Actually the diff bushings aren't installed yet (waiting til I put the R180 in) but the lock bolts are pretty obvious. Big increase in NVH in the rear, and I think the back end stays a bit planted in hard transitions.

 

dont mind my ignorance, but what does NVH stand for?

 

NVH = noise vibration harshness

 

ahh i see

 

i was considering the diff bolts.. are their also sub frame bolts? or are they the samething...

also thinking about the ALK..

 

There are Diff Bushings, and Sub Frame Locking Bolts. Both are worth having, as is the ALK, unless you plan to autocross. If so, you'll want to get the press-in bushing Whiteline sells as an alternative.

 

I'm just now seeing this, BAN. I'm like many who've posted. I've caught the OG Impreza bug (I'll send PM)

You're going to have to initiate me into the realm of the 2.5RS. When I first joined i-club, my friend Mach5 told me to tread lightly around the Hawaii RS guys because they knew their cars were slower, but every one of them would run circles around me at AutoX (which is true to this day.)

I never figured out why some are smarter in that they know to start with suspension, tires, and brakes, where sillies like myself start with trying to go faster in a straight line.

Beautiful car, dude.

 

I'll let you in on the secret- making an RS fast in a straight line is a lot more expensive than making it go around cones fast. That's why we all look so smart.

 

Just looking at your future mods. I am just curious... not that it isn't a good idea or anything, but why did you choose to go with a WRX ECU? Not a Link or something else? Would the WRX ECU pose less tuning issues than a Link or (insert other popular EMS name here)? Also why not purchase new heads? I know the SOHC head flows pretty nice but wouldn't a straight STI swap be prefered? You're practically there already I mean... Anyway It sounds like it'll be a mean setup. Good luck.

cheers

garrett

 

Wow, reading this thread has really made me crave for a GC8.. I have an 04 wrx and was thinking of a complete JDM STi swap with Motor, ECU and Tranny. Now if i can get a GC8 Shell, and since i have ecu, harness, motor and tranny of my wrx to use... do you think i can just do a swap of everything for my 04 wrx to the GC8? .... and do you know how much a GC8 shell would be? ... in good condition.

 

Whoops, you caught me not updating. I originally planned to keep using the car as my daily driver, so I wanted an EcuTek tune to keep the flexibility and safety of the stock ECU. Wiring it in actually wouldn't have been that hard, and I have all of the sensors and the engine harness to do it with. However, I've since come to the conclusion that it's going to be rarely driven except to, from, and at the track, so I'm going with a standalone, probably a Hydra Nemesis from Element Tuning. The stock ECU would certainly have been easier to tune than a standalone, but the initial headaches and lack of pump/race gas flexibility wouldn't have been worth it in the end.

I'm sticking with the RS heads because I'm building an RS-T, not a WRX swap. Semantics is all it comes down to. Besides, this way I am able to pay for it over time rather than plopping down the $5-6k I would need to get to the same level I'm going to be at when I'm done. I just like to do things the hard way sometimes.

 

Honestly, I would think that's a silly idea as long as your car is still in good shape. If your WRX ever gets totalled or something, then swapping everything into a GC8 would be good. But otherwise, you're throwing away a $20k car to spend $2500-3000 swapping everything into a $9-10k car. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and I obviously prefer the GC body style. It's really better to either sell your WRX outright, and use the extra cash after buying an RS to do a swap, or trade up to an STi, like I should have done in the first place.

 

how do u like the Goodyear tires and how do they compare with the SO3s?

 

They suck for track and autocross. They over heat, and the narrow tread lays over and just dies. For the street, without ever going to the track or autocross, they're probably a bit better than S03s considering they're quite a bit cheaper. Plenty sticky, with turn-in and feedback almost as good as the S03s, with great wet weather handling. But I'll never buy another set.

 

so the SO3s r good at the track? i brought some Pilot sports to the track, and they did ok with a little over heating. i was hoping the Goodyear would be better as i just bought a set. do u have any other suggestions of street tires that will perform well on the track? i really dont have the cash to buy another set of wheels and tires just for track days. TIA!