thewelsho Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 what fuel mpg you getting these days John? Am due a remap in Aug hopefully. cheers Chris Chris, I get on aver about 20mpg. Only once have I managed 22mpg since the upgrades and map, whereas I got 22 from time to time pre-map. your consumption wont drop off that much I'm sure. JW
thewelsho Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Don't think that OEM cats help. Certainly noticed an improvement in MPG when I decatted one of my old Vauxhalls... or maybe that was just down to the weight of the bleeding cat... Yeah, now that I think of it; the first exhaust mod I did was to remove the cat between the resonated centre section and the downpipe and my consumption was ever so slighly better
iain01 Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 I've done similar power mods to John to the GB270 along with whiteline rear ARB, ALK and fast road geometry settings, the car is running 345bhp/380lb/ft and is superb to use as a daily driver and for fun, but if I was doing it all over again i would definatley go for a STI. I'm now thinking of more power and trackdays, so brakes, gearbox and forged bottom end are coming into my thoughts As a road car the WRX with the stage 2 mods is great to drive, but it depends what you want from your car, I made the decision to go for the WRX(GB270), but with hindsight I should have gone for the STI.
mystery machine Posted May 28, 2009 Author Posted May 28, 2009 Cheers for that Iain. John - 22mpg pre-mapping? I'm guessing there wasn't much motorway cruising in there? I measured MPG at the pumps for every fill up until a couple of months ago and, since purchasing, I had averaged a baw-hair below 27mpg. However, a lot of that is bumming along the motorway at a fairly sedate pace (saving petrol for the weekend!).
soundie Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Hey Tam, Sounds like you should just drive an sti close to the type you want, and see if you think its worth the extra! maybe one of the kind folks at the falkirk meet could oblige you?
soundie Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 MPG is somewhat irrelevant - and I don't mean the old chestnut "If you worry about mpg you've got the wrong car" rubbish, I mean that I've done 360 miles at 60mph on a tank which is 33mpg, and sometimes I do 160 miles to a tank which is 14mpg, so its just a measure of how your drivin and how much fun you've had. you could get similar figures off any wrx OR sti.
mystery machine Posted May 28, 2009 Author Posted May 28, 2009 Cheers, Chris. The MPG sub-thread started as a comment on John's mods - sound like he does well considering his massive torque gains. However, it's not really a concern for me going from standard 2.5 WRX to standard 2.5 STI. Looks like I might be going for a test drive soon... I'll let y'all know how it went
thewelsho Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 Cheers for that Iain.John - 22mpg pre-mapping? I'm guessing there wasn't much motorway cruising in there? Pretty much stop start till I hit the motorway, then its a 7-minute squirt to the off-ramp then another 5 minutes of stop start stuff. On the way home I somtimes take the long road; all motorway but double the distance and probably jsut as quick. On the last leg of that trip I can usually give it some beans, so any MPG gains are probably evened out on that stretch
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) Well, I done it... I done bought one... Had it for a few days now, but not really taken it for a proper long drive yet. Nevertheless, here's a wee summary of how I've found it so far, compared with the WRX: Gearbox: Love it. The closer ratios really do work for me - a gear for every occasion! Nice sturdy, clicky feel to the shift, but probably not quite as quick between the lower gears as the WRX box. A worthwhile tradeoff though, IMO Engine: Totally different character. Slightly less off-boost torque (function of the lower compression ratio?), although still no slouch around town - reckon that the lower gearing helps compensate. Boost threshold is slightly higher, but once it has spooled-up..... 'oh ya jobby'! Continues to deliver torque higher up the rev-range, and it's silky smooth too! One thing that I wasn't expecting is that it's a lot quieter than my WRX's motor... definitely more 'whoosh' than 'thrum'. Handling: Flatter, sharper and more composed on the majority of roads. Although my initial impressions are that the WRX was less twitchy over the really undulating stuff (softer suspension can have its merits ). Definitely inspires greater confidence on long sweeping bends and flatter corners, though (is this a good thing?! ). Steering: The smaller wheel and higher-ratio rack make for a sharper feel and more accurate cornering. This is one of the key features that I wanted from the car so I'm well pleased with that! Ride: A little choppier, but less 'bouncy' - certainly nothing that I can't tolerate. The missus even says that it's "a smoother ride" than the old car, so 'go figure' as the septic tanks would say... Grip: I doubt that I've skimmed the dry limit yet, but I can feel that centre diff working... interesting when you're not used to it! Other than the driving experience, I really like the interior - the blue 'suede-effect' trim fair cheers it up. The STI dials are very smart too. Love the metallic grey - it'll never give the lustre of WR blue, but really I prefer a 'low maintenance' paintjob these days. The big wing... well, given the choice I'd probably have done without it, but 'when in Rome'! One real bummer is that I'm noticing little chips starting to appear on the rim of my rear NS alloy I certainly haven't kerbed the car, so something I'm driving through (a pothole, no doubt) is causing this. Rather pished off about that, but trying not to let it spoil the experience. Will try sticking a little more than the recommend PSI in the rear tyres to see if that helps defend the rims a little better All in all, very pleased - thanks to all here who offered comments and advice. I vowed you'd never get to me, but in the end, 'resistance was useless'! Thanks guys. Edited June 13, 2009 by Mystery Machine
sti_steve Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 Nice post! - Glad you got the car you wanted, now let the mods commence!
