[modaddict]

*takes a towel and wipes off computer screen*

[RFFG]

whoa, nice...

[TheLimitedProject]

Originally Posted by T3h_Clap

which coilovers did you end up getting?

Well, the Ohlins FPS/RCE Yellows sold today locally, which is awesome. So it looks like I'll be replacing my Ohlins with another set of Ohlins... if you know what I mean .

Originally Posted by modaddict

*takes a microfiber towel and wipes off computer screen*

Fixorzd

[TheLimitedProject]

Originally Posted by kitganzon

I can't wait to find out how you do up against the porche's.

I ran with some very nice Porsche's this past Friday at Race City. It was the Northern Alberta track day, and they held a lapping day at Race City.

I found out first hand that the 'rags were quite accurate in describing the '08 STI around the track.

Well, to be brief, the '08 STI in stock suspension got its ass absolutely handed to it by the Porsche's. I was incredibly dissapointed in the stock handling characteristics of the '08. It was just no contest, and I drove the piss out of the '08... as in, to the limit where any more throttle input and I would have spun off track.

My setting were Sport #, DCCD Auto (-), VCD green (off), Cobb OTS Stage 2, Hawk HT-10 track pads w/ ATE Super Blue, stock suspension.

Against the Carrera's, Targa's, Turbo's, and Cayman's... well, let's just say that's not worth discussing . My true competition that day was the Boxter S'. In the straights, my STI would absolutely blow them away. As in, rounding the carousel and punching 3rd gear, redlining all the way to 5th @ ~190km/h, the Boxster would lose a lot of ground. However, after the straight and back into the corners, the opposite would happen. The STI just couldn't hold the road. The body roll was tremendous, I was at the limit of traction, and understeer was significant to the point that I had to fight to keep the car on line. It was disappointing, especially since I had such a lead going into the corners. By the time I came out to the second straight, I had a red Boxster in my trunk.

To be fair though, my tires had a lot to do with it. I had 225/45/17 RE070's on the OEM 04-07 STI BBS wheels. It's decent rubber, but they're relatively narrow and they grease after a few hot laps. Compared to the Porsche's that have WAY better handling characteristics out of the box, and much fatter rubber, the STI wasn't being compared apples to apples.

One thing that this event showed me was the potential of the '08. Had I had stickier, wider rubber (easily had on the '08s), coilovers and swaybars, I would have been chasing down the higher end Porsche's. The STI 2.5L motor is truly a strong, torquey motor, and I believe with the right tweaks, it'd be a force to reckon with. Of course, the guy between the seat and steering wheel can always use more help , but I don't think even that would have helped much.

Here are some pics - I had a ton of fun and met some great people. I just really wish my 500+whp '07 STI with all the goodies had been out there. I think this post would have been a lot different .

Some Porsche with an ugly ass semi-track prepped Mustang behind it. It was a NASCAR wannabe kind of car. It was slow as hell though and didn't sound all that special either. Ugh.






Really nice Cayman:



Carrera 4S, 135i in background, track prepped Porsche (see below) modded M coupe, my rival that day (Boxster S):


Track prepped (very cool Porsche):


Caged, gutted M3:






Old faithful:


335i:



Crazy Cayman. The owner wanted a GT3 more than life. When he couldn't get one, he bought a Cayman, gutted it, and made it a GT3. $$$ 3.8L motor, cage, suspension, aero, wheels... the car was fast.


My gas mileage lol. It was actually 30.8L/100km before the drive to the gas station:

[TheLimitedProject]

ps. That translates into 7.6 mpg

[wrxtunerd]

lol nice track mpgs!

[MKTURBO]

Originally Posted by TheLimitedProject

ps. That translates into 7.6 mpg

whoa matt thats great gas milage! my escalade is struggling to get 7mpg! and lets just say that the unlce has told me that he struggles to get 6mpg in the city on the lambo

MK

[TheLimitedProject]

Well then I'm glad I'm not paying your gas bills lol.

[MKTURBO]

thanks matt! but i got a few quick questions for you.....do you use a oil cooler? what weight oil do you use?

