yamahaSHO's WRB build.

[yamahaSHO]

My STi isn't really any special than anyone else's here, but that's part of my goal. I want to maintain a near stock appearance, but be able to run consistant 11's, make the car perform well in all other aspects, as well as still be bareable on the street.

I purchased this car in June of 2009 w/ 25k miles from a guy in Ames, IA. The car had never seen winter and was extremely clean. As much as I tried to stray away from a previously modded STi, I couldn't resist this one even though it had a few mods. The mods that were already on the car were:

- COBB catless TBE
- SPT short ram intake
- COBB springs
- COBB sway bars
- Rear strut tower brace (hadn't looked to find the maker)

Immediately after purchasing the vehicle, I removed the SPT intake and installed a stock intake/air box. The car had an unknown tune (supposedly it was tuned), but I picked up an AccessPort v2 immediatly and flashed it to stage 2, 91 octane. The car has run great and is a blast to drive, however, it really leaves me wanting more on the top-end.

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I will be converting the car to E85 so that I can push the car further, yet still maintain a safe and reliable vehicle... As much as one can hope for when modding anyway.

This is mostly a street car, but will see and has some track time (1/8, 1/4 and eventually road course after an oil cooler), but 95% will be street time. I will also be tuning the car myself with the AccessTuner Race software. I've been glued to tuning research on these cars as I'm not too keen on blowing a motor. I've been tuning Fords for close to a decade, so I don't consider myself to be starting at square one.

These pictures represent what is most current on the car and will be updated when new stuff is added.

After giving it the first bath since ownership:

Cleaning up the back of the car:

New mats, head unit and a cleaning:

Oswald Performance Triangle Brace:

Pink Cobb sway bar/Cobb TBE:

Adjustable sway bar mounts and KartBoy endlinks:

KW variant 1

White Line Anti-roll/Bump-steer kit:

Still pretty tame right now:

 

[yamahaSHO]

CURRENT PROGRESS

ENGINE/INTAKE/FUEL/EXHAUST/MANAGEMENT
- COBB catless TBE
- COBB APv2 w/ AccessTuner Race


DRIVETRAIN


SUSPENSION/BRACES/BRAKES
- KW v1 Coilovers w/ Group-N front mounts
- Whiteline Roll Center/Bump Steer correction kit
- Whiteline steering rack bushings
- MSI ALK
- COBB sway bars powder coated pink
- COBB Adjustable sway bar mounts
- COBB Rear strut tower brace
- StopTech Street Performance pads (F/R)
- OSWALD PERFORMANCE "Triangle Brace"
- ebay pink H-brace


INTERIOR
- Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD


MISC
- McGard GOLD spline lug nuts
- Debadged
- OSWALD PERFORMANCE front bumper beam
- ebay V-limited lip


Parts sitting on the work bench:
- T1 top feed conversion w/ ID1000 injectors
- Blouch 20G/TD05H/8cm
- Moroso steel oil pan/pickup tube
- TiC Klunk Killer - Comfort
- TiC 04-05 STi Bodacious Bushing Bundle
- TiC Tranny Crossmember Bushings
- PLX Devices WBO2 w/ DM-100
- JDM red hazard button

MY REVIEWS/NOTES:

KW v1 Coilovers w/ Group-N front mounts
It almost goes without saying, but these a quality pieces. The build quality is up to my standards, which for those that know me, I'm pretty anal. For the most part, these are a straight swap for the stock suspension. Before starting the task of installing them, I ordered new tophats, conical washers and all the misc replacment nuts and bolts I felt like replacing while I had it all apart.

One thing to note, the stock coilovers do not require the rubber (that is attached) to the rear tophats. I ordered Group-N tophats and the rears turned out to be a waste of money as you have to take off the rubber anyway (reading directions > me). The rears use a progressive spring, so without the rubber isolation, they're not too stiff initially (it's all relative). For the fronts, I installed the conical washer and Group-N mount and went to town. As said above, it's just a swap once that's all done.

Coming from the COBB springs that I purchased already on the car, these things are GREAT. They're firm, of course, but when hitting larger bumps (again, relative), the car does not get jar'd like the dash wants to punch me in the face. So far, with the limited time I've had with them, they keep the tires right were they need to be. For a street setup that wants to drop the car a bit and still retain strut travel, these are great coilovers. I don't drive the car in the winter, so I won't see any corrosion, but I would imagine that these would hold up very well judging by the build quality.

