Can you get your car sideways

 

DON'T.

The stock WRX ECU is weaksauce. Mine took a crap on me after several months of using the Cobb AP. It's just too much for the ECU to handle, and it eventually dies. Run a piggy back and that'll allow you to do a lot more, and it'll alleviate a lot of the issues that may cause disruptions (or death in my case) to your ECU.

 

of course, I have to be very careful applying power out of a turn, otherwise it looks like I'm trying out for a drift competition

 

This is the right answer. We talked about it at VT. With the fmic, the turbo has to fill the piping and ic, as the bov vents the turbo is still spinning and building pressure in the system as it creates enough to allow the bov to vent and not enough air was released the 1st time causing the compressor wheel to stall suddenly. This does increase turbo wear. If you don't believe it, call the turbo companies yourself. It is more common in journal bearing turbos. I've seen more issues with the Greddy's and HKS's The HKS's also rub the hood on cars with tmic's. I've seen 4 STi's with holes rubbed through the inner frame of the hood and 3 WRX's done the same way.

Without running a full stand alone, the AP is your best way to go.The Utec or any other piggy back does not have as many options as the AP. Yes, some ecu's do crap out over time. I've yet to see the AP be the cause of it unless you were improperly using the AP. Even after that, you just have to send your ecu and the AP back to Cobb for them to fix it.

 

Don't do that. I'm not a fan at all. Get a UTEC or a Hydra (depending on how much you want to spend). I still have plenty of UTEC maps for both a stock turbo and a VF34 that I'll be glad to share with you...

 

I agree,
UTEC is the way to go. Cobb AP is too plug an play if you're wanting to most out of your setup. 300whp is already a stretch for a VF34, you're going to need some good dyno time to get that, and a Cobb wont cut it. Plus, you'll need to look into beefing up your tranny first too.

 

What does the Utec give you in a piggy back that the Cobb AP v2 doesn't?
Utec
1- extra solenoid output
2- shift light output

Cobb
1- Check/clear of ecu codes
2- remove speed limiter
3-0-60,1/4 times
4- more gauges for less cost


Before I go $1500 in the hole for a TXS ecu, I would easily go with the Hydra and have a better platform.
Most the have the Utec and want the best of both worlds use the AP along with the Utec, but you don't hear of this being done as much anymore.