Subaru Legacy B4 turbo conversion

[Guest]

Hey guys this is my first post so let me know if I'm making any mistakes!

I have a 2000 Subaru Legacy B4 BE5 (non turbo manual 161000 ks) in good condition.

My mate has a 97 Legacy RSB

I'm sick of him always going on about how slow my Subaru is!

So i want a turbo but i love the B4 shape but not the RSK price tag.(B4 turbos, non B-Spec are too slow if I was to buy a turbo)

Is it worthwhile converting this or is it more cost/time/effort effective to just buy a turbo?

I love my car, and don't really wanna see it go I've owned it for a while now and don't mind doing work on it.

I'll be doing most of the work and know a bit about twin turbos and boxers but not internals etc

I'd like it to be fairly fast, just edging out a B-Spec 208kw engine?? Also a daily driver

Was thinking of a Version 7 Sti or RSK engine?? not sure

What are all the parts I'd have to change like computer etc etc. And possibly a time frame?(this is my only car to get around in)

What bits could I do and what would I need to have done?

Any general or specific advice would be much appreciated!!!

Thanks guys

[DRFVDR]

I am not going to talk u out of it but i will tell u wat everyone else on here will

and that is buy a RSK

not only do u have the expense of the conversion but your car will need to be re certed with new setup in it

[pl0x]

But the price of buying a rsk and it blowing up from the old owner thrashing it to much would cost more than a transplant, well you would have to do the transplant anyway,

you mite as well go single turbo while your at it

You are going to need a turbo engine, like a front cut from a V7 or sim

other wise buying it all separate could cost alot

block, heads, injectors, turbo exhaust parts, turbo, fuel pump, Ecu to suit engine, mite be best to go link g4

[Carbon]

+1 DRFVDR

Uprated Brakes, new body panels (intercooler etc), gearbox, diff etc The list could go on. You cant normally just whack a turbo engine into a car without some major changes. A cert would be the main one as you are increasing the power by more than 20% ........

You can pick up a new car for 7-10g I would suggest.

Your car would still be more of a salable proposition if it was standard.

The difference between what you can sell your car for and what youd pay for a new one would be far less than doing a complete internal swap I would suggest. Even if you did the labor yourself you would still be buying a motor out of a car with unknown history and would then have all the teething problems of a conversion. You could be off the road for weeks.

If then you come to sell it later, it would have a lower resale value than a normal RSK

Lets be honest here. So your mate says your car is slow. Big deal. Learn to drive it and enjoy what you have. Theres always someone else with a faster car.

[Swindog]

RSK-B4s are cheap as chips now.

Dont forget to look at Turners too.

[pl0x]

 Carbon said:

+1 DRFVDR

Uprated Brakes, new body panels (intercooler etc), gearbox, diff etc The list could go on. You cant normally just whack a turbo engine into a car without some major changes. A cert would be the main one as you are increasing the power by more than 20% ........

You can pick up a new car for 7-10g I would suggest.

Your car would still be more of a salable proposition if it was standard.

The difference between what you can sell your car for and what youd pay for a new one would be far less than doing a complete internal swap I would suggest. Even if you did the labor yourself you would still be buying a motor out of a car with unknown history and would then have all the teething problems of a conversion. You could be off the road for weeks.

If then you come to sell it later, it would have a lower resale value than a normal RSK

Lets be honest here. So your mate says your car is slow. Big deal. Learn to drive it and enjoy what you have. Theres always someone else with a faster car.

Mhm yes didnt think about that, brakes, intercooler

but yes there will always be something better and faster than yours

[ReubenH]

Very sorry to dissapoint, but i've been there, done that - go out and by an RSK.

Simply put, it's harder to do, you need to cert it, you need to upgrade things like brakes and diff's too, and at the end of the day, you're stuck with a car that's not nearly as good as an RSK, there's just so much more to it than an engine.

Buying an RSK will be cheaper, better, and easier. They'd going for as low as $8000 now, that's peanuts.

[Guest]

ok so i guess its an rsk then!

so how do you tell a real rsk from a plain old b4 turbo?

like 206kw, yellow injectors and the extras that b spec models come with?

Where would be good to look?

obviously trademe and turners.. apart from that?

is a version 7 sti faster than an RSK? (i'm thinking yes)

i know there both quikish but havnt seen a head-to-head

oh and lastly how does an RSK stand up next to an RSB?

Ive heard things like they (RSK) don't have the valley of death twin turbos get (or not as bad) but are they faster?

[ReubenH]

Well, the RSK badge for one I honestly don't know if RSK was simply turbo, or was a special version. Either way, you want to make sure the car is a manual, and has the EJ208 engine. You can verify this by having a look in the engine bay. On the passenger side strut tower is a plaque that has the cars chassis and engine code printed on it. All subies have this.

And yes, the V7 STi will be MUCH faster. They do have the same power output, but the B4 is twin turbo, and heavier, and the V7 will be far far more nimble. But the price difference will be substantial in most cases.

And RSK v RSB, entirely driver preference. The RSK's manage the whole TT thing much better, but are a couple KG's heavier (20-40 or so if i recall correctly), but i just don't like how much less connected you feel to the car than the RSB... That's in my opinion at any rate (only ever driven auto's for the gen 3's - and i'm biased ). Apparently they do handle better though, and do have multi link rear suspension.

[Guest]

So the single turbo makes a big difference?

I understand going from twin to single turbo is quite a bit of effort?

What makes RSK's more disconnected?are b4's less raw/more refined? lol

there's not a lot you can do to twin turbos like u can with wrx's right? like modifications? if i remember correctly

what will an RSK keep up with? are they as fast in a straight line as rsb's?