Recommendations for 2L 2004 Subaru Liberty GT Mods

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

Hello!,

Please bare with me as I am a newbie but I have 2004 Subaru Liberty GT Premium wagon,
I'm looking to do some modifications to it, my budget is around $8K, I'm hoping to get 220kws at the wheels. This is what I have in mind:
- K&N Panel Filter(already installed)
- Invidia Cat-Back Exhaust
- Invidia Down pipe
- GT Spec Unequal exhaust headers
- Process West TMIC
- Kinugawa TD05-18g Turbo (Not sure which turbo to go for to reach those power figures)
- Pierburg 3 port boost controller
- PSR Silicone turbo inlet
- PSR Silicone Turbo intake throttle body hose
- Custom tune

I have been looking for an upgraded fuel pump but not sure what to go for so a recommendation would be great
Also would I need larger injectors or are the stock ones ok?

With these mods would I be looking at 220awkws, would I need to change anything to make those figures or wont the 2L make it to that power?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

[jaydece]

As a quick suggestion:

bigBADbenny on this forum has a wealth of knowledge and experience on this sort of stuff....I suggest you PM him ...

Having said that there are allot of other members here with a wealth of knowledge and experience ....

220kw atw is achievable if planned and done correctly (especially on the tuning side of things)

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

As a quick suggestion:

bigBADbenny on this forum has a wealth of knowledge and experience on this sort of stuff....I suggest you PM him ...

Having said that there are allot of other members here with a wealth of knowledge and experience ....

220kw atw is achievable if planned and done correctly (especially on the tuning side of things)

Thanks, i'll message him. I'm planning on getting it tuned at Gotitrex, heard very good things about them.

[jaydece]

As a quick suggestion:

bigBADbenny on this forum has a wealth of knowledge and experience on this sort of stuff....I suggest you PM him ...

Having said that there are allot of other members here with a wealth of knowledge and experience ....

220kw atw is achievable if planned and done correctly (especially on the tuning side of things)

Thanks, i'll message him. Great to hear that 220kw atw is achievable, I'm planning on getting it tuned at Gotitrex, heard very good things about them.

Yeah good place, they have tuned and built some powerful engines and cars ....

[Adrian2627]

At that power level your driveline isn't going to last very long. The stock 5 speed, front, centre, and rear diffs just aren't up to the task. Before going down the power road get your hands on a later model 6 speed and R180 diff. The Spec B Liberty one is good a GD Impreza STi one is better. The earlier ones without DCCD would be the best bet for a street driven car.

Once that is sorted making north of 200 reliably isn't just going to be a case of a few bolt on parts. Sure it can be done and I'm in no way trying to discourage you from your goal but you're going to need to go deeper to keep it all together. Things like an upgraded oiling, the pickup especially as they are known to crack, fuel, yes your injectors, and cooling will help keep it running and not becoming a time bomb. EJs have problems with ring lands cracking so keeping it well oiled, fuelled, and cooled is just as important as a good tune to prevent it running hot and leaning out. The 2.0 is arguably a better place to start than the 2.5 but it still needs money spent in the right places to make it run reliably.

[bigBADbenny]

Forget power figures.
Trying to hit an imaginary figure will likely end in disappointment.
You’re better off prepping the car for a tune, as best you can and then tuning it safely, as opposed to hoping your assemblage will be pushed to some expectation.
Dynos read high and low depending where you go.

A dw65c or maybe dw300 will support some extra power, or the Kobe Motorsport equivalent.
You might reach over 200wkw with e85.

Iirc looking for over 200wkw injectors, eg id1050x are a good idea.
Personally with the stock box and injectors I’d say you’d be safe at just under 200wkw.

More importantly are you already understanding the importance of logging and LV for your car before during and after the tuning process?

Is the car running 100% fine right now?
If not getting started with Btssm or Romraider can help with diagnostics and monitoring health.

[bigBADbenny]

You could save some brass by keeping your stock el headers and the kinugawa lgt ts turbo, but I’m guessing you’re going the full single scroll setup for sound mainly and turbo selection flexibility?
The stock lgt ts headers are good for 250wkw according to sources here.

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

Forget power figures.
Trying to hit an imaginary figure will likely end in disappointment.
You’re better off prepping the car for a tune, as best you can and then tuning it safely, as opposed to hoping your assemblage will be pushed to some expectation.
Dynos read high and low depending where you go.

A dw65c or maybe dw300 will support some extra power, or the Kobe Motorsport equivalent.
You might reach over 200wkw with e85.

Iirc looking for over 200wkw injectors, eg id1050x are a good idea.
Personally with the stock box and injectors I’d say you’d be safe at just under 200wkw.

More importantly are you already understanding the importance of logging and LV for your car before during and after the tuning process?

Is the car running 100% fine right now?
If not getting started with Btssm or Romraider can help with diagnostics and monitoring health.

True, i did think it wasn't important to hit a imaginary figure but i just wanted a goal to start with. I wanted to run e85 but im not sure what needs to be done to do so, is it just a dw65cc fuel pump and upgrade injectors (id1050x like you mentioned)? Ive heard that running e85 makes it more reliable, but entirely sure if its true.

I haven't understood the importance of logging and LV but i have seen some of your posts about it, i should read more considering it is important. I've owned the car since brand new in 2004, I've always thought of modifying it but never got the time to until now, i barely drive it anymore as i use to (maybe once or twice a month) it only has 60,000kms on the clock and never had any engine problems, serviced regularly. Only problem is that 3 years ago an ice addict had rammed the right side of the back and had major damage to chassis, now everything is repaired but not 100% sure if it was as good as it used to be. Ill look into Btssm and Romraider and do some research to get it running and then see if everything is running fine

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

You could save some brass by keeping your stock el headers and the kinugawa lgt ts turbo, but I’m guessing you’re going the full single scroll setup for sound mainly and turbo selection flexibility?
The stock lgt ts headers are good for 250wkw according to sources here.

