Subarus Don't Completely Suck!

[@micahstory]

What a humble and respectful way of saying “If you blow up multiple engines in a row, chances are, you’re the problem”.

[@enzymx9313]

🤣

[@HugeCockAndBalls]

Yeah problem is most people don't want it to happen once

[@RottenSon667]

He has a chilling aura

[@Bv1nte]

He's a gentleman

[@SupraSav]

Interesting, because people own cars like Benz, or BMW and have no problem blaming the brand for being expensive, prone to failures or requiring maintenance. Often cars which can handle plenty of boost and a good thrashing(IN STOCK FORM), no problem. But if *MANY* different people keep blowing up a Japanese engine, it has nothing to do with design flaws, lack of strength, or tunability... OOOOOOk

[@Murgledoo]

Personally, I’m okay with Donut’s viewerbase not buying older Subarus.

[@kaiptan]

Reverse psychology I like it!

[@ChurchAutoTest]

👉👃

[@junit7590]

Put that way I agree

[@802Garage]

Hahaha 100%

[@ebf1003]

Exactly what I thought

[@curvaholic]

I dont mind the misinformation, makes buying subaru's performance models cheaper for those of us in the know.

[@Redmongoose-rdm]

I wish that applied were I live. They are expensive here. I do notice I see less of them now, unless new and this one sti hatchback in my area.

[@Brett4517]

Completely agree with ya

[@killeroftheforgottenlegend1210]

“Us in the know” sounds like ur lying to yourself lol

[@curvaholic]

@@killeroftheforgottenlegend1210 If you say so buddy my channel features a high mileage sti I got and refreshed for the cost of ordering a used one from japan, I commented from experience not hopes and dreams.

[@joshbates6274]

@@killeroftheforgottenlegend1210 Oop. we found a "subaru's always blow up" fanboy haha

[@airborneSGT]

"Bunta Fujiwara approves of this video. My STI is still delivering tofu just fine."

[@Levibetz]

The initial D moment would be like "I don't understand a subaru managing a corner at that speed would oil starve with those G forces!" then bunta comes through in a four wheel drift, loading the oil in a different direction that causes it not to starve

[@davidf7rt]

Best comment

[@patx35]

​@@Levibetz Funny enough, both the AE86 and the STI are not stock at the end of 5th Stage (final season).

[@Levibetz]

​@@patx35I don't think they had IAG baffled pans in 1998 or whatever though haha. And I doubt Bunta installed a dry sump

[@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr]

LMFAO....dude I love you man, brought back all my Initial D memories!

[@Smeedia]

Seeing that 05 makes me want another 😮‍💨

[@Davorox1]

Stay strong chief 😢

[@Hyrule2007]

Sad to see you sell off the 07

[@darthmikey9180]

😂 But you just sold the 07 Just fix blue dude

[@OneTastyPickle]

You won't do it 👀 Kidding. Don't do it right now man, you've got a lot on your plate as is.

[@802Garage]

Porsche swap? XD

[@mm8436]

When I wanna watch fun car stuff, I watch Donut. When I wanna learn, I watch Mike

[@roddydykes7053]

Stupid* car stuff.

[@5PYZ3R]

I would say Donut's money pit Miata series is seriously educational for people new to modding, Zach Jobe did a really good job on that. But it's obviously not the same as building race cars where Mike has way more experience obviously

[@jadenpage_wrxt]

yup Mike or Smeedia for when I wanna really learn something

[@tyhyhh]

Donut has been awful for years

[@corym3985]

Diplomatic Mike "uh blowing up a lot of engines... That isn't normal" 😅

[@ChrisPBacon9]

And later "our engines don't blow up" 😂😂

[@tyree9055]

So... Who's paying them to 💩 on Subaru? Toyota? Honda? GM? 🤔

[@keithberwanger6595]

​@@tyree9055 If it's old EJs they're blowing up, it's engagement that is paying them. It's pretty sensational to smack talk a household or big brand name and if you are misinformed or misunderstanding it looks like an easy win from a social media POV.

[@R00567]

243k miles on my 2004 STI (original engine) with bolt ons a relatively stock power level. The car has not let me down other than normal preventive maintenance and regular oil changes. These cars last with the right owner and care 👍

[@YuichiTamaki]

Hi there man, I would like to get an EJ powered Subaru at some point, Did you suffered with oil leak issues at some point? I am planning to leave it stock.

[@patrickphelps2295]

My '07 WRX has 318k on original engine and 5 speed. Bolt ons and stage 1 OTS tune. Spirited driver, but I don't drive it like a rental. Regular maintenance and oil changes are the key like you said.

