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walnut shrimp and duck ftw!!! Haha.

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TORQUE AND HORSEPOWER - STAGE 2.52 vs STAGE 2.C1



TORQUE AND HORSEPOWER - STAGE 2.52 vs PRE-PROD



BOOST GRAPH - STAGE 2.52 vs STAGE 2.C1 - PEAK PSI



BOOST GRAPH - STAGE 2.52 vs STAGE 2.C1 - PSI @ 6500 RPM



AFR GRAPH - STAGE 2.52 vs PRE-PROD

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------QUICK UPDATE------

just got back from a quick errand. Did my first officlal 0-60 run. Result was 4.44 (recorded on DashHawk w/ tire size adjusted to be accurate with my aftermarket setup), with passenger and riding clutch all the way up to 5,000 rpm. The revs build up so fast in first, its almost inevitable to hit the rev limiter the first time out. My launch was horrible.

After dropping my friend off, I did one more run at the next opportunity. More conservative launch with light feathering off the throttle, result was a 4.18. This run felt almost perfect without rushing the shift. I think with a little practice and more accurate footwork, I can hopefully land in the 4.0x territory.

With this kind of acceleration prowess, I'm about ready to consider the power portion of this project done. I still need to think more about it, but this is more than enough grunt. And considering the OEM internals, it is an extremely potent set up that should prove reliable for daily use.

Anyway, a full review will be posted soon, so thanks for your patience. I was just excited about the first attempts at 0-60 times and wanted to share with the forum. I'd post graphs, but Windows has gone missing from my partitioned drive on my MacBook. So I'll have to find my installation disc. I will post the 0-60 graphs as soon as I'm able to.

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----ITEMS I'LL BE INSTALLING TOMORROW----

SPT HEATSHIELD:



SUBARU SPLASH GUARDS - EXTERIOR COLOR MATCHED (SPARK SILVER METALLIC):



SUBARU FOOTWELL ILLUMINATION KIT - BLUE:



SUBARU STI SPOILER FOR WRX:

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Alright, so these last 2 days have been a lot of fun with some of the detail mods I've added. These mods we're almost purely cosmetic, but I felt they were little details that could go a long way in providing the car with a more 'finished off' appearance. Mind you, the Perrin Shorty Antenna has not arrived yet, and neither has my COBB ****. So those changes are still pending...

So without further ado, I will post some pictures of the items installed along with a brief synopsis of my thoughts along with any notes I wanted to add.

SPT HEATSHIELD - The COBB unit did it's job I'm sure, but after a while it began to rattle. After tightening it down, the syndrome had apparently been cured, until one day... it again, reared its head. After another tightening, it refused to quite down. My best guess is that it was rattling against my wastegate actuator arm. Anyway, the SPT was more appealing to me as it has a little more stealth factor than the COBB. If you pop your hood for an officer, which do you think looks better? A heatshield that has the name COBB on it? Or would you rather it say SPT, which happens to match the tailpipes? Another thing that appealed to me was the thicker material of the SPT unit and it's mirrored finish. It's also nice that it has a 'do not touch with hand' picture. There is no actuator arm in the way with the new turbo, meaning the COBB may have worked just fine. But the other features of the SPT were great enough for me to swap over. Installation was very easy and everything fits and lines up perfectly. So yes, you can run the SPT Heatshield without the factory heatshield and with most likely any aftermarket DP. I love this piece.

SPT Heatshield & Invidia Catted Downpipe:


SPT Heatshield w/ PERRIN TMIC:


SUBARU FOOTWELL ILLUMINATION KIT - After back and forth debates in my own mind and inquiring with many others, I finally decided on which color to go with. Being that the STI's come stock with the red illumination kit, I went with blue. Another reason was because WRXs have a cubby in front of the shifter that has a blue LED glow in it. To keep with a 'red instruments on upper dash and blue glow below' theme, the choice was clear. Because the holes the LED brackets fit into were pre-drilled in my WRX, installation was theoretically easy. I, of course, couldn't find the right harness at first and took apart the entire face of my dash, haha. PM me for tips of this install, or I may just post up a write up. The glow is mellow and really gives the interior a nice added level of pizzaz without being overly flamboyant. It comes on with the cubby LED, which is anytime your light stalk is turned. I think it's a nice touch that brings things up to date and makes for another item that passengers will point out to with a grin.

