[boxtwo]

A Little About Me:
I was born in MA and I came home from the hospital in a 1971 911s. My parents both drove 356’s when they met, so having a “sports car” in the family was a given. I grew up in MA and learned to drive on that same 911. I had performance vehicles in my blood.

I went to college in Gettysburg, PA in 1996 and I decided to stay in the area after graduating in 2000. I worked at the college for a year, then on to a software company in Bethesda, MD for three years.

I left Bethesda and started a new career in Frederick County DFRS in 2004, where I still work today as a firefighter/EMT/HAZMAT Technician. I am also a volunteer Deputy Chief with Fairfield Fire and EMS, nearing ten years of service.

I live with a great girl, Cary, who does her best to keep me in line. We are now on our second house, with a western view that can’t be beat. Oh, and I asked her to marry me on April 1, 2008!

My Vehicles:
1971 911s (Still in MA, in need of TLC)
1988 Chevrolet K5 Blazer (retired)
1998 Dodge 1500 P/U (leased, returned with a transmission about to die)
2000 Toyota Tacoma (current, lift, tint, stereo, wheels/tires)
2002 Nissan Maxima (traded, why I drive a Subaru, see my sig or linky)
2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (current)

My 2007 STi:

• June 26, 2007: PURCHASED with 86 miles – Sharrett Subaru, Byron Madigan (Hagerstown, MD)
• June 28, 2007: INSTALL pillar pod with Autometer Boost and Oil Pressure – Applied Force Performance, Jon (Hagerstown, MD)
• July 18, 2007: EVENT 0620 AM, hit 1000 miles
• July 20, 2007: INSTALL 20% 3M ColorStable tint – Auto Trim Design (Frederick, MD)
• July 27, 2007: MAINTENANCE Oil Change #1 + SOA reflash – Sharrett Subaru (Hagerstown, MD)
• August 3, 2007: INSTALL Cobb AP Stage 1, v1.03 93 octane – Slowboy Racing (Indiana, PA)
• August 5, 2007: INSTALL UR Limited Rally Armor Mudflaps #UR1 – Rally Armor Rally Products, Rally Mud Flaps, Skid Plates and more.
• August 17, 2007: INSTALL K&N Panel Filter #33-2232 – CarDomain - The place to show off your car pictures and photos
• August 22, 2007: STAGING Ferodo 2500 Brake Pads, ATE Fluid, SS brakelines – WRX Brakes, Ken
• August 22, 2007: STAGING Winter Shoes Bridgestone LM-25 225-45/17 on ASA wheels – www.tirerack.com, Joe
• September 4, 2007: MAINTENANCE Oil change, SOA looking at paint, IC spray interference, ECU, rattle in back – Sharrett Subaru (Hagerstown, MD)
• September 8, 2007: INSTALL Ferrodo 2500 Brake Pads, ATE Fluid, SS brakelines - Special thanks to spazegun2213 for the install help and HSPN TV - HD Videos on Demand - Powered by HSPN Networks, LLC(Ken) for the advice and parts!
• September 8, 2007: MAINTENANCE Rotate Tires (3300 miles)
• September 11, 2007: MAINTENANCE Paint quote - Sharrett Subaru (Hagerstown, MD)
• September 20, 2007: INSTALL Kenwood DNX-7100
• October 15, 2007: MAINTENANCE Front Bumper Replaced - Davidson Motor Group (Gettysburg, PA)
• October 20, 2007: INSTALL Whiteline 24mm Rear Swaybar w/ Kartboy endlinks Helping you to enjoy your car - Turn In Concepts
• October 29, 2007: INSTALL Winter Wheels (ASA/LM25)
• November 2, 2007: INSTALL TiC Holy Shift Kit w/KB SS - Turn in Concepts (A big thanks to those guys for some great products and support!)
• December 15, 2007: MAINTENANCE Oil Change and paint work (SOA) - Sharrett Subaru (Hagerstown, MD)
• December 25, 2007: INSTALL V-Limited Front Lip, FLOOR MATS THAT DON'T SLIP!!!! - MachV and subarugenuineparts.com
• January 12, 2008: MAINTENANCE Remove "funk" from right front inner brake pad.
• February 6-7, 2008: INSTALL Whiteline 24-26 Front Swaybar with KB Endlinks - TiC
• February 26, 2008: MAINTENANCE (9568 Miles) Oil Change, Rotate Tires, paint issue revisited - Sharrett Subaru (Hagerstown, MD)
• February 28, 2008: MAINTENANCE Front Bumper clip replaced - Davidson Motor Group (Gettysburg, PA)
• March 9, 2008: MAINTENANCE Front Debadge (Love the look!)
• March 11, 2008: MAINTENANCE Swapped Winter wheels to summer. back on the 070's! 20 minutes with P21s and they were purdy again.
• March 16, 2008: EVENT Proud member of the 10k club!
• March 17, 2008: INSTALL Reflash Cobb AP V1.04
• April 11, 2008: INSTALL Borla XR-1 CB and KB Hangers - OAKOS (Thanks Clayton!)
  • Great sound, pretty simple install.
• April 19, 2008: INSTALL TiC Sexy Rear End - TurnInConepts
• April 26, 2008: INSTALL TiC Transmission Mount Bushings - TurnInConcepts
• May 7, 2008: MAINTENANCE Oil Change, overspray removal Part II - Sharrett Subaru
• June 6, 2008: INSTALL Whiteline Lockout Bolts - TurnInConcepts
• June 12, 2008: INSTALL Thick Outrigger Bushings - TurnInConcepts
• July 21, 2008: MAINTENANCE (14069 miles) 15K service - Sharrett Subaru

Calendar:

• October 13-14, 2007: NASA HPDE1 @ Summit Point, WV -- Pics | Pics

Wish List:

• Auto IC Switch (collecting parts)
• Upgrade Gauges (MadDad)
• Turbo Heat Shield?
• 245-255 tires when the 070's wear out

Modification Plan: (updated February 8, 2008)
1. Vehicle reliability, 2. Driver ability, 3. Overall handling, Finally power.

