NickT - 2008 Subaru Liberty 2.5i NA 5MT ADM - Tuning

[west_minist]

Info
http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum ... f=40&t=429
Owner: NickT - Australia
Rom: E2TB102M
Tyres: 215/45-17
Car Weight: 1365kg
Driver Weight: 80kg
Total Weight: 1445kg

Mods
X-force 2.25inch high flow catback

Transmission
1st: 3.454
2nd: 2.062
3rd: 1.448
4th: 1.088
5th: 0.780
Final Gear: 3.9

All dyno'es are based on RPM and slightly up hill.

Fuel: BP Ultimate, 98

[west_minist]

From the driving I have done, its fantastic. Its always had that dead spot below 3500 rpm, you push the throttle and it takes ages for the car to catch up. I always felt like the throttle was a second or so behind what I wanted. I installed a lightweight crank pulley to get a better throttle response and it worked but its nothing comparred to what you have done.

As soon as I even think about touch the throttle the whole car surges, I actually remember getting my head thrown back because I wasn't ready for how immediate it is! It has made the car so so SO much better to drive and that second or so of lag time is gone.

It really took some time to get used to it. Useually I sat there jamming my foot through the floor trying to get the thing to go forward under 3000rpm, it almost felt like the engine was lagging or choking until you built the revs up (even if you gently squeezed the throttle on). Now its completely different, the slightest touch and it just takes off!! It's also made gear changing much better. Shifting up, the sharper throttle makes it so easy shift fast and keep the power on. I can't really explain how but it felt so much easier with every gear shift to get the perfect amount of power to surge into the next gear without working the clutch to death. Heel-and-toe is a heap easier on the downshift.

Through the higher RPM I didn't really notice anything...until I got to a stretch of road I drive along pretty much every single time the testosterone surges lol. I have driven on this road a hundred times in this car, I have every apex down to a fine art, late braking and right at the limit because the road surface is perfect and there's no-one for miles. I went for a run and damn near killed myself!! The extra speed I was getting every time I put my foot down completely threw me off and I started to realise what you had done to it!!

The engine just revs so freely, it doesn't have that sluggish, delayed feel anymore. Even in the high RPM it's just that little bit quicker (although I would LOVE to extend the redline just a little tiny bit further ) As soon as I touch the throttle the RPM snaps up and its away and I was picking up so much more speed!! It's almost like you've found the SPORT button and switched it on. It reminds me more of my friends car, a BMW coupe with a 2.5l turbo engine (automatic). It was a fantastic car simply because you'd touch the throttle and the car would respond instantly, and now the Liberty is a similar story. Even when I get lazy and jump off the throttle, the engine bounces almost as if it's saying "hey!! a little smoother next time!!" lol

I couldn't care less if the graphs show a 1kw increase because the driving experiance is so much better. In my opinion, the quicker a car responds to your commands the closer the connection feels and hence, the driving experiance is better. You have made the car so that it doesnt matter what I'm doing: high speed, low speed, high rpm, low rpm...all I do is flex my big toe and the car responds instanty...and I love it!!!

Cheers,
Nick

v0 - I really noticed the change in throttle, it was by far the single biggest improvement to the car. v0 completely changed and sharpened the throttle response and brought so much extra power to the lower rpm region. It made the car react so much faster when going on and off the throttle, expecially in that dead spot under ~3500rpm. This brought the car to life!!!! That delay in the throttle is gone and it feels so eager to get down to business. Gear shifting is much better. Sharper throttle makes it easier to hammer up the gears and much easier to heel-and-toe.

v1 - This was when I noticed some extra mid range power. It felt like it was pulling through 3rd gear much better, especially between ~3500-5500rpm. It was almost the same right down low and right up high but it definitely felt like it was accelerating faster through the mid range.

v2 - With the first two roms really bringing out the power in the low to mid range rpm, I felt this rom affected the high range more then anything. It's really hard for me to describe exactly what I feel as most of my motor vehicle experiance is with bikes.

v3 - Most noticible thing is the new rev limit. I don't useually force the valves of my car dance on the bonet but I must admit, having the engine wind out to 7000rpm is more exciting then excitement itself!! lol. It's there if I need it, and now it means I can hit 100km/hr in 2nd gear instead of needing to shift to 3rd. Knocked over a second of its 0-100 time!!! No real change in the low-mid range but definitely a lot more fun in the higher rpm

v4 - Scary times!! lol Rev limit pushed even further to 7200...I had to beg for my engine's forgivness after the 3rd gear pull to limit. I was driving back home through a windy section of road and it was actually getting a bit tail happy!!!! The road was damp but still the AWD system useually plays it safe and it's stupendously difficult to get the tail out. Now with v4 installed, I really had to watch putting the power down out of some of the corners because I could feel it stepping to the side. Also gear changing when powering out of the long corners meant being more careful because the sharper throttle really puts the power down on every up shift.

