2022 WRX Cobb OTS Tune Review/Impressions

[@davehorton5409]

I bought a new 2023 WRX unsure about the break-in I keep it below 4000 and never lug good warm-up and cool-down fuel mileage is not great but I only drive 10 miles a day for now. Great power2-4k rpm pulls stock tires not good on snow but on wet roads dry is fine. I like your real-world videos!

[@DireRaptor22]

From what I understand, DAM is the "global ignition timing" of your car, which is what you mentioned when it's at 1 it is basically 100% power etc. On FA engines it may fluctuate depending on various conditions etc. but the most common reason it may drop is because of knock. I've also noticed that bad driving may also cause it to drop (too much throttle at low RPMs etc) which may contribute to more knock. Once it learns what RPMs and throttle position it last saw a knock event, it will pull timing at that same place until there is no more knock, and then slowly relearn itself back up if it continues to be knock free. I'm not an expert with these cars but it's what I learned over the years of owning one.

[@davidbernal6108]

Subbed. Can't wait to watch that video that goes n depth with your Tuner. I'd love more resources on youtube for self-tuning on a COBB!

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Thanks so much! Yea we are meeting tonight or tomorrow so that will be out this week! I'm also looking forward to it. It's something I will be making into a series because it's an ongoing conversations and new questions come up everyday.

[@beaches2mountains230]

Going back to watch this again and damn man you can be quite compelling lol. Have less than 2000k miles on her and I've been on the fence bc of warranty but I have a Mishimoto intake and feel like I need to have it tuned plus who doesn't want more hp, data, and tunability? I also was wondering if any tuners also make an economy tune as well and I wonder how good your mpg would be say on a road trip etc ?

[@MatthewCarpenter-ct8dh]

I have had the COBB Accessport on a few WRX's. I appreciated the benefits of the COBB OTS, but had some minor issues with knock and DAM drop. I switched to drunkmann tunings OTS tune, and it is awesome! Zero knocks and zero DAM drops in the past 3 weeks. I have driven both city and highway driving. Check out the drunkmann tunings, better than the MAPerformance tune I had on my 2020.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Yea if you have the ability or money getting an etune is always a safe bet over the OTS. I had an etune on my 2021 and I tracked it all summer last year. It was rock solid.

[@joshmoore8141]

Good video. I don't think I will mod my GT but nice to see others look at these mods

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

I have no problem being your proverbial guinea pig 🐖🐷

[@martinmessier80]

One of the best review I’ve seen thanks !✌️

[@tayno-wayno]

Awesome video! What are your thoughts on reliability with a subtle e-tune (315ish hp). I’ve been hearing that the trans is the weakest link.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

From what we can tell the transmission is similar to last gen but earlier gears are a bit beefier. 315whp is super safe for these cars but it still depends on where you dial in the torque and how you drive it. If you're doing some spirited driving every now and then and mainly commuting I think you're going to be just fine. I will be beating on my car a lot on the weekends so I'll report back any happenings 🤣

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Do you have a Cobb Accessport yet? 😎

[@ChrisLaneification]

Loaded up my AP last night. Diving it easy AF. Shows FKL and Feedback knock. DAM drops to 0.625 Meanwhile. FULL SEND on the highway and there’s 0 knock whatsoever. Which isn’t really worrying at all, buuuuuut that’s what you get with a general OTS tune. Eagerly waiting on my base map to come in from Graham haha. That way I won’t have to stare at the AP while I drive.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

That's how it is sometimes with the OTS. I had a similar experience with the factory map too. Can't wait to see your tune from Graham!

[@scottcalvert2537]

I for one am looking forward to an interview with your tuner. This is a new platform for me and am trying to absorb as much as I can. Keep up the great videos.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Thanks! Yea I think it'll be nice to have some base information and an open conversation for everyone. People can even post questions that I can take back to him.

[@XxMirageOxX]

Hey man! Love your videos. I currently have a K&N drop in filter installed. Do you advise against trying to go for the Cobb OTS tune in lowkey afraid cause it’s not a “stock filter” and more airflow lol

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Hey there! That shouldn't matter. As long as you only have the filter. The time it becomes an issue is when the diameter of the piping changes. You should be good to try out the OTS with just a drop in filter. 🤘

[@pauljohnson4078]

Love your channel-great content! Just bought a black 22 WRX, amazing, so much fun!

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Thanks so much! It really is a fun car. Glad your enjoying it 😊

[@beaches2mountains230]

Really curious if you ever pulled the numbers on vb wrxs, warranty work etc.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

I have not. It would be interesting but I'm not sure where I'd be able to find this info.

