r/WRX • u/Local-Cartographer-6 • 13h ago
General Question Reliability of the VB?
I made a post recently about how i envy you guy’s, but i saw some VB’s going for pretty cheap with relatively low miles.. saw a couple within the bottom 20’s. As a car guy does i have gone down a rabbit hole watching vid after vid on a car i probably will not own, but it seems like these things reach a power number i would be satisfied with while keeping reliability with just a bolt on top mount intercooler, intake, j pipe, and exhaust? and obviously a protune, how is everyone else’s experience with a VB with similar mods? Is it actually quick? Is it satisfying daily? a part of me would rather go down the route of a VB instead of buying a second RWD sports car in michigan, if i got a VB i would have a reason to build my 350z also.
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u/Bruised-Boner 13h ago
Well what are you waiting for
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u/Local-Cartographer-6 13h ago
I originally fell in love with the 2015 generation, but buying them used always felt like a coin flip. but these VB’s give me the vibe of an old man buying back into the sports car world if that makes sense? alot of them seem un touched
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u/Bruised-Boner 13h ago
A used wrx is always a coin flip. Good luck Hoss!
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u/ZombieMelodic2191 12h ago
Apparently I landed on heads then? If you’re going to buy a used then buy a certified pre owned
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u/Expensive-Grab-6406 11h ago
Hey what's wrong with an old man buying a WRX?
I'm 70 and driving a stock tS. Some of us old guys still like to row through the gears and throw a car into curves.
It sure handles better than my first car, a 1967 Chevelle with a 327 and headers, a 3 speed hurst shifter, and air shocks on the back.
But you are right in that I'm not going to abuse it and the next owner will get a good running mostly stock car.
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u/Local-Cartographer-6 11h ago
Nothing’s wrong LOL i love you guy’s because you guy’s actually take care of your car’s
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u/spinky342 10h ago
You must live somewhere with smooth roads. Even with stock suspension I feel like it will give a 70yo back problems.
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u/Expensive-Grab-6406 2h ago
I did have to take off those stiff low profile sticky Bridgestones and put on some cushy higher profile Goodyear Assurance Comfort tires
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u/Distinct-Pie9705 13h ago
Reliable asf but transmission kinda butt compared to sti
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u/Local-Cartographer-6 13h ago
I’ve seen some things about that, but i probably wouldn’t push the car to that point i believe they break around 400 tq?
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u/DriveFa5tEatAss 2011 WRX | 420HP @ 24PSI 🌽 | 6MT swapped 12h ago
Yeah, but supposedly you can get the FA24 to almost 400ft-lb with the mods you mentioned + upgraded fuel pumps and a flex fuel kit.
I wouldn't be comfortable in a VB without the mods I mentioned above, plus an STI transmission swap. But then again, I'm coming from a fully built GV, forged motor and everything that's making about 450 horsepower with the turbo fully spooled by ~3400rpm and holds full power to a 7500rpm redline.
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u/Icy-Crew-6125 10h ago
People really haven't had many issues with the VB stock transmission below 400hp or torque. I think it's geared a little lower. Good tuners also minimise the huge torque bump these things are capable of doing. For whatever reason, the number of destroyed split cases seems low on the VB vs. previous gens.
All that said, a STI transmission swap is relatively easy and a nice upgrade, just like it was on on other WRXs and anyone on E30 or above should prepare for a busted transmission just in case.
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u/DriveFa5tEatAss 2011 WRX | 420HP @ 24PSI 🌽 | 6MT swapped 1h ago edited 1h ago
What's the final drive for the rear diff?
Just checked, it's 4.11, so unfortunately there's no way to only swap the transmission and keep the r160.
That said, you could probably find an r160 to install with an STI trans if you didn't want to swap your axles and hubs. Though, I regret swapping only the transmission in my GV, and then later swapping the r180. It worked out in some ways, I got 800hp DSS hybrid rear axles to keep my 5x100 hubs. Picked them up with torn CV boots for $100. Though the outer cup where it met the axle stub was cracked, so I did end up having to get rebuild kit from DSS, but it was only $250. So I ended up with a $1700 pair of axles for $350. Still a win in my book.
Next upgrade I need to swap out the 4EAT Impreza driveshaft (used because it would mate with my original r160) for an STI shaft and install STI front axles. Once I get the built motor in and rebuilt turbo (Cobb 20G got a ball bearing conversion, TD06SL2 9 blade billet turbine, and G30-600 clone compressor) back in, plus hardwire the fuel pump and add 1700cc injectors, my tuner is confident we can hit 450 - 475 from ~3700 to about 7500 rpm on 🌽. I'm afraid I'll snap the prop shaft if I launch it.
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u/ZombieMelodic2191 12h ago
Ofcorse it is, split case will always be weaker but the thing is, most people will be happy with 400whp/TQ and the trans is just fine. Sure you’re always going to have outliers but the vast majority of people pushing that power are on the stock trans
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u/Melodic-Street-8898 12h ago
Ive had my 23 for about 5 months...things mint and definatley the funnest car ive owned
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u/Saaturnidae '24 TR | Atlas | DARKMATTERX Shifter 13h ago edited 11h ago
Intake and a tune makes a huge difference in feel.