[@navamous]

Had 2 WRX daily driven 120k miles. One with Cobb stage 2 map + Invidia high flow cat down pipe catt back exhaust n spt intake....fun car

[@leonxmontana4258]

03 WRX 313K miles original owner car, still going strong.

[@southpaw117]

I hope I can get anywhere near this! I currently have 196,594 kilometers / 122,158 miles on my mildly-tuned 2010.

[@SleepyCorn-qv2nw]

I’ve driven a lot of high dollar powerful sports cars in my profession. 20 years later, I still choose to drive modified turbo ej’s. The fun factor and engagement of a properly built Subaru is top notch!

[@inam7904]

True, I am doing the same thing. 😅 With modified jdm sti spec c. Have driven many top cars, like 911, Evo, M, Rs, Amg etc. Sti spec c the best for me. 😊

[@tyhyhh]

100% agree a well tuned subaru is just on another level in terms of driver feel and fun factor

[@darthmikey9180]

I think donut addressed that they did oil pans, pickups, and windage trays on thier engines. They did admit that 2 of those motors died due to shooting a promo where they were running lateral g tests for way way too long starving the bearings of oil since it all was collecting in the passenger side head due to the centrifugal force.

[@roddydykes7053]

So those windage trays and pickups were for nothing

[@treaves2175]

Yeah, I love the motoiq team and content, but was disappointed by this video. If you’re going to respond to something, watch the thing. What could have been an interesting assessment and diagnosis is instead just a generic list of preventative measures. Now people who watched the videos will watch this and think “donut did all those things and it STILL blew up”. Should’ve just said building Subarus is like the ralley racing they’re known for; if you don’t do it perfectly, you’re in for some pain. But If you do it right, it’s a good time.

[@RolandKaos]

@@roddydykes7053 Its still a wet system. It's only so good. The best for that kind of extended lateral g test would be a dry system. However quite expensive and not something not needed on a road car.

[@seniknine]

​@treaves2175 that's almost exactly what Mike says tho...

[@axispowerdiesel]

Always nice to hear Mike, someone who actually knows what he is talking about in a slew of morons

[@ianfairbanks1318]

Ever read Mike's book on tuning Hondas? Opened my mind for building engines.

[@markdeo3147]

💯

[@thatbeardedwelder]

@@ianfairbanks1318 i remember reading his articles in Sport Compact Car and Dave Coleman’s. 💯 agree with you on his philosophies

[@YOLO891]

Spittin bars

[@XX-nw1xg]

The Subaru reputation problem is down to consistently bad tuning, and tuners who simply do not understand engine’s dynamics and the limitations of the factory long block. If you adhere to those limits any engine in factory form can go quite far.

[@BitcoinTo150K]

Cope

[@Tazytots]

@@BitcoinTo150K Cope? It's an easily confirmed observation that most Subaru engines blow up due to mismanagement. Only a moron would dismiss that just to perpetuate a stereotype so I ask you this: Are you a moron? There are HUNDREDS of videos on youtube teaching you how to build a Subaru engine. There are fewer showing you how not to do it so it's amazing that people still manage to do it. It's pure incompetency. 30 years worth of EJ20 and EJ25 build history people can pull sources from, and you think people are coping when someone says you cant build a Subaru? You're hilariously misinformed. Turbo'd Subarus have this rep because people thrashed them without understanding the engines, and still do. It's really not hard to do your research if you want to a build a car. It's not.

[@connordooley]

Yeah, super low factory limits. So maybe they just aren’t that good?

[@goatlocker219]

Or you can have an unmodified engine experience ringland failure at 69k. They're pretty much garbage engines, until built.

[@Tazytots]

@@goatlocker219 Ringland failure does not happen randomly. That is a myth. There are two major causes. 1) The overheating of cylinder 4. 2) Oil starvation. Both in which are only possible if you're driving the car far harder than it's designed to be driven. It's almost always user error. People just love to pretend that it's the engine that is the only variable that causes the engine to blow up, and not the person driving it, or how they're driving it.

[@CSIGrissom]

Subaru’s don’t suck, it’s the Owners that ruin second-hand Subies reputation

[@counterstrikecannoli4443]

EJ's kinda suck

[@flov-spec7574]

i got a sti 2016 sport tech and after 8 years i put 50k on it. There way better platform for price/power. It's a fun daily and realy good in canada winter and the parts are eazy to get but in the end it's a 4 cylinder. Worst part i will say is the community is normally young and broke with all the wrx putting sti wing and unbadging and thinking it's a lambo.

