12.6 sec 1/4 mile Levorg 2.0

[STIVorg]

Hey Levorg folks
Finally decided to put my full “what I did / what it changed / what it actually runs” into one post, because I’m tired of the classic Levorg cycle: first pull is great, second is meh, third feels like the car forgot it has a turbo.

Quick results (the only part everyone scrolls for)

• 0–100 km/h: 4.5 s
• ¼ mile: 12.6 s

If you want proof / consistency / conditions — check the Dragy Performance app leaderboards. I’m currently #1 there, and you can see the runs.

The real Levorg problem: why it “goes flat” after a couple pulls
For a long time I thought the car was “just moody”: fuel, tune, CVT, whatever. But the main enemy is boring and obvious:

Heat.

• Hot intake air under the hood + heat-soaked intercooler = IAT climbs fast.
• On many setups the air temp sensing is tied to the MAF area, and the ECU isn’t always seeing the real temp of the air going into the cylinders after the intercooler.
• At the same time, Levorgs struggle with engine oil temps and CVT temps.

Once temps climb, the car starts protecting itself:

• ECU pulls timing / torque
• CVT starts managing torque harder
• throttle response feels dull
• the car feels like it’s “not boosting”, even though you’re flat out

So the “Levorg hesitation” is often not magic. It’s just thermal management (or the lack of it).

What I changed to fix it (and make it repeatable)
My goal was simple: make the car run the same on the 1st pull and the 3rd pull, especially in warm weather.

Cooling / consistency mods

• Heat exchanger upgrade
• Engine oil cooler
• CVT oil cooler
• 82°C thermostat
• Full aluminum coolant radiator
• Intercooler sprayer system with a controller that works based on boost + temperature
  (not “press a button and hope” — it kicks in when it actually matters)
• AEM meth injection with two nozzles
  1. pre-turbo
  2. pre-throttle body
     Yes it’s extra work, but the goal is stable temps under load.
• IAT sensor relocated after the intercooler
  So the ECU sees the real post-IC intake temperature, not some optimistic number upstream.

Power / flow mods

• 3” catless downpipe — both catalytic converters removed
• Blitz Nur Spec exhaust

Tune + supporting stuff

• ECU tuning (Subaru Edit)
  Without this, half the hardware is just “for looks”. Everything above is tuned as one system.
• Lightweight 19" Advan RG2 wheels
  Not “+50 hp”, but less rotational mass helps how the car accelerates and feels.

What it changed (in real life)
Biggest difference: the car stopped being a “one good pull” machine.

Before:

• 1st run: decent
• 2nd run: weaker
• 3rd run: “where did the power go?”

After the cooling + IAT relocation + proper tuning:

• response is much more consistent
• power doesn’t fall off nearly as fast
• it stays alive in warmer conditions
• results became repeatable, which is how I ended up at 4.5s 0–100 and 12.6s quarter mile, not a one-time hero run

2026 season: next step is already sitting in the garage
I’m not stopping here — for 2026 I’ve already picked up the next set of hardware:

• Garrett G25-660 turbo
• Tomei R.S.E. exhaust manifold
• Tomei titanium intake

If you guys want, I can add details in the comments.

 

[lerroy]

Very impressive... the bigger question how is the CVT still handling the power ?

I'm with you on the pulls getting worse. every time I've tried the draggy i get one or two good times then just feel rubbish.

 

[STIVorg]

Thanks! CVT is still alive because I’m not trying to “brute force” it with heat and repeated abuse. Most of the work was actually about keeping temps under control: CVT cooler + engine oil cooler + heat exchanger, plus IAT sensor after the intercooler, IC sprayer and meth to keep intake temps stable. When temps stay reasonable, the car stays consistent and the CVT doesn’t start pulling torque.


And yeah, your Dragy experience is exactly what I had before — 1–2 good pulls, then it feels rubbish. That’s heat soak + rising CVT/oil temps = ECU/CVT protection kicking in. Cooling + correct IAT reading fixed like 80% of that for me.

Very impressive... the bigger question how is the CVT still handling the power ?

I'm with you on the pulls getting worse. every time I've tried the draggy i get one or two good times then just feel rubbish.

 

[STIVorg]

One of the biggest problems with these cars isn’t even the hardware — it’s the mindset. A lot of old-school Subaru guys are stuck in EJ-era clichés. Instead of learning the new platform and fixing the real weak points (temps, IAT strategy, CVT cooling, proper ECU logic), it’s easier to just scream “CVT bad” and call it a day.

The funny part is: once you address heat management and tune it correctly, the car becomes repeatable and consistent — and that’s what matters for real-world performance, not one hero pull.

Mighty Car Mods is a perfect example of that attitude sometimes — great content, but they often treat anything non-manual / non-EJ like it’s automatically trash, rather than something to understand and develop.

 

[lerroy]

One of the biggest problems with these cars isn’t even the hardware — it’s the mindset. A lot of old-school Subaru guys are stuck in EJ-era clichés. Instead of learning the new platform and fixing the real weak points (temps, IAT strategy, CVT cooling, proper ECU logic), it’s easier to just scream “CVT bad” and call it a day.

The funny part is: once you address heat management and tune it correctly, the car becomes repeatable and consistent — and that’s what matters for real-world performance, not one hero pull.

Mighty Car Mods is a perfect example of that attitude sometimes — great content, but they often treat anything non-manual / non-EJ like it’s automatically trash, rather than something to understand and develop.

for sure thats good to hear. allot of tuners here in nz have been very reluctent to even work on the car as they always say "no, CVT will break or we dont work on cvt cars etc etc.....

reassuring that with proper strategies can be mitigated.

 

[lerroy]

AT sensor relocated after the intercooler

So the ECU sees the real post-IC intake temperature, not some optimistic number upstream

Do you have any pics of this or info, would love to look at doing.

ill give google a search as well

 

[STIVorg]

Do you have any pics of this or info, would love to look at doing.

ill give google a search as well

Yep, I can share how I did it

Goal: keep the MAF in place (for airflow), but move the IAT input to a true post-IC location so the ECU sees real charge temps.

What you need

• Any 2-wire IAT sensor with a known calibration curve (I used a GM-style one: GM 96508200 / Lynxauto DM7801)
• Matching 2-pin pigtail/connector
• 22–24 AWG wire, heatshrink, loom, etc.

Where to mount it

• After the intercooler, as close to the throttle body as practical.
• I drilled into the plastic IC outlet / charge pipe “shoulder”(post-IC side), then installed the sensor there.
  • Most GM IAT sensors are 3/8 NPT — drill/tap accordingly.
  • Use thread sealant and make sure it’s airtight (no boost leaks).

Wiring (key part)

• At the MAF connector you only need the two IAT wires:
  • Pin 4 = Yellow/Green
  • Pin 5 = Green
• Depin or cut/splice those two wires and extend them to the new IAT sensor.
• Polarity isn’t critical (it’s a thermistor), but I kept the wiring orientation consistent anyway.

ECU calibration

• You must update the IAT sensor scaling/calibrationin your tune (SubaruEdit/RomRaider/etc.) to match the sensor you installed.
  • If you don’t, the ECU will read wrong temps and corrections will be off.

Quick sanity check

• Cold start: IAT should read close to ambient.
• Under boost: post-IC IAT should rise smoothly, not jump around.
• If you get P0112/P0113, it’s wiring/connection or wrong pins.

If you want, I can post pics of the exact mounting spot and which pins I used on the MAF plug.

Also, the pinout can differ depending on the Levorg version — start/stop button vs non start/stop, and LHD vs RHD. Mine is a JDM right-hand-drive VMG with the push-button start.