Interior w/ flash:


Interior w/ illumination:


SUBARU SPLASH GUARDS - This is probably my favorite mod to date when paired with the STI spoiler. It does so much with so little. While many people run the rally armour mud flaps, my personal opinion is that they look a bit out of place on a street car. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen it work on some WRXs and hence felt I should go that route. The only thing that kept me from doing it was the fact that they stick out so far out, that they would visually overshadow the wheel/tire offset I so carefully planned out. Then I ran across the Subaru set. They are compact, OEM quality and follow the body's design. I often considered a skirt kit, or something to finish off the body work... These are it for me! They provide a nice little finishing touch to the edges of your body. Also, they are inexpensive (for an OEM and painted item) and the installation was such a blast! Just pop a couple fasteners out, set the splash guard in place, snap in and screw in. So easy. The front set does require light drill work on the OEM inner fender liner. But the sheet metal the specific fastener attaches to is pre-drilled. Again, easy work. Please ask for advice before you go paying a dealership to do this for you. A project this easy, is such a great way for a new tuner to start familiarizing themselves with the car. It's a small, yet rewarding task that will leave you satisfied, accomplished and with great results!

Splash Guards - Front view that shows how nicely they round off the fenders and frame the wheels and tires!


Splash Guards - Rear view giving the body more character without making the sheet metal look too tall


STI FRONT LIP SPOILER - I enjoy the front end of the car, but like the rocker panels and rear, it just looked a little short and unfinished. Paging through Subaru's offerings, I came across this front lip and fell in love. Such a subtle piece. So expensive for the seeming amount of material you get. But I'd buy it all over again when considering the overall effect it has on the vehicle. Installation was fairly straight forward but involved. Drilling is absolutely required for most of the fasteners, and lifting the car a bit on a jack will aid a lot in the install. Overall though, fitment was incredibly precise, the piece was delivered in a huge box, but wrapped nicely in some synthetic protective cloth. It has a great satin black finish that coincidentally compliments my satin black vinyls, and I truly think it adds a real purpose-minded emphasis to the front end of the car.

STI Front Lip effect:


STI Front Lip and Splash Guards:

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My WRX and tireburner's MS3 GT... Hope you enjoy.

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~3700 rpm launch, feathered the clutch during a full second of modulated wheel spin (0.60 seconds to 1.70 seconds), Shifted to 2nd gear at ~6750 rpm. Lifted half way between shift, did not rush gear or flat foot shift.

This time can be shaved down at least a couple tenths with better grip, quicker launch and faster shift.

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So we spent several hours on Church's dyno yesterday, testing over and over to discover what was causing the intermittent boost cut I was hitting at the top of 4th gear. And why was I hitting 19-20 psi when the tune called for 15 at that rpm? It seemed the first run after each test was helping, then after a few more runs, it was the same issue again. We tried swapping pills from the boost line and the wastegate line, as the boost line appeared to be machined out slightly larger: no dice. We tried running no pill on the wastegate side, again... no fix. Then we thought, let's just remove both pills altogether. Again, same issue! It was starting to get pretty frustrating as nothing would fix the issue, and it was consistently just overboosting over 4500 rpm. Shawn's right hand man even suggested shimming the wastegate assembly closer to the turbo with 3 little washers... roughly forcing the gate open an additional 1/4 inch. Again, no fix.

However, we did notice a rattle develop after the shims were put in place. Initially we thought it was a heat shield, and after careful inspection... it wasn't. We then realized that as the wastegate was "fully" opening, it really WASN'T. The arm would only turn about 15 degrees, as opposed to a full 90 degrees. Ok, I think we're on to something now.

