AVO Turbo Kit for NA - official thread

I've put together some information on the NA turbokit prototype - it's on our site, and I'll post the text here as well.

 

2008 Impreza 2.5i Turbo Kit Prototype

 

About 10 years ago, Ross of AVO came over to the states for an extended R&D trip, creating one of our most famous turbo kits for the Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS. The 2.5 RS was a great car from Subaru that had all the trappings of the STI turbo models in Japan with it's aggressive hood scoop and sporty 2-door styling. Unfortunately, the situation under the hood was not quite so sporty, as Subaru opted to only offer it with a 2.5-liter non-turbo motor in America. Given AVO's 39 years of turbocharging cars that hadn't been turbocharged in the first place, this was a natural job for us.

 

That project is, as they say, history. We still provide the kit to RS 2.5 owners, and it's been a steady, strong performer through this entire time. While it is still available, there is less and less 2.5 RS Impreza's available as the years go by. We had been looking at doing a turbo kit for the newer models from Subaru, but have been waiting for the right timing. With the release of the Accessport for the 2008 Impreza 2.5i, the timing was now right.

 

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/09_news/0908_rskit_proto/rs_kit01.jpg

 

What makes the Accessport so important to this project? Engine management is actually one of the thornier issues when building a turbocharger kit, as so many areas need to be modified to make it work. Problems that come up when you turbocharge a car that was not turbocharged in the first place are multiple. When a manufacturer builds a car these days, they usually build it to very tight specifications with only a minimum level of necessary equipment. Fuel injectors and the fuel pump are one of those areas that are built to a minimum specification only, which meant both will need to be replaced with higher flowing units due to the fuel demands of turbochargers. That is just but one of the issues that come up when we are creating a turbocharger kit. We solve the fuel pump issue with the AVO 245l/hr fuel pump, and anticipate using 500cc injectors.

 

So once we knew we had a engine management solution in place, we were ready to start building the prototype. We already had in mind the basic specifications for the package. The turbocharger we chose for this application is a Garrett dual ball-bearing AVO350 (based on the GT28) for it's combination of quick spool up and good mid-rpm performance. It flows about 39lbs/min of air - more than enough for cars running on a complete stock engine, and with headroom for people that choose to swap in a STI shortblock to run more boost and make even more power. That said, the newer NA cars have much better built engines than in the past, and can run at higher boost levels than the 2.5 RS motors that were available back in 1999. A stainless steel downpipe and uppipe will be used, and we are looking into using a California-compliant OBD-II sports cat on the downpipe.

 

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/09_news/0908_rskit_proto/rs_kit05.jpg

 

A big design change from our previous kit was moving from using a top mounted intercooler to a front mounted intercooler. When we designed the kit for the older cars, they already had a hood scoop in place, with a simple, removable plate blocking airflow. This made it a no-brainer to specify a TMIC to go under than hoodscoop, taking advantage of resources that were already available. Subaru stopped using hoodscoops on any non-turbo car however, and this created a new problem. Anybody that wished to fit the kit would need to purchase a new or used hood from a turbo model if we designed the kit with a TMIC.

 

Measuring 595mm by 222mm by 90mm, the AVO front mount intercooler core is huge! and suffers from almost no pressure loss. The cast aluminum endtanks were specifically designed and engineered for high airflow, as poorly designed endtanks would negate the performance advantages of the large core. Heavy-duty Kevlar-reinforced rubber piping and cast aluminum pipes ensure the air continues to flow fast and cool throughout the system. Smooth bends throughout minimize performance-robbing bottlenecks.

 

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/09_news/0908_rskit_proto/rs_kit03.jpg

 

Thus we came to a decision to use a FMIC with this kit. It would add to the overall cost of the kit, but that would be much less of a cost than a new hood and possible paint for the hood as well. The bumper cover would require some minor trimming - but it was actually quite minor and far less of a hassle than a new hood. A big upside is that both tuning would be easier with the FMIC, and more power would become available, even on the stock motors. That is not just because the FMIC would flow more air, but it also keeps it cooler, especially in stop and go traffic. This makes getting all the available power out of the engine much easier - especially on a NA motor, as it runs more compression than turbocharged motors. Avoiding detonation is always an issue, even on motors originally designed for turbocharging. We already have a bolt-on solution for the air intake as well, as we designed and have in production an Power Air intake kit for the non-turbo models. Like our other intake kits, it uses a washable filter element.

 

The kit you see here in the pictures is not the finished version, though it does look quite polished for a prototype. When Ross builds a prototype, he likes to keep the finished product in mind, so goes the extra yard to polish everything up. The kit was designed to use a combination of cast aluminum endtanks, steel piping, and with kevlar reinforced rubber hoses at all the tight spots. This ensures that it will fit well without damaging the car or the kit itself due to rubbing or other fitment issues. Longevity of the kit is very important to us, as we've got customers that still have the kits after 5 or more years of usage.