[@CSIGrissom]

@@counterstrikecannoli4443 fair enough

[@BitcoinTo150K]

Nah even brand new they blow up hard blame owners 😂

[@CSIGrissom]

@@BitcoinTo150K you do realize you have to gradually drive any brand new car to break-in the engine properly?…you can’t just off the lot floor it and jam shift the transmission My Guy

[@BoxBoxBoxGaming]

this continues to be my favorite automotive channel. I appreciate not being yelled at or screamed at on KZbin. it's so refreshing to just be talked to like a human.

[@EphraimWolf]

Had an 07 STI, never had a problem with it at all and would run it hard occasionally. No ringland failure, no head gasket problems, changed timing belt once in the entire time I owned it. Now I have a wrx swapped 2.5RS Coupe. It's the most solid car I've ever owned and no problems. Everyone thinks they can just buy these cars, slap on parts, and call it a day. There's also people that get new motors or rebuilt motors and just throw it on the track with no break in or they immediately slap on a ton of parts and run it on a tune and complain their motors blow up. It's really just owner negligence... I've also found that shops that specialize in Subaru's will keep your car running healthy a lot longer than taking it to a general performance shop and keep you on the right path.

[@MalcolmCir]

At this point, a tastefully done WRX swapped GM6 would be my dream build. That and an STi swapped Forester...

[@goatlocker219]

The ringland failure issues really started in 2008. My 2017 just suffered it at 69k and it is completely stock, not launched, not raced, just driven. There are multiple lawsuits because of this. I just sent my lawyer pictures of my broken ringlands.

[@FeherRob]

Next paycheck I'm buying your merch. Honest, straight forward and informative. It's become tiring to hear other channels about Subarus or anything to do with the automotive industry in general. Always pumped to see a new upload. Thanks again!

[@FeherRob]

Appreciate the likes! Glad folks feel the same way. Next pay check I'll get merch. Gotta love bills and life. 😂

[@ungeekness]

Mike has forgotten more Subaru knowledge than I will ever have

[@christianallen9653]

Mike, you guys at MotoIQ are a wealth of knowledge and the best kind of positive influence that the industry needs. Thanks for all that you guys do

[@drunk3n_m0nk12]

I've been daily driving a 500whp Subaru for the last 5 years with dozens of track days sprinkled in. It's had its hiccups as any modified car would if used regularly but the engine is just as healthy as it was since day one. *Responsible* ownership and modification is the key.

[@Boolaine1]

@drunk3n_m0nk12 This is exactly what I want to do. Would love to chat with you about this.

[@rawevoli]

Stock engine?

[@dredlocked07]

Is that off pump gas?

[@davidf7rt]

If everybody do things with half the love and care than Mike puts into these little Subaru motors, the world would be a better place. 🌍

[@terrenceolivido741]

u mention the word love. u got it.

[@8Bitplus]

my subaru is amazing. i just didnt pump a bunch of boost into it without a tune. i kept it stock and she is still running strong almost 20 years later and 144k

[@liltorbs]

Always appreciate videos like this, thanks for helping spread the proper information out here.

[@MattBowler]

9:03 | "I'm not sure who the tuner was, I'm not speaking badly of them, but, ya know, blowin' up a lot of motors isn't normal!" -Mike

[@jaidedeye]

I have a 2023 VB WRX I bought new and I still get people claiming it’s gonna blow up. It’s all just regurgitated garbage from people who don’t own Subarus.

[@aaronbryan5095]

The turbocharged version of the FA24 is pretty well built straight out of the box, certainly much less temperamental than the EJ25

[@RonnyRoice]

The VB is solid. Subaru made it bullet proof comparing to the EJ. I think the only thing you have to be careful with is the Transmission.

[@jaidedeye]

@@RonnyRoice agreed. If the VB came with the STI trans it would be a real weapon. The trans issues with the VB are hit or miss. Most that do have issues are pushing 400tq or more. Some that have issues with lower power levels are usually doing a lot of hard launches etc but avoid mentioning that and just blame Subaru. For me, I’m concentrating on handling on my VB. The car is amazing at stock power. I’m sure I will eventually tune it but it will be sub 400hp/400tq. That power level in an AWD car is a different world compared to FWD or RWD and most people don’t understand that. No wheel spin an 400whp is pretty amazing

[@AudioHead809]

What a great video! Good job keeping it super informative, professional and entertaining. Thanks!

[@zzyzx85]

Great points by Mike in this video. As a former Subaru owner, there was always a little bit of worry when we started pushing the performance of our cars. The factory engine of my 2011 STI was indeed fragile and I had mine rebuilt once (stretched head bolt resulted in coolant loss) with new forged components. When it was rebuilt, I planned it all out with a reputable builder and since I was going to track it, we went with less overall power but a more linear powerband and increased the oil capacity with a bigger pan and an external oil cooler. I already had a Koyo radiator to keep it cool. The new engine was rock solid on track, in the canyons, and daily driving. Sadly I had to sell the car as I was moving on to other hobbies but I still enjoyed my time with my STI hatchback.

