Intro from NSW Australia

seanoz

New Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2021
Messages
1
Vehicle(s)
2018 STI Levorg, 93 RS Liberty, 92 SVX, 89 Vortex, 92 Fiori all AUDM
Hey Everybody,

I am Sean from Boxer Beauty, I am located Central Coast, I found a minute to finally come and check out the forum and signin, here are some pics of our Levorg, it currently has Falken FK510s now, on the 2016 Enkei 8.5" STI wheels.

Has the following additions: DBA slotted front rotors, DBA street pads, STI rear pods, STI flexi Strut Bar, STI Battery Clamp, Whiteline Front and Rear Sway Links, Silvers Neomax S Coilovers, rear metal step panel, X9 HikeIT throttle controller, GFB Deceptor adjustable BOV, weather shields, genuine cargo rubber mat, Fitmycar Dash Mat, and STI side step mouldings yet to be fitted.
 

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Nanginator22

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
94
Vehicle(s)
1
Hey Everybody,

I am Sean from Boxer Beauty, I am located Central Coast, I found a minute to finally come and check out the forum and signin, here are some pics of our Levorg, it currently has Falken FK510s now, on the 2016 Enkei 8.5" STI wheels.

Has the following additions: DBA slotted front rotors, DBA street pads, STI rear pods, STI flexi Strut Bar, STI Battery Clamp, Whiteline Front and Rear Sway Links, Silvers Neomax S Coilovers, rear metal step panel, X9 HikeIT throttle controller, GFB Deceptor adjustable BOV, weather shields, genuine cargo rubber mat, Fitmycar Dash Mat, and STI side step mouldings yet to be fitted.
Nice, I have the same wheels
 

PascaLevorg

Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2022
Messages
20
Vehicle(s)
Levorg 1.6 GTS MY19/ Impreza WRX 2.5 MY05
Welcome!

Very nice car.
The sticker on your windshield is also very cool!
 

ajk2706

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
5
Vehicle(s)
Subaru Levorg 2017 GT-S 2.0
Hi everyone! Just purchased a MY2017 Levorg with 135,000 on the clock. Popped a K&N Panel filter in yesterday which I felt made a little difference, but I've always put them in every car I've owned.

I am using the car as a daily driver for work, sometimes heading to Sydney, or driving around to appointments and such, so I am considering a cat-back exhaust (everyone talks up the Invidia Q300 as a good option for something quiet) as the stock set up is almost silent! I have just gone from a LS430 (Lexus 4.3 L V8 with an exhaust system) so I could just be experiencing a big shock, but I don't know.

I suppose I have a question relating to the KM's - I've been researching and see a lot of people talk good things about getting a retune done (once you have CAI and cat-back) but should I be careful given the kms? As I've only had the car a week, I am yet to have a good service carried out (the dealership says all good, but they would say that). Case in point, when I took the stock air filter out it was f... not good. So I think first step is probably to have my trusted mechanic give it a thorough service and then go from there?20220829_172036.jpg20220822_131317.jpg
 

Guvna

Active Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
551
Location
Victoria, Australia
Vehicle(s)
MY17 Subaru Levorg 2.0LTR GTS
Hi everyone! Just purchased a MY2017 Levorg with 135,000 on the clock. Popped a K&N Panel filter in yesterday which I felt made a little difference, but I've always put them in every car I've owned.

I am using the car as a daily driver for work, sometimes heading to Sydney, or driving around to appointments and such, so I am considering a cat-back exhaust (everyone talks up the Invidia Q300 as a good option for something quiet) as the stock set up is almost silent! I have just gone from a LS430 (Lexus 4.3 L V8 with an exhaust system) so I could just be experiencing a big shock, but I don't know.

I suppose I have a question relating to the KM's - I've been researching and see a lot of people talk good things about getting a retune done (once you have CAI and cat-back) but should I be careful given the kms? As I've only had the car a week, I am yet to have a good service carried out (the dealership says all good, but they would say that). Case in point, when I took the stock air filter out it was f... not good. So I think first step is probably to have my trusted mechanic give it a thorough service and then go from there?View attachment 1379View attachment 1380
G'day ajk, welcome, and yes you're right about the km a car has done being a factor on if you should tune and by how much. Generally it is not advised to increase performance too much if the car has done 150,000km or more. Each car will be different and you can certainly have some pre-tune testing done to establish the condition of your engine and how well it would handle any increase in power. Horsepower Factory in Dandenong Victoria Australia says this about the subject on their website:-
  • We advise against increasing the power output substantially on high kilometer engines, if your engine has in excessive of 150,000kms please contact us to discuss options.
Being you are slightly under that, and the fact its a Levorg so can't increase too much due to CVT limits anyway, I'm sure you could still get her tuned. I would definitely recommend a trusted mechanic do a full service on her, and check engines strength, compression etc beforehand to make sure it can handle it. Better to err on the side of caution ey. I personally would want to own and drive it for a few months at least before tuning just to establish that it is reliable already, before I would go adding power to it.

