Garage99

Displacement is fun. Big turbos are fun. AWD is fun.
Displacement + big turbo + AWD = FUN.


The basics:

• AEM EMS Series 2
• Stock 6G72 3.0L block with forged internals
• Ported stock heads
• Brian Crower 280 cams
• Borg-Warner S400SX3 turbo
• custom manifolds, exhaust, intake, intercooler, and throttle body
• RC 1200cc injectors
• Aeromotive FPR
• E85 fuel
• HKS DLI
• Blitz Dual-SBC Spec-R boost controller
• only 23-24psi… for now

There were no mechanical issues with this car at all, which is always welcome.

Considering the size of the turbo, boost came on at a very reasonable RPM… thanks in part to a device that makes the turbine inlet smaller at low boost levels. Once the turbo was spooled, the boost level was controlled *perfectly* by the Blitz EBC. As the boost was turned up, the car responded very well and power levels continued to rise. Minimal changes in fueling were needed for the additional airflow, thanks in part to the boost compensation mapping in the AEM EMS.

The results:
574.9 hp @ 7500rpm and 477.5 ft-lbs @ 5250rpm

This car is always a blast to tune. Good choice of parts, NO mechanical issues, and it revs to what seems like infinity.

The last time around, this car put down an impressive 445whp on the heartbreaker dyno. Rumor has it that, at the old power level, a “650whp” Viper didn’t stand a chance. Of course, the owner wanted even more power, so he added some cams to the mix this time. While the car had some downtime, the owner took a quick look at the bearings to make sure things were good… he was happy to report that everything looked immaculate. You just can’t be too careful when you’re regularly winding things out to 9k RPM and the car is putting down over THREE TIMES the stock wheel horsepower.

The parts:

• TiAL GT35R
• TiAL 44mm wastegate
• TiAL BOV
• Hondata engine management
• stock-sleeved B18C1 bored 81.5mm
• JE Pistons
• Golden Eagle blockguard
• Manley rods
• Honda OEM bearings
• Micro-polished crank
• B16 head
• Kelford stage 2 turbo race cams
• Supertech valves and springs
• ARP head studs and hardware
• Type-R oil pump
• MSD ignition system
• Edelbrock intake
• 70mm throttle body
• Aeromotive FPR
• Quiafe LSD
• Exedy twin-disc clutch

The results:
Pump gas: 374.8 hp @ 8000rpm and 264.2 ft-lbs @ 6250rpm
Race gas: 470.6 hp @ 8250rpm and 372.2 ft-lbs @ 7000rpm


Race gas and pump gas comparison:



Pump gas tune, as compared to our baseline stock ’06 STi:



Race gas tune, as compared to our baseline stock ’06 STi:

This was a complete build from the ground up, done by Jan and Angel. The car’s previous setup had a Blouch Dominator 1.0 turbo that put down 330whp on the heartbreaker dyno, resulting in a 1/4 mile pass of 11.8 seconds. Of course, the owner still wanted more.

This time around, a custom rotated-mount setup with a large turbo was installed along with a slew of supporting upgrades. The original block was bored over and rebuilt with Eagle rods, CP pistons, ACL race bearings, ARP head studs, and Cometic head gaskets. Killer B Motorsport’s reinforced oil pickup does its part to keep everything properly lubricated.

The basic parts:

• GT3586R turbo with HTA billet compressor wheel and Tial turbine housing
• AEM EMS
• 1200cc injectors
• custom fuel system
• Ported heads
• Brian Crower stage 2 cams
• TurboXS FMIC with custom piping
• GT-Spec header
• TiAL 44mm wastegate

This resulted in a set of strong, but reliable tunes on pump and race gas.


The results:
Pump gas: 392.6 hp @ 6750rpm and 335.5 ft-lbs @ 5750rpm
Race gas: 445.5 hp @ 6750rpm and 377.5 ft-lbs @ 5500rpm


Race gas and pump gas comparison:



Compared to our baseline stock 2006 STi:

We all love our cars, and many of us want to somehow improve them… to make them truly OURS… to make them “better”. This may involve making some aesthetic improvements, installing a stereo system, or stiffening up the suspension. For me, this idea of “better” typically revolves around adding power. Over time, I’ve developed a pretty good idea of what parts do or do not work to make cars faster, especially with respect to a budget. My experience with many cars with many different parts on the dyno has allowed me to better understand what parts offer the best bang for the buck. This is the story of what happens when a customer is receptive to the advice and guidance that Jan and I offer when presented with the question, “How can I make my car faster without breaking the bank?”.


The car in question is a 2006 STi; the parts list is surprisingly simple:

• Blouch Dominator 1.0 with 7cm² turbine housing (49 lb/min turbo… think “FP Green”)
• Externally-gated uppipe
• 3″ turbo-back exhaust
• Turbo inlet
• Cold-air intake
• TurboXS top-mount intercooler
• 3-port boost control solenoid
• Samco blow-off valve (the stock bypass valve is slow to close)
• Power Enterprise 850cc injectors (NOT “hard to tune”, as rumored on the interweb)

With my tuning, this combination of parts resulted in a strong setup, putting down about 330 whp and 330 ft-lbs of torque on the heartbreaker dyno.


Track results:
(please excuse the phone camera quality)



11.83 @ 119.3 mph, run at Milan Dragway on 93 octane pump gas

It’s always nice to hear back from people with their results at the track. In this case, the car is a 2002 WRX wagon. It is running the stock 2.0L motor, a used VF39, 93 octane pump gas, and was tuned on the dyno by yours truly.

Got a chance to take the wagon to track earlier today. I spun hard in first and bogged second, but managed a 1.8 60ft and a 12.5 at 113mph. With a little more practice on the new setup im sure I can do better. I’m very impressed with the car. Thank you so much for the killer tune. STis with GT30s and WRXs with FP18Gs couldn’t even keep up! And my all time favorite is the LS2 GTO cammed, intake, full exhaust that I put a car on from a roll! Nobody sees it coming. Thanks Again!

This car made 260.8 hp @ 6000rpm and 257.4 ft-lbs @ 4250rpm.

How many “350 whp” cars have you seen or heard of that aren’t this fast?