Really!? Didn't know that stock el headers are good for 250wkw, i will definitely be keeping them then instead of changing to aftermarket uel headers(yes i did want sound but now hearing that the stock ones are good for 250wkws ), and yes i wanted to go full single scroll setup for turbo selection flexibility as I heard that the twin scroll is not good for top end power. Would i be better off keeping the twin scroll setup and get the kinugawa td04-20t or 19t? Would i be looking at power of around 200wkws if i run twin scroll? How are those turbos like anyway? I do like quick spool but if i have to sacrifice just slightly to get some mid to top end power for it, i would prefer it

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

At that power level your driveline isn't going to last very long. The stock 5 speed, front, centre, and rear diffs just aren't up to the task. Before going down the power road get your hands on a later model 6 speed and R180 diff. The Spec B Liberty one is good a GD Impreza STi one is better. The earlier ones without DCCD would be the best bet for a street driven car.

Once that is sorted making north of 200 reliably isn't just going to be a case of a few bolt on parts. Sure it can be done and I'm in no way trying to discourage you from your goal but you're going to need to go deeper to keep it all together. Things like an upgraded oiling, the pickup especially as they are known to crack, fuel, yes your injectors, and cooling will help keep it running and not becoming a time bomb. EJs have problems with ring lands cracking so keeping it well oiled, fuelled, and cooled is just as important as a good tune to prevent it running hot and leaning out. The 2.0 is arguably a better place to start than the 2.5 but it still needs money spent in the right places to make it run reliably.

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate your advice, I have got an auto and not sure if that will affect anything, i did think for changing to 6 speed manual but it just cant be an option for me as im not looking to spend that much money on a transmission as my car only has 60,000kms on the clock. Same as the diff, because my car hasnt been driven that much the diff is almost new so not looking at swapping it out. That being said i may have to not squeeze every last kw out of the engine and just get safe reliable tune like Benny said.

I did some research on cooling and oiling systems, this is what i have in mind
- Killer B Motorsports Baffle, pickup and oil pan
- Mishimoto Oil Cooler Kit
-Mishimoto Performance Aluminium Radiator
- Mishimoto Racing thermostat

Now that being said, would it be necessary to get these anymore as I'm not looking to make so much power that ill blow my gearbox up or blow my diff off.
Benny made me realise it is better to not have an imaginary figure, but to make a safe, reliable car, however i do want it to have a fair amount of difference to stock

[bigBADbenny]

That’s incredible that it’s a one owner car
How many klm?
You auto box is going to be on the limit at 220wkw.

Its not so much that TS is limited in top end power, more that the power delivery is more even.
Generally making big power at high revs requires a larger exhaust housing.
Going for a larger exhaust housing in a twin scroll gets some low end response back in that scenario.

The main limiting factor with the lgt ts setup is that there’s only a few available upgrade turbos around, and they’re street biased power wise, which suits your application anyway (stock, auto).

What is your ultimate aim and budget? Would a different car suit the goal? Or are you happy to invest in your car?

With my car, I did all the very basic mods on the stock turbo, tmic & headers.
It makes around 160wkw maybe on 15psi.

I have all the bits to go a safe 200, but there just isn’t any rush to do so as its so good as is.
With just the 3” tbe, wrx STi muffs, hd clutch, lwfw, 3port ebcs, silicone TB hose and a great tune

Power ain’t the whole story, but a little extra with Shockworks, great rims n brakes, alloy arms, dccd and some braces is sublime.

Still a hefty investment tho

The trick is to keep boost stock or stockish, and make more power with the bolt ons providing better breathing and more headroom.

[bigBADbenny]

There’s 2 ways to attack it, work out the formula that suits you, amass the parts and install and tune it in one go.
This is where a one stop shop can be handy, mechanical and tuning under one roof.
Eg msr, insight, g88, gir, revzone etc.
Or upgrade and tune gradually.

[Adrian_LibertyGT]

The car has 60,000klms on it. Since i dont want to change the auto and diff, ill try keep it around 200wkws. My ultimate aim for it is to increase the low to mid range power as much as possible while keeping it safe and reliable.

My budget is around $8k to $10k, not looking at a different car, just want to improve the power on this one, happy to spend money on it as it is basically new.

Now with that being said ive done some more research on parts and this is what i have come up with:
- Kinugawa TD04HL-20T
- Process West TMIC
- Pierburg 3 port boost controller
- Kobe Motorsport Silicone inlet
- Ultrex Auto Twin Scroll Downpipe
- Kobe Motorsport 265lph for e85
- ID1050x for e85 but not sure if they are too big now that im not modifying it heavily
- IAG Top feed fuel rail kit
+ Tune at Got it rex
All mechanical work will be done by me besides fuel pump and injectors. Not too worried about numbers anymore, just want to tune it to be reliable but quiet responsive as well. Brakes will be upgraded before anything else is done (just new rotors and pads, nothing too crazy), keeping stock rims to not make it look modified, tires are new, i will look into suspension upgrades soon. Any other suggestions or is this pretty much good to get some decent power? Cheers for your input

[bigBADbenny]

Looks solid to me, if a flex fuel tune is available for prefl I’d consider that, GIR use an octane sensor type tune.
As regards injectors, you might be able to get away with eg stock injectors and a rising rate fpr with adjusted base pressure. Or not.
I kinda would favour the extra headroom of the ID injectors.
Something to research, calculate then consult your tuner.

[bigBADbenny]

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