Subaru GC8 Impreza USDM vs JDM STi Swap - Is JDM Always Better?
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- I've LONG wanted to try an 8000 rpm JDM STi engine - so when Kenji and Gabe offered to let me test a 2.5L USDM EJ257 swapped GC8 Impreza first, then hop into a 2.0L JDM EJ207 swapped Impreza Brighton to feel the difference... I just couldn't resist. So let's try to answer the question - is JDM always better, at least when it comes to Subaru?
Follow me on IG: / zygrene
Kenji's IG: / kiwahashi
Kenji's CZcams: / @funktionchannel
Gabe's IG: / desertsage_96brighton - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I own a version 6 type ra, @ 350whp and 345lbs torque on a vf series turbo it's the most fun you can have in a bone stock Subaru and it runs pretty great 11.9@ 119mph. Fun fun fun
Nice to see fresh 1st gen videos on CZcams. Hopefully going to see Gabe on the track this May 👍🏼
The EJ207 is a great engine. If you plan on building one the 257 vs. 207 doesn't make sense. But if you want to just drop in an engine, make 400whp and rev to 8K without taking the valve covers off then the 207 is an excellent choice. Thicker sleeves, wider bearing journals, a near parallel fuel rail system stock. The heads have huge ports its great
That and in most cases they are twinscroll. Response for days!
Ej257 is more peppy n faster responding. As u can tell, the 207 lacks low end torque massively. That’s what the 257 makes up for, u can’t drive fast like how u can in a ej 257
@@cockus123 That's actually not y
True. The twinscroll turbo equipped one version 8 and up are way more responsive stock for stock. And in special versions like the spec C and I think S203 they make just as much torque as HP
A haunter I lowkey wanna see your car I see you every were in subie videos here is my insta suzie_wrx
@@popemobile12 only v8 & 9 are twinscroll, the v7 is the ONLY VERSION that has forged internals and can take a beating but its single scroll.
Just seen a rhd gc8 in my neighborhood the other day.....just rewatched the episode where Bunta beat Takumi...and now this....lolol. Great vid as always!!
It's a sign Mike! ;o)
Awesome. Love it guys. Great comparison!!! Thanks!! 🤙🤙
I did this with a RHD 97 jdm v4 sti(ej20k) half cut with full harness rear diff and driveshaft and cv axles. Swapped it into a usdm 94 L sedan. It was a very fun car, super nice sleeper. This was in 02 before we had an sti. I stomped a 911, and the guy pulled up to the next light after being gapped and gave me a thumbs up! Loved that sneaky feeling of a true sleeper lol
Cool video comparing two different Subaru cars. Thank you for this upload.
Those V3/4 seats are the most comfortable seats that I have ever sat in and I always find the cup holder to be pretty cool in these cars since they fold out like a Swiss army knife.
They work like shit though😂
These subies are mental! Motivation to build mine. Great video awesome review
I just swapped my RS with a full JDM ‘05 STI- EJ207, 6 Speed DCCD Trans, Brembos. I’m uploading the whole process on my channel to help those that want to do the same or similar swap 😄🤙🏾
I rode in Kenjis car at the track and when we pulled out of the pit, I said the same thing you did when you gunned it "holy shit" lol. That car is beasty.
Thanks for your time! Great meeting you and excited for the next trackday
Desertsage_96brighton I love your car Gabe, that color is so sick 😍 I just swapped my RS with a full JDM ‘05 STI- EJ207, 6 Speed DCCD Trans, Brembos. I’m uploading the whole process on my channel to help those that want to do the same or similar swap 😄🤙🏾 do you have a Instagram ?
Robrsti that’s awesome man. Can’t wait to get my 6 speed in a couple months. Yeah! @desertsage_96brighton. What is yours?
Desertsage_96brighton thanks! I just followed you, mines @robrsti. You’ll enjoy the six speed once it’s on 😄
after seeing your comment i couldnt help but ask if the colour of your car is millennium jade because that colour suits your car so nicely. but im a masive fan of the gc8 considering i was taught to drive on one with the 207 sti swap. great car m8.
liam harris thank you! Much appreciated. The color is desert sage metallic from Lexus is350. Very similar to millennium jade. I was thinking of changing to millennium jade when I respray because it’s less green and has hints of greyish in it.
Great vid guys. Nice comparison.
