Here's where I started:



Plain ol' stock 2001 RS, bought new in Oct 2000. At the time I knew nothing about i-club, autocross, or that they let regular people drive on racetracks. Complete and total n00b... I thought that the stock RS had great suspension and RE92s must be great tires, since they put them on such a fast car. I started teaching myself to drive by just going faster and faster around backroads near Vacaville and Lake Berryessa.

Eventually, I discovered aftermarket parts on eBay, and places like Cobb and JC Sports and Minnam Racing. Started making plans for a turbo kit...

When I got involved with autocross and i-club in fall of 2002, the car was still stock, down to the near-bald RE92s. My first mods were a cheap shifter and strut tower brace, and a 20mm FHI rear sway bar. That one mod still made a bigger difference in the car than any other to date except tires. That was the next mod, 205/50R16 Potenza S-03s. Still my favorite tire ever.

Fast forward to June 2003, at the annual Mt. Hamilton meet:


By that time I had added Prodrive World Rally suspension to the mix, along with STi front strut mounts. Also had added the black i-badge and clear repeater lenses. Cheap, subtle, and look good IMO. I think I also had my Borla headers by then. Added a bit of power with my snorkelectomy, but sound like crap without a good catback. Make sure you have a new muffler before doing single-wall tubular headers kids.

Fast forward again to the end of last year. I was going to every autocross and trackday I could by this time, and had done most of the mods possible on an NA RS.

The car as it is at the moment:



Turn:

Prodrive World Rally Sport struts/springs
STi Group N strut tops
Whiteline 20-24mm adjustable RSB
Whiteline heavy duty sway bar mounts
Whiteline front solid aluminum endlinks
Whiteline rear solid aluminum endlinks
Whiteline diff bushings
Whiteline rear strut brace
STi Carbon Fiber front strut brace
Rear camber bolts
Goofy *** autocross alignment
17x8.5 Volk CE28s with 235/40R17 Bridgestone S03s
Gold '98 RS wheels with Dunlop WinterSport M2s

Stop:

Axxis Ultimate pads (front)/Axxis Deluxe Plus pads (rear)
Speedbleeders f/r
Goodridge stainless steel lines
MRT master cylinder bracket
ATE SuperBlue/ ATE Typ 200 fluid depending on flush cycle

Go:

Cobb CAI
Borla headers
Custom S-Squared catback w/ 2.25" Magnaflow muffler
Magnecor wires
Exedy organic clutch and 12 lb. flywheel
STi engine and transmission mounts
Kartboy shifter bushings

Show:
STi v5 taillights
Clear side signals
Clear turn signals
Clear corners
Black i badge


Removed due to reclassing to D Street Prepared for autocross:
22b 4 pot takeoff calipers*
Stoptech slotted rotors
Stoptech Club Race spec pads front (track/autocross)
White ALK comfort
Whiteline steering rack bushings
Whiteline subframe lock bolts

~185 horsepower in a well-handling, 2800 pound car gets it around the track quick, but not quick enough. So, here's what I have marinating, waiting for me to gather the rest of what I've determined is enough horsepower producing parts:

 

I'm still working on some of the kinks of getting everything together, but now it's just a matter of filling in the little blanks of things I still need, and wiring everything together. It'll probably take me a few more months to get everything together and up and running. It will be worth the wait... rest assured you will all know all of the nitty gritty details once I get it all together.

 

One question, I have been wondering for a while, how exactly does a track noob (like me) go about racing at a track?

 

If you're in California, check out sites like www.unlimitedlaps.com (my favorite) or www.ncrc.com or www.trackmasters.com or www.hookedondriving.com or... you get the idea. Just go to those sites and you'll find links for beginners. UnlimitedLaps and HookedOnDriving in particular are very n00b-friendly. I'd recommend a Thunder Hill trackdate your first time out. Other than that, all you need is routine maintenance done on your car, good tires, and fresh brake pads and fluid and you're ready. If you live elsewhere, post in your regional forums to see which organizations run close to you.

 

you gc8 guys are making me want old school. due to certain circumstances i can't take the current car to the tracks, but i really want to learn how to drive better, and not learn on the streets. I am hoping to get a 98-01 rs in the future(probably not for a while) and make that into a little track car for a noob.

Hope you keep up with your plans and write about every little detail, so i can take notes.

 

Nope. Must have found a sympathiser...

 

nice car
nice plates
i was expecting a monkey decal somewhere




aloha from the summit of Mauna Kea

 

I like the look, nice and clean, but still aggressive

 

There is... in the corner of my rear windows is the TrunkMonkey Inside logo from TR.com.

 

Yes, the purpose of the RS. I don't intend to make any exterior changes to the car other than the occasional new set of wheels. Mmmm, SSRs...

 

Gc8 Power!!!

 

I like the graphics on the front quarter panels, I've never seen anything like that before.

 

There are 5 or 6 of us with those. They are the S-Squared shop colors.