Please Help Me To Clarify These Facts On B4

Hawx · July 6, 2010

Hi specialists!!!!

I'm new to this forum but have been following all the discussions on legacy B4's for some time. Since Registration process with AL is sorted out now I can ask some questions from you guys

First of all I must say I do really really like the B4's in all departments (looks, performance etc). I haven't got a chance to drive one, but I have been in co-driver seat Wow!!

1. Is having a legacy B4 expensive? (if got a properly maintained car.I know that these machines wont do much better on gasoline, but my concern is not that.)

2. Since agents wont importing new cars will there be any chance or any way that I could import a used one from overseas?

3. Will "Semi luxury" tax will apply for B4?

4. What should I look for in B4 before buying?

5. what are the known issues?

6. Is octane 95 petrol is mandatory for B4's?

7. Is B4's reliable and hassle free?

Please show some light on this topic. I know I have asked too much questions

Shrapnel · July 7, 2010

Hawx said:
Hi specialists!!!!
I'm new to this forum but have been following all the discussions on legacy B4's for some time. Since Registration process with AL is sorted out now I can ask some questions from you guys

First of all I must say I do really really like the B4's in all departments (looks, performance etc). I haven't got a chance to drive one, but I have been in co-driver seat Wow!!

1. Is having a legacy B4 expensive? (if got a properly maintained car.I know that these machines wont do much better on gasoline, but my concern is not that.)

2. Since agents wont importing new cars will there be any chance or any way that I could import a used one from overseas?

3. Will "Semi luxury" tax will apply for B4?

4. What should I look for in B4 before buying?

5. what are the known issues?

6. Is octane 95 petrol is mandatory for B4's?

7. Is B4's reliable and hassle free?

Please show some light on this topic. I know I have asked too much questions

My,my....posting time Jul 7 2010, 01:15 AM!!!!!!! No rest for the curious-minded,I suppose!! (and no sleep,too,for that matter)

I am no SPECIALIST(for sure)...just another bloke who loves a fast ride to get from A to B,in style-maybe turn a few heads..and lift some skirts(as someone in these forum so eloquently put)

just posting some advice a pro and former B4 owner gave me before moving on to more speedier things...here goes(in his words and in the most unflattering terms).............

"To be clear on what Legacy's are - These are not speed monsters. Why Subaru did the Legacy was to cater for a more elite set of people who are mid-aged and would like to throttle over weekends and not feel so hard on their internals with the 'G's. Seriously, this is the truth. The B4 Turbo set-up is one of the most complicated set-ups they have done and I'm sure it is something they do not want to go back to. The turbo-lag in them are hideous. No matter how much you try to avoid it with aftermarket mods(costly ones), it just cannot be avoided.

As you would know now, the primary is a smaller turbo that spools quick and efficiently and feeds in to the secondary at 4.5K rounds. Now the secondary is a much bigger turbo but does not hold its purpose as the RPM band is over when it starts to spool up to join the primary. This is the "mid-torque lag" that is common in a B4. If you want this to be eradicated,

1. Change the set-up to a single turbo

2. Motek or ECUtek remaps/upgrades

As you know, the above two are costly operations. The alternative as advised by one of my contacts in Australia was to......

1. Change the secondary to a smaller quicker Turbo (VF34 IHI or an RSK Primary)

2. EBC - Electronic Boost controller

3. Catback exhaust

I had the above three done in my car and i tell you, it flew. Mine was the only car which was closest to beating the turbo-lag with a twin turbo set up. After I had the EBC fixed, it spitted fire on each gear shift!

The above raised the car from a stock 250hp to least 280hp+ up. Of course these are numbers were not confirmed through a Dyno test but I ran head to head with WRX once!

