2.5 N/A on a track day...

by **speed freak** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:09 pm

Hi guys, Im new to the forum but not new to cars. I have a question for you as im looking for your opinion. Im looking at buying a 04/05 2.5l liberty sedan. Im just wondering what your opinion is on how it would go on a track day at my local racetrack? I love to play with suspension so it will get coilovers, swaybars, camber, semi slicks etc now I know what you would be thinking... "why would I do this in a N/A car if I want to modify and go on track days why not use the gt or another turbo car"? I have also heard that the 2.5's can use alot of oil but I regularly check my oil and change often so that shouldnt be a drama. I imagin these should go quit well and I have driven 2.5l foresters and they are nice. Now my reason for staying N/A is it will obviously be my daily driven car and I dont want a turbo for that as I do have quit a heavy right foot if you know what I mean and I cant afford to loose points or money plus N/A cars imo have enough power for the street and a well setup suspension on a track is joyful. I used to have a 2006 suzuki swift 1.5l with coilovers and good tires and it was a blast out on the track so Id imagin this would be too, more or less just curious how the engines would go on track.

Anyway and help, opinons or advice would be great.

Also sorry if this is posted in the wrong section, wasnt sure where to put it.

Rhys.

by **zch91** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:15 pm

With the right suspension mods they will handle nicely on the track. The Turbo/NA are essentially the same as far as body/suspension goes (apart from spec.b, different suspension)

As for power well I guess you're the only one that can make that judgement - go and test drive a 2.5 and see for yourself... A lot of us here will say it is slow and really no good for anything but a daily.. It really does seem a little crazy to build an NA as a track car but hey.. Each to their own

Oh and one more thing, make sure you don't get a pre-fl NA with a Hitachi ECU, you'll regret it when you (inevitably) want to get the ECU tuned!

Oh and if all else fails and you are chasing more power after sinking money into the car for suspension etc, here's the solution

viewtopic.php?f=65&t=17244

Good luck

by **HoFF** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:21 pm

If you want an NA still why not the 3.0L??

by **speed freak** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:05 pm

thanks for the replies guys. Im not going to say the 2.5's are fast or powerful or anything because I have driven many turbo cars and they are fast but iv driven a few 2.5 subarus and they seem quit good for a N/A and I know its not going to be overly quick on the straights but that doesnt matter neither was my swift but I love a car that handles really well. I wont be (seriously haha) going to crazy with spending money on it I know coilovers cost a bit but a set of those and swaybars is a small price to pay for the improvement it does and it really shows on the street too. I asked my subaru specialist (mechanic) and he didnt mention why exactly but he said to stay away from the H6 motors??
But anyway if there any more opinion/suggestions im happy to hear them

again I know alot of people on here will think its silly to use a N/A car as a track car but I really shouldnt have a turbo car on the street and unfortunately I cant have a unregistered racecar as money doesnt allow for that. So ill go for a well setup suspension and tire combo and go have fun.

by **HoFF** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:13 pm

I can't see why he would of said to stay away from a H6.

by **jakey** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:46 pm

have a look around, there are plenty of happy H6 owners on here. I don't know why anyone would discourage the sale of a H6, especially against a 2.5

by **alessandro132** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:35 pm

If anything I'd shy away from a 2.5

the H6 is a very strong motor - just change the oil regularly, allow it to warm up before thrashing and you're all good! I think you'll benefit from the extra ponies that come out of the 6 not to mention you get a much better manual gearbox...

by **speed freak** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:07 pm

yea not sure why he said stay away from the h6 but i dont want a 6 cyl anyways and fuel consumption is a bit high for my liking.
the 2.5 is good i think prob a bit slow for most of you guys but has plenty of useable power for the street and if the suspension is setup well it will be fun for me at the track.
cheers

by **Kody.B** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:33 pm

Eh, I wish I went a H6.

2.5's are slooooowww. Plus, they're a rather big car with a small motor. Sure, it will out handle your Commos, Failcons, and Lancers etc, but they are still a middle sized sedan/wagon, not a track day car...