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 now let the mods commence! Oh no, Steve - dinnae - ma wallet is in tatters!
Midnight21 Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 So when do we all get a viewing?? Or a pic may suffice temporarily
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) So when do we all get a viewing?? Or a pic may suffice temporarily Ah...I'll post pics... as soon as I buy a replacement for my broken camera. It sounds like a dodgy excuse, I know - but it's the truth, honest! Maybe do something about that this weekend... if my wallet can take yet another plundering... Edit: Camera purchased, photos taken, wallet obliterated Edited June 13, 2009 by Mystery Machine
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) Forgot to mention... I get a muted 'whoosh' sound between gears at higher revs - sounds almost like 'breathing out' after the turbo has done its work. Quite pleasing, but the car was sold to me as 'unmodified'... was beginning to wonder if the previous owner had fitted an aftermarket blow-off valve... but then they're supposed to make more of a 'psssssst' sound, aren't they? Can't see any obvious signs of replacement parts under the bonnet, but then I'm not 100% sure that the thing I'm looking at is actually the recirculation valve... (suspended by some narrow-gauge piping in front of the intercooler?). Could any STI owners comment on whether this phenomenon (!) is to be expected? Cheers. Edited June 13, 2009 by Mystery Machine
mctwistuk Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 this post is useless without pics. when i changed the exhaust on mine i noticed the whoosh noise that you describe. Never really found out what it was but it sounds good. Chris
paul555sti Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 I could be wrong but would a standard dump valve not be attached to the intercooler rather than suspended from it?
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 this post is useless without pics.Fixed.when i changed the exhaust on mine i noticed the whoosh noise that you describe. Never really found out what it was but it sounds good.Interesting. Mine's on the (quite polite) OEM exhaust.
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 I could be wrong but would a standard dump valve not be attached to the intercooler rather than suspended from it?Paul, I need to go back for another look...
kennyuk300 Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 Looking good mate and i hope you get to enjoy all the benefits from the STI .I have followed this thread and i know you have looked at this from a practical side . have pondered the idea of getting an STI myself as the cost of upgrading against the STI but i really like the look of my UK300 so i will just up the power to circa 300bhp and be happy cheers kenny
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 Looking good mate and i hope you get to enjoy all the benefits from the STI .I have followed this thread and i know you have looked at this from a practical side . have pondered the idea of getting an STI myself as the cost of upgrading against the STI but i really like the look of my UK300 so i will just up the power to circa 300bhp and be happy cheers kenny Thanks Kenny.A WRX running 300bhp (and whatever torque comes with that) will amount to one seriously rapid motor alright - I'm pretty blown away by the 280lb/ft of torque that the STI has on tap and I'm hauling ~80kg more than you (on my car, not on me! ). Only touched on 'max power' briefly and oh yes... very nice to have that sort of punch sitting in reserve for when it's needed.
Midnight21 Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 Well, I done it... I done bought one... Thats a cracker will know what to look for when your passing through now
bobbyc Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) Looking good really nice loooking car I ejoyed my STI but I always thought the grearing was wrong, I must admit the six speed is a stronger box but I prefer the five speed in the GB especially running with 390 Torqueeeeees Edited June 13, 2009 by bobbyc
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 Thats a cracker will know what to look for when your passing through now Cheers Cathy - I'll keep my eyes peeled for the red wagon!
mystery machine Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 Looking good really nice loooking car I ejoyed my STI but I always thought the grearing was wrong, I must admit the six speed is a stronger box but I prefer the five speed in the GB especially running with 390 Torqueeeeees Cheers, Bobby. I guess with the gearing it all comes down to personal preference Having said that, if you've got a walloping 390 peak and not too steep a curve, you could probably get away with just the two gears! Out of interest, was your STI the 2.0 or the 2.5?
mystery machine Posted June 14, 2009 Author Posted June 14, 2009 (edited) I could be wrong but would a standard dump valve not be attached to the intercooler rather than suspended from it?After having stuck my heid under the bunnet again today, I can confirm you're correct Paul. There is indeed a (larger) valve attached to the front of the intercooler. Doesn't look particularly aftermarket, so I'd guess it's the OEM recirc. valve. Not sure what purpose the smaller valve I was looking at fullfills... (on the front side of all the turbo plumbing).Must admit to feeling pretty ignorant about all this stuff. I just haven't tinkered about with motors in years, and in those days I never had a turbocharged engine, so I never had a reason to get up to speed with that side of things. Plenty to learn then! Edited June 14, 2009 by Mystery Machine
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