An ej207 with a jdm 4.44 final drive gear box is such a good combo for back road fun
presteronetj I def need closer gears
@@Damn_G id suggest a 4.11 from the jdm legacy. They were put in the twin turbo version in japan. Its a stout little trans and is so smooth at lower rpm where the 3.9 causes bogging, the 4.11 just wants to go. I threw one in my bugeye a while back and it was one if the best things i could have done. the trans is rare but very worth it if you can find one. When i got the trans we took it apart to compare the gears to the 6 speed you get from the sti's, and the gears, all the way up to 5th are just about the same thickness, maybe alittle less but it wouldnt be noticable. My bug made 300 at the wheels and could do digs all day with that trans it was great.
@@Bahaa425 the fxt 5 speeds are 4.44, and the s-turbo and GT foresters are 4.11, and you han fit a gc8 type R center diff in them. Thats what ive done go mine. 65-35 front rear tourqe split, so alot better balanced out of tight corners. Its also got a 7500 redline, hotter heads and a td05-16g twinscroll convertion, around 290whp with boost from 2600rpm *giggle*. (Its a edm ej205) :)
2005-2007 usdm legacy gt has basically group N gearing and 4.11 gearing, just needs a speed sensor put it and your ready to rock
Oh Yes...Did a 4.44 swap on my 1995 JDM Legacy with the EJ20H (Twin Turbo) So easy to drive around town and it pulls hard in the twisty roads. Open road / Highway driving is a bit of sore spot...100kph/62Mph is 2900 rpm in 5th. Fuel economy isn't the best :( But much more fun to drive than my 2011 Spec C JDM Legacy Ej255 with 4.11 6speed manual. Subi Life!
Awesome video!
Crazy to see the difference between GST Tuning (Mike) and Snail Performance. Kenji's car is ROWDY! Love it! Much better for the canyons.
You would like my spec c. Pretty much no turbo lag with equal length headers and vf36. Titanium turbine shaft makes a big difference.
Thanks for taking your time to review our cars!
awesome GC's 👍👍
Funktion Channel Sick GC Kenji, saw you have a channel just subbed 🤙🏾 I just swapped my RS with a full JDM ‘05 STI- EJ207, 6 Speed DCCD Trans, Brembos. I’m uploading the whole process on my channel to help those that want to do the same or similar swap 😄
@@Robrsti hell yea!
I had a GC back in the day. Ej207 ver7 swap was in the plans but turns out my GC was diagnosed with cancer(rust). End up letting it go for dirt cheap.
Used to have an 01 GC8, sold it cause it blew the motor 2 in less than a month and I've missed it ever since. Planning on getting another one in the following years to park it next to my Evo 9.
That blue gc8 is so nice visually.
I swapped my 04 usdm Sti with a Jdm Ej207 Version 7....Honestly I love the Ej207 way better, the power pulls hard all the way to 7k rpm unlike the Ej257 dies off at 6k. Ej207 v7 feels better and I do believe it's faster and also is know to be way more reliable and handle more boost on a a Stock block because it comes with Semi closed Deck and Stock forge pistons. I have a video on my channel doing a quick pull on my friends potato.
Kenji smile tho!
I just bought a 2001 2.5rs GC8 sedan all stock and I really want to swap it
Nothing beats a genuine 1995 STi-RA Version '1'. No engine swap stuff; just original JDM and raw.
How has the engine held up? And how was the swap? I am thinking of getting a v6 STI engine for my GC8 but the JDM difficulties seem intimidating.
Just bought a 2001 RS coupe a few days ago. Can’t wait to start doing mods
Look up I wire st swap isn't that expensive
Call iwire
well i helped my buddy swap an ej20r (the twin turbo) into a 1993 impreza L wagon. i resently bought the car from him but he wanted to keep the motor and trans and rear end. so were in the process of swapping in an ej204D n/a motor with avcs and variable intake. good for 190hp. and ill be running a standalone on it with a trans and rear end out of my buddies 03 outback went from a 4.44 to a 4.11. future plan is to put a m90 supercharger on it
this makes me have faith in my 2002 impreza rs
Is the build stage 2? or does it have a big turbo? same with Kengies 2.5sti (sorry if i botched his name). is he also stage 2 or big turbo?
What et is the green subaru running looks nice and flush can someone help
I got a ej207 v7 sti engine and transmission (6 speed) even with the 8k redline i feel like I shift all the time. I've never actually driven a 2.5 sti so I can't compare the torqueness but i'm pretty sure with the shorter gear ratios the 2.0 definetly has a ton of torque especially in first.
I have an 11 sti with a ver10 ej207 swap and I'm always shifting too lol
any advice on swapping an ej20x into an 08 wrx? Trying to get it running so I can trade it in.
Awesome! and Nice Shades 1:57 lol
100% 207 blocks handle a lot more
no torque
One day, I went to the Vermont and saw two gc8 chasing. They were so fast that I couldn’t saw how they look, but I felt in love with the subie rumble. Since that day, gc8 are my favorite classic Subaru.
