Lack of power, normal or maybe turbo or transmission?

[Pakin]

Hello,

First off, if this is the wrong place to ask, please move topic accordingly

A few days ago I was able to drive a Legacy Turbo for the first time. Excited intially. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

I personally own a Phase I EJ25 powered Outback with a 4EAT, and the torque is rated less than the EJ22T.

Has anyone ever drove and compared between different EJ25/EJ22T powered Subarus?

I would like to know how fast they should be. Because I would consider buying a Legacy turbo, but if they less powerful than a EJ25, then I would need to think about it hard.

Maybe its a bad turbo, or is it an older auto transmission that eats up most of the power?

Thanks,

-phill

[rallysam]

This is the right place, you're all good.

I drive an EJ25 RS and an EJ22T SS every day. An SS should definitely be faster than an EJ25 Outback, partcularly in the middle of the RPMs where the Ej22t's torque is a player. The two engines have almost identical output, so obviously the SS should be faster than a heavy outback but slower than the lighter EJ25 car like the first-gen RS.

Aren't most of your questions are answered by the simple stats: EJ25 makes what? 165hp and 160ft-lbs? EJ22T makes something like 160hp and 180ft-lbs? So, the engines make similar output but they have pretty different personalities - the 22T has a LOT more low end grunt but it gets pretty boring at the high end. By contrast, the EJ25 makes power across the band - smoothly building towards redline. Then, of course, the 22T has turbo lag which has no practical benefit but feels really cool and increases the sensation of strength. And, of course, a turbo car is much easier and cheaper to mod to make it faster.

Are you sure this isn't a problem with your butt dyno? People claim to notice a few horsepower here and there... but our butts aren't exactly calibrated accelerometers. It's easy to get confused - the accleration varies drastically depending on what gear you're in, what RPM range you're in, the outdoor air temperature, etc... Then you get other sensory experiences confusing your feelings like engine noise, turbo surge, a transmission that kicks when it shifts, and all these things mix into a person's sensory experience of "fast" and might be confusing you.

Or, who knows, maybe that SS really is not running right. It's really impossible to say. With a 15 year old car, it's safe to assume a lot of things are broken and needing a tune up.



PS - Let me add one thing. I've had my Impreza RS with an EJ25 for 5 years and worshipped it the whole time. I didn't think I could love a car more than that one. Then, I just picked up a 15 year old Legacy turbo last year. The SS was just supposed to be something I beat on at rallycrosses on weekends while the Impreza would stay my daily driver. Now, the RS basically sits and collects dust because I ALWAY prefer to take the SS. It's more thrilling. Even in stock form, when it's not really any faster, it feels better because you can hear the turbo spool up, see the boost needle pin, and you feel it kick you in the pants. The RS is just too well-behaved and predictable.

[Pakin]

Hi Sam,

Thanks for your thoughtful response.

With the information provided, then surely I probably drove one that wasn't running right.

I've driven a wide range of Subarus from the EA series, EG, EZ and of course the EJ. In general, I've driven most of all stock models of modern Subarus. I am familar with the power output of most as well. Maybe it's the lunch I skipped that threw the buttdyno out of calibration

I don't recall Turbo Legacys having boost/turbo issues, but have there been reports of these? The engine idles and revs smoothly from what it sounded like. The car didn't seem to "kick" like a WRX/LGT/FXT/STi on boost.

Thanks again,

-phill

[rallysam]

Well, I don't have much experience with those cars, but I don't think the SS will kick as much as the other cars you list, and it won't have as long of a lag noticable lag either, because it only runs about 9psi of boost with a tiny little turbo.

Well, I haven't heard about our cars having a common design problem with boost control or the turbo, but it's a 15 year old car so anything can and does go wrong . Sounds like you know about cars, so you probably know that it could also be a sensor problem or a manifold leak or fuel/ignition problem or just about anything can make an old car slo.