So I started to think, and it got me wondering...wanted you guys input

[mega160]

If one were to go off of what you read in forums, pertaining to our cars, one might begin to think they are about as brittle and weak as fall leaves. This is simply not true, but from the outside looking in one might think. There are so many threads of the dreaded "white smoke" engines knocking, pistons cracking, rods being thrown after 2 pulls or your stage 2 taking a dump at an auto x event. I am not making this up, you guts seen as well as I do. It matters not to me, I love these cars and placed a order on 12/16/12 for my 5 dr swp. Well all of this got me to thinking. How much of this(do you guys think) is mostly due in large part to the manner in which a lot of these cars are thrashed across tracks and dumped at 6k on a strip(which I feel they should come with that ability from the box...albeit not every weekend, or even every other weekend and not making 12 passes in one day, but a once a month responsibly and withing common sense boundaries or something to that effect) as it is our 2.5 lt 4 cyl turbo is reaching its output limits?

I know the jdm version squeezes out more on a smaller engine, and you guys run 350whp all day no problem. But are they a ticking timebomb? they most certainly arent 2JZTT's. I think what this little motor has done since it came to the states is nothing short of amazing. The vehicles it was able to beat on and hang with when it arrived was amazing for a car like it. And it was awd just to top off! But it's been almost 10 years now with very little in the form of hp gains relative to its competition, and has really tapered off recently compared to the gains of its 04 competitors. Are our motors "finicky" because they are operating close to their max safe potential, or are these cars simply thrashed around a lot, thus causing what inevitably comes with this territory? Keep in mind I am talking about this motor in its complete bone stock manner. Just something I was thinking about today and decided to share. Feel free to comment and hope u fellas had a nice Christmas!

 

[IGOTASTi]

First I have seen stock STi's with 250,000 miles on them and still running strong. The issues I see are people who have no clue what they are buying, and then not taking the time to learn the car, and destroying it with the wrong mods. MY 04 STi is awesome! I read and ask questions before I do anything. Do it right once I say.

 

[Grinder34]

From my reading, in stock form the STI is weak due to some of the manufacturer's decisions:

Mainly
a) A shitty tune
b) Shitty piston design and manufacturing
c) Oversights and quality control (see the 704 casting discussion)

But when you couple that with gross negligence and misunderstanding on the users' end, you end up with lots of blown motors. Like Lenny said, a lot of people dont understand what it takes to keep a high-strung motor (especially given a,b,c above) running. Also, these same people end up mixing/matching mods that dont work. Things like adding an intake and a bov and not tuning it.

 

[mega160]

Fellas I get the feeling a lot of people think these cars are like our old integras and civics that could be slapped with all type of bolt on and never really need a tune. Coupled with the fast n the furious success, a lot of the younger kids get mom n dad cosign, and take that same reckless abuse, and weekly Friday night thrashing their old beaters could take, and apply it to our machines. I have always felt a car should be treated with respect, unless of course it is a designated track car. Even then, those guys do their oils and fluids, check their lines and hoses inspect breaks and rotors, pre and post track days. You bought a great car and by all means have fun, but respect the car for what it is. So from the above post, I take it you guys don't feel our engines are being "stretched"? And yes subaru needs to wake up and smell the coffee and partner up with COBB like Mugen did with Honda

 

[IGOTASTi]

A stock block STi can take up to 400 HP with no issues.

 

[IGOTASTi]

It all depends on who you talk to...Suba Performance in Denver says 400 on a stock block is stretching it. Fuji also told me I need to get ready for the inevitable, which is a crack ringland.

I know a few people running 400 HP for over 40,000 miles and have no issues. It really depends on the tune, and if they know what there doing.

 

[IGOTASTi]

I agree 100%!

 

[mega160]

What whp do you guys think is safe to "get on" on a mostly daily basis? 350-380whp? Or is that already stretching it?

 

[Spamby]

The real answer is this, there is no answer.

Grinder pointed out the design flaws of Subaru. This is a contributing factor.

Lenny pointed out the jackass factor. This is an issue, as well.

Fuji stated torque is your killer. Torque tears the motor apart.

My opinion is that Subaru should go back to the drawing board and rethink some of the issues. If they were to put a more substantial piston in, rethink their ecu mapping and add some more well thought out oiling of the engine, then motor failure may be less common and more reserved to those jackasses Lenny speaks of.

Anytime you take a mechanical object, your engine, out of it's intended design parameters, you run the risk of fragging it. Because you want something to do something out of its capabilities and when it fails, you get pissed and call it a POS, is purely ignorant.
Just cause your neighbors Vette or GT2 has 600 horsepower and you want to show them that your little 4 popper can hang, you decide to throw big turbos etc at the car and a week later your piston disintegrates, you have shown nothing more than your ego making decisions. Then to turn around and say Subaru is a pile of shit shows a low capacity for common sense and shows an unhealthy lack of taking responsibility for your actions.
What I am trying to say is that people so desperately want something to do something else or more and when it doesn't work the way we imagined, we hardly take blame on ourselves and rather point the blame to something else for the sake of saving our egos.

With the above said, I have seen a lot of different cars from a lot of different manufacturers pop their motors when asked to do more than they should. I have also seen them blow when in stock fashion. Built blocks also let go so having a built block is also no guarantee that your motor will stay together.
I have seen cases of STi's staying together with substantial mods on a stock block and cases where little more than after the break in period, completely stock, the motor gives up the ghost.

When will it blow and at what power level? This is a question that can never be answered. Just be forewarned that the more power you put into it, the more you increase the chances of blowing the engine.

Is it because of the power increase or the happy right foot finding said new power? Both.

My motto with adding power is "hope for the best and plan for the worst"

 

[Z1107]

And to add to spamby's point of ego based decisions, alot of people who buy these cars forget what that these cars were designed for, rally. It's target competition was never vettes, vipers, and such. It is still pretty awesome that an STi has the capability to smoke them. Most of my friends drive cobras, saleens, and srt's. They know and I know down the hwy they are king of the road, but once we leave the hwy Rex is king even though they have 200hp and tq on me. Our cars were designed for different performance purposes, and alot of asshats have watched fast and furious too much and frag their cars.