My buddy and I were racing around the web on our phones looking for answers... Does the WG really need to be bored out? It's not the boost solenoid, as that's responding perfectly well. It's not the pills at this point preventing the bleed out. So what is it? Finally, the right question was asked... "What downpipe are you running?" A friend of my friend had known someone with the same issue.

So here's what we know, and here's what we think:

We know, the Invidia DP was designed for the '08's without any anticipation that in '09, Subaru would put in a turbo with a larger wastegate. Fact.

We know, there's a plate built into the Invidia bellmouth collector that divides the exhaust and wastegate gases.

We know, there's an internal rattling sound during idle and deceleration coming from the back of the turbocharger, on the turbine side. This rattling sound was introduced when we shimmed the wastegate assembly closer to the turbo.

We know, by observation, that the wastegate is not opening fully.

We know, through dyno data, that the hotter it gets, the issue gets worse and we see increased overboosting.

We know, as heat increases, metal expands.

So here's what we think: The plate dividing the exhaust and wastegate side of the bellmouth on the Invidia collector is preventing the wastegate from fully opening. Considering all the observations and facts above, we're left with no other conclusion. We all nodded in agreement and I scooted off as Shawn had several appointments waiting (we were supposed to only be there for an hour, the favors this guy does for us ).

Afterwards, I made a quick call to Invidia to inquire whether or not they are aware of this probable issue. Sure enough, without denial, the rep admitted that it has been an issue in some applications. Apparently, it has not been consistent enough to yield a redesign... Or, not enough end-users meticulously tune their cars and monitor it's parameters the way I do. His suggestions? Just grind some of the plate off. Normally, I'd expect a manufacturer to fix the issue for me, but given the circumstances and time constraints, I was thankful enough that he openly admitted that it may be the cause. So this Sunday, we're hoping to take some pictures for you guys while we grind the divider plate, install the injectors and new fuel pump. Then it's off to the dyno again on Tuesday to see what this thing is really made of.


FOR REFERENCE, HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE DP. Notice the separating plate? That's what we need to grind down.

apexwagon

iTrader: (19)

nice writeup thus far, cant wait for more!

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Thanks

We will hopefully tackle the downpipe this Sunday.

t3ch9

iTrader: (5)

Good loookin car and great write ups! I just got a MS3, what's your buddy think of it so far?

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He loves the car. He has been very sparing with modifications, in fact, I believe he just barely re-flashed to Stage 1 Cobb w/ Intake. The car is a great highway runner, but don't expect to impress at 1/8 mile drag strips. AWD layouts will have fun leaving you behind at the tree. It's once you get rolling that the MS3 really shines! It took a fully tuned VF52 swap for me to be able to beat his car from a high speed roll! Then again, at this current setup we've been able to out pace stock 335i's and an 09 M3 (DCT) from a dig. Even starting at 3rd gear rolls, we still put a significant gap on the two mentioned. After we enter 4th gear, we are barely able to hold our lead. I assume that once we clear 110 mph, we can kiss that lead goodbye. For that you can thank the AWD layout, tall 5 spd gearing, and 2.5L displacement

Feel free to look me up on Mazda3Forums and Mazda6Club, I've posted lots of useful information and reviews regarding all the modifications I made on my Mazdaspeed6 and its effects. The MS6 had the same motor as the MS3, so lots of modifications are almost direct comparisons.

Imprezard

iTrader: (7)

WOW! great work and thanks for posting this up....I use so much of this write up for my car. Also needed a picture of the STi grill on the 08 wrx so I knew what it would look like because I just bought one.

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An update folks...

The stock clutch is officially gone. It had been shuddering for the last month upon any gentle activation in 1st gear, but performing flawlessly upon any aggressive launch, until recently. I first discovered the passing of the clutch on Thursday morning while cruising in 4th gear. I down-shifted to 3rd for a moderate sprint. The speed didn't really increase while the RPM simply shot up without any resistance. Immediately, I figured the clutch had simply overheated momentarily. So I let the car cool down and took it out again several hours later. Got to the highway, tried accelerating in 5th (high load) and sure enough, the clutch had quit at just shy of a young 12,000 miles.