[@Nate88isboss]

Donut is still an okay channel but went hard down hill when they go bought out

[@skvltdmedia]

Oh? They got bought out?

[@seahad4744]

Agreed. It is like the stakeholders just want to max out views per video by doing whatever is easy entertainment to the masses.

[@cerisem7727]

They went downhill for years even before Donut got bought out. I just stopped watching their videos and unsubscribed. A lot of car channels have kinda went downhill lately, I think the only stuff I watch now is Doug Demuro, Motoiq, and AutoAlex.

[@cerisem7727]

​@@skvltdmediaDonut got bought out by theDrive a while back.

[@aufo1906]

I would also add that if you run E85 do your oil changes even more frequently. I change mine at about 1000-1500 miles if I ran nothing but E85 and no pump gas

[@andrewable2634]

If anything it makes the subaru's cheaper for us to grab! Win win

[@BennyJay3]

Until all the engines are blown and prices are skyrocketing

[@Username-2]

I don’t think you had to worry about that.

[@Sad-cb7ng]

I would love to work for this guy! Been working with Subarus and i love how he really goes into detail with everything.

[@DiLLY_V92]

Some random guy walked up to me during my electrician licensing classes today as was like “yeah I don’t like Subarus because they always blow” and I was like “have you even owned one?” - “no, I have a trans am” 🫠 a lot of these people have never even built a motor.

[@supersportimpalass]

He is talking about the owner 🏳️‍🌈 not the engine. 😂

[@goatlocker219]

Maybe because they didn't have to build a motor, unlike us Subaru owners.

[@Allanstiii]

Thanks for the clarification and informing people about Subarus

[@salsamike647]

I just tuned and spruced up my 2004 wrx wagon and mike sure made me a lot more knowledagble and safe with my build. I cant wait to do an IAG block and build my car to clone that 550hp sti build :] these cars and videos bring me a lot of joy.

[@andrewoxner2941]

The newer FA24 motors are proving to be very resilient to abuse, and tuning for higher HP.

[@ws6619]

real engineers / mechanics over shock jock content. love it. Great video Mike. Me and my six Subies appreciate you.

[@jesusthenotorius6991]

This dude is absolutely amazing. Super humble and a total bad ass!

[@JimmyDShea]

This is part of the reason I feel so blessed living close to shops like IAG & Andrewtech.

[@802Garage]

I'm not saying Subaru makes the strongest engines, but when the same people blow up that many in a row, the cars may not be the problem. People rally relatively stock Subaru engines on a regular basis and they don't automatically blow up. I have a friend with a stock 2007 WRX that she has tracked numerous times and daily driven for years now with no issues. She just has an STI intercooler and she uses good oil with regular maintenance. She is not easy on the car at the track either she is going flat out. I personally own 10 Subarus, all with original engines, never blown up. That said, my only turbo engines are EJ20, but they do have quite high miles and still run perfect. This is all anecdotal, but as you laid out, Subaru engines are not just garbage. It may be a mixed bag, but I think Donut was tipping the scales here, even if unintentionally. Plus, at least Subaru is super easy to work on. You have to drive and work on one to understand what makes them so appealing.

[@NotWBT]

Speaking for stock cars. My 30 year old sti still turns over first try. I've owned 7 ej20 cars. Never had an engine issue outside of vacuum leaks from old hoses.

[@simon-fr9se]

I appreciate the knowledge and depth of any topic Mike talks about. it doesn't matter what it is, I'm always learning something new that I can use in various car applications. Thank you MIKE!

[@robertheymann5906]

A tuner is not an engine builder. Two entirely different

[@BrodeyDoverosx]

The best tuners know how to build an engine.

[@BennyJay3]

​@@BrodeyDoverosx true but it's like knowing house to frame a house... and then knowing how to run the electrical. They interact but aren't the same thing

[@tobiasfrancisco5879]

What about bbr tuning in Spokane Washington? He builds and tunes with the best of em.

[@nycyabber7103]

Tbh, having to be a qualified engine builder to make one of these not blow up when modding is not a strong selling point lol

[@motoiq]

@@tobiasfrancisco5879 One of the best in the country.

[@betancourtl]

My 2020 STI's EJ blew up, but I bought that car used. My brand new VB has been solid, and I don't cheap out or forget about maintenance. My baby gets the best because she deserves it.