[@Cugine7]

“Woah cant fix your radio because you tuned your engine” 😂 too funny

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Hahah it's true! "Bro, ignore the intake ...the radios INSIDE the car!" 😂😂

[@mustachemulligans9846]

Do you have to keep the Cobb plugged in when you're using it or once you flash the 93 octane you can unplug it and leave it alone?

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

It's good to leave it plugged in at first so you can make sure things are working. The after just plug it in when you need to relfash or get logs. I plug it in whenever I make changes to see what my numbers look like. Most times it's just unplugged.

[@jbone_malone]

I've had an OTS tune on my 17 WRX for like 2-3 years now. I put on an intake along with an aos. I only have like 37k miles on it. I have yet to get a protune. I don't drive it too much and my finances have been tied up. I plan on getting a protune this year when I put on a bunch of other parts I've accumulated. I don't want to get a tune and then have other parts I need to tune for.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

Yea and there's nothing wrong with that. As long as you're not full sending the car at a track everyday. It all takes time and it's all good. 😎

[@suncentaurusdustybuns2280]

Even those this is not exaxtly related to Cobb but can you use the JB4 tuner with BMS intake map 1 or map2 without going to burger maybe you tried or would i need to send the log in to make a custom tune based on my log

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

I would not suggest it. The map 1 and 2 do not account for the added air increase. I had to actually make my own map and mess around with settings and talk to Burger and in the end I wasn't able to get it to work well. My AFRs we're ok but the car responded very poorly and would cut boost. I think it was trying to hit a higher boost target. Even though I would lower it I still ran into issues.

[@marcinfil3673]

Cool content. Why not just get a protune and not bothering with Cobb or Burger?

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

I actually did get a protune. This is just a video I wanted to make about my impressions. It's still the starting point for a lot of people and they need to know that it's ok to be on an OTS till you figure out your next moves.

[@marcinfil3673]

@@HeavyMetalWRX thanks for the reply. Do we need to get Cobb to get a protune, or can we bypass Cobb tune and unit and get a protune directly from a tuner?

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

@@marcinfil3673 it will require a tune as most tuners are using Cobbs AccessTuner software. At this time I'm not aware of any open source tuning solutions.

[@jecoboost1440]

Are you worried about the oil pan gasket.

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

At this time no. We are keeping an eye on it but until there is some aftermarket upgrade I'm not gonna drop the pan. Unless Subaru drops a recall or something but we shall see what happens.

[@dougrodriguez4977]

Nah dude, you want a map with solidly consistent DAM, has nothing to do with any other fantasy you could imagine to create content. It’s a good idea to log and keep an eye on your parameters as often as possible, even if pro tuned. Anything can change along the way and you want to be aware.

[@MrGsxrme]

DAM should always be 1 unless some maps start lower and build up to 1 but if your DAM is 1 and drops then your engine had a bad knock event. Don't get confused with fine knock 1.4 which is fine. Anyways OTS maps tend and do blow engines and I would recommend getting a protune. It topically costs $350 & I'm not talking about an E-tune either, get a damn protune!

[@HeavyMetalWRX]

So the '22 isn't actually built this way. Cobb found this first when they started playing with the tune back in October. For whatever reason the engine doesn't get any knock events but starts to drop the DAM down below 1 when you're cruising and raises it back to 1 whenever you give it any substantial gas. ECU reset doesn't change either. It is just what the ECU does. I experienced it while being on the road and on the Dyno, the scenarios were completely reproducible. There are more technical reasons behind this but I don't have them. I'm hoping my tuner can get with me soon for a video so I can bring the proper technical explanation.

[@kiritowow2736]

@@HeavyMetalWRX that is not 2022 wrx doing，all stock ECU from previous gen is doing that，stock ECU will have very strict DAM rules to allow engine to run full timing，stock ECU timing is very aggressive but it will also retard timing aggressive，aftermarket tune will have a different strategy with lower timming setup but with higer DAM allowed level and lean out the fuel trim to make car running richer，that is why aftermarket tune feel smother but may not be safer because it allowed more knock if something goes wrong

[@kiritowow2736]

@@HeavyMetalWRX if you did not see any knock event it does not mean there is no knock，there is a knock event sensitivity setting in the ECU which you can adjust，but ECU will still pick it up anyway，same with what I say above，stock ECU barely allowed any knock it pick up and it will retard timing which is DAM drop