While this may sound like a premature failure to some, there are some things that should be taken into consideration. First and foremost, this clutch has been withstanding a lofty peak 334 wtq for the last several months in comparison to the pre-production figure of 236 wtq. Remember this graph?



Across the entire rev band, that is a significant torque increase which will very obviously take a toll on a clutch designed for the more modest curve. The original clutch had also gotten me through at least 8 trips to the drag strip consisting of a minimum of 3 runs per trip. Finally, the oem clutch has a delayed release when instantly dumped at a high rpm. This cooks the clutch in the name of preventing that immediate shock from abusing the actual drive train. Smart move.

So the car has been at the shop since Friday. I'm getting a new OEM clutch kit and new flywheel for good measure put in tomorrow morning. I flirted with the idea of upgrading to a sportier clutch and possibly a lighter flywheel while it's apart, but stuck to my philosophy of keeping a weak link. I've often discouraged people from upgrading their clutches, unless the clutch will simply not hold the torque you put through it once in gear. Obviously, many people recommended that I upgrade anyway. Naturally, I questioned myself quite a bit, did some research on flywheels and clutch kits and simply couldn't decide. I was invited to something of a dyno day that my tuner, Shawn Church, had going on with some MazdaSpeed folks. While there, I surveyed his opinion only to find that it solidified my own thoughts. But while I go about explaining the strain a strong clutch can place on a drive train, he cut through the explanation and made a very simple comment; a comment I'll never forget, and one I'm likely to echo for years to come. "The clutch is your fuse in an All Wheel Drive car." 8)

So what about the flywheel? I'm personally not a big fan of lighter revs in a street car. It can add a degree of difficulty to daily putts around town, which this car is used for most of the time. By that, I mean gentle take offs from lights will require more concentrated modulation of the throttle to avoid jerky starts or high let offs. The stock unit served me well, and so the stock unit it shall be. So what's next?

During my WRXs little hiatus, I've been driving around a 2003 V6 Mustang Coupe. The car is bone stock w/ 17 inch bullitt wheels being the only modification. I am going to just put this out there as it is my honest observation. The suspension felt considerably more composed than that of my WRX. For the record, I am on 17x8 rotas wrapped in 235 sticky Kumho XS rubber. The only modification to my actual suspension is the STI Pink Springs. I've mentioned before, that since I added the tires, the actual characteristics of the handling had worsened. I didn't realize how bad it really was until this weekend. Now, I'm not saying the Mustang would out handle the WRX through corners, but it sure as hell felt better. The current setup on my WRX produces an unacceptable amount of body roll that is put to shame by a live axled 'Stang. Furthermore, highway ride is gentle, yet composed, in the Mustang. My WRX, on the highway, will do the Macarena over every little bump, and continue wiggling even after the songs over. So what's the deal? We can send thank you cards to a stiff-walled, sticky tire combined with a luxury-soft set of shocks. Oh, and the Pinks? They've been divorced from my shocks since day one, and their relationship has worsened since the tire upgrade. On the stock rubber, the STI Pinks actually felt like a pretty decent improvement! So none of these parts can be blamed individually. It's when they were forced to work together that made them a bad combination. Like Ringo taking over the drums for Tool. It just doesn't work out.

A set of coilovers and sway bars were a plan for sometime down the line. They have just risen to the top of my priority list and I'm doing research as we speak. I am looking into getting them dialed in for a firm, well composed ride while dropping the front of the car about an inch. That said, I will soon have my STI Pinks for sale along with my STI front lip. The front lip already has some significant scratches on the surface that can probably be sanded out. The good news, is that it has no chips or cracks, but it won't be long if the front is lowered any more.

The obtrusive divider is still in the downpipe, and our website is still being worked on. My upgraded injectors and pump still remain in the trunk pending installation and re-tune. We've been so busy making contacts, overcoming set-up issues, and researching companies we want to work with that the clutch failure almost came as a, "Hey, let's start working on the WRX again!"

Thanks for your time.

Selvage

Wow, amazing. I love lighting inside.