To extract more power from the B4 is a very difficult thing to do as it was not made to burn rubber like the Impreza's, or the second generation B4's. The car is heavier, more refined and more "Executive" with a good number of torque to get you from point A to B with a smile. Doing Mods on a B4 would lean more on its thirst, and as you are aware now, it is a heavy drinker. Mine ended doing only 4km's a litre after all of the above. I was ok with that cause I drove in comfort, it delivered power when I wanted too, and also, the back seat was ideal for those "Fun Occasions"

Its one trouble free car if you take care of it. Keep the engine bay / Under carriage / and body nice and clean cause that will reduce wear and running cost on repairs."

There-from the horses' mouth! This dude doesn't mince his words and he deflated my ego in no time flat!! Better be wise than sorry...so there!!!

Over to you,specialists!!

Edited July 7, 2010 by Shrapnel

Hawx · July 7, 2010

Shrapnel said:
My,my....posting time Jul 7 2010, 01:15 AM!!!!!!! No rest for the curious-minded,I suppose!! (and no sleep,too,for that matter)
I am no SPECIALIST(for sure)...just another bloke who loves a fast ride to get from A to B,in style-maybe turn a few heads..and lift some skirts(as someone in these forum so eloquently put)

just posting some advice a pro and former B4 owner gave me before moving on to more speedier things...here goes(in his words and in the most unflattering terms).............

"To be clear on what Legacy's are - These are not speed monsters. Why Subaru did the Legacy was to cater for a more elite set of people who are mid-aged and would like to throttle over weekends and not feel so hard on their internals with the 'G's. Seriously, this is the truth. The B4 Turbo set-up is one of the most complicated set-ups they have done and I'm sure it is something they do not want to go back to. The turbo-lag in them are hideous. No matter how much you try to avoid it with aftermarket mods(costly ones), it just cannot be avoided.

As you would know now, the primary is a smaller turbo that spools quick and efficiently and feeds in to the secondary at 4.5K rounds. Now the secondary is a much bigger turbo but does not hold its purpose as the RPM band is over when it starts to spool up to join the primary. This is the "mid-torque lag" that is common in a B4. If you want this to be eradicated,

1. Change the set-up to a single turbo

2. Motek or ECUtek remaps/upgrades

As you know, the above two are costly operations. The alternative as advised by one of my contacts in Australia was to......

1. Change the secondary to a smaller quicker Turbo (VF34 IHI or an RSK Primary)

2. EBC - Electronic Boost controller

3. Catback exhaust

I had the above three done in my car and i tell you, it flew. Mine was the only car which was closest to beating the turbo-lag with a twin turbo set up. After I had the EBC fixed, it spitted fire on each gear shift!

The above raised the car from a stock 250hp to least 280hp+ up. Of course these are numbers were not confirmed through a Dyno test but I ran head to head with WRX once!

To extract more power from the B4 is a very difficult thing to do as it was not made to burn rubber like the Impreza's, or the second generation B4's. The car is heavier, more refined and more "Executive" with a good number of torque to get you from point A to B with a smile. Doing Mods on a B4 would lean more on its thirst, and as you are aware now, it is a heavy drinker. Mine ended doing only 4km's a litre after all of the above. I was ok with that cause I drove in comfort, it delivered power when I wanted too, and also, the back seat was ideal for those "Fun Occasions"

Its one trouble free car if you take care of it. Keep the engine bay / Under carriage / and body nice and clean cause that will reduce wear and running cost on repairs."

There-from the horses' mouth! This dude doesn't mince his words and he deflated my ego in no time flat!! Better be wise than sorry...so there!!!

Over to you,specialists!!

Hey Sharpnel Thanks!! I learned many things that I never knew. And time of this post is 1.10 am too. this is my normal time

I dont like to speed much and but surly I like to turn heads and lift skirts.. Basically I like the look and feel of this car.. Much like muscle car with some added executive looks.. Seems that you have done many upgrades to your car so it would only drink 1 litre for every 4kms wow thats amazing . i dont mind single turbo with 7-8 kmpl lets see who else have some ideas on this. Once again thanks for your valuable time and effort for clarify things for this curious newbie

Edited July 7, 2010 by Hawx

mirage7777 · July 8, 2010

Shrapnel said:
My,my....posting time Jul 7 2010, 01:15 AM!!!!!!! No rest for the curious-minded,I suppose!! (and no sleep,too,for that matter)
I am no SPECIALIST(for sure)...just another bloke who loves a fast ride to get from A to B,in style-maybe turn a few heads..and lift some skirts(as someone in these forum so eloquently put)

just posting some advice a pro and former B4 owner gave me before moving on to more speedier things...here goes(in his words and in the most unflattering terms).............