[@RonnyRoice]

So far the VB has been super solid, and makes power easily and reliable 💪

[@Matithias]

The FA24 has been pretty overbuilt for what it is. You can make more power for less and easily too. And the car itself is easy to modify.

[@RonnyRoice]

@@Matithias thats true I’m only intake and e85 tune making a little over 350whp

[@longdomedia]

Just make sure you get your oil pick up checked at some point if you haven't already, seems a lot of brz fa24 and wrx fa24 owners seem to come across this issue when servicing.

[@Matithias]

@@longdomedia I’m a tech for Subaru and no this isn’t that much of an issue. It’s really isolated and mostly due to beating on the car and poor servicing as well as only a small batch of engines seals. Subaru runs all of their engines on a dyno before shipping them out to seal them. It’s not common at all.

[@deadghost50ify]

I was at the shop where they bought those things at. They had no intention of doing the right things because they didn’t know any better. Everything you told us in this video is what we told them at the dealership but they didn’t listen to us. Well so they did know better but they ignored us. A majority of the parts they got from their sponsor, “eBay motors”, also isn’t true. They got parts that we sold them from the dealership and showed them as “eBay motors” purchases

[@O8WRx]

I owned 3 (consolidated to 1 now). 08 WRX, 19 WRX, 18 STI. The 08 got sold at 150,000 miles- no issues. No problems with the 19. The 18 only blew a head gasket because the previous owner didn't tune correctly (I found that out a couple thousand miles in). Subaru covered it under warranty haha. I then took it to a pro-tuner and what a difference.

[@Thaib0xer69]

FACTS!!!!!!! Excellent information Mike! I love my "originally owned" 2013 STI Sedan and I plan on keeping her running for a few more decades!

[@Oni-Senpaiii]

I previously had a 2011 WRX (I bought it brand new from local dealer) and it was great until it was rear ended on the freeway by a distracted driver - they didn't realize traffic came to a stop and couldn't slow down in time. It was declared a total loss but my passengers and I all came out alive with relatively minor injuries - even some of our paintball stuff in what was left of the trunk were still good lol. Fast forward to today, I currently have a 2015 WRX that I put over 124k miles on. It has had no issues aside from maintenance stuff or hiccups I created from modifying it (like neglecting to upgrade hose clamps for the chargepipe so it popped off whenever I went WOT lol). I have tracked the WRX many times with no issues. I would not hesitate to do a cross country road trip in it. They're great cars, just have to have the right owners.

[@d3lan011]

These older Subarus have character and will run forever if the 2nd hand buyers were maintaining them right.

[@ctook]

Been daily driving my 05 STI for 3 years now. I also race during the summer. Have a boost leak right now but have only had to replace my thermostat which was a $40 fix. These cars are reliable. It was a shame when Donut came out with all those videos and took no accountability with their mistakes. Its thanks to guys like Mike here at Moto IQ that I've been able to build a fun and reliable car.

[@Save_the_Stick_Shifts]

The problem is also people's peeception of power is so skewed in 2024. 330 whp is what my old 05 GTO did stock, so 400 crank hp. That's very good power for the street, but now everyone acts like it's Hellcat or bust as the only way to have fun. My 05 RSX-S makes probably 180 whp at altitude, and it is a riot.

[@martintokau7326]

Thank you MotoIQ for the very informative video, can't wait to see the collab video with Donut Media. Maybe a in-depth video with regards difference between the Subaru 5 speed and the STi. Greeting from the Land of the Unexpected, Papua New Guinea. 🇵🇬

[@kyj565]

Donut Media is to car culture what "The big bang theory" is to nerd humour.

[@diallo1347]

Facts!

[@VB_Bryan]

Rip George

[@Treaxvour]

So eloquently stated

[@paulmedford3490]

this guy is sooo sweet , he dont have a bad bone in his body! and extremely knowledgeable and very smart and educated

[@hiramesensei3112]

the most baffling part of the donut series was how the 5 speeds held up to all that power and were the last thing on those cars to blow up lmao

[@rbfclaboratoryandstudio]

Now THAT is how proper diplomacy, honesty and humility is done. That was an example of real fucking leadership, which we sorely are missing.

[@Treaxvour]

I'd vote for him.

[@asianinashed]

I love and hate donut's approach to subarus. I love it because its going to keep subarus cheap and not give it a bad reputation (we're already recovering from the vape era). I hate it because now i have to deal with 13 yr old keyboard warriors that harass me online because i own a WRX and i keep it relatively stock because its my daily.

