It's been 15k miles since my original GST tune, and...
08-06-2009, 12:36 AM
#1
Friendly Neighborhood Ogre
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It's been 15k miles since my original GST tune, and...
It's been just about 15k hard miles in my STi since Mike @ GST tuned my car a while back. My car is fairly stock, just a cat back and access port. Mike was able to increase my wheel HP by almost 30hp and torque was about 35 increase which was a hell of a difference and far more then I thought was possible.
Mike left area for the ECU to learn my driving style and to adapt to changing situations which has worked out really well over the miles I have put on the car. The car feels better now then it did when I first rolled out of their shop on the day of the tune. Car is fast as hell and feels much faster then any stock STi I have ever driven in, and any stock STi owner will vouch for it when driving my car. The car is just a beast and honestly I am really happy with the amount of power I have on my car which is why I haven't really upgraded anything else. My gas mileage is great when I'm not on boost and when cruising on the highway (well, great for a car with that much hp), the power band is amazingly smooth and pulls all the way to redline which is the total opposite of stock. The stock STi tune (I have a 2007 STi) is HORRIBLE! The tune, the fly by wire throttle, everything was just awful! After Mike had his way with it everything just got better. When I apply 75% throttle, I get 75% throttle, unlike stock where you put down 75% and actually get like 43%, very lame of Subaru to do that from the factory.
With 100 Octane the car just SCREAMS! It runs really well on 91 and I have no issues what so ever, but with 100 octane the car just feels sooo much better, and that's using the 91 map that mike tuned. It's just a totally different beast from stock, and for all the STi owners who haven't really done much to their cars, all I can say is get your *** to a tuner and get your car tuned! We have such great tuners here in the bay area, from GST, to db and EQ... The factory tune is horrible, and my car is proof that a tune can increase your performance all around the RPM range and is much safer to run then the factory map. From gas milage to power, my car just feels like a much better car.
I've driven in at least 5 different STi's that haven't been tuned, and man, what a difference an access port (or what ever kind of management you're using) makes in the capable hands of a good tuner.
15k hard miles down and my car feels better then ever. All my thanks to the head goon at GST for his work on my car. Thank you Mike for giving life to my car!
Seriously, I know a lot of people do mods to their cars and don't tune it after... Big mistake. Tuning means everything with our cars so if you haven't already, do it soon, you won't regret it.
My top 3 modifications to do on a stock car are:
1. Tune
2. Aftermarket seat with better bolsters that fit you. Makes your car feel like a different car all together, better in every way.
3. Sway bars! Best bang for the buck mod hands down.
It's amazing what these three mods will do to your WRX or STi. If only Subaru did it right from the get go, we wouldn't get slaughtered on the track by EVO's in every magazine!
Mike left area for the ECU to learn my driving style and to adapt to changing situations which has worked out really well over the miles I have put on the car. The car feels better now then it did when I first rolled out of their shop on the day of the tune. Car is fast as hell and feels much faster then any stock STi I have ever driven in, and any stock STi owner will vouch for it when driving my car. The car is just a beast and honestly I am really happy with the amount of power I have on my car which is why I haven't really upgraded anything else. My gas mileage is great when I'm not on boost and when cruising on the highway (well, great for a car with that much hp), the power band is amazingly smooth and pulls all the way to redline which is the total opposite of stock. The stock STi tune (I have a 2007 STi) is HORRIBLE! The tune, the fly by wire throttle, everything was just awful! After Mike had his way with it everything just got better. When I apply 75% throttle, I get 75% throttle, unlike stock where you put down 75% and actually get like 43%, very lame of Subaru to do that from the factory.
With 100 Octane the car just SCREAMS! It runs really well on 91 and I have no issues what so ever, but with 100 octane the car just feels sooo much better, and that's using the 91 map that mike tuned. It's just a totally different beast from stock, and for all the STi owners who haven't really done much to their cars, all I can say is get your *** to a tuner and get your car tuned! We have such great tuners here in the bay area, from GST, to db and EQ... The factory tune is horrible, and my car is proof that a tune can increase your performance all around the RPM range and is much safer to run then the factory map. From gas milage to power, my car just feels like a much better car.
I've driven in at least 5 different STi's that haven't been tuned, and man, what a difference an access port (or what ever kind of management you're using) makes in the capable hands of a good tuner.
