kraigt
05-26-2010, 02:47 PM
This is a bit long so if you want skip the first two paragraphs go for it, but this is a detailed review of how much Bren from Brentuning has helped me over the last year.
Or go to the last paragraph if you really don’t want to read.
http://www.mysubie.com/user_images/v1/vehicle/555/v1_vehicle_555_f6858653b3_6499_1024.jpg (http://www.mysubie.com/vehicle?id=2239)
http://www.mysubie.com/user_images/v1/vehicle/555/v1_vehicle_555_f6858653b3_4087_1024.jpg (http://www.mysubie.com/vehicle?id=2239)
So for those of you that don’t know me from Nasioc, IWSTI, wrxfanatics.com or Mysubie my names Kraig and I have been part of Subaru community since early 2005, owning a 2002 WRX and now 2007 STI. I have been the orginizer of the Worcester meets for 3 years now and I have been doing meets as far back as late 2005. In that time I have meet a lot of people and in doing so I have learned a lot about these cars.
This leads me to my experience Bren and BrenTuning. I meet Bren Soon after getting my first car, so I can’t say I haven’t know him for a long time however at that time the Cobb AP was the engine management to have. So as I went through college I kept my AP for my Stage 2 bugeye.
This past summer I graduated college and was lucky enough to get a job right out of school. I payed off my WRX, and went looking for a 07 STi. So in August I drove and hour and a half away from home and bought a 2007 STI. Even before getting it home I had to things on my mind: the 07 ring land failure and what engine management to go with. They day I bought it I put it up on facebook that I had got a new car. Bren, who hadn’t talked to me in probably a year and half started giving all sorts of advice on the car. He also warned me about the motors on the 07 so as soon as I got it home I had a compression test done. Cylinder four had 40 psi.
When taking the motor apart the dealer said “the piston is ready to go through the block” now this is with no other signs of engine trouble at all except a slight ruff idle. (So 07-08 Owners get a compression test especially before you start moding or run out of warranty.)
So I get the Car back with a new short block and the first thing I do is call Bren. He tells me to brake the car in and we set up a tuning date. At this point I have a turbo back, spark plugs, and a fuel pump. We tuned that car one night and then two more nights in the next two weeks just so he could make sure there were no problems with the motor. Bren kept asking me to come back just so he could see the logs to make sure the dealer had put the car back together right. So after that I had the car dynoed at EFI 277 HP at 295 torque on a conservative tune. I sent the dyno graph to Bren and he said he could do better SO he tuned it again. At that point the STi went away for the winter and I started stock piling parts for spring.
At that time I said screw it I took the AP off my daily driver bugeye, replaced the upipe and put a MBC on it and handed it to Bren. What a difference, absolutely night and day. A friend that drove it a week before and a week after couldn’t believe it was the same car. I was happy, very happy.
So this march I started (and still am) moding the STi. The first group of things to go on where aps 65mm intake, perrin turbo inlet and afta maf, and a spearco topmount. To my luck, I drive it to Bren’s house and end up having a problem with the alarm which coused the ECU to go goodnight…… forever. Three weeks later and a new ECU, car is back with Bren. Now the ECU won’t communicate with open source. Bren figures it out in about 5 min, that the dealer didn’t plug the second set of test connectors back in (under the kick plate next to the ECU). We tune the car and I’m very happy, car runs and drives great around town and pulls hard.
Next step was headers MBC and 850cc injectors. Everything goes on I take it to Brens to tune it and I run in to three problems. First Forge sent the wrong spring in the MBC cousing the car to boost to boost cut at 24psi….. awesome. Bren helps me fix that and then the intercooler piping keeps blowing off and the regular house clamp won’t hold it on. In addition my GT-spec headers are hitting the sub frame…. another awesome. Bren keeps trying to find ways to fix things but I give up and spend the next two weeks fixing everything.
At this point I’m at tune 11 I think and im happy with everything. The car has about everything you can do to a stock turbo STi with the exception of an external wastgate, and the only thing left for a turbo upgrade would be the turbo itsself.
The day after tuning the car we go to a dyno day at PSI in auburn. Car makes 300whp and 330WTQ. Bren takes one look at the dyno graph and tells me to come back next week, lol.
So I currently have a nice Full stage 2 set up on my STi and Bren keeps finding ways to make faster. Can’t wait to see what it’s making now or what it will continue to make. So far I’m very impressed with Bren’s tuning and his willingness to help people out. He definitely goes above and beyond what other tuners will do. Besides tuning He give a lot of advice on doing maintenance and getting the car to run at its full potential.
