Review: COBB 20G Turbo Subaru WRX STI

My honest opinion and review of the Cobb 20G turbo on my 2019 Subaru WRX STI. Tuning was done by JR Tuned on Flex Fuel E85.
#wrxsti #cobb #turbo
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[@luiscordero8944]

Awesome Subaru STI content Sir. Lee posting.

[@suba-dude5516]

Thats awesome brother. Really love everything you've done to the STI.

[@spdkills83]

Thanks man, certainly has been fun and a project I’ve been wanting to do for the last 18 years or so. Now I can cause I’m old 😂. Appreciate the support as always 🤛

[@808whitefa5]

Nice currently on a tomei mx8265. Just picked ID1300 and iwire hardwire kit. Goal was always to have a 400 whp daily to enjoy. Plenty of power to have fun. Good luck on your furthering you build. Can't wait to see

[@spdkills83]

Thank you I appreciate it 🤛. Good luck with your project as well and 400 WHP is definitely a very fun number for the street.

[@Fitzsanchez]

Love your channel and reviews btw. Car sounds great

[@spdkills83]

Thank you for that comment I really appreciate it 🤛

[@SubiSpeed]

Nice build! 💪

[@spdkills83]

Thank you I appreciate it 🤛

[@sachinlc]

Your STI sounds great, S. Videos are informative for sure, STI guys.

[@spdkills83]

Thanks for the comment Sachin, hope all is well on your end man. It does sound good with the exhaust setup even though the rumble is toned down, still sounds unique. Thanks for the support 🤛

[@sachinlc]

@@spdkills83 Things are well at my side. I hope your side too. You deleted your IG account? Enjoy making more videos. My WRX is just sitting stock for now 🥳🤓☺️

[@spdkills83]

That’s awesome man good to hear. Yea I let the IG account go, trying to focus on the YT now as much as I can. Thanks again 🤛

[@micahgunnell]

Seems like a good option! I’m also not going for big power. I am most interested in the fastest spool time. I enjoy your videos man! If I have one complaint it’s that I wish they were longer! 😁👍

[@spdkills83]

Yea man I appreciate that greatly and may try to start making them a touch longer if I can add some good information in. As for the 20G it really is a relatively (cheaper) option to make the car tons more fun on the road. Spools good and with power coming around 3400-3600, makes it a quick and punchy setup. Thanks for the support as always 🤛

[@micahgunnell]

@@spdkills83 cool! In a way I like them short because you don’t have any filler(no needless glamour shots of the car, etc) but I think if you could hit that 8-10 minute mark it may get you more help from the dreaded KZbin algorithm. If you prefer the 5 minute videos than far be it from me to tell you what to do, but I’ve never felt bored watching one of your vids, but I have often felt like “aw man it’s already over?”. I think you may be underestimating your ability to hold people’s interest is all. Keep doing you though, I know it’s not easy filming and editing video as I’ve done it myself.

[@micahgunnell]

And thanks for the technical info on the 20g! That is a fast spool!

[@spdkills83]

Yea that algorithm is a pain in the butt lol 😂. I appreciate the encouragement 100% and also the advice makes me definitely want to make better videos for you all in the future. I’m also up for recommendations as to what you or anyone would maybe want to see or enjoy. If you have something in particular just let me know . Thanks again 🤛

[@Kouangs_Productions]

This made me feel better putting on my 20g in haha people told me to wait for a built motor but I probably slap it on till the stock motor goes

[@kalkapahulehua4839]

Helpful! 🤙🏽

[@bowlsnapper6206]

Man you seem like a cool dude. You should visit cali and help me put this on my future '06 hawkeye!

[@spdkills83]

Thanks I appreciate that. If it wasn’t a 3 day road trip I’d gladly help out 🤛.

[@emtwolf2001]

Your build is awesome am hoping to get my Sti this year and upgrade her… wanting to go Stage three and possible this turbo upgrade but worried if stock engine can handle

[@spdkills83]

Good deal man hopefully you get the one you want. As for the stock engine handling it, there are so many factors in that no one can say for sure. Just always know to have the $$$ on hand if things get crazy lol. Thanks again

[@stephen9944]

Good stuff man, 20g is solid. A lot like the MHI 18k on the Evo, small but quick spool and ideal for daily. Not sure if you tuned and dyno'd your STi at stage 1+ but I did a tuning session last week, 259/301 on a Dynojet, so your viewers know what to expect to start this journey at lol. Looking at gains per dollar, 7hp at the crank after drivetrain loss calculation, works out to an initial $171.42 per crank hoursepower. My tuner helps develope Cobb's OTS maps. Told me if I want above 400whp, get out of the Subie game. Also shed some light on the cyl 4 cooling mod. He said it isn't proven, it kills your passenger side heat in the winter, and if it was really a game changer, Subaru, who listens to their customers, would have implemented it years ago. He blames youtubers for the hype and all it does is drive sales for those who make the mod available. Adding parts with no proof, is adding parts that can fail. I appreciated the guys honestly for sure, now I'm looking at trading this thing in while the market is still crazy and getting a car that starts with much more power. Cheers man.