[TheLimitedProject]

Originally Posted by MKTURBO

thanks matt! but i got a few quick questions for you.....do you use a oil cooler? what weight oil do you use?

The '08 is Stage 2 as you know... that's it.

The '07 - not sure yet. It's still not home

I'll find out for you when I pick it up next week. It's a built motor, so for sure it's going to be heavier weight that 5w30. No oil cooler either at this point. We'll see what happens on the track.

[blindfold]

so the big brakes are going onto the 07 correct? Man this is a fun journal to read through...

[TheLimitedProject]

^Yep, '07 gets the BBK.

So, a small spending frenzy on the '07 -

1) Driveshaft Shop front and rear axles. I bought the upgraded axles as I really have no desire to snap one during a track session. Call it a peace of mind upgrade.

2) Ohlins Flag Series Coilovers - I recently purchased these from another IWSTI member. I'll have these on next week. The Ohlins FPS/RCE Yellows setup was sold to a local Subaru guy.

3) Gram Light 57F's (powder coated flat black), 18x8.5 +45mm

Here's the story on the wheels though -
I now realize I have +45mm Gram Light 57F's. When buying them, the seller posted an offset of +40mm. I asked the seller to double check that it was +40mm since that's an odd offset for the 57F's for Subaru's. "Yep, +40mm."

Cool.

So I finally got the last two wheels/tires today (thanks UPS ), and I was really happy to discover they're +45s lol. So, new hub centric rings required as well. Oh well, the offset is better fitment anyway.

4) Rocket Rally tuned plug-n-play DCCD controller.
This thing is the ****. In testing, it consistently knocked off 1.3 seconds per lap when compared to the stock DCCD controller. Pat Richard (tuner @ Rocket) programmed a DCCD controller for motorsport use.
From the site:

Motorsport EMCD/DCCD ECU
The Motorsport EMCD ECU also has a unique feature (especially for those with JDM DCCD/EMCD swaps) which allows it to be completely integrated into a working Subaru EMCD harness (including OEM switch knob, gauge cluster and EMCD ECU). In this manner, the Motorsport EMCD ECU is effectively a 'piggyback' differential controller, which can interface with the OEM gauge cluster dash display to accurately demonstrate the lock at any given time, even when in active map operation. But best of all, that entire mode of 'piggyback' operation is optional. In other words, you can also use this version as a complete standalone, without any DCCD / EMCD control hardware at all ! This is a North American first. This unit can be ordered with its own switch to override the stock OEM Subaru switch (note that when using the OEM Subaru switch, the EMCD switches only have a single positive detent and the DCCD switches have 2 positive detents, which means that you must "find" positions 2/3/4/5 on the dial).
Plug and Play EMCD ECU
The plug and play versions are self explanatory, they replace the stock EMCD units (called DCCD controllers in the newer cars with 'active' maps) and give you motorsport performance and maps, without any re-wiring at all. Designed for use with Group N rally cars, this is the exact same unit as the Motorsports EMCD ECU but in a plug and play form factor with the OEM EMCD/DCCD ECU connector. To function properly, this requires all OEM electronics to be in place and fully functional before installation. We recommend the Motorsports EMCD ECU for most customers as this unit is essentially the same but is expensive due to the custom injetion moulding required to make the unit fit inside the standard box. Its real purpose is for Group N legality reasons.

5) Moroso oil pan - for obvious reasons, ie. I don't want to kill my expensive engine because of a cheap stock part, I'm upgrading to the Moroso.

6) Toyo Proxes R888 tires. I'm ordering these from CITY TIRE ONLINE as they have the best prices around. Just waiting for a shipped quote, and then I'll have these mounted on the 57F's in a few weeks.

1 week until pickup!!!
<--Pumped.

[funSTi]

And I thought I had a pretty decent percent of mods

[Tedstriker]

Any idea (ballpark) on what you've spent in total on the '07?

[BBBsti LTD]

Nice journal!!

Would you be able to say what you think abouth the 135 and the 335 at the track???