Unique Motorsports

This is the original article from when I built up my original kit in 1999.

Disclaimer: This article is written for information purposes only. In no way do I suggest doing this. If you do… this information should be interpreted as a tool or learning device, not a “how to.” I take no responsibility for what you do on your time. That being said, this information is correct to the best of my knowledge.

Introduction:

After seeing turbo cars pop up in magazines and after owning a 1990 Eagle Talon TSI Turbo, I decided to look into turbo charging the Impreza even more. Once Minnam Racing came out with a turbo kit for the Impreza, I realized that it is possible to feasibly turbocharge an Impreza. At this time the thought of 4 spinning tires, neck-break acceleration, and the quarter mile times of a Porche 911 turbo were mostly just fantasy. Soon after however, something pushed me over the edge. The March 1999 turbo magazine. On page 130 lies Byron’s now 500+ horsepower daily driver Impreza.

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In Part two of the series we do a little more advanced modifications.

Race Cat: Having a CAT right after the exhaust manifold is great to help your car warm up and fight cold start emissions. It’s not so great for good exhaust flow. Here are some pictures and results of replacing the Cat with a straight pipe.  I also did some light porting of the exhaust manifold, most of which was on the outside to remove casting marks.

Anyone can purchase a bunch of bolt on MODS and make their car faster. What if you don’t have that much money to spend on the car or the car is like a Daewoo Lanos and doesn’t have much aftermarket support? Also, how do you know what MODS will give you the most bang for the buck? This article will focus on the MODS most people can do, without spending lots of hard earned cash and still get some great results.

Since the motor is basically a big air pump, the first thing I will work on is the breathing. Increasing the volumetric efficiency on a newer car does not have the results it would on say an 80′s car, but it’s still the best place to start. The goal is by allowing the engine to breath more easily, it will breath more and hence, more power.

Notes regarding performance testing: For a baseline run, all I have is the 0-60 times I took soon after buying the car. For a more accurate 0-60, I should have a space of road that I can go both directions and take the average, but that’s not available. All the 0-60 times are taken from a specific stop sign where I’m not breaking the speed limit. Also, since the car is an automatic and doesn’t have enough power for wheelspin, the times are very consistent. Future MODS should have the other information as well.

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Total Fuel Flow (lb/hr) = Injector Size (lb/hr) X number of injectors

To convert lb/hr to gallons-per-hour divide by 6.25.

To convert from pounds-per-hour to liters-per-hour divide by 1.64.

To convert from gallons-per-hour to liters-per-hour, multiply by 3.8.

OK, now that this is out of the way lets figure out what I need for my 200 hp 1.8L.

The injector size we figured on is 29.4 pounds/hr

Total Fuel Flow (lb/hr) = 29.4 X 4

Total Fuel Flow (lb/hr) = 117.6

Now we have to convert it to Liters-per-hour since that’s what most pumps are measured by.

117.6 * 1.64 = 192.86

So the fuel pump needed will only need to flow about 193 LPH.

Wondering how much power it will take to get your car up to 200 MPH? Here’s an equation to help you find out. (this information is from August 2001 Sport Compact Car)

Aero Horsepower: Drag x Speed or HP at the wheels

Frontal Area: Amount of Frontal Area (large hood scoops, mirrors and bumper openings add to this and decrease your top speed.

Cd: Coefficient Drag.

Speed: In MPH

Aero Horsepower (wheel horsepower) = 0.000007 x Frontal Area x Cd x Speed³

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