So I'm driving home and I have a little race with a new WRX. It has a 3" exhaust and other mods are unknown. From a light without a launch he pulls away by about 4 car lengths. I reel him in a bit until I hit fourth @ 80mph and then he just walks away in a pretty fast hustle. I'm running 9psi with my timing untuned. I felt so slow :(

 

In any situation like that where you're up against a manufacturer's newest and best, I just can't help but appreciate the fact that although you may lose to the new tech, your total investment is less than his.....

Or at least, I hope that is the case.

I've got about $2,400 in my Z28 and I remember the first 350Z I waxed. What a feeling!

EDIT: My little story is kinda opposite to my wisdom. lol Anyhow, I'm trying to say I'm sure there are other cars on the road people happily paid 2x what you have invested in your Miata, and you'd roll 'em.

 

Why bother running anybody if your car isn't tuned? I left the dyno with 30 more whp after tuning my timing.

 

most wrx's gain about 40-60whp with just a good exhaust and a good tune. ask me how I know

Don't feel bad: wrx is a great car, but not as fun as a miata...again ask me how I know

 

I was able to keep up and match speed with a new sti just on 5psi and bandaids. Car you raced probably wasn't stock considering the exhaust.

 

rccote - car you raced was driven by a noob.

 

+1

I was out on track with one with a couple mods and some of the interior missing....owner said it was putting down ~330 awhp......and I could not catch him on the straights. As ugly as they are, they are quick.

 

Tuned or not, his car had way more power down low than mine does. I'm not spooling as fast right now with the 9psi tial WG spring. When I had the 15psi spring in the gate I would hit 15psi at 3500 RPM or so. Now I hit 9psi after 4000 RPM. Even with the Hydra EBC the gate cracks open too early. I've been waiting to tune and saving up my several hundred dynotimebucks for when my new engine and hydramist goes in. Then, I'd better be able to lay the smack down with 6 pounds to 1 hp.

BTW the wrx was fast enough considering my miata can walk the last gen m3s no problem-- there's swarms of them around here. Every single time a subie has roll raced me i've lost. I cry.

 

Oh god how I wish you were here in Cali so I can show you just how badly a properly driven sti would whoop on a 5psi/bandaid miata.

 

I cannot touch STIs at autox and i'm racing the noob class so we're all (hopefully) relatively crappy drivers.

Edit: directed that at rccote and I guess its not that good of a comparison of acceleration. But i'm still doubtful that that driver was actually trying.

 

Something's whacked. The problems you're having sound like typical IWG issues where preload isn't proper, or return/close spring is just weak, or actuator is low compared to the boost level (MBC/EBC) target. If it's a dual port, is the secondary (lower) port being used? That would help keep it shut during spool.

 

Hmmm? No, this is with a Tial external gate.

 

Driver is a friend of a friend and he was trying. After he was all "bRo, youR cAr is MaD fast'R than i ThougT it B". Don't know him too well and apparently is a gigantic newb which doesn't surprise me. They make like what, 230 or so hp to the wheels stock on top of weighing 3300lbs. I figure I'm making around the 160hp fm states running around 6psi so that puts our power to weight ratios in the same ballpark. Only raced from a roll, didn't want to bother otherwise and get my **** eated.

 

i raced with one on track. wrx rs 2.5L turbo race prepped on r-comps. about 350whp. i was on my 350z with very basic suspension, nismo diff, intake, exhaust, and kumho ecsta mx tires. i was on that guys *** for 5 laps and could pass him couple of times but he is an instructor and im in intermediate group so i decided to better stay behind him and learn some new tricks

 

Why'd you swap to the softer spring? to lower the target?

General principle is to run a spring that's just under your target IF you're running boost control. This is what helps the valve resist cracking open under spool up from manifold pressure. If it were a dual port WG, you could run a regulated boost signal to the secondary port to offset the boost pressure on the valve. But if your target is 15psi, it would help to run a stiffer spring than a 9psi (if you can find one).

 

BEGI sent me a 15psi spring with my kit but I don't have a built engine installed. So, I had to get a 9psi spring from Tial. I was running 12psi for a while with EBC and the 9psi spring but it didn't spool up as fast as when I had the 15psi spring in there. I suppose that I could blame the EBC because the Tial gate is indeed dual ported and was hooked up proper like.

 

He was probably letting you stay nice and close so you could observe :P what a kind guy

 

Anyone else open this thread thinking he actually lost to a REX and not a wrx??

 

I did the same thing.

 

I thought I read the origin of those letters was for Subaru WoRX (like "works") as in "tuning shop". Leave it to the text generation to bastardize that, too. Or if you are German, "werks."