Element Tuning Competition Engines for Subaru STi, WRX, Impreza, Legacy, etc with EJ Series Motors $3980+
Engine Build Services Subaru “EJ”
Element Tuning Competition Engines for Subaru STi, WRX, Impreza, Legacy, etc with EJ Series Motors
Element Tuning’s Pro Comp Subaru engines were born with a racing pedigree. Our engine program has over 17 years of R&D through thousands of miles racing Subarus exclusively. Every specification these engines are blueprinted to were derived from our long term racing data. Element Tuning builds the best engines you can buy! We’re confident saying this as every aspect of these motors has been tested and verified under the most demanding racing circumstances at the highest racing levels.
CNC Closed Deck Block
Element Tuning Pro Comp Short Block Subaru engines are built from 100% new components and starts life from a Subaru STi bare block and a STi forged crankshaft. Blocks are then fitted with billet CNC closed deck inserts, bored to 99.75 mm, honed, and then decked.
OEM Subaru Cylinder Wall Failure
In 2011 we worked with Subaru to help identify why cylinder block failures were occurring when splitting cylinder walls was not common pre-2011. A change in manufacturing, due to the Subaru Fuji Heavy Industries factory being destroyed by the tsunami, we were one of the very first companies to start reinforcing WRX and STi engine blocks. Now with the aluminum CNC closed deck inserts you not only get a dramatically strengthened engine block that can handle well north of 750 whp but we also see a massive improvement in piston ring wear and head gasket sealing! The reinforcements are required for 500+ whp but the massive reduction in piston ring wear results in an engine that lasts 4 times longer between rebuilds on race engines!
Precision Blueprinting
Fitted to our exact standards, competition crank and rod bearing are assembled to a crank that has been verified for perfect trueness . Our bearings and clearances have been tested for 10,000+ miles of racing. You may ask us how is this possible? It's very common for racing teams to run new engines multiple times in a racing season but we would not allow this for our long term R&D. The only way to have long term durability data on your engine program is to continue using the same parts. Each season or sometimes midway through the season we would tear down our motors to inspect how the parts were holding up and how our building specifications were performing. We would inspect items such as cylinder wear, ring wear, piston wear, oil consumption, hardware fatigue, and finally crank and rod bearing wear. As long as there was no component failure we would reuse the same bearings, crank, rods, block, and pistons and continue the durability testing
Race Proven Reliability
It was not uncommon for us to push all the extremes to find the maximum and minimum operating range of each component and it's clearance. With this data we have been able to build an engine that not only makes huge power but has near OEM oil level consumption. All too often motors are built too loose causing lots of engine noise, too much cylinder blow-by, and major oil consumption issues. We have tested our combination to deliver the tightest, most trouble free, and durable engine you can buy at any price. With multiple national championships, multiple regional titles, countless race wins and podiums, and numerous track records broken while racing with Element Tuning Subaru engines, you can have confidence our engines come with a racing pedigree!
Forged Internal Engine Components
Element Tuning's engines are fitted with Manley forged pistons and rings, along with 4340 forged H beam rods which are manufactured to the highest standards in the industry. Element Tuning has fully tested these rods in our Time Attack program with exceptional success and performance. Each rod is CNC machined from 4340 steel forgings, shot peened, stress relieved, heat treated, and magnafluxed for uncompromised strength and reliability. Precision machined in the USA to within .0002" ensures exacting fitment and rod length is set to exact OEM specification at 5.137," not shorter like many other rods.
Rebuilding Your Subaru EJ Long Block
Element Tuning Competition Long Block Engine Rebuilds for Subaru $3980, $5779, $6630+
Having Element Tuning build your entire engine is the best option to guarantee a trouble free experience. Send us your Subaru long block with the timing belt cover on and we’ll take it from there. The first step for us is to fully disassemble and evaluate your current engine noting normal engine wear and noting any failures. We are experts in diagnosing failure points and potential problem areas. If there are any parts that do not meet our specification then we’ll make a recommendation to replace this component. In most cases even when a piston is cracked we can still utilize the OEM block and crank once they are checked for trueness, honed, and blueprinted to our specification.
You benefit from our vast R&D and building experience to avoid problems that are so common in this industry when it comes to performance engine building. There are very few problem areas or even failures we have not seen even on engines build by other so called professionals. What you get in return is a fully built engine to our exacting standards with no hidden surprises. Element Tuning builds all engines with a 100% OEM engine gasket kit so every o-ring, gasket, seal, and crush washer is replaced from your crank all the way to your valve covers. Bolt your new Element Tuning engine in and live happily ever after.
Element Tuning “Big Valve Heads”
Element Tuning Competition Big Valve Head Modifications +100 WHP!
When too much power is not enough look no further than adding our competition Ferrea “Big Valve” head modification to your engine. Through years of testing on the track and on the dyno the key to maximum power is unlocking the potential within the Subaru heads. The first step in the process is to select a more aggressive camshaft set utilizing more lift and duration but even then power is bottlenecked by the OEM intake and exhaust valves. Testing with a Garrett GT35R or the Element GT65 turbocharger results in a +100 whp gain with this head package and camshafts over a stock head package.
Plus 1mm Larger Intake and Exhaust Valves
The key to this gain in the +1mm larger stainless steel intake and Inconel exhaust valves. Just camshafts alone are held back by over 40 whp when the heads are left with the OEM valves. Element Tuning has discovered that the majority of the gains from the Subaru head are attributed to the valve size itself and not the intake and exhaust ports.