15k hard miles down and my car feels better then ever. All my thanks to the head goon at GST for his work on my car. Thank you Mike for giving life to my car!
Seriously, I know a lot of people do mods to their cars and don't tune it after... Big mistake. Tuning means everything with our cars so if you haven't already, do it soon, you won't regret it.
My top 3 modifications to do on a stock car are:
1. Tune
2. Aftermarket seat with better bolsters that fit you. Makes your car feel like a different car all together, better in every way.
3. Sway bars! Best bang for the buck mod hands down.
It's amazing what these three mods will do to your WRX or STi. If only Subaru did it right from the get go, we wouldn't get slaughtered on the track by EVO's in every magazine!
08-06-2009, 12:40 AM
#2
Friendly Neighborhood Ogre
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We're so lucky to have the great tuners we do all in the bay area... When I first started in the Subaru world a decade ago, we didn't have SQUAT! Now we have the best of the best and for you to not take advantage of it is just a shame.
08-06-2009, 12:44 AM
#4
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also, not to mention EQ and GST being local! The tune that Ed put on my car has me stoked for whats in store when I resolve a few issues with my setup. My car puuuulllssss like a freight train
08-06-2009, 09:13 AM
#7
Daniel, it's like you're rediscovering subarus for the first time! 
Most turbo cars greatly benefit from a custom tune. 07+ STIs do have a horrible stock tune and the DBW mapping actually has a significant bug. I always find that the 07 STI and 04+ wrx customers are the easiest to please because of the nasty stock mapping. I'm honestly shocked that people even buy these cars considering how poorly they drive out of the box.
Keep enjoying your car! There are a lot of other little things you can do to really improve the overall feel. Motor/tranny mounts, rear diff bushings, steering rack bushings, ALK, upgraded boost control, just to name a few.
BTW, your 91 map shouldn't really run much better on 100 unless it's encountering some knock on 91. If you really feel a significant difference in performance when running 100, I would suggest getting the tune cheked out on 91.
Thanks
-- Ed
Most turbo cars greatly benefit from a custom tune. 07+ STIs do have a horrible stock tune and the DBW mapping actually has a significant bug. I always find that the 07 STI and 04+ wrx customers are the easiest to please because of the nasty stock mapping. I'm honestly shocked that people even buy these cars considering how poorly they drive out of the box.
Keep enjoying your car! There are a lot of other little things you can do to really improve the overall feel. Motor/tranny mounts, rear diff bushings, steering rack bushings, ALK, upgraded boost control, just to name a few.
BTW, your 91 map shouldn't really run much better on 100 unless it's encountering some knock on 91. If you really feel a significant difference in performance when running 100, I would suggest getting the tune cheked out on 91.
Thanks
-- Ed
08-06-2009, 12:49 PM
#10
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It's been just about 15k hard miles in my STi since Mike @ GST tuned my car a while back. My car is fairly stock, just a cat back and access port. Mike was able to increase my wheel HP by almost 30hp and torque was about 35 increase which was a hell of a difference and far more then I thought was possible.
Mike left area for the ECU to learn my driving style and to adapt to changing situations which has worked out really well over the miles I have put on the car. The car feels better now then it did when I first rolled out of their shop on the day of the tune. Car is fast as hell and feels much faster then any stock STi I have ever driven in, and any stock STi owner will vouch for it when driving my car. The car is just a beast and honestly I am really happy with the amount of power I have on my car which is why I haven't really upgraded anything else. My gas mileage is great when I'm not on boost and when cruising on the highway (well, great for a car with that much hp), the power band is amazingly smooth and pulls all the way to redline which is the total opposite of stock. The stock STi tune (I have a 2007 STi) is HORRIBLE! The tune, the fly by wire throttle, everything was just awful! After Mike had his way with it everything just got better. When I apply 75% throttle, I get 75% throttle, unlike stock where you put down 75% and actually get like 43%, very lame of Subaru to do that from the factory.
With 100 Octane the car just SCREAMS! It runs really well on 91 and I have no issues what so ever, but with 100 octane the car just feels sooo much better, and that's using the 91 map that mike tuned. It's just a totally different beast from stock, and for all the STi owners who haven't really done much to their cars, all I can say is get your *** to a tuner and get your car tuned! We have such great tuners here in the bay area, from GST, to db and EQ... The factory tune is horrible, and my car is proof that a tune can increase your performance all around the RPM range and is much safer to run then the factory map. From gas milage to power, my car just feels like a much better car.
