Performance Modifications for the Australian Forester GT MY98-03
NOTE MRT DOES NOT OWN THIS DOC
Many of you will own a Forester GT and read MRT’s pages with enthusiasm thinking “I
wonder what can be done to enhance the performance of my car? I know it’s based on the
Impreza GC chassis and it has a similar turbo charged engine after all”. I like you, also
wondered what could be achieved by tweaking the Forester. The answer my fellow
enthusiasts, is plenty!
Certainly, modifying the GT is not without limitations. The Forester is not designed to be a
pure sports car. If you want a WRX, it’s probably best to go out and buy one straight up - their
level of original equipment is designed more for speed and handling. The Forester has
advantages though is in its load carrying capacity, off-road ability, comfort and refinement. It
makes a terrific ‘Grand Tourer’!
The Subaru Forester GT uses the same engine
(EJ205T) as the WRX, albeit with slightly less
aggressive cams and a smaller turbo charger (TF035
as opposed to TD04L in the Rex), designed to produce
a lower output engine with mid range power and torque
more matched to the designed purpose of this very
versatile vehicle. It also rides on higher profile tyres (60
series) and has more suspension travel than the WRX,
with a higher overall ride height and centre of gravity,
and is a lot less aerodynamic!
This is not to say that the Forester GT cannot be modified to improve its road going prowess
and tune it to the owner’s specific requirements. Improvements can be made that will
enhance not only the power delivery and responsiveness of the engine but also it’s handling
and braking, bringing it very close to or sometimes better than the overall performance of a
stock WRX depending on the extent of the modifications.
The good thing about modifying a Forester is that many enhancements can be made without
altering the overall look of the car from stock. We all know that the WRX is a magnet for the
police and thieves. Imagine owning a Forester that out-performs a WRX but still looks like a
standard Forester, retaining the original versatility of the wagon with some off-road ability too -
all without drawing attention to it!
With this in mind, I set about ‘enhancing’ my Forester. What I’ve ended up with is a car that is
infinitely better suited to my purposes – and I’ve stuck to my original plans to keep the car
looking like a stock Forester from the outside. It is now however much more fun to drive! It will
out pace a stock WRX, and both the handling and braking have been improved significantly.
My Forester is my daily driven work car, weekend
recreational vehicle and my sports car all rolled into one.
Along the enhancement path I had to make certain
compromises to achieve the all-round driveability I
desired. I sometimes take the Forester off-road, so this
necessitated a compromise in the suspension upgrade to
ensure there was a minimal reduction in wheel travel. I
was also keen to preserve the vehicles reliability and its
fuel economy, which meant tuning it accordingly.
Overall, I’m very happy with the result. The Forester is now the car it should be when it leaves
Subaru’s factory! As your purposes and budget may differ from mine, I’ve divided the
explanation of the modifications I have made into three stages which approximate the order in
which I did things.
Performance Modifications for the Australian Forester GT MY98-03
www.mrtperformance.com.au/store/articles/Modifying-a-GT-Forester.pdf
The Subaru Forester GT uses the same engine ... and tune it to the owner's specific requirements. ..... boost gauge with a manual boost controller so you.
You can Download Subaru Forester GT MY98-03 Manual PDF Below
If the information you are looking for less, you can use the sponsored links to get related information
Get the file | Download here