No offense, but your mechanic musn't know much about Subaru's. The H6 is a strong motor, and can do high mileage with the right maintenance.
Just my 2c. If you want something for the track, go a H6, get it tuned (fixes the fuel economy) and bam, you've got a luxurious, quick car that will be great on track days.

by **HyRax** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:30 pm

The 2.5i in stock form is definitely a bit slow, but after a tune (for MY07+ 2.5i's) the fun factor goes up quite a few notches.

Having owned two turbo-charged Subaru's previously, I didn't expect much from my MY08 2.5i either, but it is a surprisingly good car. You can just as easily lose your license with this car like any turbo car. You can easily keep up with turbo cars around twisties and only lose out on the straights.

I would wholeheartedly build a track car out of a 2.5i, especially if you stripped out the interior. It's cheap, cheerful and still fun.

Power isn't everything. Remember the Impreza RS2.5 Rally Challenge back in 2003-2004? Those engines are no more powerful than a Liberty 2.5i (tuned) yet they absolutely ripped up the Canberra rally stages giving some serious credibility to N/A rallying. At times it was difficult to tell the N/A cars apart from the turbo cars except for the lack of the go-fast bulge on the bonnet.

But the real question is what are you going to be doing track for? Supersprints or just for fun? If it's just for fun, then it doesn't matter what car you get (heck, I've had some GREAT fun in a stripped out Mitsubishi Mirage!) because it's all about the drive and the cornering, not the speed.

by **speed freak** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:15 am

Amen to HyRax. Someone else that actually understands my logic. Again people im not saying the n/a 2.5 is quick or anything like that but iv driven slow cars before and these go quit well especially on the street, any n/a car has enough power for fun on the street. Oh and my mechanic has being playing with subarus for over 20 years so he is one of the best again i didnt ask why he said stay away from the h6 but i dont want 6 cyl anyway.

These track days are only street sprints so they are like time attack. im not going out to be competitive against other drivers im going out there to have fun and its legal. im not spending/wasting loads of money building a n/a track hack its my daily driver or will be that ill make handle/corner better. some suspension mods and decent tires would be all it gets and any car could use tweaked suspension setups. like i said iv done these track days before in a suzuki swift which had a 1.5l motor wasnt even the sport model and it was gret fun, yea it wasnt that quick on the straights but who cares??? not me its all about having fun.

by **swingn** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:02 am

With a good driver behind the wheel (Not a pro of course) & the right gear, a 2.5L manual can be a good thing on the track. One of our long time members who has a Gen 3 RX 2.5L with moderate mods is able to keep up with - If not beat - many of the standard / lightly modified GT's & B4's.

That being said, if you start with a faster car, your going to see faster times. Just depends on how competitive you are

If I were you, I'd be looking at getting a same age 3.0RB in manual. They come with better suspension, 6 speed tranny & are obviously quicker out of the box. So you could take it out with minimal mods initially, then once you've got the cash, start the big mods & really see the benefits

Just remember, it's always wise with any older 2nd hand car, to make sure you give it a full service before you start giving it the berries.

by **Da4sti3** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:32 pm

I own a 05 2.5i and I'm building it as a daily and track day car... Yeah u will lose around a track straight to every other liberty there is whether it's a gt/b4 or h6.
But if ur car is set up correctly for track u can be quite fast holding better speeds thru corners and if u upgrade ur brake package as well less braking = quicker track times.
My advice whatever n/a u go make sure it's manual
And don't focus on suspension u need good brakes as well

Another note I go on cruises thru the hills with other members and we can keep up thru corners with the gts but once there is a straight there gone. It's depressing but it's also like "challenge accepted" at the same time
Good times !

by **Deep Heat** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:35 pm

I thrash my 2.0R. It isn't the fastest but it brings a smile to my face. Don't let lap times bother you. If you have fun is all that matters.

by **Jack_Keaka** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:37 pm

i raced a H6 the other night and it hardly pulled away from me. on my track day in my 2.5 i was beating H6's and some slow turbos. BUT it was a tight track :mrgreen:

either way they are not bad but your better getting the H6 anyway