I bought mine new in 2017 and had it Dyno'd just over 6 months ago, no CAI (at our HP it's not needed and adds very little to the end result, plus I see dirt roads and they don't filter anywhere near as good as the OEM paper filters) and just an Invidia Q300 Catback, around 292hp and 420Nm peak. Don't regret it and find it much better and heaps more responsive. Flat spots in acceleration are gone, picks up quicker and pulls for longer, increase in fuel economy, and decrease too obviously depending on the weight of the right foot at the time ;)

Good luck with it all, hope you enjoy the new Subie as much as alot of us here do.
 
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ajk2706

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
5
Vehicle(s)
Subaru Levorg 2017 GT-S 2.0
Thanks Guvna!

Yeah I have now booked it in for a service/suss session to see how well the previous owner kept up with service schedule etc.

But leaning towards just doing a cat-back and leaving it at that for a while anyway.

Yeah I'd be more interested in more the CVT being sharpened up a bit - it's a bit doughy and slow to pick up, so not sure if a throttle controller down the line would maybe do the trick. No rush that's for sure, and I'm sure I'll find a lot of insight from the forum here - seems a lot of people have done/tried a lot of stuff with them.
 

Guvna

Active Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
551
Location
Victoria, Australia
Vehicle(s)
MY17 Subaru Levorg 2.0LTR GTS
Thanks Guvna!

Yeah I have now booked it in for a service/suss session to see how well the previous owner kept up with service schedule etc.

But leaning towards just doing a cat-back and leaving it at that for a while anyway.

Yeah I'd be more interested in more the CVT being sharpened up a bit - it's a bit doughy and slow to pick up, so not sure if a throttle controller down the line would maybe do the trick. No rush that's for sure, and I'm sure I'll find a lot of insight from the forum here - seems a lot of people have done/tried a lot of stuff with them.
Yep throttle controller does help, I have the HikeIt X9, mainly use it on Auto Mode. I had the Catback for about 2 years before I tuned her, heaps better than the deafening silence of the stock exhaust. Can recommend the Invidia Q300, very easy install, sits higher than the stock one so bit better ground clearance, nice note, not too loud and doesn't drone.
 

ajk2706

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
5
Vehicle(s)
Subaru Levorg 2017 GT-S 2.0
Also forgot to ask Guvna, I have it booked in for a thorough service with my mechanic who has always worked on all my stuff, then the following week into Subaru for diagnostic check as I raised it with dealership and said I was skeptical of the service history etc...

But once done, if I get a throttle control unit (the brand you have) anything to be concerned about? Can it damage or cause dramas with the CVT? Or does it only operate within the boundaries of what the box is designed to do?
 

Guvna

Active Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
551
Location
Victoria, Australia
Vehicle(s)
MY17 Subaru Levorg 2.0LTR GTS
Also forgot to ask Guvna, I have it booked in for a thorough service with my mechanic who has always worked on all my stuff, then the following week into Subaru for diagnostic check as I raised it with dealership and said I was skeptical of the service history etc...

But once done, if I get a throttle control unit (the brand you have) anything to be concerned about? Can it damage or cause dramas with the CVT? Or does it only operate within the boundaries of what the box is designed to do?
Good questions. The throttle controller is basically just a different throttle map.
Normally when you touch the accelerator the drive by wire system tells the ecu how much throttle you have asked for going by how quickly and deeply you have pressed the pedal.
The throttle controller will receive that input data before the ecu and adjust it, telling the ecu you want more or less throttle than it would normally give you (depending on the setting you are using) in relation to how you pressed the pedal.
For eg. if the stock throttle map says that depressing the pedal half way will equal 50% full throttle, the throttle controller will fool the ecu into thinking that depressing the pedal half way now equals 85% full throttle and the ecu will deliver that amount accordingly.
All safeguards of the ecu etc are not bypassed by the throttle controller.
One exception to this to be wary of though. You will notice that the IA, sports and sports# settings on the steering wheel (which are basically different throttle maps themselves) will not allow you to use Sports # until a certain operating temperature is reached. The throttle controller will allow you to use any of its settings at any time (not the steering wheel settings, the throttle controller settings) So because some of the settings on the throttle controller are even more aggressive than Sports#, be sure not to use them until safe operating temp is reached.
So if you are using AUTO mode on the throttle controller and you nail it when cold, it will deliver so that’s the only thing to be careful of.
I picked a good ole random number as my line to reach before driving spiritedly, 86degrees, that’s way higher than the Sports# minimum so I see it as perfectly safe. I’ve done that since new
 
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