USDM STi engine JDM STi Engine
 

Does any one know the difference between the USDM STi engine and the JDM STi engine. I am trying to buy a 2002 WRX and swapping the STi engine into the WRX

I think it would be more cost effective to just buy an STi...I could be wrong.

you get a lot more with the sti for the money

oh, about 500 cc of displacement.

there are various threads about engine swap.

The JDM motor is proven to be able to make a lot of power. You could probably get a whole car for close to $10,000, but you wont be able to register it and it will come cut in half.

thanks for the info

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by jewpac42[/i]
[B] but you wont be able to register it and it will come cut in half. [/B][/QUOTE]
curious to why it comes cut in half.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thorn[/i]
[B] curious to why it comes cut in half. [/B][/QUOTE]

Legal issues. I don't believe that jewpac means that it will be cut in half, down the b-pillar or right down the center, but that the chasis will have to be shipped seperately from the powertrain.

The reason the US went with a bigger engine for the USDM WRX STi is due to some wierd smog laws that say a 2L 4cyl engine isn't allowed to output 300hp. So, they made a 2.5 liter version to get around this. Importing the car whole from Japan still violates this law, so the way to get around this is to register the car as a kit car.

The easiest way to make a kit car out of a real production car, is to buy a "rolling chasis" (complete chasis sans the engine and possibly a few other bits) and the engine and import them seperately. Then you gotta pay someone here to reassable the car here.

Disclaimer: I've never done this, but this is what I've heard around the net. I am not a lawyer either, so I don't know the exact laws, but I'm pretty sure this is similar to how some people bring JDM cars to the states.

The reason for the 2.5L in the US is because the gas we have here is lower octane than other places and we cant make as much HP on 2L.
There is no 'law' about HP output:p

The reason they are cut in half is so that they can't be driven in the US...crash testing different cars to meet US spec is very expensive and non-USDM cars don't meet our saftey spec's.
The parts may or may not be street legal, but the body isn't.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Uncle Scotty [/i]

The reason they are cut in half is so that they can't be driven in the US...crash testing different cars to meet US spec is very expensive and non-USDM cars don't meet our saftey spec's.
The parts may or may not be street legal, but the body isn't. [/QUOTE]

yes Uncle Scotty is correct...the powertrain and the shell of the car are shipped in separate containers and it is a must if you want to ship a jdm car over to the states...unfortunately you will not be able to register the car unless you have a license or the know-how to adjust the car so it meets US specs, meaning smog (especially in california), power of the car, and safety also...if you really want to inquire about purchasing a true jdm car, call up motorex and inquire about the process by which they acquire their skylines....

if you want a true indepth comparison between the jdm sti engine and the usdm sti engine, pm or ask international_b aka "mr. i want my car to jdm'ed out" because he swapped in the jspec engine into his car...i do know though from personal experience that it is sweet as heck...as the engine revs up in the high rpms it sounds so awesome, only thing is he needs to get his comp reflashed because the motor governs out at 112mph...yep yep...

- Daniel

oh to add...its just plain cheaper to buy an sti or maybe next step if you have money and you want to stay with the 02-03 body is swap in the usdm engine and tranny...but hahaha if you are mr.i got all the money in the world then yeah see what you can do to purchase a jdm wrx...there is nothing sicker then seeing a true rhd wrx on the road...shoot if you got the money see if you can purchase a s202...now you would definitely be the ish of the town LOL :D

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Uncle Scotty [/i]
[B]The reason for the 2.5L in the US is because the gas we have here is lower octane than other places and we cant make as much HP on 2L.
There is no 'law' about HP output:p
[/B][/QUOTE]

I've read that they went with a 2.5L for the STi so they could hit 300hp with better low end torque and without miserable turbo-lag that US buyers would be more critical of.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by nKoan[/i]
[B] Legal issues. I don't believe that jewpac means that it will be cut in half, down the b-pillar or right down the center, but that the chasis will have to be shipped seperately from the powertrain.

The reason the US went with a bigger engine for the USDM WRX STi is due to some wierd smog laws that say a 2L 4cyl engine isn't allowed to output 300hp. So, they made a 2.5 liter version to get around this. Importing the car whole from Japan still violates this law, so the way to get around this is to register the car as a kit car.

The easiest way to make a kit car out of a real production car, is to buy a "rolling chasis" (complete chasis sans the engine and possibly a few other bits) and the engine and import them seperately. Then you gotta pay someone here to reassable the car here.

Disclaimer: I've never done this, but this is what I've heard around the net. I am not a lawyer either, so I don't know the exact laws, but I'm pretty sure this is similar to how some people bring JDM cars to the states. [/B][/QUOTE]

You can get a car whole, however you will never be able to register it on the road. If you only use it as a race car they won't cut it in half, however any other use for the car will require it to be cut in half. However it will not damage any of the drivetrain and all of the parts from the car that was cut in half will swap right into your car. You can even make it RHD, as someone in AZ did that for a show car.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by jewpac42[/i]
[B] You can get a car whole, however you will never be able to register it on the road. If you only use it as a race car they won't cut it in half, however any other use for the car will require it to be cut in half. However it will not damage any of the drivetrain and all of the parts from the car that was cut in half will swap right into your car. You can even make it RHD, as someone in AZ did that for a show car. [/B][/QUOTE]

Interesting. Good to know.