I've driven in at least 5 different STi's that haven't been tuned, and man, what a difference an access port (or what ever kind of management you're using) makes in the capable hands of a good tuner.
15k hard miles down and my car feels better then ever. All my thanks to the head goon at GST for his work on my car. Thank you Mike for giving life to my car!
Seriously, I know a lot of people do mods to their cars and don't tune it after... Big mistake. Tuning means everything with our cars so if you haven't already, do it soon, you won't regret it.
My top 3 modifications to do on a stock car are:
1. Tune
2. Aftermarket seat with better bolsters that fit you. Makes your car feel like a different car all together, better in every way.
3. Sway bars! Best bang for the buck mod hands down.
It's amazing what these three mods will do to your WRX or STi. If only Subaru did it right from the get go, we wouldn't get slaughtered on the track by EVO's in every magazine!
Mike left area for the ECU to learn my driving style and to adapt to changing situations which has worked out really well over the miles I have put on the car. The car feels better now then it did when I first rolled out of their shop on the day of the tune. Car is fast as hell and feels much faster then any stock STi I have ever driven in, and any stock STi owner will vouch for it when driving my car. The car is just a beast and honestly I am really happy with the amount of power I have on my car which is why I haven't really upgraded anything else. My gas mileage is great when I'm not on boost and when cruising on the highway (well, great for a car with that much hp), the power band is amazingly smooth and pulls all the way to redline which is the total opposite of stock. The stock STi tune (I have a 2007 STi) is HORRIBLE! The tune, the fly by wire throttle, everything was just awful! After Mike had his way with it everything just got better. When I apply 75% throttle, I get 75% throttle, unlike stock where you put down 75% and actually get like 43%, very lame of Subaru to do that from the factory.
With 100 Octane the car just SCREAMS! It runs really well on 91 and I have no issues what so ever, but with 100 octane the car just feels sooo much better, and that's using the 91 map that mike tuned. It's just a totally different beast from stock, and for all the STi owners who haven't really done much to their cars, all I can say is get your *** to a tuner and get your car tuned! We have such great tuners here in the bay area, from GST, to db and EQ... The factory tune is horrible, and my car is proof that a tune can increase your performance all around the RPM range and is much safer to run then the factory map. From gas milage to power, my car just feels like a much better car.
I've driven in at least 5 different STi's that haven't been tuned, and man, what a difference an access port (or what ever kind of management you're using) makes in the capable hands of a good tuner.
15k hard miles down and my car feels better then ever. All my thanks to the head goon at GST for his work on my car. Thank you Mike for giving life to my car!
Seriously, I know a lot of people do mods to their cars and don't tune it after... Big mistake. Tuning means everything with our cars so if you haven't already, do it soon, you won't regret it.
My top 3 modifications to do on a stock car are:
1. Tune
2. Aftermarket seat with better bolsters that fit you. Makes your car feel like a different car all together, better in every way.
3. Sway bars! Best bang for the buck mod hands down.
It's amazing what these three mods will do to your WRX or STi. If only Subaru did it right from the get go, we wouldn't get slaughtered on the track by EVO's in every magazine!
08-06-2009, 01:06 PM
#11
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Daniel, it's like you're rediscovering subarus for the first time!
BTW, your 91 map shouldn't really run much better on 100 unless it's encountering some knock on 91. If you really feel a significant difference in performance when running 100, I would suggest getting the tune cheked out on 91.
Thanks
-- Ed
BTW, your 91 map shouldn't really run much better on 100 unless it's encountering some knock on 91. If you really feel a significant difference in performance when running 100, I would suggest getting the tune cheked out on 91.
Thanks
-- Ed
08-06-2009, 01:07 PM
#12
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optional top 3 mod (for wrx)
tires
I know that feeling you get when you go from cobb AP stage 1 to a nice pro tune. Its like night and day. So smooth, so much power.
tires
I know that feeling you get when you go from cobb AP stage 1 to a nice pro tune. Its like night and day. So smooth, so much power.
08-06-2009, 01:40 PM
#14
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