All in all I absolutely love your work Edward, its truly amazing how much this tune has changed my car. So so so so SO many people said "don't bother with the NA engine, because the factory tune is pretty well perfect bla bla bla..." I say to those people: you are STUPID IDIOTS!!!! The factory tune is NOTHING!!! It is absolute crap comparred to how my car is now performing. I went back to stock tune the other day and it truly honestly felt as if I had just got out of my MY08 Subaru Liberty and into a 1997 Ford Laser. First thing I did was stall, second thing I did was get bored lol.

For anyone that is a true motoring enthusiast and that has an NA engine, I would reccomend them to you because no-one can argue with the results you get!

Cheers
Nick

[west_minist]

Bumpy curve is due to running on the road shoulder

Please find attached the 3rd gear pulls and driving logs for v5. I couldn't feel too much difference between v4 and v5 except in the high rpm range. Through the low to mid range I didn't notice anything but up in the higher rpm, expecially when I was just driving how I normally do, I noticed that the revs just felt like they were climbing faster. When I got to around 5000rpm I noticed it just felt quicker to get up to 6500 and it really feels agressive when I jump on the power. The whole car wobbles going on and off the power...time for suspension upgrade lol.

Its just so much more exciting!!! I can't say it enough! I jump on the throttle and it feels like I've just stood on a land mine lol. It immediately responds so it FEELS more powerful.

Cheers,
Nick

V5


v5

From: Edward [mailto:west_minist@xtremeracingtuning.com]
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 7:16 AM
To: 'NickT'
Subject: RE: Some reading for you.

First let me say your reviews are great and each customer will have their own ways in doing things.

Its gain in graph.

Thank you.
---
Edward

Viciously Tuned, Driven Hard

From: NickT
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 3:12 AM
To: Edward
Subject: RE: Some reading for you.

Hey Edward,

Thanks so much for v6!! Can't wait to try it out and see how it goes I read the reviews that were posted and I wish I had seen what this guy had written ages ago. I have found he really explains things very well and I agree with him about nearly all topics. I wish I had been able to write better reviews for you to go by.

After all the hard work you have put in, I will try to get you some better logs and better reviews to go by.

I have been watching the graphs but they are meaningless in my opinion. The graphs could show a 10kw gain or a 10kw LOSS and you know what? I DONT CARE!!! lol. Regardless of power and torque, you have completely transformed my car into such an exciting animal!! I really got to know v5 on the drive down and its incredable.

Through the mountains I was getting so much response from so little power! It like the hills don't bother it as much, it seems to be less affected by a sudden incline. Also I have noticed a really good fuel economy as well! I admit I am completely useless when it comes to reviews, but below are some of the comments that I really agreed with and found usefull to explain more how the car feels:

""On the stock ROM if you put your foot down flat to the floor, the tach very slowly starts to raise but the speedo doesn't really budge for another 3-5 seconds. Now I can put in less than 50% throttle and the car will pick up 5kph in about 2.5 seconds in 4th gear from 2000rpm. ""

""In sensible gearing, the car picks up very quickly now. It's easy to hoon around and get to 100kph without even getting close to getting flat to the floor. of course power-runs will still require you to go flat-foot, but the majority of the power is delivered at the top of the pedal now, and I like it. Flat-footing it barely adds anything to the acceleration force you've already got.""

""I can easily take more corners in third without feeling like the car is about to lag and require a drop to second. The new bottom end allows the car to build up from low rpm quicker than before and get back into the meaty sweetspot of rpm nirvana. In a typical long left sweeper, the car just felt magical powering through it in third.""

I really can't say how impressed I am by your workmanship. You have reached the point where you have pleased the customer (hey! I'm super happy!!! lol) and yet you still perservere to get the best possible results you can attain. You loyalty and integrity is above reproach.

I can guarantee you 100% that one day I WILL buy a top-of-the-line Subaru WRX STI and I WILL be paying you to tune it

[Tradewind]

Well done - a happy customer is an awesome result

I would agree there isnt a lot of power to be gained but plenty of change in the way its delivered!!

