to match your current setup. You wont need to get a new DP with either option. Additionally, the stock heat shield will fit over a VF, and an 18G no problem.. Not sure about the 20G. You will have to cut it out a bit but mine fits no prob.

Crosspipe: If I recall, EQ put their dual slip technology into this. Dual slip provides a much better application to avoid flex joint failures.

up-pipe: EQ also makes one of these with the dual slip to avoid failures in flex joints. I ran an STi catless and over time it wore out. I've been running the prototype EQ dual slip up-pipe for many miles without incident.

Other consideration:
with your mileage im more worried about your rod/main bearings than anything else. To preserve them, keep up on your oil changes, but also consider getting an oil cooler. If you are on stock radiator, that is probably gonna get soft near the top hose at some point and break. One option to consider is a really great solution from LIC Motorsports. They have an oil cooler/radiator combo for the street. It is pricy but its so worth it. If i hadnt already bought a radiator i would have gone that route. You can find it here. http://licmotorsports.com/products/l...sti_lic-082074

get new mounts - with your mileage and what you are looking to do you are going to get a lot of play from your mounts. Group N mounts will do just fine.

Know that if you do end up considering a motor swap, to a hybrid, or 2.5 long blong the extra .5 isnt going to buy you horsepower. It will however get you some extra torque most noticable at the lower end of the RPM's.

know that building your block does not always make it more powerful. It simply adds longevity for whatever supporting mods you end up running. You may get a bit from cnc/port-polish/balance-blueprint.

change your plugs!

replace your inlet.. I like the samco - black for stealth.

make sure your exhaust is a full 3" turbo back.
run catless if you can. Only thing you will have to do for smog is switch to a stock DP. Tons of us have one you can borrow for the occasion.

Estimate the cost of all the parts and labor.. then do yourself a favor and double it

tuners - mechanics...if you made it this far, please feel free to correct me in any place I'm wrong.

Urban_Grey_2.5

iTrader: (5)

This is extremely helpful and is helping me create a plan. I am thinking...

EQ header crossover, and uppipe
STI intercooler, and vf39 (used to keep costs down)
750DW's, Warbro 255
Samco Inlet
catless Dp(and I'll hang on to my stocker for smog)
open source tune by Ed

Id like to hit 300awhp but I would be happy with 280ish. I don't think theyll have E85 in my area for a long time unfortunantly... new plugs are going in when I get my 90k at LIC

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

cool. If LIC is your shop of choice ask them about their oil cooler/radiator option. I guarantee at some point your stock one will fail. They all do in the bugeyes. If you do replace it make sure to replace the hoses with it. Using weathered hoses is a good recipe for failure.

for your turbo, youll be buying it used so make sure that it has minimal shaft play. It will be tough to find a 39 without a WG crack. Don't let hairline cracks deter you. Just have a shop weld the crack before you put it on your car.

I think You can make 275ish whp on a vf39/43 or an 18G with a 91"conservative tune" if you have strong supporting mods. Remember that HP is just a number and can be manipulated higher or lower based on which dyno/tuner is used. Shoot for power but also with consideration for drivability, smooth idle, and longevity.

Who is going to tune you?

From what I know, LIC is an awesome shop, not sure if they tune.

EQ tuning tunes cobb and open tune. They do a dynocom dyno/road tune. EQ will probably recommend a hallman manual boost controller for the tune.

DBtuned/FW has a mustang dyno and tunes cobb. I think he tunes on the stock boost solenoid.

GST
Mike tunes cobb and I think he will tune on any solenoid but I think prefers a GM boost solenoid or a 3 port. I think he also has a mustang dyno.

I have no knowledge of the other shops (such as FLI and AUTOHQ)

Urban_Grey_2.5

iTrader: (5)

I was actually planning on getting the LIC oil cooler/radiator combo when I do my 105k timing belt maintenance. I don't think LIC does tuning and I know they dont have a dyno so I am probably going to EQ for mods and tune and LIC for maintenance.

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

Ok. In that case have all your mods done at once. A lot of what you are doing requires the inter cooler to be taken off. Since you will be replacing the inter cooler any way it's a good opportunity to get everything else done. The parts also affect the tune so try to plan the install for the morning and the tune for the afternoon/next day if it your daily driver. Id still recommend a compression an leakdown test.. Compression first and then leakdown after all new parts are installed.

Shayhan27

iTrader: (4)

Nice write up and great help as always John

Wally's World

All sounds good and you are on the right track. As far as tuners go, if you are in the northbay, I would seriously consider Fine Line Imports. They have been working on my car (04 STi) for a few years now. They took me (over the years) from a basic custom stg 2 tune, to a short block swap, 20G-xt turbo w/ E85 build/tune. Miles will take special care to fine tune your car to your liking while keeping it safe and reliable. +1 for FLI

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

Thanks!! nice to know its appreciated.

Urban_Grey_2.5

iTrader: (5)

This is The best I-club response I have ever gotten! Extremely detailed and helpful. I want to have a good plan so I don't end up running in circles. Thanks again!