I�m making this thread based off of my approach of maintaining a highly modified Subaru. Feel free to add your own input. Firstly, congrats on achieving this power level and turning a vapid econobox into a super car competitor. Secondly, producing 500hp out of a 4 cylinder engine is pushing the envelope of what is reasonably logical and to some it seems like we are merely grasping for any semblance of reliability. Thirdly, the moment you mod a car, you are taking full responsibility of what happens to the car since Subaru only intended the STi to have 300hp. So cast away the phlegmatic attitude of I-don't-give-a-shit about the car since Subaru will cover it. Excluding the plush luxury of a Buggati Veyron, why does it cost so much? Because it is 1000hp warrantied. Without further ado, this is my list of recommendations for protecting your investment:
1. Always, always check your oil every time you fill up gas. Forged motors have potential to burn oil given the expansible nature of the pistons leading to increase blowby before fully warmed up.
2. Warm up the car 1-2minutes after a cold start and before you drive. This is mainly done for the piston slap to subside. Piston slap seen in forge pistons is when the pistons' material haven't expanded enough to seal off with the cylinder wall so the slapping noise is the piston slamming repeatedly into the cylinder wall. That in of itself causes wear and putting any extra load on the car during this vulnerable period, even at partial throttle, can induce more wear than necessary and increase blowby.
While driving, make sure the oil pressure is around 28-33psi idling, depending on your idle of course, (warmer the oil, the lower the viscosity and easier flow and less pressure) before it becomes copacetic to rag on your car since oil warms up slower than coolant.
3. Keep an eye on the oil catch can and empty it every 5 days if daily driven. Better yet, get an air oil separator. I recommend the IAG AOS because it is the most well thought out design on the market (IAG AOS Review).
4. Make sure you get GAUGES. When you have a highly built fuel system, there is always a chance something might go wrong. I nearly lost a motor to a dying fuel pump. Get Oil pressure (vital!), A/F (vital!), and fuel pressure (vital!). Think of the motor as a brain perfused with blood, any disturbances in blood flow or fuel/oil flow will cause an engine "stroke" resulting in irreparable damage (engines don't heal like dead brain tissue remains dead brain tissue). You want to keep a close, close eye on these pressures.
place active gauges (AFR and Fuel pressure) at eye level so during a pull you know when to back off the moment you notice something is awry
5. With Cobb AP, monitor boost Feedback knock, fine knock learning, DAM, A/F correction, coolant temp. More info: *PSA??* Cobb V3 gauge setup: knock monitoring
6. Make sure you don't run below 1/4 tank of fuel. These high performance pumps are thirsty. Although there won't be any drop in performance when you reach low fuel levels, small lapses in fuel within the pump itself will cause it to overheat, cavitate, and lead to premature failure. Also since you are filling up a little more frequently, it gives all the more opportunity to check your own oil.
7. Keep 1 quart of oil on you at all times.
8. GET AN AUTOMOTIVE FIRE EXSTINGUISHER, who knows what fuel line would burst, cause a fire leading to a scorching effigy of your prized investment. This is why you get an automotive fire exstinguisher (halotron) vs. a regular one (dry chem): **PSA** So you have a >400whp fully built setup: Protecting Your Investment
--------Personal experience-----------------
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Power steering line burst causing a fire that was extinguished quickly before it caused any major damages, got hose repaired in no time and the halotron extinguisher left no nasty residue to clean up
Lugging around a fire extinguisher pays off for the one day/one freakish occurrence that threatens to burn down 9 years worth of work :tup:
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9. Do Blackstone analysis on your oil every 3 oil changes to see if you have increased wear metals in your motor which could be a harbinger for impending failure down the line.
I think the best way to be informed about the overall health of the engine is to do an oil analysis. Sure you can check for knock everyday or even do compression tests daily (impractical) but that doesn't get the full picture of the state of the engine.
Just like how doctors check for heart attacks with cardiac enzymes which go up as the dying myocardial cells spill their intracellular enzymes into the blood from ischemia, your engine does the same thing if something is wrong (Aluminum, Chromium, Lead, etc are what make up your ringlands and bearings). If anyone is familiar with people that have diabetes, the doctors check blood sugar on annual checkups but the best gauge of how well diabetes is controlled is by the HbA1C which encompasses how well blood sugars are controlled in a 3 month period and not at an exact time point. Likewise oil analyses characterize how much wear there is in an oil change interval.
I just liken an engine into a functional, breathing physiologic being :tup:
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10. Consider getting expanded insurance coverage for your mods.