"To be clear on what Legacy's are - These are not speed monsters. Why Subaru did the Legacy was to cater for a more elite set of people who are mid-aged and would like to throttle over weekends and not feel so hard on their internals with the 'G's. Seriously, this is the truth. The B4 Turbo set-up is one of the most complicated set-ups they have done and I'm sure it is something they do not want to go back to. The turbo-lag in them are hideous. No matter how much you try to avoid it with aftermarket mods(costly ones), it just cannot be avoided.

As you would know now, the primary is a smaller turbo that spools quick and efficiently and feeds in to the secondary at 4.5K rounds. Now the secondary is a much bigger turbo but does not hold its purpose as the RPM band is over when it starts to spool up to join the primary. This is the "mid-torque lag" that is common in a B4. If you want this to be eradicated,

1. Change the set-up to a single turbo

2. Motek or ECUtek remaps/upgrades

As you know, the above two are costly operations. The alternative as advised by one of my contacts in Australia was to......

1. Change the secondary to a smaller quicker Turbo (VF34 IHI or an RSK Primary)

2. EBC - Electronic Boost controller

3. Catback exhaust

I had the above three done in my car and i tell you, it flew. Mine was the only car which was closest to beating the turbo-lag with a twin turbo set up. After I had the EBC fixed, it spitted fire on each gear shift!

The above raised the car from a stock 250hp to least 280hp+ up. Of course these are numbers were not confirmed through a Dyno test but I ran head to head with WRX once!

To extract more power from the B4 is a very difficult thing to do as it was not made to burn rubber like the Impreza's, or the second generation B4's. The car is heavier, more refined and more "Executive" with a good number of torque to get you from point A to B with a smile. Doing Mods on a B4 would lean more on its thirst, and as you are aware now, it is a heavy drinker. Mine ended doing only 4km's a litre after all of the above. I was ok with that cause I drove in comfort, it delivered power when I wanted too, and also, the back seat was ideal for those "Fun Occasions"

Its one trouble free car if you take care of it. Keep the engine bay / Under carriage / and body nice and clean cause that will reduce wear and running cost on repairs."

There-from the horses' mouth! This dude doesn't mince his words and he deflated my ego in no time flat!! Better be wise than sorry...so there!!!

Over to you,specialists!!

Hi Shrapnel --

were the above modifications done here in S.L. by your friend - or overseas?

280+ is awesome - almost same as a Sti. Is this car here or elsewhere?

Shrapnel · July 8, 2010

mirage7777 said:
Hi Shrapnel --
were the above modifications done here in S.L. by your friend - or overseas?

280+ is awesome - almost same as a Sti. Is this car here or elsewhere?

Yes from what I heard, all mods done here and doing runs on Sri Lankan soil..........

Devinda_Z · July 8, 2010

Hawx said:
1. Is having a legacy B4 expensive? (if got a properly maintained car.I know that these machines wont do much better on gasoline, but my concern is not that.)
If you take the agent route (possibly recommended) the parts aren't cheap - but apparently work well & last long

2. Since agents wont importing new cars will there be any chance or any way that I could import a used one from overseas?

nope - Sri Lanka has a 3 yr limit on imports & the B4's ended production in 2002 afaik

3. Will "Semi luxury" tax will apply for B4?

Yes, it does for all cars over 2000cc (or is it 1800cc ) but given that many of these cars were likely first registered in 2003-2004 the tax would likely have been paid already (its paid of in reducing slabs for 7 yrs if i recall right )

4. What should I look for in B4 before buying?

Service history!

accident damage - many have been wrecked and abused as they are all too easy to drive quickly !