8605 SB a truly built Subaru won’t have the rumble since it would be running EL headers
I know what I heard. Can’t say it was fully tuned
@@sleeper.simulant7327 thats presumptious .. i have a 2.1 closed deck fully forged stroker sti type r cappable of 500hp with unequals still .. people commonly change them but doesnt mean you have to
Scum Tastic yeah 500 whp with a narrow power band. Run EL’s with a twin scroll setup against a UEL setup both at 500 whp and see which one pulls away, EL/twin scroll has a FAR broader power band and will actually spool before 4000 rpm, it will pull away steadily... UEL’s are the ultimate ricer setup on a Subaru. EL’s are far better performance wise.
Im not saying its the way everyone does it .. im just saying you can still make power with an unequal length header tis all .. didnt mention single scroll twin scroll or spool times coz thats just a long and different convo lol
Nice review. Why did the turkeys cross the road? lol
What is the color code for the both the car can you tell me please brother
I'm confused. I thought the GC8 was never sold to US, Have heard this from many sources
What is the make of the headlights on the blue one
Anyone know of websites that sells the dash plastics???
*Love it* - Fenton, I invite you to come to Wisconsin to drive and review my built and lifted Forester XT. I promise you'll be grinning ear to ear. 😁😁😁
Awesome video!
If I ever plan a trip in the area, I will hit you up!
@#savethemanuals what part of Wisconsin do you live in? I live in Wisconsin and want to lift my fozzy
@@Projectchasingthewild Nice! I'm in Madison, where are you at?
@@SaveTheManuals green bay. Theres a lifted 04 forester xt and a baja in my area. I need to join thr club lol
Where can get these cool headlights?
Will a jdm swapped Subaru pass smog ?
Beautiful cars.
The 207s become more violent with better fuel... 91 doesnt allow for alot of timing down low... yet retain its linearity
Exactly. One thing people need to remember , these cars were designed for high octane i.e. 105 octane. You can tune them with less timing but that means more knocking less power etc.
Great, I have a v5 Type-R without engine, and a EDM 207 and a EDM 255 on the side. Trying to decide which route to go but considering the stock STI 5 speed gearbox I guess I should go with a 2.0. Alternatively I think it´s possible to get 2.3 using the 255 block and 207 crank.
If anyone have advice on this I would welcome it with open arms.
bingoberra18 2.3 all day (23b sti)
@@enriquealvarez4702 thanks, but you need longer rods than any oem ej engine uses right?
From what i gather you need 134mm rods with 75 mm crank with customs pistons your choice of compression. Check out Maxwell Power on the forums
@@enriquealvarez4702 awesome, thanks!
@zeroyon223 Great info, yeah I have a 207 with avcs in parts so maybe just buy new rings for it. Its the easier way to do it at least. What I dont understand is Subarus seem to generally have lower CR than most other engines? And they seem to have a lower power before boost? Is there a reason or were subaru just conservative with CR for knocking reasons?
jdm dual avcs twinscroll ej207 from 2007 car onward is the best way to go...stock with vf4x turbo at sport# setting...that thing is beast 300hp stock...
v7 207 is the best
What mike said .... v7 is the best period. Coming from a long standing subaru owner from New Zealand
I prefer the 257. To me the cost to swap and then build a 207 I could build a 257 and save money.
Well, you'll be swapping either as no GC8 (technically GM6) was offered with none of these engines in North America. Stock per stock the EJ207 is better. Better flowing heads, more aggressive cams, forged internals (EJ257 has cast pistons), twin scroll turbo, revs up to 8200 rpm from factory and can hit almost 400 hp with just the proper supporting mods while still being reliable. If you're worried of wear and tear because the 207 is older, hence the rebuild, I think it's the same case with the 257... both are old engines so it all depends on the unit you end up picking up and the life the motor has seen. At the end of the day, I think it's a matter of availability (257 much easier to source) and preferences/goals (257 is torquey vs. 207 rev-happy). If we start speaking building motors... there's a ton of possibilities with both. Cheers!
@@tofufregit Only Version 7 Ej207's come with forged pistons. Version 8 and up come with Hypercast (Not sure about Spec C and other variants though). Other than that, you're spot on
Doesnt the ej207 come with a twin-scroll vf-34?
If im not mistaken, the V8 and V9
2.0 wrx sti jdm 2002 pink badge mapped 370 bhp ej207 engine
Both are fantastic, but Gabe's is for me
Rega gang
Technically, the coupe's body code is GM6 and GC8 for the sedan. Was it redwood Rd you were driving on?
this road is in SJ but i do drive redwood often. not as much anymore since its so bumpy
Lol.. you kids are quick to call every coupe you see a “GM6”
When it clearly started as a Brighton coupe, which did not have the 2.5 that the “GM6” had.
