Why not the WRX? Options

[Brett W]

I was checking on the net today and you can pick up a WRX motor for about 650 used. This is pretty complete. That would make a great 914 swap. Better turbo, and some cleaning up of the engine wiring and such you could have one bad ass daily driver.

You would still have the flat four and you could over come the limitations of the T4 engine.

[fiid]

I have a friend with an 03 wrx, and he has driven it pretty hard, and I can honestly say I dont like the power band. It feels like there is NOTHING until 3k. You have to be pretty rough with your engine to get good 0-60 times. It has a good turbo from the factory, but it doesnt pull as much as a toyota turbo, I dont think. Certainly you can do stuff to the engine to make it better, but Im saying from the factory, that 250 hp is a bit decieving. Go to www.wrxfanatics.com if you want info on modifying your wrx engine.

Uh - yeah - this is all about the turbos you use along with the intake resonances etc.

The stock WRX is about passing emmissions. I believe that subaru intentionally messes with the power band of their motors by creating wierd plenum chamber in the intake plumbing to stop the motors running too loud, and to curb emmissions at specific points in the power band.

The twin turbo engine is designed to spool up by about 1k rpm and keep the juices flowing all the way to the redline - it is designed for powering the luxury version of the Legacy wagon, so it has more torque than Letterman and Leno from very low RPMs. I'd be willing to bet that a better turbo selection and less restrictive plumbing in a smog exempt car will yield the low end grunt you are looking for.

I test drove a WRX and wasn't that impressed with it's low end for similar reasons - the 2.5 in my car pulls from idle especially with a K&N and straight through intake plumbing. Don't forget though that a WRX or WRX Wagon will weigh significantly more that a 914, so you won't be hurting nearly as badly as the familr cars are.

I am not a huge fan of the V engines as they pick the weight up in the car. IMHO - one of our advantages over the Elise, and other midengined cars is that all our engine weight it right on the bearing line. I am not all that impressed by 300HP from a larger engine - it's 300HP with more weight and more displacement. The added weight detracts from the handling, and it's not like you need tons of low end grunt in a car that weighs 2000 pounds.