Late model WRX smoking?

[AZjeff]

Today I was back and forth in light traffic on a divided street with lights with a current gen WRX that would puff a bit of grayish smoke just when the guy would pick up the throttle after shifting the MT. When he'd let up for a red light it would smoke for maybe a second then quit. It wasn't thick but was noticeable and he wasn't into it hard. The car was very well kept and had an aftermarket exhaust that was louder than necessary and maybe aftermarket wheels. I thought I got a whiff of gas a couple of times and wondered if this is the tuner car equivalent of diesel trucks rolling coal?

 

[dishdude]

Sounds like it was running really rich. Probably has some kind of issue, I doubt a tune would run a gas engine so rich it had visible smoke.

 

[Jetronic]

blow off valve probably, if it vents to the outside the mixture gets messed up

 

[OppositeLocK]

I drive a 2019 WRX. These cars are notorious for being modded. What's common is to get them tuned to run rich so you get pops and crackles coming from the exhaust. Literally called the "burble tune".

A lot of clowns also do that along with a cat delete and straight pipe it (so stupid... you can barely breathe driving behind any car that's done this).

If had to guess, that's what he did.

I love my car and have tastefully modified it (in my mind at least and mainly cosmetic), but I've especially kept the stock exhaust system in order to not be obnoxious to my surroundings both from noise and air pollution perspectives.

 

[OppositeLocK]

blow off valve probably, if it vents to the outside the mixture gets messed up

There's only a few geniuses in the community that vent to atmosphere mainly because most understand that with the ECU relying on a certain level of recirculation, it's really damaging to the system.

The Subaru community/culture... and I guess the aftermarket community as a whole branches into two groups: the obnoxious and the enthusiast.

The obnoxious ones are the ones with cat deletes, excessive camber, improper headlights, overly loud exhausts, etc.. The enthusiasts look to improve upon a familiar formula without doing it predominantly in a way that is meant to annoy others.

The former almost always ruins it for the latter.

I can deal with almost anything except cat deletes. That's one thing that I feel should be a zero tolerance policy everywhere. Immediate impound/license seizure if caught driving without one. I've gotten stuck behind so many Hondas where I'm literally choking and having my eyes water.

 

[AZjeff]

What's common is to get them tuned to run rich so you get pops and crackles coming from the exhaust. Literally called the "burble tune".

A lot of clowns also do that along with a cat delete and straight pipe it (so stupid... you can barely breathe driving behind any car that's done this).

This has to be it. The car is WRX blue and isn't lowered with the wheels splayed out and didn't have a giant wing or splitters or that little tow hook thing they do. I'd call it tasteful except for the smoke and smell.

 

[thastinger]

This has to be it. The car is WRX blue and isn't lowered with the wheels splayed out and didn't have a giant wing or splitters or that little tow hook thing they do. I'd call it tasteful except for the smoke and smell.

I don't think I've ever seen on that has an aftermarket exhaust NOT burn oil. Not because of the cat delete and exhaust, but because the driver needs to make that sweet exhaust sing at 5K RMPs in the 25MPH neighborhood roads, they get rode hard and put up wet. Crappy tunes, low maintenance and the need to keep them on the rev limiter all equal accelerated cylinder & ring wear.

 

[OppositeLocK]

I don't think I've ever seen on that has an aftermarket exhaust NOT burn oil. Not because of the cat delete and exhaust, but because the driver needs to make that sweet exhaust sing at 5K RMPs in the 25MPH neighborhood roads, they get rode hard and put up wet. Crappy tunes, low maintenance and the need to keep them on the rev limiter all equal accelerated cylinder & ring wear.

That's a lot of generalizations.

 

[thastinger]

There's only a few geniuses in the community that vent to atmosphere mainly because most understand that with the ECU relying on a certain level of recirculation, it's really damaging to the system.

The Subaru community/culture... and I guess the aftermarket community as a whole branches into two groups: the obnoxious and the enthusiast.

The obnoxious ones are the ones with cat deletes, excessive camber, improper headlights, overly loud exhausts, etc.. The enthusiasts look to improve upon a familiar formula without doing it predominantly in a way that is meant to annoy others.

The former almost always ruins it for the latter.

I can deal with almost anything except cat deletes. That's one thing that I feel should be a zero tolerance policy everywhere. Immediate impound/license seizure if caught driving without one. I've gotten stuck behind so many Hondas where I'm literally choking and having my eyes water.

That's a lot of generalizations.

 

[OppositeLocK]

That's a lot of generalizations.

Haha, fallacy of false equivalency. You've said there isn't one on the road that doesn't have a bad tune, burns oil, and is always at 5K at 25mph (meaning they're just driving around in first gear). Meanwhile I gave an explanation on different subsets and thought methodologies.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

It was probably vape smoke leaking out from inside the cockpit

 

[OppositeLocK]

It was probably vape smoke leaking out from inside the cockpit

Obviously, that's what the vape vent at the top is for.

 

[javacontour]

It's a subaru, it could be a leaky head gasket, so you are seeing coolant making its way out the back

 

[john_pifer]

It's a subaru, it could be a leaky head gasket, so you are seeing coolant making its way out the back

I know you’re sorta tongue-in-cheek with this, but the 2015+ WRX (not the STi) has the FA20 engine, which isn’t affected by head gasket sealing problems.

As far as the 2.5L engine that still comes in the STi, Subaru has probably fixed it a long time ago. I’m not sure - others will have to chime in.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Here’s what I always smh at. People (it’s always methed-out looking old women) that hold their cigarette out a barely opened window while they drive.

 

[Silver]

If it was brown/black then it's probably rich from a childish tune. I notice this a lot with ghetto-tuned ricers not worth the wheels the poor schmuck put on them but sometimes sh!t rolls UP hill.

If it was white/gray/blue then bless the guy's heart. Hope it pukes before his warranty is up.

 

[AZjeff]

Calling it light gray and not thick but visible. The guy was driving reasonably even though the light traffic would have been an opportunity to slice and dice. He didn't downshift early so I didn't notice any burbles.

 

[john_pifer]

It’s possible it just blew out some carbon. GDI engine exhaust is sooty. I owned a ‘16 WRX (same TGDI engine), and the exhaust tips turned black in short order without regular cleaning.

I can see some extra coming out if he hadn’t gotten on it hard in a while.

 

[Cujet]

Horizontal cylinders and turbochargers are a great combination for a little oil smoke.