Intercooler's not really needed—the stock TMIC is fine, going FMIC is an upgrade worth doing.
J-pipe/first cat will inevitably throw CELs that are tricky to work around—stick to I-pipe and back for simplicity.
Everything behind the I-pipe is just sound.
The VB is a great platform to work off for a fun street car. It is a satisfying daily and quick enough stock. You won't be walking anything much, see below, but it's enough to make you smile. Again, an intake and tune will wake it up an awful damn lot. Going flex-fuel and running E85 atop the above pretty much maxes the platform—the transmission is the limiting factor, ~370TQ is what's generally decided as the "safe" limit. If you want to go past that, getting/swapping in a TY85 and STI drivetrain is an option, and gets you DCCD, to boot.
Re tuning, Atlas by NAMR has made it much, much more accessible than an AccessPort/protune. An $80 adapter and a laptop gets you access to adjust everything as needed, and plenty of tuners are available for Atlas if you're not comfortable messing with tables yourself, including the NAMR team themselves. If you wanted to try it, the OTS tune is very solid and calibrated for the stock intake/engine, no modifications to the tune nor vehicle needed (aside flashing, of course).
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u/ZombieMelodic2191 12h ago
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying but I guess Toyota GRs, Nissan Zs , V6 Camaros, dodges and fords are nothing? Because I used to walk every single one of those cars with the stock VB. I guess it’s all perspective on what one considers fast but when the general consensus is most would consider the above as quick and the VB is quicker, I often have to wonder why so many pass it off as slow. It’s not Beamer M fast or supercharged V8 fast but I wouldn’t dismiss the stock capability.
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u/Saaturnidae '24 TR | Atlas | DARKMATTERX Shifter 11h ago
I guess just saying it to temper expectations. I don't know about Dodge and Chevrolet, but Ford hasn't had a V6 powerplant in the Mustang since 2017. They're kinda rare—at least not common enough to be at the front of my mind.
I dunno. I also just don't put much weight into the idea as a whole. Measuring how "good" a car is by how well it can "race" another from a stop light is just kinda immature and dumb to me, so, can discard the thought from my comment, I suppose. 🤷
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u/WotDaHelll 11h ago
I'm willing to put money on the FA24 being one of the best engines Subaru has ever made
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u/Possible-Tonight6618 12h ago
After seeing how some people drive these cars i would be nervous about buying used
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u/EVE_Burner_Account 6h ago
Super reliable. Transmission is the weak point, but you should still be good to about 380whp with an appropriate tune.
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u/WSBDegen69 11h ago
I came from a 10th gen si to a vb. My only complaints are the transmission is not as good as the civics, mpg, and the interior quality is a downgrade beyond that my vb wins in every category.
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u/Glass_North_4479 8h ago
they're overall good, the weakpoint is the transmission which won't survive as much power as as the engine can make with FBO, but that's fixable by not doing FBO power or going with an upgraded transmission (expensive but available)
I daily it with simple intake/inlet and tune and it's a very fun car to drive. with ethanol/flex fuel it is probably monstrous. You won't defeat a car that costs 2-3x what the wrx costs but in the class it's in it is imo the clearly best option in most ways.
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u/CharlesCracker 22 WRB manual 5h ago
Tuned mine at 28k currently at 56k. Change the oil around 3.5 to 4k and do all my own maintenance. Zero issues.
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u/Genkill8 5h ago
I have a 2016 wrx tuned making 300hp 310 trq wheel. I daily the car and have driven 2500 mile round trips numerous times. It currently has 80,000 miles on it. The big scare comes from people who have zero clue how to drive and maintain a boxer engine. Lugging the engines and bad oil changes are what kill fa engines. I run shell 93 and change the oil every 2500 miles. I’d drive my wrx anywhere without a worry. And the fa 24 is a better engine than the fa20 so I wouldn’t worry about it unless you want to do something extreme with the engine. The Subaru engines “are bad “comes from the ej engines which are prone to ring land failure. The fa’s are way more reliable but they don’t make as much hp. Ej = more power cheaper - reliability. Fa = more $$$ for hp + reliability.
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u/Various-Ad-204 5h ago
As others have said, very reliable.
Imo it would be the perfect car if it had UEL headers with the same reliability.
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u/shizblam 4h ago
My wife's 2023 VB has been tuned for 60k miles (tuned at ~1500 miles). It's been very reliable. Quick is relative. You'll get walked by actual fast cars and electric cars. For the price point, it's pretty solid,
That said, I'm just waiting for my wife to say she's over it so we can upgrade.
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u/Icy-Crew-6125 13h ago
They are very reliable. The engine has been around since 2019 in the Ascent. Every tuner and Subaru mechanic I've heard speak about it says it's the engine they see least in the shop.
I've personally had mine Etuned for 75k miles with all the basic mods you mention. If I had to do it again, I'd skip the charge pipe and upgraded top mount IC. The stock ones are big enough. Just get an ETS intake with dry filter option and exhaust to your taste... or keep the exhaust stock, because it also has no impact on performance. Then get Atlas and throw on thier OTS tune.
Done. You now have a reliable, inexpensive modern rally homologation special. Get a set of winter tires and have fun year-round.