buying an rs/ heads/power question

[subi]

gday guys
im looking at buying an rs in the near future and have a couple of questions to be asked to help guide me in picking one.

1) i have read that the rs's standard ej20g has a closed deck block which is good but to get decent power out of them you need to swap to wrx/better flowing heads. correct?


so im basically wondering whether its a better idea to find a car thats already had heads put on or go with the standard engine.

2) will the standard heads go alright with a few moderate performance mods- front mount, more boost, bigger turbo etc or will it start to bust things? not looking for huge power but yeah

3)also a wrx engine has semi closed block yes? does this mean it would be not as good as an rs block with wrx heads?
4)how much would it cost roughly to get heads put on?

5) do wrx's still have the coil pack problem?

6) is a wrx gearbox of same era stronger than an rs one?

7)im also wondering whether theres much handling difference between wagon and sedan or are they much the same? - esp after swaybars are on em

i think id prefer a wagon as they look a bit more unique. so if anyone has one for sale in WA soon let me know.

cheers
Matt

[scrim]

Try doing a search mate.. everything has been covered extensively before.

Basically the stock RS motor will go alright but newer (my98) heads will flow much better. Also wrx gearbox (i'm assuming gc8) will be maybe a touch stronger but not a lot.

[grug]

1- pretty much. You dont HAVE to, but its a hell of a lot easier if you do. It also gets rid of the 'tappet noise' problem.

2 - depends on your definition of 'all right'. Personally Id change heads before doing FMIC/turbo modifications, although a touch more boost wouldn't hurt (assuming you account for fuel/spark issues)

3 - Some WRX engines are semi-closed (thinking EJ207's) but most are plain open decked.
Its not necessarily not as good as a closed deck/RS head setup, but neither are that great in the first place.

4 - some version 3/4 heads usually go from about $500 to $1000 depending on model and condition. Then you need new head gaskets etc.

5 - Umm, not identical. The later WRX coil pack is slightly better than the RS setup but not ideal. Hence the favoritism for the Bosch coil conversions.

6 - Subaru's have a reputation for having gearboxes made of glass, which is quite true for early boxes driven by someone with no/little mechanical sympathy. The exception to this is obviously the 6 speed which is damned strong. Some Version 3/4 STi boxes have been know to hold up quite well but certainly wont handle launches for long.

7 - Although I cant say ive driven a RS Wagon at speed, the general consensus is that the wagons are outperformed by Sedans because they are a little less rigid in the rear. A rear strut brace goes a long way to correct this.


As Scrimmy has said, the SEARCH button is your friend.:)

[subi]

yeh had a search but found it too hard to sift through to find the info i needed. this helped heaps. thanks!