I went with the Group-N mounts because when being honest with myself... I take this to the track a few times a year, but it's a street car that gets driven on nice days. I didn't need the extra cost and harshness, so I put that money elsewhere. This is also the idea behind me getting the v1's as opposed to the v3's.

Whiteline Roll Center/Bump Steer correction kit
I can't really comment on these. The fitment was perfect and they haven't torn apart or slipped out. The car doesn't feel any different, but I've yet to push them to that point yet. Will review further.

Whiteline steering rack bushings
After pulling out the stock bushings, I can't say I'd do this mod again. Apparently these are a vast improvement on 2004 STi's, but there is VERY LITTLE rubber on the stock driver's side mount for the 2005+. I can't really asy there is any improvement aside from the underside of my car looking more flashy.

The install was pretty easy as it came with a tool to pull the old bushings out. I made a mark on the steering shaft to put it all back together the way it was. These bolts made me stop using my torque wrenches again. I couldn't get them torqued to "spec" and I was worried about stripping them. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TIGHTENING THESE BY HAND.

MSI ALK
I just installed these and left for a TDY shortly after, so I can't really give an opinion on them. I do know that I'll be removing them to grease them up as they creak and pop like crazy due to the washer rubbing on the bushing.

COBB sway bars
I bought the car with these already installed, so I cannot compare to a stock setup. What I can add is that before adding the adjustable brackets, I was able to flip the rear sway bar over with the car jacked in the rear. Now that I am able to adjust the mounting points, the bar fits very well. The quality is very good and they look good PINK!

COBB Adjustable rear sway bar mounts/brackets
As stated with the sway bar notes, this has made the rear COBB bar a perfect fitment. My enlinks now stand verticle and I am unable to flip the rear bar with my hand with the car jacked in the air/suspension unloaded. Since installing these and the Kart Boy endlinks, my bar no longer walks over to the driver's side of the car. These really are a MUST HAVE in my book.

COBB Rear strut tower brace
I bought the car with this already installed. The buddy I sold it to says he can feel that the bar stiffened up the rear of the car, but I noticed lots of creaking in the rear and upgraded to an Oswald Performance "Triangle" brace. The build of the COBB bar looked great. The diameter of the bar is MASSIVE, but it is also a hollow aluminum bar.


StopTech Street Performance pads (F/R)
For a street pad with some good bite (READ: better than stock), these are great options. I was very concerned about picking the right pad. I love 'bite'. I love getting on the brakes and being amazed by the negative g-forces.

AFTER bedding these pads in on a stock rotor that had been turned, they have all the bite I could ever ask for on the street. They do take a little heat, but that is maintained after a stop or two. These have not made ANY noise and have shown much less dust than the stockers. In fact, my rear brakes still have the stock pads and me rear wheels are always the dirty ones, not the front. I'd definitely recommend giving these a go if you're looking for great stopping power on the street, quiet operation and less brake dust (all relative to stock).



OSWALD PERFORMANCE "Triangle Brace"
As noted in the strut tower notes, I had LOTS of creaking in the rear of the car when took a spin without the back seats. Not only could I not stand the sounds, but the throught of the car flexing so much made me uneasy.

The install was very easy aside from some tight spaces. Everything is 'bolt-on', so no modification is required. Pretty much no trunk space is compromised, so there's really no reason to get a rear strut bar over this... The price difference is ABSOLUTELY worth it.

This brace cleared up ALL of my rear creaks immediately. The car feels 'more together' back in the rear allowing the suspension do what it was designed to do. I haven't been able to really push the car yet with this brace, so I'll follow up later about real performance.


McGard GOLD spline lug nuts
These things look good and I haven't been able to scratch them yet. I prefer the style over the stock chrome lug nuts and I wanted to get rid of the factory keyed lock. They have a separate shank that allows the lugnut to spin without rubbing on the wheels itself.

As a note, the spline socket provided requires a 22mm socket to use. If you're worried about getting a flat, make sure you carry some extra tools. Also, do not use an impact with their spline socket.

OSWALD PERFORMANCE front bumper beam
The weight difference between this and the stock bumper is roughly 22lbs. I was looking for a way to lighten the car without loosing any functionality and appear 'stock'. Fitment was spot on. My bumper almost centered itself and all the stock parts snapped right on/over this bumper. I haven't pushed the car hard enough to notice any real difference, but I'm sure removing that much weight so far forwad in the car isn't going to make it worse.

Just like anything from Oswald Performance, the quality is top notch. I plan to purchase the rear bumper beam from them as well.


