M2 Performance 2002 Subaru WRX - Black Magic

The name "M2 Performance" may ring a bell with most loyal SCC readers. M2 is, after all, the leading force behind SCC's third-generation RX-7 project car. One may pose the question, "What is a successful RX-7 tuner shop doing playing with Subarus?" In fact, some may even accuse M2 of jumping on the WRX bandwagon.

What do we have to say about it?

So what. That's what. Not only has M2 Performance jumped on the bandwagon, but it also made the WRX slalom faster and brake harder than the car has ever done in the history of SCC testing. How does 60-to-0 in a paltry 105 feet sound? How about an average slalom velocity of 73.6 mph? Any way you cut it, that's real racecar territory. Throw in a third-best quarter-mile time of just 13.2 seconds at 102.2 mph and you have a car that will show its admittedly awkward-shaped taillights to nearly any car on the road today. But what did it take to achieve such a lofty level of performance? Careful tuning. Pure and simple. Just as one would expect from a tuning house that makes a habit of proving its products on the racetrack, not in the neon-strobed parking lot of In-N-Out Burger.

As with most of the WRXs in this test, M2's entry sported an upgraded turbocharger designed to support more than 300 hp. But don't let those airflow projections fool you into thinking that the big turbo is hindered by boost lag. Armed with a full ball-bearing center section and modern turbine technology, one would be hard pressed to distinguish its low-rpm performance from that of the stock flow-limited turbocharger.

With a solid 15 psi of boost being supported all the way to redline, there is no mistaking midrange and top-end supremacy. Further improving the efficiency of the WRX's forced induction system is a comprehensive array of exhaust componentry. First in line is a racing up-pipe from Vishnu Performance Systems. Replacing the stock pre-catalyst that resides upstream (yes, you read that right) of the turbocharger with a mandrel-bent, stainless-steel tube, the Vishnu up-pipe greatly improves system performance, but substantially lessens exhaust gas back-pressure. Bolted immediately downstream of the turbocharger rests M2 Performance's 3-inch, free-flow exhaust system. Constructed from stainless steel and equipped with both a free-flow catalyst and a heavy-duty flex joint, the "turbo-back" exhaust system plays an important role in optimizing performance without contributing to conspicuous noise pollution.

On the cool end of the engine, M2 Performance chose to employ the use of its upgraded intercooler. Generously sized for maximum cooling efficiency, the direct-replacement intercooler easily proved its worth during our repeated standing-start quarter-mile testing. While the other stock-intercooled WRX exhibited signs of heat soak after prolonged periods of heavy load, the M2 WRX stormed along without ever missing a beat. And with an upgraded, externally vented blow-off valve mounted directly on the inter-cooler's lower end tank, the WRX entertained us with its melodious bypass yodels. To further improve induction efficiency, the folks at M2Performance removed the stock panel air filter in favor of a drop-in replacement from K&N. This simple upgrade retains the simple look and sound deadening characteristics of the cold air-ducted stock airbox while offering performance on par with traditional aftermarket cone-style air filters. Of course, what good is all this improved engine breathing if the factory engine management system is incapable of safely supporting the goods? To ensure all vital fuel delivery and ignition timing parameters are within the realm of safe operation, the stock ECU was appropriately reprogrammed.

Now, we know how M2's entry rocketed to the end of the drag strip more than 1 second quicker than the stock WRX we used as a baseline. But how did it crush the competition on the slalom test? With a little help from Drummond Motor Sports (or DMS, for short), of course. In the world of Subaru rally and road racing, few companies have such a unblemished reputation. What better place for M2 Performance to approach for the design of its own coil-over system than DMS? Offering complete ride-height adjustability as well as independent compression and rebound controls, the M2 coil-overs provided remarkable at-the-limit performance with minimal ride penalty. Also contributing to the handling abilities of the WRX are M2 front and rear anti-roll bars and super-sticky Kumho VictoRacer R compound race rubber mounted on 17x7-inch OZ Superleggera wheels. But it's what is mounted inside those spacious wheels that is the most interesting: Massive rotors with handsome, four-piston brake calipers-front and rear. And judging by the incomprehensibly short braking distances, they just don't look the part-they actually perform!

On the road, what strikes us the most about the M2 WRX is its relative civility despite its obvious performance potential. While the throttle response, especially during deceleration, is jumpier than that of the stock car, there is no denying the M2 WRX can assume the roll of a hassle-free daily driver. While this may not sound especially exciting in light of some of the 400-plus hp, fuel belching, flame-barfing, insano-mobiles that we tested in the past few years, there is certainly no denying the novelty of driving what is essentially a 13-second family hauler capable of out-braking and out-cornering almost any other car on the road today.

* Measured at the wheels (Dynapack 6000)