Would synthetic be better for the WRX?
I want to keep the thing running as efficiently as possible and my last car with a turbo seemed to have problems in the summer heat (although that one was a eagle talon not nearly as well built as the WRX is, or so I've been told.)
And my car has a borla cat-back on it. What's that do besides make it loud? (practical answer please, don't tell me 'its an inverted coupling plasma interconnected exchanger between the exhaust and the cat for optimal neutrino mobilizatio or something to that effect - I've never taken the time to learn much about car upgrades and the small amount of research I've done still hasn't given me a solid answer about how this thing actually affects the car.)
this is exactly what my car looks like, minus the racks on top and with a larger exhaust.
cat-back exhaust is just a replacement of the exhaust system from beyond the catalytic converter to the tailpipe. It is normally done to reduce any back pressure that may be decreasing horsepower. The pipe used is usually bigger than stock and mandrel bent.
tnf wrote:And my car has a borla cat-back on it. What's that do besides make it loud? (practical answer please, don't tell me 'its an inverted coupling plasma interconnected exchanger between the exhaust and the cat for optimal neutrino mobilizatio or something to that effect - I've never taken the time to learn much about car upgrades and the small amount of research I've done still hasn't given me a solid answer about how this thing actually affects the car.)
What him above said. An after-market cat-back usually reduces pressure in the end section of the exhaust by opening up the gas flow out of the end of the exhaust in the section after the muffler. Reducing this pressure results in a higher power output from the engine.
Check what kind of muffler you have, cause a fresh cat-back exhaust usually comes with a glasspack muffler which increases sound but reduces pressure = more power again (This is from a quick google, I'd guess you already have a glasspack on that car as stock... no idea).
This is why 'performance' vehicles have fucking noisy exhausts. The exhaust train is always a tradeoff between reduced noise and increased power... and performance vehicles are aiming for the second option.
Last edited by Foo on Sat May 19, 2007 11:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.
I would assume the WRX would come stock with synthetic oil, but if it came with natural then stick to it. Not too healthy to go changing oil types. As for weight, consult your owner's manual. Most likely something like a 5w40, but it depends on what the manufacture wants. Also, since your WRX is turbocharged, and if you drive hard and want to keep engine strong get a turbo timer. Friend of mine has it on his Evo and it keeps the oil for the turbo from coking when he drives it hard and then stops it.
[size=92][color=#0000FF]Hugh Hefner for President[/color][/size]
tnf wrote:Would synthetic be better for the WRX?
I want to keep the thing running as efficiently as possible and my last car with a turbo seemed to have problems in the summer heat (although that one was a eagle talon not nearly as well built as the WRX is, or so I've been told.)
And my car has a borla cat-back on it. What's that do besides make it loud? (practical answer please, don't tell me 'its an inverted coupling plasma interconnected exchanger between the exhaust and the cat for optimal neutrino mobilizatio or something to that effect - I've never taken the time to learn much about car upgrades and the small amount of research I've done still hasn't given me a solid answer about how this thing actually affects the car.)
this is exactly what my car looks like, minus the racks on top and with a larger exhaust.
btw, that Borla exhaust is well done. i had one on my E30 M3 for awhile (it was a test "build") and it was bullet-proof. on my car it was a bit too loud though, so i ended up going with another brand.
Kills On Site wrote:I would assume the WRX would come stock with synthetic oil, but if it came with natural then stick to it. Not too healthy to go changing oil types. As for weight, consult your owner's manual. Most likely something like a 5w40, but it depends on what the manufacture wants. Also, since your WRX is turbocharged, and if you drive hard and want to keep engine strong get a turbo timer. Friend of mine has it on his Evo and it keeps the oil for the turbo from coking when he drives it hard and then stops it.
While some of what you said is ok, one does not use a light weight oil in the summer. Light weight oil is used in the winter due to thickness. In the summer months a heavier oil is needed like a 10w40.
Protip: Penzoil gunks up, stick with Havolin or something syntetic.
If you're going to switch to synthetic (which I would, it owns) you'll need to flush your engine after you drain the dino-based oil. As was mentioned, go with a heavier weight oil in the summer, especially since you have a turbocharged car.
What KoS mentions is a very good idea, you can get systems that will start pumping oil before you start the car and keep it going after you shut it down.
Can someone link me to one of those systems that will start pumping oil and keep it going to the turbo after I shut the car off?
Preferrably one for a 2002 WRX. I don't know what they are called, nor which brands are worthwhile.