 

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/09_news/0908_rskit_proto/rs_kit06.jpg

 

As the kit hasn't even reached the production stage yet, we cannot release the expected MSRP of it, the final performance numbers, or anything else of that nature. Pricing will be higher than our previous kit, partially because of the use of a FMIC, but also because injectors, fuel pump, and the Accessport are necessary as well. It also depends on the demand for the new kits, for if there is a big demand, that'll help drive development costs per kit down. It's still going to be a steal either way for the price, given the performance and quality of this kit.

 

Regards,

 

Paul Hansen

http://www.avoturboworld.com

Subscribed for updates. Sounds like a top-notch quality kit! This may be the last mod for my car, though it'd probably take a while to save up for

oh wow time to save up the coins

oh wow time to save up the coins

count me in all i need is the money lol

I know somebody is gonna come in and say ''trade your 2.5i for an LGT'', but here's the thing:

 

when I bought my car, a brand new 2.5i/2.5SE is $24k-$30k. A new LGT/Spec.B is $40k-$45k. That's a $15k difference! Let's pretend this kit will be between $4500-$5k, still already gives you more power than a stock LGT/Spec.B (which is enough for me anyway) and leaves you with $10k to play around with suspension and aesthetics. Also, I'd much rather turbo my N/A I've spent the last 3 years with than trade it for a used and abused LGT. I'm sure you guys have read some horror stories about buying a used turbo car.

looks like my 09 warranty is going to be voided soon

ohhh nooo im getting those thoughts again haha. this looks awesome.

Well a new LGT is under 30k and Spec B under 36K a new 2.5i can be 24K with options. This kits looks very nice and chances are your warranty will be over when it comes time to buy sweetness comes to mind with this kit and I wonder how much ( reliable) boost our EJ253's can handle over the older ones. hard to think that our 2.5i could run neck in neck with a LGT pre 2010 that is I love IT! except ill be making a custom UP to mate to a UEL header cant loose the rumble after all my work so far.

It would also be nice if It mated to stock catback location as to use nice catbacks like my greddy

It would also be nice if It mated to stock catback location as to use nice catbacks like my greddy

More than likey only mates to stock EL manifold but that doesnt matter because the DP connect to the stock location Y pipe flange and there is NO difference btnw and LGT and a 2.5i from that point rearward

I like this thread because it delivers.

With photos I think once/if the post is made ** Kits on sale first 25 get free shipping*** then it has delivered but

looks awesome.

I'm willing to bet/hoping this is in the 3-4000 dollar range.... and not more :/

I'm willing to bet/hoping this is in the 3-4000 dollar range.... and not more :/

 

hahah yeah and that nice header you sold me will be obsolete:eek: but we have at least a year before this thing its ready minimum

The old RS TMIC kits were $4,399.99 I think for the TMIC, turbo, and required piping. I don't think injectors/pump were included 210WHP or so at 6psi.

hahah yeah and that nice header you sold me will be obsolete:eek: but we have at least a year before this thing its ready minimum

 

Actually, you could probably use a Borla/replica header with this system as long as it bolts up to the up-pipe they provide! If I were to buy this kit, I'd have to go unequal length.... turbo without boxer rumble just isn't right.

 

The old RS TMIC kits were $4,399.99 I think for the TMIC, turbo, and required piping. I don't think injectors/pump were included 210WHP or so at 6psi.

 

Rallitek is selling the 02-07 Impreza AVO kit for $3650, but it's vastly different as it doesn't use the Cobb AP, and doesn't include an FMIC with all the piping. $3999 would be a nice price point for the Legacy kit, but who knows... injectors aren't gonna be cheap, and that FMIC shown above looks to be pretty sexy. (Read: expensive)

I look for total investment in the kit to be close to $6K you will need a better clutch FW PP Fork for this application thats an extra $500-$900 and the kit is gonna be in the mid to high $4k's but it is worth it for the lucky buyers they wont be let down i am sure of that

I wish my car was paid off!

I wish my car was paid off!

 

 

Dont we all

Think it might be an option for potential buyers to pick if they'd rather go TMIC or FMIC? I'd prefer the simplicity of a TMIC and just get a GT hood, while others may want a huge front mount on their 2.5i.

I'm happier and happier I paid it off last September... That 2 years no interest thing was good since I didnt put any money down but man it hurt the paychecks!

me likey

I got lucky with my car it was paid for within the first week becasue my dad got hit my lottery ( by lottery i mean a car) while he was walkin across the street i just have to worry about the warrenty because i got the extened one but i would void it for this kit.

me likey

 

me too!