Or go to the last paragraph if you really don’t want to read.
http://www.mysubie.com/user_images/v1/vehicle/555/v1_vehicle_555_f6858653b3_6499_1024.jpg (http://www.mysubie.com/vehicle?id=2239)
http://www.mysubie.com/user_images/v1/vehicle/555/v1_vehicle_555_f6858653b3_4087_1024.jpg (http://www.mysubie.com/vehicle?id=2239)
So for those of you that don’t know me from Nasioc, IWSTI, wrxfanatics.com or Mysubie my names Kraig and I have been part of Subaru community since early 2005, owning a 2002 WRX and now 2007 STI. I have been the orginizer of the Worcester meets for 3 years now and I have been doing meets as far back as late 2005. In that time I have meet a lot of people and in doing so I have learned a lot about these cars.
This leads me to my experience Bren and BrenTuning. I meet Bren Soon after getting my first car, so I can’t say I haven’t know him for a long time however at that time the Cobb AP was the engine management to have. So as I went through college I kept my AP for my Stage 2 bugeye.
This past summer I graduated college and was lucky enough to get a job right out of school. I payed off my WRX, and went looking for a 07 STi. So in August I drove and hour and a half away from home and bought a 2007 STI. Even before getting it home I had to things on my mind: the 07 ring land failure and what engine management to go with. They day I bought it I put it up on facebook that I had got a new car. Bren, who hadn’t talked to me in probably a year and half started giving all sorts of advice on the car. He also warned me about the motors on the 07 so as soon as I got it home I had a compression test done. Cylinder four had 40 psi.
When taking the motor apart the dealer said “the piston is ready to go through the block” now this is with no other signs of engine trouble at all except a slight ruff idle. (So 07-08 Owners get a compression test especially before you start moding or run out of warranty.)
So I get the Car back with a new short block and the first thing I do is call Bren. He tells me to brake the car in and we set up a tuning date. At this point I have a turbo back, spark plugs, and a fuel pump. We tuned that car one night and then two more nights in the next two weeks just so he could make sure there were no problems with the motor. Bren kept asking me to come back just so he could see the logs to make sure the dealer had put the car back together right. So after that I had the car dynoed at EFI 277 HP at 295 torque on a conservative tune. I sent the dyno graph to Bren and he said he could do better SO he tuned it again. At that point the STi went away for the winter and I started stock piling parts for spring.
At that time I said screw it I took the AP off my daily driver bugeye, replaced the upipe and put a MBC on it and handed it to Bren. What a difference, absolutely night and day. A friend that drove it a week before and a week after couldn’t believe it was the same car. I was happy, very happy.
So this march I started (and still am) moding the STi. The first group of things to go on where aps 65mm intake, perrin turbo inlet and afta maf, and a spearco topmount. To my luck, I drive it to Bren’s house and end up having a problem with the alarm which coused the ECU to go goodnight…… forever. Three weeks later and a new ECU, car is back with Bren. Now the ECU won’t communicate with open source. Bren figures it out in about 5 min, that the dealer didn’t plug the second set of test connectors back in (under the kick plate next to the ECU). We tune the car and I’m very happy, car runs and drives great around town and pulls hard.
Next step was headers MBC and 850cc injectors. Everything goes on I take it to Brens to tune it and I run in to three problems. First Forge sent the wrong spring in the MBC cousing the car to boost to boost cut at 24psi….. awesome. Bren helps me fix that and then the intercooler piping keeps blowing off and the regular house clamp won’t hold it on. In addition my GT-spec headers are hitting the sub frame…. another awesome. Bren keeps trying to find ways to fix things but I give up and spend the next two weeks fixing everything.
At this point I’m at tune 11 I think and im happy with everything. The car has about everything you can do to a stock turbo STi with the exception of an external wastgate, and the only thing left for a turbo upgrade would be the turbo itsself.
The day after tuning the car we go to a dyno day at PSI in auburn. Car makes 300whp and 330WTQ. Bren takes one look at the dyno graph and tells me to come back next week, lol.
So I currently have a nice Full stage 2 set up on my STi and Bren keeps finding ways to make faster. Can’t wait to see what it’s making now or what it will continue to make. So far I’m very impressed with Bren’s tuning and his willingness to help people out. He definitely goes above and beyond what other tuners will do. Besides tuning He give a lot of advice on doing maintenance and getting the car to run at its full potential.