My car also has a different air intake system (header?) - rather than the longer plastic one that is stock with the WRX, the previous owner put on a shorter header with a K&N ceramic air filter that I clean myself and don't have to replace. Along with the cat back he replaced the stock down and up pipes and whatever else goes from the engine to the exhaust - so all that together means better air flow and more power from the engine no? So if I follow correctly here, and please tell me if I am or am not - it wouldn't be good to put on bigger down and up pipes, etc., and then keep the stock exhaust or muffler or whatever because it wouldn't keep up with the increased flow you are getting from the bigger pipes...so the cat back system helps with the better flow you are getting from the new down pipe, etc., coming from the engine?
This car has 227 hp stock, and the previous owner told me he had it tested he put all the new parts on it at it came in at around 250 or thereabouts. Does that sound reasonable with changes like that?
The more I research what he put on this thing (he included receipts for all the work) the more I see I got a great deal. I paid 13,500 for it, which was almost 2,500 under book. The car had 46K on it, which wasn't bad for a 2002 (~12K per year). 1 owner and a few thousand in upgrades on it. Seems like I was lucky to stumble across a rich doctor who was selling one of his cars and needed to do so in a hurry because it wasn't going with them on their move.
Do you mean a turbo timer? Keeps the engine running for a short while after keying the car off, to allow the turbo to cool off. This keeps the oil flowing.
The experience of walking away from your car while its still ticking over is lulz.
My only experience with one of those was a few years ago on a friend's subaru. He said that it was only a convenience device, cause you can get the same effect by just taking it easy for the last few mins of your journey.
Are they generic hardware or model-specific? A quick google shows they're a fairly inexpensive circuit board?
Obviously I need one for my turbo... on my... fiesta... eh
tnf wrote:And my car has a borla cat-back on it. What's that do besides make it loud? (practical answer please, don't tell me 'its an inverted coupling plasma interconnected exchanger between the exhaust and the cat for optimal neutrino mobilizatio or something to that effect - I've never taken the time to learn much about car upgrades and the small amount of research I've done still hasn't given me a solid answer about how this thing actually affects the car.)
What him above said. An after-market cat-back usually reduces pressure in the end section of the exhaust by opening up the gas flow out of the end of the exhaust in the section after the muffler. Reducing this pressure results in a higher power output from the engine.
Check what kind of muffler you have, cause a fresh cat-back exhaust usually comes with a glasspack muffler which increases sound but reduces pressure = more power again (This is from a quick google, I'd guess you already have a glasspack on that car as stock... no idea).
This is why 'performance' vehicles have fucking noisy exhausts. The exhaust train is always a tradeoff between reduced noise and increased power... and performance vehicles are aiming for the second option.
A cat-back on a car that has a turbo doesn't give any serious gains since the exhaust gasses are still very restricted by the catalyst, it will probably be less than 5hp on the WRX. Therefore people put cat-backs for sound.
If someone wants their turbocharged car to make more power, they would rather use a turbo-back, for example a 3" exhaust pipe that bolts on directly on exhaust part of the turbine, thus completely eliminating the catalyst (this part is called a downpipe and is usually pretty expensive). These give a much more serious increase in power, and are one of the first mods that people do on turbo cars, at least around here, since there are no emission tests.
Nightshade wrote:Or at least, that's what you've read.
He's right, though.
And yeah, tnf, whatever you're running in it now (syn/dino) keep running it. Heavier weight in the summer. I run 10w-30 in the summer and 5w-30 in winter.
Not new information, but confirming some of the earlier posts, so you know who's blowing smoke and who's not.
Toxic is right about the cat-back. Simple logic confirms that. Your catalytic converters are your bottlenecks and anything behind them has poor gains as far as performance is concerned unless you're talking about mufflers, but I bet your muffler is just fine.
I'm sure he is right. Just as I'd be right if I read a paper on the best practices in ark building and then quoted it here. I may have a smattering of knowledge about arks in my head, but it doesn't mean I've built one, nor does it make me an authority on them.
Nightshade wrote:I'm sure he is right. Just as I'd be right if I read a paper on the best practices in ark building and then quoted it here. I may have a smattering of knowledge about arks in my head, but it doesn't mean I've built one, nor does it make me an authority on them.
Its true that I haven't actually modified any cars myself, but some of my friends have, and I gain experience about modifying cars just from talking to them and reading the articles and/or books that they suggest to me.