N0000b
@@WyattFunk96 I'm not kid.
Not a n00b too... One of the og from rs25.com here
technically you might be right, but guess what. no one googles gm6. and if you do google gm6 you dont see any 2door subies. now go google gc8.
Sti. 4 owners Reasonable condition 35000 in my contry. Wrx is 15000
it depends on what you want and what your plans are, if your gonna build the motor and the car in general then EJ207 for sure, if your just going to do some light mods (e85/exhaust/tune/wheels/etc) then your gonna want the EJ25 in my opinion that makes the most sense... but in this case i would've rather had the first car with everything the same including the trans but swap the motor to the ej20 with the same whp, that would definitely throw you back in your seat...
My experience in my Subarus has been that they tend to seem as if they want to understeer and you just have to lay into the throttle a little more to get them to rotate the rear. Once you figure it out it's a truly rewarding and impressive feeling.
good luck with that. you need to use weight transfer to get them to turn in, simply stomping the throttle as you turn in will put you in the trees.
plz tell me tjose r real regamasters.....
Who makes those headlights on the blue car?
Kaizen lighting on ig
Yup, kaizen makes those headlights. You can also check out circuitdemon for custom gc headlights
Awesome thanks for the reply!!!
@Joey Lee Those look like 240z universal fender flares. I think they mention them in the video, but I'm not positive. You can also look at body kit online store plus racingproductgroup for wrc/22b widebody kits
Put a gearbox with the dccd in it.
Yeap I owned a JDM hawkeye, still running strong and better engine build!!
i bought this subie,after two months it blow up :-P
That swapped one ha lots of Cobb parts
this will make you broke. leave while you can lol
Bsol24 I’ve spent 50k on my engine, 3 builds .. sickening
So how much for a car like that?
Like the blue one
EJ207 Powa!
next? i bought the 207 engine after two weeks it blow up, so i swap again (typical conversation for subie guy's)
What happend? Why did it blow up? What was the condition of the engine when you swapped it? How much power where you pushing through it? Who tuned it? So many questions that can lead to an answer as to why you blew up your engine. The ej207 is the most robust engine from factory that can with stand upto 500hp on stock internals. This makes me think there was an issue with your build or probably had issues before you even bought the block.
Fury got Robbed
I used to have a wrx. After 2 motors I sold it bought a g35 coupe paid a arm n a leg to boost it it's been 4 and a half years and I haven't looked back. No offence subies are beautiful cars but on my mama that flat 4 is unreliable especially the turbo models
Where can I get those headlights? Lol
brah i betcha they dont have the same turbo thats why you feel the lag on the 2.5
no shit!
What wheels are those on the Blue RSTI?
Jdm internals are different from usdm....jdm built stronger...usdm built softer....but when it comes to performance...they aren't so different it's similar 2.0 vs 2.5
kinda of here comparing transmissions not engines
No MSG.
The first STI looks way faster
He made the JDM guy sound slow af lol
If the ej207 is so much better than 205, why do they use 205 in waaaaay more cars
the 205 is a lot cheaper...
@@clayton8or k thanks bro....
Ricky Chiz Bizkit the 207 never came in the states for 1. 207 is sti specifically. Just like. 257 is a Sti specific. Both great engines, but both only used in their market’s sti.
@@Damn_G 207 came in the WRX and the STi.
Kaffarov only in sti’s brah
Never gonna be Jdm in left hand drive man.
JDM specced.
"wide body"? Those are janky fender flares....
My sti redlines at 8200rpm
Japanese spec has a higher hp rating. Than the US spec. Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mazda Toyota all have higher hp ratings than here in the US. Dunno if that's on purpose or out of spite or a little of both. But J spec is better bang for buck imo
We don't have 93 octane and want cars to last. Japans emissions laws makes you replace engines every so many years or miles so there building higher compression motors for them and lower compression bigger displament lil higher torque
You're comparing a gc8 to gm6, just call it what it is
Most people in the USA dont know what a gm6 is. Only chassis code nazis do.
I’ll pay you to swap my RS 😭
My boy's 97' WRX Saloon car! Just getting the timing belt done, quick walk around. czcams.com/video/rVA7YxaIARY/video.html
SUBARU τι άλλο
Not gonna lie, GC8 with VAB style DRL looks like shit.
'Is JDM always better?'
Any JDM impreza is better than a 2.5rs although, americans will ruin any of them with those shitty fibreglass arches 🤣