Need a California 818 tuner recommendation

[Dave 53]

For many months I was researching and looking for recommendations for an ECU tuner in the SF Bay Area and I came up with Mike at GST in Hayward and Equilibrium in Suisun City. GST seemed to be the hands down favorite. Mike tunes only Subaru and has years of experience and an amazing reputation tuning Subaru race cars.

A bit on a monkey wrench with my motor... It's a 2.5 / 2.0 hybrid and you need to lower the compression ratio on a hybrid build, usually with pistons made just for this purpose or with thicker head gaskets . It seems the builder of my motor didn't do that. I talked about this with GST Mike and given the compression PSI of my motor, he said it didn't make sense to break the motor apart to lower the compression ratio and he could tune around it.

After a few false starts, I finally got the car into GST and the tune couldn't be completed because the tires were slipping on the dyno drum - his particular model dyno couldn't strap the car down with enough force. Came in with a break-in tune and left with a very drivable tune, much better than the break-in tune, but not a complete tune I can take to the track. Having him tune on someone else dyno is not an option.

So, I check in with Equilibrium. They said no. Equilibrium seems to be a reputable tuner, but they seem to tune almost any brand car (not the Subaru specialist that GST is). Probably great for a WRX (or Honda or Porsche, etc.) with a few mods, but not the Subaru race car experience of GST.

There are plenty of tuners in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I need a solid recommendation. I need to avoid these "kids that call themselves a tuner". I need an experienced Subaru race car tuner since we have smog exempt engines and I have this compression ratio issue. Willing to travel hundreds of miles from San Francisco Bay Area to a reputable tuner. Know anyone?

Here's what I will send any potential tuner...

Factory Five 818S
DMV SB100 registration. Smog exempt except for PCV valve.

Intended Use
Mostly street driving
5+ HPDE track days a year

Engine Goal
RELIABLE hot weather HPDE track days on 91 octane.

Engine Build
Engine built by Speedy Roo Motorsports, Aurora, CO.
I did not have it built, so I have limited knowledge as to what was done. Invoice notes are incomplete.
EJ25 / EJ205 Hybrid. EJ25 short block sourced from Speedy Roo. Other parts from 2002 WRX.
Engine rebuilt with all new gaskets, pistons, connecting rods, water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, clutch.
Heads rebuilt with valve guides.

Hybrid Build Compression Ratio
Has thin head gaskets. Heads most certainly not milled.
Unsure of pistons, but most likely Weisco K598M100AP (Invoice just says "new Weisco pistons")
Appears Speedy Roo didn't do anything to lower compression ratio.
Compression PSI, cold, wide open throttle: left 155,155 right 170, 165

Modifications
Cobb Access Port AP3
Weisco Pistons
Brian Crower bROD connecting rods
Forced Performance NTSUB71HTA-58IN1 Turbo
Cobb 3 port boost control solenoid
Cobb Silicone Turbo Inlet
Cobb Top Feed 1050X Injectors
Walbro 255LPH Fuel Pump
Air to Water Intercooler
TGV delete
Catalytic converter delete and 2nd O2 sensor delete (OEM header and up pipe)
EGT sensor delete
Throttle body heater delete
Killer B oil pan / pick up and ArcTangent oil control plate
Perrin Air Oil Separator for heads.
Plugs NKG PFR6G


Current Status
About 2,500 miles
Current "partial tune" by GST, Hayward.
GST couldn't finish tune because tires were slipping on dyno drum.

[blomb11]

If you are up for it contact Bill at Delicious Tuning in San Diego. He is known for his tuning on Subaru platforms (WRX and FRS/BRZ) plus some others. I have seen some posts of his with high power GTRs so makes sense he might have a dyno to work for you. I know a lot of people who use his Cobb maps and I had him tune my old STI for E85 for autocross and HPDE with no issues for 10k+ miles. I believe he has also worked on a couple 818s and this is where I plan to go for my tuning when I get there.

[Rob T]

I used Paul Leung at Yimisport for my 818R and engine rebuild. He did a speed density tune for me. I had the tune verified by another tuner in New Mexico who said it was "perfect" and could find nothing to improve. Yimisport builds some crazy Time Attack cars. They were in the Pasadena area on the north side of LA.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Dave, I have a friend that races Subaru's in the bay area. I reach out to him.
Bob

[Bob_n_Cincy]

dave just got back to me: Snail performance in auburn
I don't know anything about snail, but I trust dave opinion.

[Dave 53]

blomb11, Rob T, Bob_n_Cincy,

Thanks for the recommendations. All 3 look competent. My car is very susceptible to detonation issues if not tuned precisely, so it's not a job for a tuning novice. I've contacted all 3 and I'm waiting to hear back...

What was Speedy Roo Motorsports thinking when they built this 2.5/2.0 hybrid motor without lowering the compression ratio? I called and asked and they didn't have an answer. If you're building or buying a 2.5/2.0 hybrid motor, make sure to understand what you're getting into. Great if done correctly, but a ticking time bomb if not.