[peerycaleb]

Hi thank you for allowing me to jointhe community. I just recently purchased my first 2011 STI hatchback. I have some concerns and alot of questions about it already. That being said I do absolutely love it so far and will continue to love it no matter the issues I'm sure.

 

[a5m]

Damn nice car, in possibly the most desirable (or at least valuable) configuration! Congrats!

I think you posted about it having a downpipe and/or needing a tune? Read as much as you can to learn the ins and outs so you can preserve that gem and enjoy it for a long time

 

[Jedi03]

Congrats! I have an 09 wrb as well daily drive an love it too!

 

[peerycaleb]

Yes I figure out the downpipe is stock it has cat back exhaust, has an aftermarket aluminum radiator. Every once in a while randomly after maybe driving on the highway at 60 mph for a bit when I shut the car off and I get back into to go somewhere. It smokes when I start it after it's been sitting for a while? Why would that be you think?

 

[Karlot]

Yes I figure out the downpipe is stock it has cat back exhaust, has an aftermarket aluminum radiator. Every once in a while randomly after maybe driving on the highway at 60 mph for a bit when I shut the car off and I get back into to go somewhere. It smokes when I start it after it's been sitting for a while? Why would that be you think?

could be a number of things, what color smoke? if it's oil, check the pcv valve, that's a common thing to go bad, and pretty cheap to fix, adding an air oil separator aka an AOS, is going to be worth it's weight in gold, as it will help reliability quite a bit. i'm also assuming it's oil that the little bit of smoke is, could be other things.

 

[peerycaleb]

I am pretty sure the smoke is a white or Grey color. Ok I was thinking it seems like it happens after I have been driving under not akot of. Pressure like going 60mph in 6th gear for a good 20 to 30 min or something like that. I was assuming that it may be fuel that isn't burning and building up in there somehow.

 

[Karlot]

I am pretty sure the smoke is a white or Grey color. Ok I was thinking it seems like it happens after I have been driving under not akot of. Pressure like going 60mph in 6th gear for a good 20 to 30 min or something like that. I was assuming that it may be fuel that isn't burning and building up in there somehow.

it's possible, but more than likely it's a bit of oil that burns off. i'd check the pcv and add an aos when you can.

did you get a compression test done before buying the car? if not, personally i'd do that to ensure the motor is healthy,

 

[peerycaleb]

I will check into those things and no I did not I actually bought it from 10 hrs away where I live. Purchased it for a great deal but ya didn't drive it or touch it or anything before I paid for it. I just ordered cobb accessport, and a couple other things. I also have another question what are the best most cost effective power upgrades I can or should do without getting too crazy. Should I or can I install a BOV after I get my cobb.

 

[Karlot]

I will check into those things and no I did not I actually bought it from 10 hrs away where I live. Purchased it for a great deal but ya didn't drive it or touch it or anything before I paid for it. I just ordered cobb accessport, and a couple other things. I also have another question what are the best most cost effective power upgrades I can or should do without getting too crazy. Should I or can I install a BOV after I get my cobb.

a BOV is not necessary at all on a stock or even upgraded turbo. they will hold plenty of boost. that said, if you want a BOV, you'll have to convert to speed density tuning, not maf based as the car is now.

if you havent checked anything. have a compression test done. ensure the car is healthy, and go from there.

so far as waht mods. it's going to depend on your goals for the car, if you are racing or planning to race what the class rules will be, what your power goals are and what your budget is. if you know that i can make suggestions. but without knowing your goals i cant.

 

[peerycaleb]

I am going to autocross maybe a bit and drag race a bit. As far as my budget I mean I have money to spend I don't have an endless bank account but my girl and I have no kids so that frees up some funds lol. But no I am willing to spend some money to say get the car to around 400 hp or so??

 

[Karlot]

I am going to autocross maybe a bit and drag race a bit. As far as my budget I mean I have money to spend I don't have an endless bank account but my girl and I have no kids so that frees up some funds lol. But no I am willing to spend some money to say get the car to around 400 hp or so??

ok, so you'll want to look into autocross classing, to get 400whp, you'll have to mod the car that will put you in SM class, at least locally for SCCA, in which, with 400, you'll likely be pretty outclassed by cars making 500+ (for reference, the best sti locally to me, in SM class for autocross, makes 520whp and 600ftlbs at all 4 tires, which have 335s for tires). so first off, look for what the classes are locally, and mod accordingly if you want to be competitive. if you want to do it for fun, that's cool, no worries, it's how i started and i'm now adjusting alot ive already done so i can be competitive in a specific class. if you want to drag race, look into classing there, and what you can/can not do unless it's just for fun, and keep in mind the setup for autocross and drag will be VASTLY different, so if you are competitive in class for drag or autocross, you likely wont be for the other.

if you want to make 400, expect to spend in the 15-20k neighborhood to make that reliably. realistically, you are looking at a shortblock, a turbo+supporting bolt ons, a fuel system, and possibly running e85 (you can do it on pump 93, it'll just require a bigger, laggier turbo, and lag is a bad thing in an autocross setting). my personal setup, made 377whp/401wtq, on pump 93, and will easily break 400 if I run e85, to do this, i'll need a different fuel system, which will run roughly 2800 bucks. i currently have approximately 18k into engine mods to make this type of power reliably.

 

[peerycaleb]

So what can I do for relatively cheap to get to around 330-350ish horsepower. I really just want to be able to go to the drag track and be able to smoke my cousin on his little old Mopar turboed 4 cylinder cars

 

[Karlot]

So what can I do for relatively cheap to get to around 330-350ish horsepower. I really just want to be able to go to the drag track and be able to smoke my cousin on his little old Mopar turboed 4 cylinder cars

330-350ish whp can be done on the stock turbo with e85, or with an upgraded turbo, but keeping the oem shortblock.

stock turbo route you'll need/want:
fuel system, turboback, ebcs, clutch most likely, and an e85 tune.

upgraded turbo, basically everything i said above, cept you wouldnt need e85, and i'd suggest an 18g xtr turbo from blouch for that 330-350whp goal.

my guess, either of those options, with the little things you may need, would run in the range of 5-7k, with a little bit of range pending if you did the work yourself, or had someone else do it.

i'd say a must is an air oil separator (either killer b or iag brand), killer b oil pickup and baffle, cyl 4 cooling mod.

good thing is, you can do these things in stages, and many tuners will give "discounts" for lack of a better word, for them adjusting a tune for a new part, because they wont have to do a full tuner per say, just adjustments for new parts. that wont be on every tune, it will depend on the part they are adjusting for. but something to think about.

i'm happy to go into further detail on what specific parts/brands if you have any questions.

 

[killerbmotorsport]

Congrats on the car, we had the exact same car as a shop mule years ago. Wish we kept it!

Definitely start with the cheap easy troubleshooting on the smoke. Chel ALL the PCV lines; vent and balance. I'd replace the RCV valve (with OEM) because they are cheap and when not working properly can do exactly what you're seeing. Also check the turbo inlet for cracks and tight clamps. Adding a boost leak test to the list isn't a bad idea either.

I agree with the E85 route. It tends to be less abusive on the engine. Anything near-over 400whp and you're gambling with engine longevity. If you've got the coin to get a built engine, bigger turbo, and supporting mods to whoop your cousin, go for it. There are some great guide threads on this, but it gets expensive fast, especially if you build for reliability over budget.

Great community here with lot of knowledgeable people that have been modding these cars for a long time. Much better resource than the feedback you'll get from social media!