Videos

 

[yamahaSHO]

Some of my other projects are wrapping up and I've received some more parts for the car, so here shortly, I should have some good updates with picures; I LOVE pictures.

Good process. Glad to see a step by step of your process/thinking. Keep it up!

Thanks. One of my problems is I sometimes overthink things which can work negatively at times... Say's my wife.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

I'm looking forward to the progress and waiting patiently. :tup:

 

[yamahaSHO]

Got a little work done on the car today. My buddy helped me remove the bumper cover and stock bumper and install the Oswald rear bumper. The install was pretty easy, although the directions tell you to drill out two rivets, but we found after removing one, you did not have to drill them out... Nor were they actual rivets.

Since having the bumper removed gave easy access to the exhaust tip, I took a few mintues with my Powerball and some polish, then a wax.

Everything fits nice, but we didn't get to put the car back together as my buddy who was helping me received a phone call that his very clean WRX limited just sat through a hail storm, so we took the drive to his place to check it out. Sadly, that car took a lot of damage.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

How much of a weight savings is that over the stock beam if you don't mind me asking? Looks like a nice piece. :tup:

 

[icudruln]

How much of a weight savings is that over the stock beam if you don't mind me asking? Looks like a nice piece. :tup:

As far as I know, it should be a saving of around 22 lbs per bumper beam. At least Litespeed Performance's one is...I figure the Oswald should be right around the same. Get both and save 44 lbs off the front and rear of the car!

 

[yamahaSHO]

Yes, it's around 21-22lbs. I already have the front beam on and I believe that one save a few more pounds over the rear.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

As far as I know, it should be a saving of around 22 lbs per bumper beam. At least Litespeed Performance's one is...I figure the Oswald should be right around the same. Get both and save 44 lbs off the front and rear of the car!

NICE! I will look into it.

 

[yamahaSHO]

During the WBO2 install, I found that the plug in the O2 bung of the Cobb pipe didn't want to come out. I pulled the DP and decided it would be best to go ahead and do the turbo install. As of last night, I have the old VF39 out (no cracks!) and the DP out. I'm currently waiting on some parts, but should be able to put the car back together this weekend. I still haven't done the injectors, but once together, I will run the car around the block a few times under vacuum to ensure there are no leaks and such, then work on the injectors/rails/FPR/pump.

What I've learned... For simplicity sake, if I were to do this again, ROTATED all the way! I am extremely happy I bought a zero rust car... Everything comes apart rather easily.

Now for some pictures:

My Bouch 20G Grimmspeed bracket did not fit, so I made the easy fix.

Ceramic coated the DP while I had it out.

 

[DKDunn04]

Looks great!

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

I'm liking the coatings... Did you do that yourself or did you send it out?

 

[yamahaSHO]

I sent the turbo hot side to SwainTech for their treatment, the DP was done locally through our Subaru group connections. They also do the powder coatings for me.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

Sounds good. I found myself a nice local shop that does powder coating. I'm contemplating my heads and block. They have some impressive colors nowadays.

 

[yamahaSHO]

I'm not sure I'd powder coat my heads and block for fear of heat retention.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

I thought about that but if the water in the block isn't taking care of that then what good is it in the first place :lol:

I've seen people do it with no ill effects but I don't know the longterm effects. I have a spare motor that I think I'm gonna try it on. What's the worst that will happen... I blow a motor... Like that hasn't happened 4 times already :rofl:

 

[yamahaSHO]

Water cooling is your primary source of cooling. It was also designed around an engine that has a lot of surface area (compared to a V shape) made out of aluminum.

 

[HolyCrapItsFast]

Gotcha. Well I already had a painted motor once albeit it was not powder coated, but it was laid on real think. I didn't notice ant difference but the powder coat is significantly thicker. I'll try it just for shitz and giggles.

Interestingly enough my company has a paint shop and they work allot with thermal dispersant coatings that are applied using the powder and bake method. The only problem is they only have olive green and black. Not the colors I was hoping for.

 

[Paul.c]

I think an olive green and black engine bay would be teh sickness. Turn thatv thing into the tactical STi, add some tan while you're at it. :tup:

 

[yamahaSHO]

I wouldn't mind using something that helps thermal dispersion. As far as a color.... I'd actually like green. It's not like you see the block or heads much anyway.

I cleaned up and painted the engine in my SHO when I rebuilt it. I just used Dupli-Color Engine Enamel. It's a cast iron block, so it will get some type of rust if not protected. Can't see the block when it's in the car though...

From this:

To this: