Mel got a Subaru!

[TDZdave]

If I had the money, I'd actually rather have an Evo.

that's simply because your weird people do swap their STI's for EVO's usually of the second hand variety, Subaru engines are 40 times stronger then any other 4 cylinder car on the planet, Mitsi glue their engine blocks together, but with not so good glue,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

that's simply because your weird people do swap their STI's for EVO's usually of the second hand variety, Subaru engines are 40 times stronger then any other 4 cylinder car on the planet, Mitsi glue their engine blocks together, but with not so good glue,

http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gaskets-problems-explained-part-ii/

 

[TDZdave]

that's easy fixed, its a design flaw, but I got very sick of rebuilding my partner's head because of it, specially after we installed the B4 twin turbo kit, words of advice, be careful with the amount of silicone you put in it,

 

[ShobThaBob]

that's simply because your weird people do swap their STI's for EVO's usually of the second hand variety, Subaru engines are 40 times stronger then any other 4 cylinder car on the planet, Mitsi glue their engine blocks together, but with not so good glue,

I can't tell if you're serious or not.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

that's simply because your weird people do swap their STI's for EVO's usually of the second hand variety, Subaru engines are 40 times stronger then any other 4 cylinder car on the planet, Mitsi glue their engine blocks together, but with not so good glue,

Wut?

Yes EJs and EZs are dependable and reliable engines, but so are the 4G63s you find in most of the really good Evos. However if you start the modifying its the gearbox and drivetrain that can't cope with the strain on a moderately modified Evo rather than its engine. This is the same with standard 5-speed WRXs; their transmissions are made of glass and absolutely hate stock standard hard launches let alone when you get down to modifying them; its why I baby my CSE4 around as my daily driver. The STi 6-speed however is much better all-round.

 

[TDZdave]

I went for a job with Mitsi's in Adelaide, and what I seen I would never drive one without a NASCAR super speed way cage in it, there's more glue then plastic,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

Holy crap, Borla headers... I just heard 50+ Subarus with Borla headers, and every single one sounded nice.


Also, there were 100s of Subarus at the Rally of the Tall Pines. I fit in well, among many of other 2.5 RS wagons, but, mine was the only 2005 2.5 RS. There were 100s of 2002s.


Anyways, that transmission is unpredictable... I'm going to be swapping it for the 6 speed manual. (Again, it's worth it, just for the experience, as I'm likely becoming a mechanic within 5 ish years.


But, I won't be rallying. No rallycross, just track day stuff.


After a year or two, I'll likely end up modifying it, with big carbon ceramics, lowered suspension, Borla headers and (I've heard of this many times before) an STi air intake.


In the meantime, I will likely be putting a new hood and rear spoiler on, since I don't even have any...

 

[TDZdave]

yes its always best to lighten a stock car first, I'm also glad to see your going for brakes over turbo's,

my suggestion with the brakes is to upgrade to the standard STI BREMBO brakes, you should be able to get second hand ones very easy, then just purchase new rotor's, or if you go the brand new setup, caliper, rotor, pads etc, always put the cheap pads in, as you for obvious reason's wont be racing the car everywhere you go, and competition quality pads tend to wear out the rotor as oppose to the rotor wearing out the pad, then seeing as your planning on being a mechanic you can always get the equiptment to swap the good quality pads in for track days,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

Isn't brake-life affected primarily by the size of the rotor and calipers, too? Like, 1990 Formula 1 quali-runs were small rotors, but, the races use huge rotors and calipers?


That's why I want to go with the Brembo STi package; the rotors and calipers are more heat resistant, heat dissipating rotors and calipers and sizes... Slightly slotted, dual-core-vented rotors... Street use, and track use both require long-braking distances, in their own way, because track use is heavy, high-speed braking, while street use is generally long, slow braking, meant for comfort.

 

[TDZdave]

that is correct, but the main reason they went for that in F1 was the driver's could really jump on the pedal as hard as they like and the head generated towards the end of the run would prevent a lock up, and generate so much heat it was incredible, back in them days the used a qualifying tire,

there is a simple math for it, much like the wheels on a car, the larger it is the less rotation it needs, the wider it is the more contact it has,

But with the race quality pads is if they don't get to optimum temperature they wont stop the car properly and eventually eat into the rotor its self, people forget or just don't understand that they are built to last in the intense heat of racing and don't work so great in the not so intense peak hour traffic,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

You understand that we agree, right?

 

[TDZdave]

yeah bud, I'm just explaining to you the effect of using this equipment in way's its not designed for, and the rest of these people, I learned the hard way rotor's get very expensive,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

yeah bud, I'm just explaining to you the effect of using this equipment in way's its not designed for, and the rest of these people, I learned the hard way rotor's get very expensive,

Yeah man, I've already replaced the pads on these, so I know which parts I'd rather replace. The pads weren't much.

