Confirmed? Subaru Levorg VM4 CAN actually handle 300Nm?

[mvpluidex]

Many forums suggest the Levorg VM4 (1.6l) can only safely run 250Nm. That said, a random thought crossed my mind the other day... We all know the Levorg VN5 comes with a 1.8 litre turbo option running 300Nm from factory, so if this vehicle were to run the TR580 instead of the TR690, shouldn't that also mean the VM4 is capable of running 300Nm safely as well?

Turns out, they actually share a transmission. This is confirmed by the letters/numbers on the bottom right as shown in the attached image (from a Japanese auction site).

So guys, shall we get to tuning?

 

[Robsyuk]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that someone killed their cvt by going over 280. I think it was a video. Similar with the 2litre turbo. Stripped the cvt at 330.

 

[nicodache]

Same casing, same controller, upgraded internals ?

 

[mvpluidex]

Sounds like you're referring to lbft not Nm, the 2.0l Japanese spec Levorg comes with 400Nm from the factory.
I don't plan on going anywhere near 280, just a responsive 220lbft with a better torque curve is fine for me.

 

[Robsyuk]

Have a look at the gearbox on this touring car.

2016 BTCC SUBARU LEVORG GT | Team BMR Racing Team

The 3 year collaboration introduces Subaru and the Levorg Sports Tourer to the BTCC grid for the first time, confirming the professional and performance driven reputation of Team BMR.

www.teambmr.co.uk

 

[mvpluidex]

Have a look at the gearbox on this touring car.

2016 BTCC SUBARU LEVORG GT | Team BMR Racing Team

The 3 year collaboration introduces Subaru and the Levorg Sports Tourer to the BTCC grid for the first time, confirming the professional and performance driven reputation of Team BMR.

www.teambmr.co.uk

I think this is more from a track performance perspective, the CVT limits the amount of control you have as a driver. Not to mention it gets hot from prolonged running.

 

[walchi]

i am very interested in this topic as well. couldnt find any specific info yet but i think the last letters make the difference. one should know that the ecu and tcm are working together and if there are no technical differences, the software sure is.

 

[mvpluidex]

So, I just did a decat and full 3" exhaust, waiting for a tune, will let you guys know what estimates I get up to. But good chance it will be over 300Nm @ ~1.2bar

 

[Arkatee]

I've been running my UK 1.6 at 294 Nm (216 lb/ft) for nearly 2 years now with no problems. My gearbox is TR580 R58BA. Mid range acceleration is very much improved, and 0-60 mph is nearly 2 seconds quicker.

 

[Dani]

So, I just did a decat and full 3" exhaust, waiting for a tune, will let you guys know what estimates I get up to. But good chance it will be over 300Nm @ ~1.2bar

So how is it now

 

[mvpluidex]

So how is it now

Car is holding up well so far, I'm running around the 300Nm peak torque mark around 2500-3500rpm, however top end torque is still an issue due to the small turbo exhaust housing (turbo struggles to maintain 1bar above 4500rpm). Looking to either upgrade the internals on the stock turbo or run a FA20 DIT turbo and see if I can improve the top end. Also looking to go with a cold air intake to increase air flow.

For better reference, stock 1.6l Levorgs can't keep up, car's performance is closer to the 2.0l. Just be careful to run an engine oil cooler if you can, the 1.6 runs very hot from factory. Full mods:
-Mishimoto non-thermostat oil cooler
-3" custom exhaust + stock backboxes
-Protune

 

[walchi]

did you just tune the engine or the cvt as well? as far as i know, the ecu and tcu work together. subaru uses a luk chain, at least everywhere except the us. luk has a pdf where the behaving and preassures in the cvt are explained. for better efficiency, the preassure is regulated according to the intake torque. which makes sense....i dont need full clamping when just coasting with low rpm and low torque. it would be just a waste. but i dont know if subaru has implemented it as shown in that data sheet and if any tuner is capable of checking and modifying the tcu to the higher input torque. subaru as well doesnt give you much info about this. thats the one and only point whats holding me back from tuning the engine. the 1.6 is capable to a certain point...of course it´s not a 2.0l dit. but until i come to a tuner who can really convince me that he know the play together between the cvt and engine, the topic is too hot for me. but please keep us up to date how your levi behaves

 

[mvpluidex]

So a quick update on this, going for more power swapped in the turbo from an FA20 onto my 1.6. Protune pending, will update you all and see what numbers we can wring out.

Made a separate thread on the same here, however will share updates on both:

1.6l Levorg Running FA20 Turbocharger - Mad Science Experiment

Hi Guys! So, over the weekend I was crazy enough to install a used FA20 turbo (MGT2259S) onto my 1.6l Levorg (comes stock with the MGT1549S). This was primarily necessitated by the bottleneck of exhaust flow on the stock turbo especially at altitude (5500ft/1650m ASL), where the stock turbo...

levorgclub.com