5. what are the known issues?

Detonation - made worse by our low octane fuel

6. Is octane 95 petrol is mandatory for B4's?

Yes, ideally suited to run on 98-100 RON so 95 + Octane booster / toluene is the best option , or a ECU re-map

7. Is B4's reliable and hassle free?

Its best that someone who's actually owned one tackle that Q...

Answering based on what i've heard over the years..

GihanFX · July 8, 2010

mirage7777 said:
280+ is awesome - almost same as a Sti. Is this car here or elsewhere?

Legacy weight one and half tons so even it pumps 280 u wont experience any fun as a modified Sti, i have driven modified Sti for 2 and half years and driven my friends legacy too, (high boost setups), Sti ran around 1.4 and legacy 1.6 with hell of lods mods with single turbo setup, both cars are damn fun to drive too, but Stock cars are dead boring for ME

GihanFX · July 8, 2010

Shrapnel said:
The above raised the car from a stock 250hp to least 280hp+ up. Of course these are numbers were not confirmed through a Dyno test but I ran head to head with WRX once!

if a slightly modified Legacy manage to beat a WRX then the WRX has to be a shitty slow car btw like to know who did those mods and number plate of the car

mirage7777 · July 8, 2010

GihanFX said:
Legacy weight one and half tons so even it pumps 280 u wont experience any fun as a modified Sti, i have driven modified Sti for 2 and half years and driven my friends legacy too, (high boost setups), Sti ran around 1.4 and legacy 1.6 with hell of lods mods with single turbo setup, both cars are damn fun to drive too, but Stock cars are dead boring for ME

ok question for you Gihan -- i know you had a converted Sti - [which is/was RIP @ Senok - after you had sold it]

However it was doing close to 230 [or 260 as per paper notice on the car] when it had crashed - therefore it was a very fast car.

Now what i wanted to know is whether the fully modified legacy of your friend is slower or faster [the correct word here is actually 'quicker'] than your former? Since the Legacy weighs more - how do you rate the handling of the 02 cars? [is your Heart still with your former sti? ]

btw - what are you using now -- another Subaru?

Edited July 8, 2010 by mirage7777

GihanFX · July 8, 2010

mirage7777 said:
ok question for you Gihan -- i know you had a converted Sti - [which is/was RIP @ Senok - after you had sold it]
However it was doing close to 230 [or 260 as per paper notice on the car] when it had crashed - therefore it was a very fast car.

Now what i wanted to know is whether the fully modified legacy of your friend is slower or faster [the correct word here is actually 'quicker'] than your former? Since the Legacy weighs more - how do you rate the handling of the 02 cars? [is your Heart still with your former sti? ]

btw - what are you using now -- another Subaru?

when it comes to Handling the STi had TEIN suspension, modified brakes (slotted disk) and many more upgrades on suspension and brakes, (the car was stripped to reduce weight too) therefor the STi was fantastic when it comes to handling , Legacy still has the stock brake system and suspension so till the owner (suranga) upgrade the suspension and brakes legacy handling is not that good,

when it comes to comparing the power, as i mentioned in another thread @ high boost the Air temp is going up rapidly, so whatever the boost car runs Air is hot, after he get the 6262 DBB 800cc injc, FMIC, wastgates, etc for sure it will be very fast, later the gear box will be changed, suspension and brakes will be upgraded then it will be awesome experience

At the moment im driving lancer CK2, so when i get some free time i will sell this and start another Subaru project

Shrapnel · July 11, 2010

Guys,

B4s,WRX,Sti......on HITAD today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mirage7777 · July 11, 2010

Went out to get a S/Times --sold out

What's the asking price of the Sti? details pls?

thanks

Edited July 11, 2010 by mirage7777

mirage7777 · July 12, 2010

Shrapnel said:
Guys,
B4s,WRX,Sti......on HITAD today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey Shrapnel -- i cant see the the post you made about the h_t-ads yesterday. Was it deleted? or is my computer not receiving it/defective?