 

[TDZdave]

particularly with the Brembo price tag

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

particularly with the Brembo price tag

But, the STi rotors are a bit more common, correct?

 

[TDZdave]

as second hand one would assume, but the only difference between them and the Brembo equal is the STI or Subaru logo on it in some cases, might be worth enquiring as to how much they are worth new through Subaru, get the part number's and enquire how much the part's are through a Brembo retailer,

 

[T-Squared]

I suggest reading around here a bit, if you haven't done so already.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31

It won't take long to find out that these engines are just about maxed from the factory and theres little you can do to make more power, unless your willing to spend 10k. FYI The borla headers are notorious for cracking and they are a $400+/- sound mod that slightly decrease overall power output.

Another tip is when hooning about in the snow, I always put the transmission down into the 1,2,3 positions because this gives constant 50/50 front/back power distribution to the wheels. Just having it in 'D' can make the car unpredictable due to the computer trying to distribute the power differently all the time, and this completely changes the handling of the car. It's not fun if the computer suddenly goes into 90/10 mode coming into a corner in snow (understeer time baby!). I pull the ABS fuse in the snow also, because the ABS unit (least the 2007 model) is terrible and makes the car take forever to stop.

Edit - 2.5's have a 5x100 bolt pattern and STi's from 2005 on are 5x114.3 so brake rotors won't transfer over without swapping the hubs first.

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

^ Why can't everyone be this helpful?

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

I need spark plugs. Which company...?

 

[Punknoodle]

Ngk

 

[TDZdave]

DENSO irridium's performance plug's,

nice signature bud, your right I'm nothing like Craig Lowndes, I'm Loyal to the Blue Oval

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

Therefore, I guess I have three options...


-NGK
-Denso
-Bosch


Hmmmmm, am I feeling German, or Japanese?

 

[Slash]

I need spark plugs. Which company...?

ACCEL makes FANTASTIC plugs.

 

[TDZdave]

DENSO and BOSCH make the most durable plugs, and damn good bang with the right leads, but you will irridium plugs, that's standard in all Subaru's, they are fantastic,

My XR8 Falcon I've upgraded slowly over the last few months, I have 2 motor's for it, one is straight out of a Ford GTX1, 830BHP, which will be in there again after Christmas, but the original one all I've done to it is,
Replace crap plugs and leads with Denso Irridium's and Rocket industry Leads,
Re usable Air filter,
Full custom exhaust, which I made by hand myself,

and that has bumped me from 330BHP to 410BHP,

oh, get yourself a re usable air cleaner, sports ones aren't good for any car, unless your running 400BHP minimum or a Super charger or Turbo, you need the suck pressure, if there isn't enough you will lose some horses,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

I just got NGK spark plugs, wires, and a nice oil change.



The NGK spark plugs and wires ran me $120 Canadian, and everything was on sale. I would've gotten the Mobil 1, but we got Pennzoil.



The car's running great. The blue wires look great. The car's getting better and better.



It's definitely an EJ253. I checked while I was working on the plugs and wires.


Anyways, what about a top-mount air intake? The EJ253's intake manifold is directly above the cylinders, where the STi intercooler mounts. So, would it work? The current air filter was damaged, already. So, I got to thinking... I want a carbon hood (to replace the somewhat rusty current one) and an STi hood will fit, I imagine. The STi hoods are offered with carbon fiber. But, the functional hood scoop could be used for a top-mount air intake...


Right?



Could that not add a lot of horsepower? If anyone knows the current layout, routing it through the front fenders seems like a BIG mistake, and it probably robs my performance and fuel economy. So, I imagine that'd be a logical thing to think of for 2014.

 

[TDZdave]

there's no shame in using Pennzoil, specially if your getting Proper Pennzoil, they used to be my secondary sponsor before Shell took them over, But even still if your getting imitation Pennzoil its a Shell product at a cheaper price,

As for your air intake, I'm assuming you will possibly be purchasing a second hand bonnet, measure where your intake is located and make sure you measure the location of potential plumbing on the potential bonnet, the closer it is the less of a headache will be,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

Was real Pennzoil. A Pennzoil 4.4 liter pack, AND Mobil 1 oil filter was $50. Better be genuine for those prices.


Anyways, the hood would be a SEIBON carbon piece, for the STi; a normal STi hood (images.google.ca) made of carbon, with the normal air intake parts... I could probably even paint "STi" onto the air intake to make it look like the intercooler. But, that's something a ricer would do.


Nevertheless, I'm open to further ideas. I have 13+ months to even consider what to do.

 

[TDZdave]

Just read the back of the packaging mate, it will tell you if its packaged by shell or not, real Pennzoil is one of if not the best performance oil you can buy,

My issue with Carbon fibre is it gets mighty expensive,

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

$700, light-weight, strong, rust-free, and nice-looking.

 

[TDZdave]

if it lines up with your air intake then go for it,