Installing a TurboXS UTEC on a Subaru Impreza WRX is an extremely easy task. The unit is basically plug and play, the only complication involved is in actual tuning. The TurboXS is capable of destroying engine if not properly tuned. Take special care to read the manual! If you do not feel 100% comfortable with fuel, ignition, and boost maps leave the tuning up to the professionals and run generic maps from TurboXS found below.
Needed files for UTEC installation
- Firmware upgrade (includes user manual)
- Stage 1 (stock)
- Stage 2
- Stage 3
- Stage 4
- Parameters for stage one to three
- Parameters for stage four
The stock ECU is located in the passenger foot well just beneath the carpet and ECU protection shroud. To access this area, there is a couple of carpet screws around the top edge of the carpet you will need to remove. Next, you will need to pull up the passenger kick board. Start removing this kick board by taking the snap fastener out of the kick board located towards the top in the door sill. A small screw driver can be used to pop this out. Then, the kick board basically snaps in and out and can be removed easily.
Now you should be able to pull the carpet back to see the ECU protection shroud. Take a 10mm socket and remove the couple of bolts holding the protection plate. Once the protection plate is removed, set it aside. You will then notice a plastic cover over the stock ECU. On the right side, you will see a wire harness loaded with over 100 wires. You need to disconnect these with your fingers and pull them out very carefully. Do not pull them out by the wires, make sure you have a good grip on the actual plastic snaps. If they will not budge, a simple flat head screw driver can be used to pry them out if carefully asserted. Only force in the outward direction and slowly apply force otherwise you may risk breaking a snap.
Once the wires are removed, you are ready to insert the UTEC pigtails in place of the stock ECU pigtails. These basically snap right in! Next insert the stock pigtail into the UTEC in the same manner. The only other wiring that needs to be done is to run a ground from the UTEC to the X frame. There is a bolt located and the bottom of the X frame at about 6 o'clock that is a great place for a ground. Run the ground and secure any additional wire to make for a clean installation.
External Map Selector and Launch ControlIf you plan on hooking up an external map selector, a good place to install this is next to the emergency brake in the empty switch slots provided by Subaru. Additionally, launch control can be installed along with separate solenoid control. The map selector switch can be used to change maps on the fly as long as your under 1600 RPM. Take special caution when changing maps, and be sure to fill all map locations with actual maps. If there is no data, it will load zeros and could result in engine damage.
Launch control is hooked up by cutting the wires on the clutch switch, located under the driver's side dash. Looking right at the top of the clutch, you can see an activator ground switch with two wires, yellow/green and yellow/red. Cut the wires with enough to work with. The wires leading into the harness need to be jumped together by using a simple end connector and adjoining the ends in a loop. This will allow cruise control to be used, however the clutch will not deactivate cruise control as it once did. The wires coming out of the clutch switch need to be connected to the lead out of the external map selector. Launch control will activate only when the clutch is fully activated at the specified RPM set in parameters.Connecting to the UTEC
Connecting to the UTEC's interface can be done with a serial cable, or serial to USB cable. I went with a serial to USB cable purchased at RadioShack made by Gigaware. This adapter comes with driver software so you can configure it as a COM port. TurboXS suggests Belkin, however, Belkin's adapter does not feature screws to securely fasten the serial cable into the UTEC. A loose adapter over time can cause a short, make sure your plug uses screws to securely fasten to the ports. Using window's "Hyper Terminal" program, you can connect to the UTEC with a laptop or PC. Select 19200 baud rate and leave the rest alone. Once connected, save the connection as a file on your desktop so you can access it again easily. There is a supplied 9v batter connector that can be used for interfacing with the UTEC while it is not plugged into the vehicle, or if your vehicle does not have a battery. Load the latest firmware upgrade and check out the UTEC's interface.
Tuning
Now you can start tuning! If you know how to tune, you don't need to read any more and you probably didn't need this installation guide. For the rest of us, we may need to seek a third party tuner. For more tuning information, check with a local performance shop to see who performs custom tunes around your area. Florida has "Snowman", "Gadiel", "3gSucks", and Scott Siegel. I choose 3gSucks because I trust him with my vehicle and he is extensively skilled in tuning the WRX. To this date, no blown engines. Now that's a tuner I trust!
Still confused? Visit the NASIOC UTEC forum!
