Hey everyone.

I'm new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself. I decided to sign up here because I'm considering switching over to the big American V8 world from the b00sted 4 banger import scene. Right now I'm considering either a C5 Z06 or a C6 if I decide to make the switch [8D]


Right now I have a 2004 WRX STi. I've always been a huge fan of Japanese cars, and Subarus in particular, ever since the days of the GC8 rally cars. Here's a list of the mods on it:

Custom built and bored 2.8L race engine (derived from a stock STi EJ25 motor), supposedly capable of 800awhp
- Forged internals, titanium valve springs / retainers, race bearings, Cosworth 272 cams, 14mm head studs to allow 60+ psi of boost, stage 3 headwork, knife-edged and honed crankshaft, etc. etc.
Cusco motor / transmission mounts
Garrett twin ball bearing GT35R turbo (.82 a/r housing)
Tial 44mm wastegate w/ external dump tube
Custom 4" turbo inlet w/ short ram intake
Flow matched 850cc injectors
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
Ultimate Racing custom exhaust for rotated turbo setup
Borla headers
TurboXS front mount intercooler
TurboXS high performance manual boost controller
Tein Flex coilovers w/ EDFC (in car dampening adjustability)
Exedy stage 4 twin plate clutch
Powerslot slotted rotors
Hawk HPS pads
Goodridge stainless steel brake lines / Motul 5.1 fluid
Kartboy short throw shifter
Kartboy shifter bushings
Hydra standalone EMS with wideband tuner
TurboXS DTEC (boost & EGT gauge displayed through a Game Boy Advance)
In car mini ITX PC hooked up into a touch screen (runs Windows, wireless internet, datalogging, etc)
Boston Acoustics / Rockford Fosgate component speakers in front and rear
Sony XPLOD head unit (sucks, but was already installed when I bought it =P)
Chargespeed V2 front and rear bumpers
OEM WRX sideskirts with OEM strakes and JDM Aeroguards
Hella Supertones (119db horns )

To go on: Perrin rear sway bar

Going on tomorrow: custom flush mounted sub enclosure, Alpine Type R 10" sub, Orion 600W amp

I'm probably missing some minor stuff in there, but that's the big stuff.

The car recently put down 458 awhp / 400something ft/lbs on pump gas and 564 awhp / 510 ft/lbs on 110 octane (leaded). As the tuner and I anticipated, the fuel system was completely maxed out. The turbo has a bit left in it and the motor has a lot left in it, but this should be a reasonably safe tune for what it was built for. I could eventually add a Hydramist water injection system and run 500+whp every day, or spend another couple thousand to upgrade the fuel system with custom fuel pumps and top feed injectors etc... but I'm tired of dumping money into it for now. The priorities are changing and it's time to save for a house

Anyway, as much fun as a heavily boosted 4 banger is, I'm really starting to lean more towards big V8 power. I previously owned and built up a stage 4 2004 WRX (~284whp), and after I sold it I looked at C5 Z06s before I purchased my STi. I REALLY like the looks of the previous generation C5 as well as the new C6, so I'm kind of up in the air as to which I would go with. I would most likely not be looking to turbo/supercharge whatever I was to get.. I'm getting tired of the finicky nature of b00sted cars. At the most, a few boltons (intake, exhaust, cams, maybe some headwork and MAYBE a shot of nitrous if I got bored ) would be what I would be looking at.

Any recommendations? Sorry for the long first post, just thought I'd say hi and get some of your opinions on C5 Z06 vs C6 for a minor bolt on car. =)

Oh, here are some obligatory pics of the STi and my IS300 (daily driver):

 

Interesting car, but I do agree you will like a big V8 'vette more. I also agree that the C5 has particularly nice lines.

 

Wecome to CF.
You won't regret getting a V8, they're great.

 

The only real downside I can see from switching platforms is the AWD to RWD. I do like being able to drive aggressively no matter what the weather is like outside. I took Dave out in the rain the other day and could punch it to WOT with only a little wheel spin [8D]

I'm definitely aware that you could never do that with a RWD v8 with a bunch of power. But that's fine. It's just another perk of AWD I guess.

 

Well welcome to the forum
and hope you choose to make the switch.
You have an impressive list of mods there, and if you spend just half as much on your new vette, you will be more than satisfied. Don't let the RWD be the downside, i think you will adjust to it just fine!

 

Thanks for the replies =)

This is kind of interesting. A guy over on the Subaru forums overlaid my pump gas dyno map with a stock C6 Z06 dyno. Thought you guys might like it:



Here's the race map dyno plot:

 

The dyno curves are interesting, but there is this:
458 AWHP from an STX takes, as your list of mods indicates, a pretty substantial set of modifcations including a built bottom end, extra displacement, etc., and a lot of money. that is impressive performance and no doubt makes for one hell of a fun car, but . .

A C6 ZO6 can make about 465 just by changing the stock cat back to a Corsa RSC ZO6 exhaust, and 500 with nothing more than headers added. Do the equivalent of what you did to that SRX to a Corvette (as I have, I won't give you the whole list but believe me, it's equivalent) and you can have an easy 650-700 RWHP with perfectly stock behavior and idle, or over 800 HP at the rear wheels if you will accept a bit of rough idle, etc.

That puts the power to weight ratio in a whole other category - as good as any superbike -- and that is why is it so much fun.

 

Yep, that's kind of what I'm grappling with right now. I'm looking for a platform that already starts out with decent power, and doesn't require much to get it a lot further. I feel like the C6 would be a good place to start, or possibly the C5 Z06 that seems to be falling in price.

Now, keep in mind that those charts read AWHP, which includes a higher drivetrain loss than RWD cars. On the race map, the car is producing about 700hp at the crank! There are definitely stock block STis putting down 450+, even up to 500whp on the stock block, but reliability dives sharply downhill around those power levels. I specifically built my motor to NOT break at those levels, with a potential for much more power if I decided to upgrade the fuel system, turbocharger, etc. in the future.

A C6 Z06 also starts at like 70 grand heh, which is a bit out of my pricerange. I bought this STi for $21,000 with the suspension, turbo kit, in car accessories, body kit, etc. I think I put about $25,000 into it.

I'm not looking for a heavily built car anymore really, I want just like you described, a bolt on car with enough horsepower to put a grin on my face

 

Hi WRXtranceformed, welcome to the forum. Sure your Subaru looks nice and goes plenty fast, but you can't compare apples and oranges. Corvettes have been around for over 50 years, you can make your Vette go as fast as you want or you can just enjoy the ride with it pure stock thats up to you, but the point is a Corvette is special and I can't explain how special! You have to own one to understand. I hope you do get a Vette and come back in 6 month and tell me if I am right.
I hope that the next time I hear from you it"ll be Zo6tranceformed.PG.

 

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