Shrapnel · July 12, 2010

mirage7777 said:
hey Shrapnel -- i cant see the the post you made about the h_t-ads yesterday. Was it deleted? or is my computer not receiving it/defective?

Probably it is against the rules of the forum to share THAT kind of info-sorry!

Devinda_Z · July 12, 2010

mirage7777 said:
hey Shrapnel -- i cant see the the post you made about the h_t-ads yesterday. Was it deleted? or is my computer not receiving it/defective?

It seems to have been taken down - Advertising on the forum is not allowed

That STi 3 has some history

& the B4 isn't really worth the while either

Gayan Weerakoon · July 22, 2010

WOW How did i miss this thread...Lots of useful info on the B4

So basically the B4 does only 5 KLm's per liter....hmm making me think twice about the car....

I thought 6Klm's to 7klm's would be possible......

Any idea about the purple car advertised 2 weeks ago.

Shrapnel · July 23, 2010

Gayan Weerakoon said:
WOW How did i miss this thread...Lots of useful info on the B4
So basically the B4 does only 5 KLm's per liter....hmm making me think twice about the car....

I thought 6Klm's to 7klm's would be possible......

Any idea about the purple car advertised 2 weeks ago.

Hmmmmmmm...to have the cake and eat it

The two cars that end up always unsold-one silver one purple...food for thought,eh??

Edited July 23, 2010 by Shrapnel

Gayan Weerakoon · July 26, 2010

Yes its always one silver and Purple.......

I'm still looking for a good car so lets see how it goes....

Sharpnel hows your STI doing?

Shrapnel · July 26, 2010

Gayan Weerakoon said:
Yes its always one silver and Purple.......
I'm still looking for a good car so lets see how it goes....

Sharpnel hows your STI doing?

Contact Jehan @ Sen0k for some pointers,dude........and the name's Shrapnel and I, drive a 1999 Legacy B4 Twin-turbo

Gayan Weerakoon · July 26, 2010

Sorry about the typo mistake with your name.....I'll contact Jehan and see thanks.

Would you mind telling us more about your car? Color reg number etc.....

Shrapnel · July 29, 2010

Gayan Weerakoon said:
Sorry about the typo mistake with your name.....I'll contact Jehan and see thanks.
Would you mind telling us more about your car? Color reg number etc.....

Mine is a whitish silver 1999 Legacy JDM B4 Twin-turbo with leather interior,Hybrid VICS navigation system,McIntosh CD/Tape double Din unit(all OEM)....accident-free and just 100K-odd on the ODO....

Has a non-restictive LM Panel air filter,BOMZ Racing unorthodox underdrive pulley,Raizen Voltage stabilizer....

...planning on a HDI EMS,Swoosh gauge,front struts,newer ICE,BREMBO Brakes....

Gayan Weerakoon · July 29, 2010

Shrapnel said:
Mine is a whitish silver 1999 Legacy JDM B4 Twin-turbo with leather interior,Hybrid VICS navigation system,McIntosh CD/Tape double Din unit(all OEM)....accident-free and just 100K-odd on the ODO....
Has a non-restictive LM Panel air filter,BOMZ Racing unorthodox underdrive pulley,Raizen Voltage stabilizer....

...planning on a HDI EMS,Swoosh gauge,front struts,newer ICE,BREMBO Brakes....

Alright man thanks for this info looks like a good buy you have with a few additional extras....i'm sure your enjoying every minute of the car. Please post some pics if you dont mind i'd love to see the car.

Shrapnel · July 31, 2010

Gayan Weerakoon said:
Alright man thanks for this info looks like a good buy you have with a few additional extras....i'm sure your enjoying every minute of the car. Please post some pics if you dont mind i'd love to see the car.

Hi Gayan!

Dude don't hold your breath for photos......'cuz I am Laaaaazy sorta guy!

Seriously, I will take some pics in an impressive enough background and post it soon!!