[west_minist]

Was a little bored and did some rescaling and remapping. Time spent on this car valued more than what the customer paid

Update on car with more tweeking
http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum ... 1298#p1298

V7 have greater low end torque

From: NickT
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 8:08 AM
To: Edward
Subject: RE: v8

I first installed in back before my surgery while I was on holidays and drove home with it. I can't really remember how v6 was but I remember having some amazing fun on the way home with v7 when I was in the high rpm range

I remember noticing some slight changes in the top end. It seemed to hold on to the power as it went over 5000rpm. When the car really starts to surge at around 4000rpm the power seems to drop away a bit at about 5000rpm. v7 felt like it improved this and helped it to hold onto the power. Instead of that fantastic surge of power between 4000-5000 fading away just as I start to enjoy it, it now seems to last longer. The combination effect of all the changes has made me think twice before planting the throttle coming out of the turns!!

I specifically remember a winding set of turns through the mountain where it was perfect to just hold in 2nd gear, working between 3000-6500rpm felt fantastic!! The car felt VERY aggressive and I went on/off the throttle and I could feel the power wanting to kick the car into under/oversteer (AWD working hard to keep me alive lol).

[turner_822]

Those graphs are awesome Edward!! They tell such a small part of the story, the car feels FANTASTIC to drive!! The best part is re-loading the stock and feeling the boring and sluggish it is. With stock settings, I put my foot down and its like the engine takes a moment to decide what to do...and I get bored, lol.

It is like two different cars!! The way it picks up speed down in the low RPM, the extra torque and the way it immediately reacts when I touch the throttle. It's hard to describe but put it this way, I took my friend for a drive before and after v7 and had him giggleing like a school girl by the time I'd wound out 3rd!!

I feel spoilt rotten and lack the works to thank you for all the extra time you spent tinkering with this Edward!!

[west_minist]

Just a little fine tuning until some major mods

v9 3rd Gear Dynoes SAE.png (32.88 KiB) Viewed 21055 times

[turner_822]

The car felt even faster! It was hauling when I first set off with the intake temp around 18 degrees. Then it stabilized at about 23-25 degrees but it was still going really well. I noticed in particular how it behaved when cruising in 5th gear at 100km/hr. It sits at about 2600rpm and when I put my foot down it instantly starts picking up speed and pulls up hills really well. It has this real surge between 2500-3000rpm that was definitely not there before, in fact it used to feel like crap when you put your foot down in that rpm range but now its great!!

I can't get over the pull it has between 4-5000rpm. Going from 1500rpm, its a bit slow but then really picks up between 2500-3000rpm. Its a bit slow from 3000-4000 but then it takes off between 4000-5000 and that surge makes for my favourite part the car's performance.

Power seems to fade a bit as it gets higher (5000 up to 6500rpm) but it's still way better then it used to be. I absolutely love the howling noise the engine makes as it approaches 6500rpm, it says just when to change gear. I know its probably howling in pain and agony, but I don't push it that hard very often and my service intervals are now every 5000km or ~4 months (although recently I have been doing a lot of hard driving for logs...)

Biggest imporvement by far though is the low-mid range power, and I find it getting the better of me sometimes on roads that I know really well. It has made everyday driving 10x better. With a supercharger I will definitely be looking to upgrade my brakes to avoid those bowel clenching moments

To see the difference between stock and v9 still amazes me...especially considdering a stack of local places that basically told me I was an idiot and you can't improve on a so-called perfect stock tune...read the graphs and weep 98 kW - 108 kW and 172 Nm - 191 Nm.

Nice work Edward, improving on what many called "perfection" lol

[west_minist]

v9 vs Stock - 3rd Gear Dyno SAE

[Tradewind]

WOW, keep going and you might find 110kw at wheels!

[west_minist]

Maybe when we get the wideband in, we will see, but getting any more power will be diffcult and lol costly. Lol. Looking forward to the wta on for testing to see the difference for the Intake temperatures be cool and nice.

[turner_822]

Maybe when we get the wideband in, we will see, but getting any more power will be diffcult and lol costly. Lol. Looking forward to the wta on for testing to see the difference for the Intake temperatures be cool and nice.

Yeah I'm really keen to see how it responds as well, will be very interesting. I keep an eye on the intake temp when logging to try and keep it consistant, and those cold mornings where its just 3-4 degrees cooler makes such a huge difference. Or when it spikes from a bit of heat soak i.e. at traffic lights, again it makes such a difference.

[Tradewind]

Looking forward to the next updates on this thread!

[west_minist]

[west_minist]

VIDEO!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX26LN-VMjI

Shows a 0-100km/hr WITHOUT frying my stock clutch so yes: it could have been done a little faster. Then shows a high speed run, then a 3rd gear pull. Also please don't point out the fact the video cuts off the speedo...I tried for half an hour to sit the camera in a better spot, got annoyed and gave up lol. You get the general idea of where its going!!

If a picture is worth a thousand words...