[@cayetano6547]

this is how mature and knowledge-filled conversations are carried...I'm afraid the business model of Donut is more geared towards clownery and stupidity for younger crowds

[@coollee303]

"Blowing up a lot of engines isn't normal." Well said.

[@wraithgard]

Same thing happened to rotary community. Dummies break them then blame the engine instead of their mistakes.

[@TheDestroyerUndertaker]

Donuts built their channel by delivering entertainment and fun. Knowledge, on the other hand is not their strength. If you want to learn mechanical and tuning integers then Moto IQ is your one stop shop. I’ve had two WRX’s and they are fantastic. Don’t let these people drive you away from a great car which will not only deliver great driving experience but will also be very reliable for many years.

[@911CARRILLO]

Once again Mr Kojima laying down some facts and at the same time offering to help.. Great way of communicating the message..

[@matt260]

140k km in my GD STI and 4 track days with the original motor, its been as reliable as my Honda. Of course im on top of maintenance. I have an EJ207 STI not EJ257. Something with these cars is they are VERY particular. Like some points mentioned in this video. Not everything can be approached the traditional way. Only engine mods are a baffle and 11mm blueprinted oil pump. Besides intake, exhaust etc.

[@DY696]

Thank you Mike for sharing your valuable knowledge with us!

[@-PLAYER0NE-]

The problem with subarus is the people who buy them lol. "Why did my 20 year old car explode when i added 20 pounds of boost?!" You can tell this guy knows what hes doing just by the front mount intercoolers. These were legit rally cars that kind of morphed into street cars because of homologation.

[@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr]

Mike hits another home run. I just learned that my purchase of the IAG 11mm oil pump over the 12mm for my build was the right choice

[@orestiprifti3686]

I destroyed my head gasket in my turbo ej16 impreza this guy made me to regret everything i did to my poor engine i thank him a lot for every knowledge he gives us

[@Scottydoing]

First thing i learned about the hard driving with newer Subarus is the fuel rail feeds from 1 bank too all 4 so the last bank leans out. Also if you flick your car around lots and do sustained drifts or donuts the oil pan needs baffles so they do starve.

[@lordraiden5398]

I put 172,000 miles on my 2002 WRX before blowing up the stock engine. It is lowered on coilovers and I drove it like I stole it every single time I was behind the wheel. Had times when it ran low on oil and nothing happened. When I was removing the engine I found that the stock turbo inlet pipe clamp was not even tightened. Unmetered air was coming in and I believe it ran lean. I never touched it so have no idea how it got loose. Strong engines. I actually stopped watching Donut after the EJ engine fiasco.

[@NoBubbles]

I daily drove a bone stock 2002 through college. It started leaking heavily around 197k miles, so i parked it and its stayed in my garage for 4 years now. I’m just waiting for the day where I have enough cash lying around to treat it to a rebuild done right.

[@Drake5153]

The part that "sucks" about most performance subaru's is that they can't handle much more hp from factory, the engine architecture makes it cost MORE than the average to build, and because of said architecture it has oiling problems most other engines dont have which are made worse by the grip the car can generate from factory. Aside from that subaru's arent that bad, people just get frustrated by how different they are to other platforms. Still a great car though 👍

[@Onewheelordeal]

Not that Subarus are bad, just worse than countless better options

[@motoiq]

They can handle about 100 more whp with ease with a stock bottom end if tuned correctly. That is not bad when you think about it.

[@junit7590]

In an older GC8 chassis with someone who can drive 350hp is surprisingly potent

[@Drake5153]

​@@motoiq I agree, I bought a 2015 WRX and forgot to give it a good look-over, turns out it was modded more than i thought. With that being said, i thoroughly enjoyed the car with a "safe" tune and had almost no problems... apparently the bellhousing bolts backed out and messed the clutch up, something about them vibrating loose? Curious if thats a subaru thing or not. I might have kept it if i wasnt so interested in RWD. So i bought an FRS instead lol and I couldnt be happier 🤙

[@stevemartegani]

The EJ is a passenger/economy car 4 cylinder engine designed in the 1980's. Not sure what people expect, 100hp/cylinder is a LOT for any older designed non-high end engine.

[@C0smicEye]

I go to a no filter, tell you how it is tuner shop. The whole shop knows their shit, and will drag you or anyone that comes in thats done stupid modifications or has done lackluster maintainence without blinking an eye. Quite refreshing tbh.

[@EddieG582]

I agree with you Mike it's not a bad engine, with a proper ECU tuning by a reputable tuner who knows what he's doing, clearly understands the logic of the ECU, its interaction with the engine, along with a good maintenance, quality fluids and good quality parts they can last.

[@christiandelatour2140]

MotoIQ is king. I wish Donut would run one of their engine and trans combo!