[@spdkills83]

I fully understand on getting a different platform if you’re wanting to make more than 400 WHP 100%. Subies definitely are not the most cost effective when it comes to making power on them. After a certain point it gets crazy quick lol. I appreciate the helpful and informative comment with those numbers also as reference, and also the information about the #4 cyl cooling mod. I honestly never heard about the passenger side heat issue, but I possibly didn’t research it far enough. I myself if I was going to build a legit street/backroad monster. Im going with the C6 Z06 LS7 with a full heads/cam package etc,. and go for about 600-650 WHP N/A. That would be awesome and pull like crazy. That is a build hopefully I can accomplish before the EPA locks everything down or something happens to me. Thanks for the informative comment 🤛

[@Martin944turbo]

If Subie "listens" to their customers then how do you explain ringland failure for the past 15+ years? Even bone stock engines can get ringland failure. $100 for peace of mind is worth it regardless if it's proven but we do know for a fact that cylinder 4 runs hotter than the others and is usually the first to go for a reason. Never heard of passenger side heat issues in the Subaru with this mod. Other than a Golf R, what car in the STI price range would give you 300+ HP, AWD, STI suspension, etc.?

[@stephen9944]

@@Martin944turbo there are so many EJs that never blow up, it is very exaggerated online. The known issue is just the inherent nature of gravity and pistons that travel horizontally. Cyl 4 cooling mod is not proven and is viewed as just another potential point of failure, talk to a real Subaru mechanic and they laugh at it. When I visit my tuner I ask him questions and get honest, real world answers. He has tuned 1000s of Subies, has an outstanding rep and didnt get that way from blowing rainbows up peoples asses. If cyl 4 saved engines Subaru would have implemented it. Maintenance is the real solution. Check your oil every refill.

[@KiddFly]

@@Martin944turbo I have heard that the reason why Cyl 4 runs hotter is by design. It's the canary in the coal mine for the knock sensor located next to it. "fixing" this "issue" might lower the temperature for Cyl 4 but then raises the temp for all 4 cylinders.

[@tonyaustin2485]

Speaking from somebody who had had both the 20g and dom 1.5. You seriously shot yourself in the foot with the 20g. Car looks good tho and either way, much more fun than the stock turbo. The dom 2.5 is really nice too. The price tho of the Doms are 1800-2200 :😮 so the Cobb at 1200 is a good bang for the buck something to consider.

[@spdkills83]

Yea man, the 1.5 would've been the best option in hind sight. As you stated though the price difference makes the Cobb a bit more appealing, but in the end just falls short on the power end of things.

[@MD-pz3cn]

She's still a sweet ride for sure man. Don't hate on her too much! I quoted out 2021's and no one is willing to sell me one below 42k OTD...where base models should be. Disheartening because I think that model year is about to become very sought after like the 2007's are.

[@spdkills83]

Yessir she’s a sweet ol’ girl for sure. I understand that on trying to find one there are (2) used ones local to me one is a 21’ with 10k miles for 46k 👀. The other a 20’ with 20k miles for 43k lol. Car market is nuts. Thanks for the comment and support I appreciate it 🤛.

[@Martin944turbo]

I just bought a new 2021 STI for 42k in Canada (CAD price), base model. That is 33k USD. I waited over 2 months for the special order from Japan and it arrived last week. Crazy prices in the US right now! Sorry to hear man.

[@legionn9338]

Yeah dude, these cars don’t depreciate any time soon lol, I’ve had my 2020 STI just over a year now, got it brand new from factory (46k total) with taxes etc

[@Martin944turbo]

@@legionn9338 I think the Subaru WRX or STI is the most fun car under 50k that has AWD, power, huge after market support, turbos, looks f'n amazing and is a great daily and build/track project. This being said, I totally understand why the WRX/STI prices remain high because I don't think there is really any competition in this AWD market. A used EVO or Golf R come to mind but Subaru usually wins.

