JDM Engine Replacement

Hi guys,

I'm the proud owner of a GTS Spec B Levorg and love it. I've had mine tuned to get a little more go out of it and pretty happy with the result. Only a mellow tune as I don't want to void my factory warranty or put too much stress on the CVT.

I spend a lot of time googling upgrades and JDM imports, just because I find it fun!
Apparently at the moment you can't import a JDM 2.0 STi Levorg in to Australia, but maybe in the near future this will be possible.

The question I have is, would the Japanese 2.0 STi (which has 220kw and 400nM torque) have the same CVT as our Australian version? If so, would it be possible to import one of these engines from Japan to Australia and fit to our version without any issues?
I'm not a grease monkey by any means but interested to hear some thoughts on this as I haven't read anything anywhere else.

Hope to hear from you guys soon!



Cheers,
Jez

i dont have any answer about your questions but i'm so damn sure you are gonna face some problems during installation or after.

The Australian Levorg has the same CVT as the Japanese. The only thing different is the engine tuning - like the WRX, it has had a crude detune, minus 24kw to 197kw. They so this due to concerns about fuel quality I believe. I have since had my Levorg tuned and it is now very close to the Japanese version.

Engine internals and drivetrain is identical. Purely tune.

How much does the ECU alone cost I hear you ask... Probably heaps more than a tune for 98RON gas.

Thanks for replies guys.

I had the guys at Springy Motors in VIC do an Ecutek tune and Danny was awesome to deal with. He said he could pull a heap of power out of it but the more you go, the more risk of the CVT shitting itself over time. We got approximately 14kw on a safe tune. Since all internals are the same, would you think the 24kw matching the JDM specs would be safe as houses?

^ How much torque?

... also what did the ECU / tune cost?

AKKO, I think about 25-30Nm, but would have to double check.

The tune itself was $1,150 which included the EcuTek license etc. Danny said if I wasn't happy with it I was welcome to come back to have it changed, so might see if we can push it a little more.
Also a cool feature (not sure if this is a standard thing...) you can use the cruise control up/down to set the boost limit and it shows on the standard heads up turbo screen up near the dash when selected.

What kind of tune are you running?

Interested to hear more from you and other guys about how hard you may push it with just a tune and no other performance mods..

This should give you an idea of what's possible with the CVT.

https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2628737

radgloves said:

AKKO, I think about 25-30Nm, but would have to double check.

The tune itself was $1,150 which included the EcuTek license etc. Danny said if I wasn't happy with it I was welcome to come back to have it changed, so might see if we can push it a little more.
Also a cool feature (not sure if this is a standard thing...) you can use the cruise control up/down to set the boost limit and it shows on the standard heads up turbo screen up near the dash when selected.

What kind of tune are you running?

Interested to hear more from you and other guys about how hard you may push it with just a tune and no other performance mods..

Click to expand...

I had a tune a couple of months back. At peak power I got +15kw at the wheels, and mid range it was up to +20kw (at 98ron fuel). It is noticeably quicker. I suspect the engine is now developing the power close to whar you get from the version in Japan.

I am considering later this year getting a turbo back exhaust & another tune to suit. MRT sell that + a tune for an excessive amount of money, I am interstate & according to verbal quotes, their resellers will sell the package for a handsome discount. The MRT XB package claims to get +35kw above stock and that package is at the limit for the CVT.

One other mod I am wondering about - is the Perrin exhaust headers - it is worth reading the blurb on this.

http://www.prospeedracing.com.au/perrin-exhaust-manifold-suit-subaru-2015-wrx-levor

iad said:

I had a tune a couple of months back. At peak power I got +15kw at the wheels, and mid range it was up to +20kw (at 98ron fuel). It is noticeably quicker. I suspect the engine is now developing the power close to whar you get from the version in Japan.

I am considering later this year getting a turbo back exhaust & another tune to suit. MRT sell that + a tune for an excessive amount of money, I am interstate & according to verbal quotes, their resellers will sell the package for a handsome discount. The MRT XB package claims to get +35kw above stock and that package is at the limit for the CVT.

One other mod I am wondering about - is the Perrin exhaust headers - it is worth reading the blurb on this.

http://www.prospeedracing.com.au/perrin-exhaust-manifold-suit-subaru-2015-wrx-levor

Click to expand...

What type of tune/ECU?
I'm thinking of doing the STi exhaust and calling it quits to ensure it lives out the warranty period safely

AKKO said:

What type of tune/ECU?
I'm thinking of doing the STi exhaust and calling it quits to ensure it lives out the warranty period safely

Click to expand...

The tune was done on a dyno where they connect a computer to the car - I assume it was to remap the ECU. Not sure what you mean about the STi exhaust. In terms of warranty - I know I am taking a bit of a risk, which is probably silly because I got an 8 year warranty on the car when I bought it (part of a promotion at the time)

Oh I get how tunes are done was just curious if you went aftermarket or were remapping the factory computer.

AKKO said:

What type of tune/ECU?
I'm thinking of doing the STi exhaust and calling it quits to ensure it lives out the warranty period safely

Click to expand...

Are you talking the STI JDM Exhaust mate? I was considering the same thing, but not sure how much difference there is to the Spec B stock exhaust?

Yep STi JDM exhaust, only one way to find out but shipping/import costs might be an issue.

radgloves said:

Are you talking the STI JDM Exhaust mate? I was considering the same thing, but not sure how much difference there is to the Spec B stock exhaust?

Click to expand...

Apparently 40% less restrictive and 3.5kg lighter according to STi website, it's pricey so tracked one down second hand.