Michael here from FirstGear. Well I did it. After blowing up many BMW motors, I've bought a 2005 Legacy GT Limited wagon, 5sp with STI turbo. Had to Denver to buy. I must say this car is a blast. As you know, we at FirstGear have a difficult time leave our cars stock. So....... Upgraded the exhaust to SS HR lower springs Tuned at RS motors by Ron CAI intake Short shift STI pedals (makes is faster) Looking for 17x8 or 17x9 rims. 5x100 holes. sway bars catted downpipe
Welcome, don't see many if not ever a 08+ lgt wagon here in Minnesota. 08 right?, not 05 what #'s it put down?
Nope after 05 the WGNs didn't come with 5spd... So either 05 w/ front clip swap or 08 w/ 5mt and harness swap
Welcome. And I 2nd Dean's idea last year was a blast. (thanks again Dan and everyone that helped with the turbo swap)
Unless it was Cananananadian? Nice car, love the body style/color Oh, and I'll have a CNT catted DP for sale in a few weeks with ~7000 miles on it if you're interested.
Sorry for the delayed response. We have the ChumpCar race this weekend and have been dealing with our BMW e30 bomber. Here is the deal. The guy who had this car before me didn't like the rear/front bumper or headlight so he had a shop change it to 08. Also changed the trim to 08 and added sti pedals with a short shifter . No wood trim. He also upgraded the turbo to the sti VF52. Ron at RS Motors tuned the car and we were able to get 275 to the wheel. That's good for now. Need to do more work on suspension and get some rims. Probably will do a GM boost controller when I do the down pipe next month. Couple things: Blow-off valve noise. Can that be run internally on the downpipe? Sway bars (F/R). Need input. Stagger wheel setup. We run stagger setup on the GTR, but I don't think it's recommended for Subaru's? It's nothing like the GTR, but it's impressive for a 4-cyl 2.5 motor. Hoping to get it on the track in July.
That's crazy, I don't know that I've seen one converted like that. JDM, sure but not newer USDM... Looks great though! Blow off valve should be full recirc stock and very quiet, expecially with a stock paper filter & snorkus in place. Mine is holding fine at 20 PSI, but some have had leaks at ~18. Unless you're talking about going to an external wastegate - should not be necessary on a VF52, but yes they can be plumbed back into the DP. Lots of sway bar options, I went mild and upgraded the rear only to a 20mm solid Whiteline. Aftermarket end links are recommended, and people seem to prefer Kartboy. Stagger not recommended due to center diff. Check Xenonk's wheel FAQ for all kinds of fittment info: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthre...es-rims-and-tires-gt-xenonk-version-4426.html If it's still running the stock intercooler, keep an eye on the end tanks, the crimps can weaken and leak. Some have reinforced with alum channel or JB Weld. LegacyGT.com's forums have tons of info, check the stickies for lots of good stuff. Welcome to the LGT family!
Beautiful Wag-acy Michael! Welcome to the world of Subaru's...alot different than what you guys are used to down at FirstGear, but a blast non the less!
FYI. The ChumpCar blewup an hour into the race. Hose blew causing the engine to blowup. Dang it. Thanks for all the feedback. I've been searching with mixed results on Brembo brakes on 2005 LGT. Can it be done on all 4 corners? Can it be done on 17" rims? Want to keep 17" for the cost of rubber. Some say only fronts can do Brembos, not rears.
Yes, a lot of people upgrade to front and rear STI brembos, but fittment under 17s will be tough. The only ones I'm aware of that fit under stock 17's are the AP Racing calipers. Good info here: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/brake-set-up-reviews-including-bbks-71880.html Also, you should be able to recover some cash selling the stock LGT brakes. They are an upgrade for 2.5i, Outback, and even Outback XT brakes.
Turkeylord. I have the cobb intake. That's when I noticed the louder blow off valve. I did get the grimspeed cross pipe on, but it took some work. .25 inches shorter than stock. Thank god for a post lift. I'm interested in a catted down pipe. Also added front frozen rotors, slot and drilled with hawk pads.
Aha, I must've missed the CAI comment in the OP. Seems most people agree an intake isn't necessary till you're making a lot more power, your VF52 (and my Evo3 16g) should be happy with the stock setup. I've read mixed reviews on the GS ported crosspipe too, unless you're looking for every last bit of power without going ELH the cost/benefit is pretty low. Haven't heard much about the frozen rotors. Did you get the HP+ or HPS pads? I was waffling between getting the HPS or Stoptech Street Performance pads, but eventually decided on the Stoptechs and Centric Premium blanks all around. I still need to get them installed though, busy summer. I would swap the uppipe if it's still stock. 05 - 06 came with a cat in the uppipe that can break down over time and potentially damage the turbo. Many opt to delete the EGT sensor at the same time, though I did not. As far as catted downpipes go, the COBB and TurboXS units place the cat in the midpipe section, the rest place it in the downpipe, usually right after the bellmouth. The Invidia has a divorced wastegate bellmouth that needs to be ground down to avoid interference with the wasegate flapper. As far as I know, there's not much difference in performance between the different designs.
Felt a big difference with the intake upgrade. Not so much with the GS crosspipe, kind of a waste from what I can feel. I am going for more horsepower, 270 isn't enough. I'm going to upgrade the turbo to the large one soon. These smaller turbos become the restriction point. Probably do the injector upgrade and boost control change. Changing the uppipe to a non-catted, does it get louder in your opinon? Deleting the EGT sensor, will that set off a code? We run Frozen Rotors on all of our performance cars. They last longer and perform better at higher speed braking. That's just my opinion. I did HP+.
What is your goal for power? The VF-52 and 16g options are great daily driver turbos, and 18g and 20g sized turbos are reasonable IMO, and can be had in modified VF40 (stock turbo) housings. There are a lot of other stock fittment turbos to look at too, or you could go rotated if you're thinking of going really big. Are you upgrading internals? Also, are you thinking about running e85? 05 - 06 are sidefeed fuel rails, I run Deatchwerks 850s in mine. There are a few larger sidefeed options, but if you switch to topfeed there will be more options. Changing the uppipe shouldn't have much effect on noise. Yes, it'll throw a code, but you can defeat with a resistor in the harness connector, or Ronnie can disable the code in the tune. Good to know on the rotors, nothing beats first-hand experience I would definitely upgrade the fuel pump as well, and IMO, the Deatchwerks 65c is the best option. Direct fittment into the stock pump housing and plenty of flow for most setups. http://www.deatschwerks.com/products/fuel-pumps/dw65c-compact-in-tank-fuel-pump Here's my stage 3 upgrade album if you're interested http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r16/turkeylord/LGT Stage 3 Upgrade/
