2017 Engine Stronger? How Much?
 

So reading up on the new 2017 BRZ models i read that Subaru strengthened the engine and essentially made it more durable.

My question is, by how much?

If someone were to go FI in a new 2017, how much more could they push the engine safely? I havnt heard too much, but it makes sense as the new models just came out and i dont know if anyone has boosted any of the new models yet.

Well the first things to go are normally the rods, and by that I mean they bend and whatnot. So the amount of power it can do safely over previous model years is negligible.

i got the new 17 86, i was told the only difference was the manifold... thats about it.

I have a 2013 FR-S and from my observations, the early models seemed to be more fragile. My understating is that there were minor and ongoing improvements made each year to address items that were identified as failure prone (especially to the valvetrain), but nothing that changed the basic specification of the engine. That said, just like in the BMW world, I'd rather have later generation engine simply to get the advantage of cumulative improvement over the years. The 2017 engines have received the biggest updates yet, but I still consider them to be minor improvements (more rigid block, new intake, polished valve guides, low-friction camshafts, updated software with far-improved TC and VSC, and other small parts). This time the horsepower got a tiny bump, but the core components and basic specifications (bore and stroke, for instance) stayed the same. Will it be more reliable? Probably, but in my opinion it's more due to continued ongoing improvements than to any major revolution in engine design. The bottom line for me is that if my budget allowed it I'd buy a newer car over an older one, but there's a lot of value in the early cars at this point.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, this post was edited in light of additional information posted by other members below - it just goes to show you that this forum is a wealth of knowledge and that there's always someone that knows more than you do (well, than I do!) here!

I would rather buy early model and the money saved built engine with reputable aftermarket parts

I read somewhere that the rods and pistons were strengthened as well but i'm not 100% sure on that.

Larger exhaust manifold, intake, but not sure about the rods.
http://i.imgur.com/LYukMYu.png

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The pistons were strengthened slightly (not a material change, only FSK-R treatment, which appears to be a type of shot peening). There is no mention of connecting rod changes in the Subaru Product Info pdf.

Lots of little changes throughout. Unless you have an At and then it is same old stuff in the engine.
http://imgur.com/a/PmiSE

According to the pdf, the AT's also received many of the changes in the engine. Notable exceptions are the pistons, intake manifold, and intake tract, but it did get the stiffer block and a few of the other bits.

Ya I was a bit extreme in saying "same". There were indeed several changes.

I was gonna create a thread to ask this very question and figured I would revive this one to see if the consensus has changed at all.

After driving the car a handful of times I feel that for me, the torque is not enough. So FI would be a must for me if I get into one of these cars. I have been wondering which car would offer the best reliability and value once boosted between a used 2013-16 car and a refreshed car with a performance pack and all the recent updates.

For those with the new cars who have since gone FI, are you satisfied with the decision you made?

Cheap, Fast, Reliable, Pick two.
Honestly, the best solution is to get the cheapest car and putting in a built motor. Anything else you throw out 1 of the 3 mentioned above.

Or you could just save up a bit more and buy a Cayman.

Thinking about it, though, the twins are so good that if Subie ever did put a wrx motor in one of these it could be a Cayman killer. Don't get me wrong, the Cayman is a fabulous car, but a bullet proof 270-300 whp BRZ would be a giant killer. I know, I know, this is oooollllddd news, but I've been looking at Caymans (or is it Caymen?) and in a number of ways I like the BRZ better.