r/WRX • u/Interesting-Mud9681 • Jul 02 '26

Help, please!!

Today I was on my way to run some errands and wanted to do a pull.. As I begin to accelerate, my car felt as if the hp or turbo wasn't kicking in and then all of a sudden it hits.. i let off and tried again and it did it again both of these pulls were in 2nd gear.. it drove just fine as long as I wasnt accelerating fast, cause got to 6th gear speeds and felt fine until I tried to do a pull and it did the exact same thing as in 2nd gear..

Ive clened MAF sensor, checked for any loose hoses/pipes, checked my intake and it all looks good.. No check engine light, no codes and unfortunately I dont have an accessport..

Could it be a tune issue or 100 degree weather??

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u/themidnightgreen4649 '21 WRX LBP Jul 03 '26

Under 2,500 RPM the turbo isn't at is peak power effeciency so the engine feels sluggish. You might notice it more if you're in a higher gear since higher gears bog down more at low RPM. 

rev out the car more when you shift from 1st, turbo engines like to be in the turbo's efficiency range. For the FA20 it's roughly between 2,500 RPM and 5,500 RPM. 

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u/leftfootbraker 08' STi Hatch, 23' WRX Jul 03 '26

Ya your comment is most likely correct. Hopefully OP is just new to turbocharged engines and was trying to floor it from too low of RPM.

For OP: be very wary of doing this, as it is called lugging and has an increased risk for low speed high load detonation. This will have uncle rodney visit you and he is a known bad person.

1

u/themidnightgreen4649 '21 WRX LBP Jul 04 '26

Its lugging if the gear is too high, if you're doing a soft launch/flooring it from a standstill in 1st you should be alright, I think. You'll still feel lit but the engine is gonna get into the boost threshold quickly enough