[@robinator503]

I'm not a huge Subie fan. Have worked on many. They have amazing AWD, and safety ratings

[@Illzbury_dopeboy]

I feel like donut just did that for views fed into the Subaru hate the internet has

[@GR_Papi]

I love my 07 wrx sti. She’s tough and still mad crazy fun

[@SupraSav]

Donut and MotoIQ collab incoming?? I owned a '98 STi(Ver. 5). Had a mechanic check it over when I bought it. Loved the car but it was low for Canadian winters. Power was good, definitely gave the driver confidence. One day just cruising home from the GFs at 80KPH the bottom end let go. Never again, Subaru! Fool me once... ! You flat out stated in the first 60 sec they have little headroom for power gains over stock, shows you know what you are talking about and not trying to pander to your viewer base.

[@N7GOTTI]

that was the most polite 18 minuite burn I've ever seen

[@samkitty5894]

CVT, TCV, VVT, infotainment with mind of its own, self-cracking windshield, poor suspension and brakes, PITA to work on (try replacing sparkplugs)... They use boxer engines and insist on liquid coolant which will never work. VW knew this decades ago. This is why they chose air cooling instead...and no risk of blown head gasket. Subarus need constant maintenance and upkeep. If you change your engine and CVT oil every year it may last, but who wants to do that? Changing CVT oil is a pain, and many places don't do it right. Many older cars on the other hand will rack up hundreds of thousands of miles with minimal maintenance. I speak from personal experience. I would never consider buying a Subaru...

[@motoiq]

Dunno my liquid cooled Porsche makes 500 whp NA and revs to 9k and does pretty good, last I checked it was a boxer. Air cooled engine blowing head gaskets is still a bad situation. Subaru fixed the head gasket issues years ago. CVT's do suck though. Everything else works well.

[@samkitty5894]

@@motoiq When you have individual cylinders on top of engine block it makes it extremely hard to run coolant lines through it...there simply isn't enough room. Look at the distance between cylinders... Air cooling works best. Subaru refuses to accept this and still pushes liquid cooling. They introduced TCV hoping to help this but it made things a lot worse.

[@motoiq]

Porsche "pushes" liquid cooling too and they are mostly known for exceptional reliability even under racing conditions. Air cooling does not meet modern emissions requirements and cannot support modern levels of power density. Neither Porsche or Subaru had individual heads for each cylinder if that is what you mean. Almost all engines have a head that is separate from the block. The only exception I can think of is the offenhauser engine. Almost no engine has external coolant passages. If air cooling was better, it would be in use as it is much cheaper to build an air cooled engine but it isnt. TCV is something that was introduced to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. It was also never used in the performance Subarus we care about. The Subaru engines we build make a lot of power reliably. You just need to understand how to build them to get reliability which is something we explain a lot in our other youtube videos. Donut is an entertainment youtube channel so you don't really expect them to be good at understanding what you have to do with these engine to make them reliable. We do.

[@samkitty5894]

@@motoiq "... If air cooling was better..." Air cooling is better. This is why they use it on engines that run on high speeds for long time. Also, cars with air cooled engines are simpler, and lighter. Less things to go wrong or maintain. However, there is a push against them. Just as there is against rotary engines which are more efficient than piston engines. Or push against diesel cars...yet in the rest of the world diesel cars rule.

[@motoiq]

That is completely wrong, water has a much higher specific heat than air and is a greatly superior coolant. When you water cool you can run more boost, higher compression and higher cylinder pressures. If it was better than F1 cars and other high limits racing would use it. It's why Porsche went to water cooling. The only advantage air cooling has is its simpler and cheaper. Rotary engines have good VE and ME but are poor in everything else. There is no push against them, they have trouble delivering the fuel economy consumers demand and meeting emission requirements. Diesels are great, just not popular here due to the cost of diesel fuel as our refining infrastructure isnt geared for making large quantities inexpensively. There is also the issue of needing post treatment and particle filters to meet emissions that make consumers balk. So wrong on all counts.

[@bennythebull9]

I have a friend that blew up their 2011 STI 3 times. But it happened because their tuner didn’t know what they were doing, and they didn’t have the right parts installed. Subarus can be awesome, you just have to be careful.

[@majmarkmiranda]

Just love hearing his voice and and his knowledge

[@maseratipapii]

shoutout to Prime Motoring in New Jersey. Best Subaru shop in the country. and shoutout to JRTuned best Subaru tuner!