[@lance_the_avocado9492]

I gotta question, are you running on stock engine internals, pistons, rods, etc? If so have you noticed any strain or stress on the engine with the mods? You pretty much have the build I want and I’ve been thinking about getting it.

[@spdkills83]

Thanks for the question. Yes, everything internal is stock. As far as additional wear/tear I’ve not noticed anything out of the ordinary and this setup is approaching 6K miles of use thus far. I’ve just kept up with general maintenance at this point also. Good luck on your goals.

[@lance_the_avocado9492]

@@spdkills83 Okay, thank you for the response!

[@roberttrent7027]

I had a couple questions for you, if you are willing. - Have you come across any data that would suggest that the aftermarket turbo options, Blouch or Cobb, are better or worse in terms of turbo life span when compared to a stock VF48? (Assuming same driving habits, and same boost pressure) The reason I ask is that I would like to switch out the VF48 for a Blouch Dominator 1.5XT-R, but don't really want to have to dig back into the car again for a while after I do this.

[@spdkills83]

Thanks for asking, in my research before I bought the 20G I never came across anything that suggested they were better or worse for longevity. The only thing I really came across suggesting reliability issues was that of the Blouch. It seems as though there for a bit they had a bit of a bad run there for a bit, but seem to have since rebounded. As for the Cobb 20G it's a seemingly old school design that has been around for a long time. Not many real reliability issues with it unless you are trying to push it above what it was meant to do. Again thanks for asking hopefully my reply is somewhat helpful.

[@Lunchbox_motorsports]

1.5XTR is in now and i'm getting tuned in two days! Did you get a dyno sheet with yours? interested to look at the power curve differences.

[@spdkills83]

Awesome man can’t wait to see what it does for you. As for the dyno sheet I did not actually receive a print out. Just saw the curve while I was there sadly. Peak torque was around 3500-3700 if I remember correctly and held roughly 350-360 ft/lb to somewhere around 5500-5800 or so before signing off. Good luck with it man feel like it will definitely be a great addition to your track days.

[@Lucas-nz8em]

I have a nearly identical setup except with a blouch 20g-xtr. Good to see some older adults in the Subaru game still. Where abouts do you live? You said something, which I can’t recall to suggest we may be relatively close.

[@spdkills83]

Yessir been in it for about 20 years now lol. I’m in the WV area. What numbers you get with the Blouch 20G out of curiosity?

[@Lucas-nz8em]

@@spdkills83 Awesome. I’m working on about 15 years in the Subaru game now and still love them. Virtual dyno on 93octane shows 381whp and 369ft lbs, but I take those numbers with a grain of salt. I currently just starting the flex fuel tuning process which I’m pretty excited about.

[@spdkills83]

That’s great man, once you go E85 it’s extremely hard to go back lol. Wish you the best on your goals 🤛.

[@kodyneil3163]

@@spdkills83 where at in wv I’m in hampshire co

[@spdkills83]

That’s cool man, we’re down here in the Southern part. About 45 min from VA. Raleigh/Mercer county areas.

[@Martin944turbo]

Beautiful car man and thank you for the videos. STI is the perfect daily for around 390~400 whp on stock internals and can still enjoy the track for enjoyment. If I want more power then I'll look into rebuilding the engine if ever I want 500+ whp but that is too crazy for the streets and depends on the cost. Imagine if the 2022+ STI looks decent, comes with 400 hp stock and is cheaper to modify? It will be a deciding factor for a lot of people. In regard to the cylinder 4 cooling mod, I'd rather pay $100 for the peace of mind and so many people who rebuild Subaru engines use it. It's worth every penny and that $100 that you're paying is the research and development, and testing that went into it. You're not just paying $XXX just for a hose. Same goes for all performance parts, you're mostly paying for the research and development, marketing costs.

[@spdkills83]

Yessir appreciate the comment man 🤛. The 400 WHP mark on the STI just feels right. I too would build the short block/heads if I decide to go down the 550 WHP road later on. At that point it would become a labor of love and $$$ no doubt. I agree with the new STI as well if it checks those boxes it may be easier to overlook the “questionable” exterior appearance, if they follow suit with the styling of the new WRX that is.

[@the1withnoname496]

Do you have TGV deletes in your sti? 🧐 catted or catless downpipe, thanks for your time

[@spdkills83]

Yep have the TGV deletes and the DP is the Grimmspeed limited catted. Thanks for asking.

[@roberttrent7926]

Hey, I wanted to reach out and see what you thought about the 20g vs a dom 1.5.

