2009 WRX Tuning Stage 1 and Stage 2

2009 Stage1 WRX results

Just finished tuning our first 09 WRX, we are very pleased and impressed with the results! I think we will be seeing a lot of trade-in's in the near future... I'll let the graph speak for itself and have Mr. Bailey chime in a bit later This is all done on our in house Mustang Dyno.Mods:stock + SPT Catback230 whp238 wtqStage 1:AccessPort stage 1 Tune268 whp290 wtqWe just finished some initial testing with a new 2009 wrx.


The results indicate that this car is a whole new beast and is indeed MUCH more capable that the 2008 version of this car. The first major fact to relay regarding this car is that the turbo is bigger. The 2008 car was left nearly impotent with a tiny little turbo that was done before the fun started. Like many fans of turbo cars I think that bigger is better and in this case the choice for the new 2009 is perfect. In almost every regard this car performs as though the turbo is similar to an STi. Now onto the specific results of our testing:Baseline runs – Stock car with an SPT cat back exhaust- Air Fuel Ratio: Note that the stock car stays near 14:1 at full boost until nearly 4000 RPM.

This is a risky tuning strategy that best meets the standards of increasingly stringent emissions tests but by all rational standards has a negative impact on torque, responsiveness, and engine longevity. This "lean under full boost" tuning strategy has become the standard for all turbo Subaru's. - Boost: The stock calibration is a nearly flat boost curve of 14 PSI tapering to 12 PSI. This is a very flat boost curve in contrast to the 2008 car which peaks and tapers heavily. Stage 1 testing – Stock car with SPT cat back exhaust and Cobb AccessPORT beta calibration- Air fuel ratio: Lean under full boost is not acceptable. For this beta calibration I first changed the open to closed loop delays and switch points to allow appropriately rich Air to Fuel ratio's as boost comes on. This richer AF ratio allows more consistent ignition timing.

Under these conditions power and torque abound. In fact, I was able to make considerably more power and torque under these conditions with stock boost levels.- Boost: With the fuel and timing strategies in place I began to raise the boost. After some trial and error I settled on a peak boost of 16.5 psi tapering down to 13 psi. The torque and power gains are impressive and in fact I was able to make MORE power and torque with slightly higher boost. The next series of testing will be conducted after we install a Cobb Tuning downpipe.

Overall I am absolutely impressed with this car and the performance is more STi than any prior WRX. Since the 09 wrx can be had for 24K, it represents a huge performance bargain. I'd be willing to bet the stage 2 tune will yield results VERY similar to a stage 2 STi. Best regardsTim BaileySurgeLine Tuning - A Cobb Tuning Premier FacilityAs an aside its worth noting this turbo might just be the best upgrade option available for all you 2008 wrx and legacy owners...

Here is a quick look at the latest results with our 2009 WRX. For the next stage, we added a Cobb downpipe combined with the SPT exhaust. With a bit more boost, and a bit leaner mixture, we extracted 317 lb-ft of torque and 281 whp on Oregon pump 92 octane! Here is a look at the Stage 2 compared to stock. Note this is with the SPT exhaust, which isn't the freest flowing exhaust compared to some aftermarket exhausts.As you can see, the stage 2 setup has a huge torque gain everywhere. If you saw this post without a heading, you would think it is from a Stage 2 STI.

Compared to the Stage 1, the addition of the downpipe gave us more torque across the powerband.As typical with the STI, the car responds well to a slightly leaner mixture. Here are two runs in the Stage 2 setup with the higher hp run targeting AFRs around 11.8-11.9The boost used for the stock, stage 1, and stage 2 runs.Obviously the comparison to a Stage 2 STI in inevitable. This comparison is to an 07 Stage 2 STI with a real 3" aftermarket exhaust, and a bit more boost then the 09 WRX setup. The shape gives you a good idea about the 09 Turbo.

It appears the 09 WRX turbo is indeed a VF43 sized turbo with the Legacy/WRX compressor cover.Last but not least, here is a look at the 09 WRX vs the 08 WRX, in stock form. As you can see, the 08 WRX has a torque advantage until about 4000rpm, at which point the 09 WRX takes over and runs all the way to redline. The 09 has more lag then the 08, much like the 08 STI vs the 08 WRX. We are going to add a larger TMIC this week, so look for some more results. Based on the numbers so far, it seems the 09 WRX is a bit underrated at 265 hp. This car is the sleeper of the Subaru lineup. With the longer 5 speed gears, it will give the STIs a significant challenge.


Cheers,
Jeff Sponaugle
Research Caibrator

Surgeline Tuning
http://www.surgelinetuning.com/
503-670-9500
sales@surgelinetuning.com