11. Be punctual when it comes to maintenance. Oil change intervals can be determined by blackstone oil analysis but go with 3000 miles by default. Use high quality oil like Motul or Rotella.
12. DON'T LUG THE CAR. Try pedaling a bike up a hill/at slow speeds while in high gear, you are subjecting the engine to the same rigors (your bearings will hate you and you'll will get more knock) by accelerating in high load + high gear + low rpms.
Have fun!
1. Always, always check your oil every time you fill up gas. Forged motors have potential to burn oil given the expansible nature of the pistons leading to increase blowby before fully warmed up.
2. Warm up the car 1-2minutes after a cold start and before you drive. This is mainly done for the piston slap to subside. Piston slap seen in forge pistons is when the pistons' material haven't expanded enough to seal off with the cylinder wall so the slapping noise is the piston slamming repeatedly into the cylinder wall. That in of itself causes wear and putting any extra load on the car during this vulnerable period, even at partial throttle, can induce more wear than necessary and increase blowby.
While driving, make sure the oil pressure is around 28-33psi idling, depending on your idle of course, (warmer the oil, the lower the viscosity and easier flow and less pressure) before it becomes copacetic to rag on your car since oil warms up slower than coolant.
3. Keep an eye on the oil catch can and empty it every 5 days if daily driven. Better yet, get an air oil separator. I recommend the IAG AOS because it is the most well thought out design on the market (IAG AOS Review).
4. Make sure you get GAUGES. When you have a highly built fuel system, there is always a chance something might go wrong. I nearly lost a motor to a dying fuel pump. Get Oil pressure (vital!), A/F (vital!), and fuel pressure (vital!). Think of the motor as a brain perfused with blood, any disturbances in blood flow or fuel/oil flow will cause an engine "stroke" resulting in irreparable damage (engines don't heal like dead brain tissue remains dead brain tissue). You want to keep a close, close eye on these pressures.
place active gauges (AFR and Fuel pressure) at eye level so during a pull you know when to back off the moment you notice something is awry
5. With Cobb AP, monitor boost Feedback knock, fine knock learning, DAM, A/F correction, coolant temp. More info: *PSA??* Cobb V3 gauge setup: knock monitoring
6. Make sure you don't run below 1/4 tank of fuel. These high performance pumps are thirsty. Although there won't be any drop in performance when you reach low fuel levels, small lapses in fuel within the pump itself will cause it to overheat, cavitate, and lead to premature failure. Also since you are filling up a little more frequently, it gives all the more opportunity to check your own oil.
7. Keep 1 quart of oil on you at all times.
8. GET AN AUTOMOTIVE FIRE EXSTINGUISHER, who knows what fuel line would burst, cause a fire leading to a scorching effigy of your prized investment. This is why you get an automotive fire exstinguisher (halotron) vs. a regular one (dry chem): **PSA** So you have a >400whp fully built setup: Protecting Your Investment
Power steering line burst causing a fire that was extinguished quickly before it caused any major damages, got hose repaired in no time and the halotron extinguisher left no nasty residue to clean up
Lugging around a fire extinguisher pays off for the one day/one freakish occurrence that threatens to burn down 9 years worth of work :tup:
-------------------------------------------------
9. Do Blackstone analysis on your oil every 3 oil changes to see if you have increased wear metals in your motor which could be a harbinger for impending failure down the line.
I think the best way to be informed about the overall health of the engine is to do an oil analysis. Sure you can check for knock everyday or even do compression tests daily (impractical) but that doesn't get the full picture of the state of the engine.
Just like how doctors check for heart attacks with cardiac enzymes which go up as the dying myocardial cells spill their intracellular enzymes into the blood from ischemia, your engine does the same thing if something is wrong (Aluminum, Chromium, Lead, etc are what make up your ringlands and bearings). If anyone is familiar with people that have diabetes, the doctors check blood sugar on annual checkups but the best gauge of how well diabetes is controlled is by the HbA1C which encompasses how well blood sugars are controlled in a 3 month period and not at an exact time point. Likewise oil analyses characterize how much wear there is in an oil change interval.
I just liken an engine into a functional, breathing physiologic being :tup:
10. Consider getting expanded insurance coverage for your mods.
11. Be punctual when it comes to maintenance. Oil change intervals can be determined by blackstone oil analysis but go with 3000 miles by default. Use high quality oil like Motul or Rotella.
12. DON'T LUG THE CAR. Try pedaling a bike up a hill/at slow speeds while in high gear, you are subjecting the engine to the same rigors (your bearings will hate you and you'll will get more knock) by accelerating in high load + high gear + low rpms.
Have fun!