Multi-Angle Valve Seat Machining and Bowl Blend
Often “Big Valve” heads can be $4000 plus dollars due to the labor required to port the heads. The modifications to your supplied heads (complete heads are available also at a higher price) start with a 5 angle intake valve job and it finished off with a bowl blend to maximize the flow through the intake port to the larger valve. Many may ask why don’t you port the intake ports fully? We don’t do this because almost 100% of the gain is realized by just fitting the larger intake valve and performing a bowl blend. (HP/value/compared to porting) On top of this the head retains 100% of it’s reliability due to how thin the cast walls are. It’s all too common to see highly stressed, high HP, road race engines blow through over ported head walls. On the exhaust side we also install a +1mm valve and hone the guide but a 2 angle with a radius valve job is performed. The exhaust port is again blended to maximize the potential of the larger exhaust valve. We are seeing +20% increase in flow on the exhaust side alone!
Element Tuning High Performance Valve Springs
With our Pro Comp engines pushing 9k RPM, these bigger valves need better valve control and more sealing power that comes with high boost turbochargers. There is a balancing act here and we’ve carefully selected the spring rates to not just withstand the boost and high RPM our head packages see but to also limit excessive cam lobe and valve bucket wear!
Big Camshafts for Big Power and Big RPM!
We have rigorously tested just about every camshaft on the market and we’ve come to love the BC 280 cams with 10.8mm of lift, not only because they perform optimally on 500+ whp turbochargers, they deliver 9k RPM, and doing that without any poor airflow characteristics at low RPM like so many other options. Your variable timing ranges will not cause any piston to valve contact or valve to valve contact either! With proper AVCS tuning these deliver more low RPM power and more top end power making it the best choice for those Garret 35R and larger turbochargers (65+ lbs/min compressor flow).
Have a more modest, quicker spooling turbocharger?
Now we’ve used this 280 camshaft with an OEM STi turbocharger, made 345 whp on 93 octane, but if you are using a smaller turbocharger in the 350-450 whp range (55 lbs/min compressor flow or less) and have no plans for something larger, then we’ll likely switch you out for a 272 duration camshaft with 10.3mm of lift. These camshafts will work optimally with the OEM AVCS mapping and will better maximize the 3500-7500 RPM range those turbochargers operate in. Don’t be fooled into thinking these are small cams however as we have made over 700 whp with them!
Element Tuning “Track” Build $3980+
Recommended for Turbochargers 300 whp up to 500 whp and 7500 RPM
Built to our exacting standards with competition rod bearings, forged Element Tuning rods, block honed and fitted with Manley forged Pistons and rings, all new OEM gaskets, seals, o-rings, and head gasket, heads are completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected, new valve seals are fitted, new cam seals, valves are adjusted (new buckets may be required at $), ARP Head studs are used to our specification, and valve covers are fitted with new gaskets. The engine and cam pulleys are fitted and the engine is timed (new timing belt may be required at $). Your engine must have less than 70k miles. *Closed Deck Block Option available*
Element Tuning “Competition” Build $5799+
Recommended for Turbochargers 330 whp up to 600 whp and 8300 RPM.
This is the Track build with the addition of Element Tuning Competition Big Valve Heads. This motor is setup to maximize HP from 3000 RPM to 8500 RPM with the addition of our Ferrea “Big Valve” head package and valve springs. This motor is ideal for those with 70k+ miles on their engine or who want to maximize power for turbochargers less than 65 lbs (Sub 550 whp on 93 octane) *Closed Deck Block Option available*
Element Tuning “Pro Comp” Build $6630+
Recommended for Turbochargers 400 whp up to 800 whp (if production block 701-703) and 8500 RPM.
You want the exact same engine Element Tuning runs in our “Unlimited” Time Attack STi then look no further. Whether you want to make 400 whp or 800 whp this will have the biggest and fattest powerband you Subaru can have. This motor is setup to maximize HP from 4000 RPM to 8500 RPM with the addition of our Ferrea “Big Valve” head package utilizing 280 degree with 10.88 mm of lift camshafts. Custom piston top coatings, intake manifold, cooling system upgrades, oil pump upgrades, and other parts may be recommended by Element Tuning. We will tell you what you need to make this engine combination all it can be on your Subaru!
*For Subaru engines 2010 or newer (production blocks 704, 705, 706), the “CNC Closed Deck” block modifications are required for anything north of 500 whp and highly recommended when exceeding 400 whp to maintain a healthy margin of reliability. If your build requires new engine case halves due to damage, the “CNC Closed Deck” modifications are also required as these will be production 706 or newer.
*Closed Deck Block Option available* +$1199
Element Tuning’s CNC Closed Deck option is available for the “Track, Competition, or Pro Comp” engine rebuilds.
Includes CNC inserts, torque plate bore and hone, block surfacing, and hot tank cleaning. An absolute must for newer 704+ production Subaru (2010 or newer) engine blocks. The newer engine blocks just aren’t as strong as the Japanese production blocks and anything over 400 whp requires this to be reliable. With perfect tuning the newer 704-705 blocks will fail around 550 whp and at lower power levels with detonation or overheating. Because this process stiffens the entire engine block we have seen a substantial improvement in piston ring wear. We’ve seen as much as double the usable service life on street cars and up to 4x in race car applications!