[@Gentleman1337]

You got me when you said subies don't tolerate monkey tuners ahaha. I just installed an emu black on my GC8 EJ205, and I've been tuning it myself. It's my first time tuning a car, and I'm trying to learn as I go, but I felt a bit uneasy now hearing that. I hope I don't blow my freshly rebuilt engine. Much love!!

[@octaviorodriguez1111]

Its way too expensive in everything you say Mike, thats why I loose any hope to own a track-able car again. I had a B15 SpecV in college/uni days, then a bseries swapped ej, then no more fun cars for me. Love your content, the same for Donut. Keep it on!

[@blackcanyongarage]

I have 3! Love these Lil guys!

[@AnonymousOne11One]

I wouldn't have anyone else build my engine, listen to this Man. He is the Subaru guru.

[@ragweedmakesmesneeze]

Seems like a nice opportunity for a colab video here. I would love for the MotoIQ dudes to go in diagnose, fix and explain why these things failed so hard. Also, this could have been a better video if it was done "reaction" style, with clips from the Donut fails, then specifically comment on that problem and the appropriate fix. Instead there was a lot of, "I don't remember but..."

[@GCMoto97]

My 05 was built with high end components and tuned by Surgeline. In all the years of track events combined with commuting, it hasn't had any issues. Like Mike says, these just have to be built and tuned properly.

[@TheMrFlyBoy18]

Me reading the comments and driving by smiling in my 07 hawkeye sti. *Subie exhaust notes , rumble, rumble ,rumble*

[@iforc]

An episode or 3 with Moto IQ and Donut would be a dream come true!

[@jabrailsalatov5610]

Sounds a lot like what I hear about rotaries: reliable, if you know what you're doing and willing to pay up. Plus with the rally pedigree and all I can hardly blame people used to hondas, toyotas etc for expecting something less finicky. That's just what I gather from an outside perspective, Mike def knows a hell of a lot more than me. Still a cool engine in my book.

[@motoiq]

A rotary is like a Subaru, fine if you know what you are doing, blows up rather easily if you don't.

[@tragicnomadic]

Which is why I love em both. They are very very peculiar engines

[@zinkyjames1674]

I'm a master tech at used car dealership and I have to say your typical subbys are good except for the occasional heads gaskets or the more modern timing cover leak but the wrx are just ragged to death and are pretty common for engine failure. Everytime I see it has a Cobb tuner and in invidia exhaust literally copy and paste and to me at a used dealership this is a bad sign. with all that being said if interested in WRX or frs or brz find one with low miles and no mods.

[@deehitem]

Absolutely Love my 07 Hawkeye

[@LupinTheThird31]

Same here!

[@Infinite_AM]

I'm over and beyond the horsepower wars - I like balance. I love my Subaru.

[@GR_Papi]

🎉 agreed

[@Oborowatabinostk]

True, it's not about peak numbers imo. It's about making something cool, fun, and unique. Or taking something and making it the best version you can.

[@LIFEISAHUSTLE1]

Thank you for this video. All the information on pathways to build a reliable motor were awesome. I have tried to modify the inexpensive way or Low car as it would be called but stopped going once I saw these potential pitfalls. This info will surely help me finish what I started. Thank you

[@loadb5985]

I noticed they reused oil system parts during the rebuilds. Subarus are notorious for puking material into the oil/coolant heat exchanger, AVCS, turbo, and control solenoids when there is a bearing failure. You put any of that on another motor and the contamination gets puked into the new engine.

[@motoiq]

I forgot to talk about that but you are 100% right

[@loadb5985]

@@motoiq I wish more people would talk about this in hobbist Subaru tuning, I believe it is why they saw consecutive failures.

[@boosTiMon]

Great points!

[@GetHip]

I actually bought my 07 STI because of Donut's videos. I acknowledge their videos lean more into entertainment and I don't take some of the dramatization in their content too seriously. I think anyone who is discouraged buying a Subaru due to those videos probably shouldn't be buying one anyway. Great video, thanks for the weak point break down.

[@Brandonlopzz]

Maybe donut media video will make Subarus cheaper lol

[@JohnnyDiesel88]

Very admirable of Mike to offer his knowledge and expertise on Subarus to aid Donut in the future. Good solid parts, proper oiling, fueling and tuning are the hallmarks for a solid EJ build. Everything I know about my car came from the community. Subie Family for life!

[@pab3783]

You tell’em Mike.

[@Levibetz]

Glad to hear some of my choices endorsed for my low budget build. I ported my own 11mm pump and run 20w-50 VR1. Cooling system is a big struggle, but I'm really only beating on it in winter ice racing where it can get hot when I'm busy leading a whole race holding 3rd gear in boost 😎

[@danieldyman7196]

Shhhh, they're keeping the market cheap