[@spdkills83]

If it were me doing it over again Dom 1.5 all day over the 20G. It will give you far more head room if you want more power down the road than the 20G will. 20G tops out at approx 370-390 whp on E85 (dyno dependent and with supporting mods). The 1.5 on E85 (and supporting mods) has been in the 420-440 whp from what I have saw and researched, with possibly a little more in the tank. Both spool roughly the same from what I have gathered also. Maybe give or take 200 RPM either way so basically same. Again those numbers can vary dyno to dyno and car to car, but the 1.5 is the better turbo IMHO. I'm decently pleased with the 20G and it has performed well for my application. I cannot fault it on anything as performance goes as it is only capable of so much. Lesson learned the hard way lol.

[@jcesparza7490]

What fueling mods are you running with this turbo?

[@spdkills83]

ID 1300 injectors, AEM 340 pump with IWire hardwire kit, IAG PTFE Fuel lines and rails, Aeromotive FPR. Also, using the Cobb complete Flex Fuel and all of those components.

[@jcesparza7490]

@@spdkills83 thanks for the fast reply.

[@spdkills83]

No problem 🤛

[@micko9111]

6700rpm thats good mine stock turbo drops off at 57 to 5800rpm

[@spdkills83]

Yea the stocker wants to die a little to early. The 20G seems to take the party out a little longer lol.

[@3137tim]

Would you say you need new injectors to run this turbo?

[@spdkills83]

You would definitely need to upgrade injectors to at least the ID1050’s. If you do this turbo and injectors I would highly recommend upgrading the rest of the fuel system as well.

[@3137tim]

@@spdkills83 I already have an upgraded fuel pump. Would I have to change the fuel lines?

[@spdkills83]

Depends on your goals honestly. If you’re going bigger than the 20g down the road then yes I’d go ahead and upgrade everything you can at the moment. If the 20G is your stopping point stock lines,rails I think are good for somewhere around 450hp or so. They should not be an issue for you at the 20G power level. One thing I’d suggest is to get a quality adjustable FPR with a FP sensor. It will help fine tune the FP for the tuner and just better quality overall.

[@3137tim]

@@spdkills83 I have a 2004 sti pro tuned. The only reason I'm thinking of upgrading turbos is because I believe my current turbo seals have blown. My car consumes oil like crazy and I know it's not my engine. I get thick white smoke when at idle but not when under load. My stock turbo still gives me good boost and doesn't sound like it's failing but I believe the seals have failed. I also have a boost controller installed

[@spdkills83]

I’m sorry I assumed you were starting fresh with a newer STI. In this case and this is just my opinion. If you like the performance of your current setup. I would just replace the turbo (or fix seals) with your current one. This is of course if you’re happy with it. That is my opinion though, if you are pro tuned already I think the extra $$$ you would spend to get it ready for the 20G would not be a very big change from what you already have. This is assuming you’re in the 325-350 whp range on pump gas.

[@micko9111]

Just bought a 20G is it fine to run with just 98ron?

[@spdkills83]

The 20G requires a custom pro tune to utilize it. I would advise against installing it without supporting fuel mods and tuning. You were probably aware of this just need to state it upfront. With that said if 98 RON is your highest premium grade fuel I would assume it can be tuned to run on it. 98 RON is the equivalent to our 93 here from what I know. I am able to use 93 octane with the 20G without issue. Good luck with it 🤛

[@micko9111]

@@spdkills83 yeh ive got a fuel pressure reg and 1050x and a 340lph ready to go.has your been running good with the stock block?

[@micko9111]

@@spdkills83 yeh 98ron is the highest i can get from the servo apart from E85.98ron is whats recomended here in aus for the STI

[@spdkills83]

I’ve had no issues with stock block/internals at this point. Been on this setup/power level for approximately 7k miles or so now.

[@micko9111]

@@spdkills83 ahh nice.my turbo arrives tomorrow did you notice it was much quicker in the lower rpm once you got the fuel pressure regulator in?im trying the kinugawa 20G ill do an unboxing and review once its all fitted up

[@roderickcollins7996]

So what is your max mph now?

[@spdkills83]

Didn't test max speed before and have not tested it since. It accelerates harder and is more fun to drive overall. Great setup for the street.

[@roderickcollins7996]

@@spdkills83 I’m getting a brz 2023 in two weeks and I wanna go for power where it is much noticeable which super charger kit you recommend? And I will be purchasing one with automatic transmission

[@spdkills83]

I wish I could give you a solid answer on that topic. I don't know enough about that platform to give you any real guidance on which kit would be best. Honestly, I have never put the time and research into the BRZ/GR as far as what works best and doesn't. Wish you the best on your build.