• Engine/Intake/Exhaust: Starting with the AP, I have stayed away from other power-related mods until I am near the end of my warranty. Adding a K&N airfilter was an attempt to help her breathe a little better.
  • Plans: Cat-back to full exhaust with UP and DP, Stage 2 Protune, possibly an intake, FMIC
• Suspension: After my first track day, I learned a lot about how the vehicle handled and decided to make a few changes before I went back. Front and rear SB’s and KB endlinks have been installed and I am still learning the feel.
  • Plans: coilovers
• Driveline/Wheels/Tires: I hated the feel of the stock shifter. It felt like crap and I never felt “connected” with the car. That has been partially addressed by installing a SS and all shifter bushings. I am still running the stock wheels and tires for the summer and track. I’d like to improve the footprint by looking at wider tires, possibly a dedicated set of track tires/wheels to keep from buggering up the BBS too badly. I love the ASA’s and LM25’s for winter. When it’s not snowing I tend to forget they are for Winter!
  • Plans: Klunk-Killer, other assorted polly-bushings as needed, wider tires (possibly track tires,) possibly dedicated track wheels
• Brakes: Per the advice of some who already had time at the track, upgrading my pads and fluid was a good idea. Since I was going that route, I added stainless lines since I was tearing it all apart anyway.
  • Plans: Dedicated track pads
• Electronics: Gauges. I had a boost and oil temp gauge installed in the a-pillar. I don’t like the visibility of the boost gauge and I think both are too small. Useful information but I think they need to be in useful locations. I am still researching brands and types of gauges. I’d like to learn more about what I am looking at, what the appropriate ranges are and how it all relates to the performance of the vehicle.
  • Plans: Not 100% sure on location and types of gauges. I am leaning towards the Maddad series and I am still undecided on what types of gauges I want.
• Driver: Perhaps one of the most over-looked modifications one can make to the car. I have learned how to handle stressful situations through my career in the fire department. Some of my most stressful times have been behind the wheel of an engine trying to get through traffic, especially when you can see the smoke/fire/accident. I know I am weak in the areas of the overall STi’s handling characteristics. I have not had enough time at the track to fully understand how the car is going to behave in certain situations. The bits I picked up from last year are why I have done the mods I have this year (F/R sways.) I also still feel as if I fight with the car at times. My shifts aren’t smooth, my inputs in general are not where I want them to be.
  • Plans: PRACTICE basic driving, shifting, and smooth inputs. More track time is a must to help the above but I need to solidify the basics first.
• Overall Goals: This is two-fold. Daily-driver confidence and within a few years, track confidence to the point of being able to race (something, not necessarily my STi.)
  • Get to the point where I am comfortable/confident driving the STi in general.
  • Comfort at the track with my vehicle and the track rules
  • Complete all HPDE and acquire my racing license
  • Win the lottery to pay for this REALLY expensive hobby

This is a start. If there are suggestions, let me know! I'll add more...

[STI23]

no pics??

[boxtwo]

I was in the process of adding them!

[STI23]

haha, thanks...
very nice!

[slyguySTI]

looks good, also looks familiar....

[boxtwo]

I had to figure out how to thumbnail rather than full-size the images. I think it's a little cleaner and a LOT faster to load.

slyguy: familiar???

[slyguySTI]

ya sorry to confuse, i meant that i also have an OBP but an 06

[boxtwo]

Ah, gotcha now. I was a little confused!

[Nis01]

Car looks great, love those mudflaps. Look forward to meeting you in October. Nice choice on the brakes, I ran the same setup my first track day and it performed wonderfully.

[boxtwo]

Thanks. I hope to get some better pics, it was a plan this week now that I have the camera issue worked out, but the weather here has been rough. We REALLY need the rain though. Same here, I can't wait! Only thing I am trying to do now is figure out insurance, looks like I won't be covered... I hope the brakes work out, it'll be nice to have a little better pedal-feel and stopping powa!

[spazegun2213]

Very nice! and welcome to the "club"

we are nuts, and if i have my way you'll be hooked on the track

[boxtwo]

I just thought about dropping you a line, brakes have arrived!

Thanks, I need more/better pics...

Yeah, hooked on the track, that's what I'm afraid of!

[nice-rice]

The car looks good man, nice choice.

[Lamini]

Originally Posted by slyguySTI

looks good, also looks familiar....

<3 the 2007 STi !

so whats next?! maybe the TurboXS RFL catless TBE?! i put that bad boy on with the Cobb AP and what an improvement it was to finally feel like i was driving a sportscar, with a nice grin on my face.

[slyguySTI]

what helped my brake pedal feel for little moneys was the perrin master cylinder brace, cheap and it helped out a good deal. I even made it so i could still use the fuel line and battery brackets..