recommendation for an eco-friendly mod
05-04-2004, 06:14 PM
#1
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recommendation for an eco-friendly mod
So I'm actually a greenie...
no wait...don't kill me! please hear me out. and to preface this...I have nothing against people who go catless...hey whatever floats your boat. i ain't one of those tree-hugging violent vegan hippies who force feed their ideas onto others...
anyhow, i'd like to get a little more low-end pop out of my wrx wagon. i already feel bad enough that I chose the wrx over a prius, but driving it makes me forget about the emissions i'm spewing. which mod would minimize the additional emissions output and will net me a little extra oomph on the low end?
accessport,
uppipe,
new catback?
tia
no wait...don't kill me! please hear me out. and to preface this...I have nothing against people who go catless...hey whatever floats your boat. i ain't one of those tree-hugging violent vegan hippies who force feed their ideas onto others...
anyhow, i'd like to get a little more low-end pop out of my wrx wagon. i already feel bad enough that I chose the wrx over a prius, but driving it makes me forget about the emissions i'm spewing. which mod would minimize the additional emissions output and will net me a little extra oomph on the low end?
accessport,
uppipe,
new catback?
tia
05-04-2004, 07:30 PM
#2
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I know where you're coming from. The mods you listed shouldn't increase your emissions much at all. I have had the accessport for one tank of gas running stage one and my real mileage was 18 driving pretty hard. The up pipe cat is metallic substrate and from what I've read is only useful during warm-up. So don't sweat it too much. You'll probably get even better mileage with those mods.
05-04-2004, 08:07 PM
#3
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i am not a tree hugger like you j/k 
i would suggest the accessport.
if u are planning to stay loyal to subaru might i suggest
the B9SC.
"The SSHEV system teams a powerful electric motor with a 2.0-liter DOHC Subaru Boxer 4-cylinder gas engine. At low and midrange speeds, the gasoline engine is used primarily to charge the advanced laminated lithium-ion batteries. At speeds over 50 mph, B9SC runs only on its gasoline engine. Thus, the internal combustion engine always runs in its most efficient speed range. To provide extra performance on hills and when the driver demands quicker acceleration, the SSHEV system seamlessly combines output from both the electric motor and gas engine through a special two-way clutch..."
i would suggest the accessport.
if u are planning to stay loyal to subaru might i suggest
the B9SC.
"The SSHEV system teams a powerful electric motor with a 2.0-liter DOHC Subaru Boxer 4-cylinder gas engine. At low and midrange speeds, the gasoline engine is used primarily to charge the advanced laminated lithium-ion batteries. At speeds over 50 mph, B9SC runs only on its gasoline engine. Thus, the internal combustion engine always runs in its most efficient speed range. To provide extra performance on hills and when the driver demands quicker acceleration, the SSHEV system seamlessly combines output from both the electric motor and gas engine through a special two-way clutch..."
05-05-2004, 08:04 AM
#5
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Car Info: 2005 CGM WRX Wagon
A cat-back won't affect emmissions at all because it doesn't replace any cats. I'm sure you figured that out already, but I thought I'd point it out.
05-05-2004, 12:52 PM
#9
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full turbo-back exhaust + 100% atmos. BOV =D.
(just kidding btw).
But seriously ... in terms of emissions, if you go uppipe + downpipe + high-flow cat + exhaust ... i don't think emissions wil be THAT much worse than running stock and you will have a lot of gains. Are you unsure about getting rid of the cat in the DP?
(just kidding btw).
But seriously ... in terms of emissions, if you go uppipe + downpipe + high-flow cat + exhaust ... i don't think emissions wil be THAT much worse than running stock and you will have a lot of gains. Are you unsure about getting rid of the cat in the DP?
05-05-2004, 02:40 PM
#10
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Aside from the cat in the uppipe I'd rather not get rid of any of the other cats. but it sounds like I should be okay with just the uppipe, exhaust, and accessport.
05-06-2004, 10:11 AM
#12
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Car Info: 02 WRX wagon=dead; rollin' in a Craptastic Camry!
The pre-cat in the up-pipe is there for cold start up. If you plan your driving/errands such that cold start ups are minimized, the net emissions from your vehicle should be very close to stock. I do not know enough about engine management to say how it effects emissions, but I've got to believe the reason you can gain hp AND gas mileage is that the aftermarket engine management will not run the engine as rich as the stock ECU does. This would explain the improved mileage. Following this logic (car is running leaner) EGT's would be higher which tends to produce more NOx. Again, I am not an expert!
I think you and I are similar. I, like you, consider myself to be a "reasonable environmentalist". You can probably rationalize some reasonable power mods.
I think you and I are similar. I, like you, consider myself to be a "reasonable environmentalist". You can probably rationalize some reasonable power mods.
05-06-2004, 03:42 PM
#13
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My first mod was IC hoses.
Now people who already have a list of mods say they don't notice any difference with IC hoses, but I can tell you that as a first mod, they made a noticeable difference in spool and throttle response.
Cheap, easy to install, and noticeable gain. Probably very little gain in PEAK HP, but noticeably better in the response category.
A catback will help primarily at higher exhaust flows. Up in the 5000+ range. You won't see too much difference in the lower exhaust flows/RPMs
From what I've read, the NOx will go up as EGTs rise. Hydrocarbons will go down as fuel is leaned, but these are generally cleaned up by the cats. NOx cannot be cleaned by the cats, and will really only decrease as the combustion temps reduce.
I had a co-worker who wanted to sell his car (not a WRX, a 1994 Celica) and failed SMOG the first try for NOx. His first time he made sure the car was nice and warm, as we are usually told will help emissions. Knowing what we knew about NOx, he went to the closest SMOG station to his house first thing in the morning the next day, driving easy, keeping the car cold. No mechanical differences, he passed with room to spare.
Now people who already have a list of mods say they don't notice any difference with IC hoses, but I can tell you that as a first mod, they made a noticeable difference in spool and throttle response.
Cheap, easy to install, and noticeable gain. Probably very little gain in PEAK HP, but noticeably better in the response category.
A catback will help primarily at higher exhaust flows. Up in the 5000+ range. You won't see too much difference in the lower exhaust flows/RPMs
From what I've read, the NOx will go up as EGTs rise. Hydrocarbons will go down as fuel is leaned, but these are generally cleaned up by the cats. NOx cannot be cleaned by the cats, and will really only decrease as the combustion temps reduce.
I had a co-worker who wanted to sell his car (not a WRX, a 1994 Celica) and failed SMOG the first try for NOx. His first time he made sure the car was nice and warm, as we are usually told will help emissions. Knowing what we knew about NOx, he went to the closest SMOG station to his house first thing in the morning the next day, driving easy, keeping the car cold. No mechanical differences, he passed with room to spare.
Last edited by Concillian; 05-06-2004 at 03:44 PM.
