[SolidSTI]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

I tried -3 and ended up having a bit too much where the Rivals sidewall blocks were being used in straights, added a lot of vibration. Ended up settling on -2.8 with a 500ft lb spring.

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

Pretty successful weekend.

The airbag recall was done by a trusted friend who works at a local dealership. He also adjusted the alignment for me. The numbers were all over the place, but it's also been about 5 years and two months since I've had the car aligned :derp: I guess it's not that bad considering the car has seen less than 10,000 miles in the last 5 years :lol:

Ended up going for -2.5F, -2(.1)R and re-zeroed the toe. The car moved when I let off the brake (did the alignment with me sitting in the car) which threw off the numbers on the printout, but it was properly dialed in:

The car feels very different. Twitchy and following the road. I got caught in heavy rain on the way home Saturday night and was fighting with the wheel quite a bit. The steering actually feels a bit slow the first few degrees in either direction from dead center, but it could just be my imagination. I need to adjust myself to the adjusted alignment.

The bad news is since the left rear was already at -2.0, it's still going to rub out back, which means I'm definitely going to have trouble with 255's. A friend with a roller is going to stop by this week and we'll pull the quarters a bit to see what we can gain.

After the recall and alignment were squared away, my buddy Matt (JBP 04 STi seen in this journal before - he also had his airbag recall taken care of and got an alignment) and I went back to his place to clean the cars up a bit and then went to a local all makes and models meet, where I got a few pictures of the car:

That hood prop rod though:

My buddy Matt's clean JPB STi and Serious Black:

Boxers:

Side profile with the HT Autos sideskirt and rear bumper extensions installed. I can't believe how long I went with a front lip only:

What a mess. Need to try to clean up some of the hoses and wiring and get rid of all the yellow caps and "Old Yeller" the 8 year old battery that can't be put down:

Serious Black the STi says "Only you can prevent stretched tires":

We left because it started to look like rain, but ended up getting caught in it anyhow. The good news is that even though I feared the car would melt away if it got wet, it did not :lol: I'll give it a proper wash tonight.

I finally ordered an amp (Alpine MRV-F300) to power the door speakers so I can have a working radio again. I also ordered a new battery (Deka ETX-16 AGM) even though "Old Yeller" is still hanging in there from July of 2009 and has been dead multiple times. The new battery will drop about 20 lbs and give me a bit more space under the hood.

Stay tuned...

#SubaruAmbassadors

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

I tried -3 and ended up having a bit too much where the Rivals sidewall blocks were being used in straights, added a lot of vibration. Ended up settling on -2.8 with a 500ft lb spring.

Spring rates are definitely another factor to consider. Mine are very soft for what I use the car for now, 400F/350R. I'll be looking for 500(9k)/450(8k) on the next set, but I haven't decided what the next set will be yet.

 

[SolidSTI]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

Rolling the rear fenders isn't actually what you need, since there isn't really anything to roll unlike the front fender. You will end up "pulling" them. The eastwood roller can help you do that, but don't be surprised if the plastic sti rear fender panels start to separate from the metal. I ended up having to re-bond them to the car with clamps and fusor.

Be sure to use some heat to help the paint flex while pulling them out.

 

[BlueScooby]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

Rolling the rear fenders isn't actually what you need, since there isn't really anything to roll unlike the front fender. You will end up "pulling" them. The eastwood roller can help you do that, but don't be surprised if the plastic sti rear fender panels start to separate from the metal. I ended up having to re-bond them to the car with clamps and fusor.

Be sure to use some heat to help the paint flex while pulling them out.

Thats basically how my rears were pulled. Removed the flares first (clips WILL break), pulled the fenders, then glued the flares back on.

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

Rolling the rear fenders isn't actually what you need, since there isn't really anything to roll unlike the front fender. You will end up "pulling" them. The eastwood roller can help you do that, but don't be surprised if the plastic sti rear fender panels start to separate from the metal. I ended up having to re-bond them to the car with clamps and fusor.

Be sure to use some heat to help the paint flex while pulling them out.

Thats basically how my rears were pulled. Removed the flares first (clips WILL break), pulled the fenders, then glued the flares back on.

Right, we're using a roller but with the intention of pulling. I've already ground the lip down completely flush to the spot welds and that wasn't enough. I am going to try to pull them as little as possible in hopes that I don't have to remove the plastic flares. If I do need to pull them/glue them back on then so be it, but I'm hoping to get away with gently "massaging" them outward.

 

[thundercamel]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

The car feels very different. Twitchy and following the road. I got caught in heavy rain on the way home Saturday night and was fighting with the wheel quite a bit.

My GD was the same way with the setup I had. I remember one road trip going over the Appalachian mountains, at night, in a thunderstorm, with the cruise control set at 85... It took a bit of energy out of me.

What a mess. Need to try to clean up some of the hoses and wiring and get rid of all the yellow caps and "Old Yeller" the 8 year old battery that can't be put down:
Image Link

I had the same battery in all three of the cars, before the GD went over the rainbow bridge. They do last a long time.

Serious Black the STi says "Only you can prevent stretched tires":
Image Link

Amen!

I finally ordered an amp (Alpine MRV-F300) to power the door speakers so I can have a working radio again. I also ordered a new battery (Deka ETX-16 AGM) even though "Old Yeller" is still hanging in there from July of 2009 and has been dead multiple times. The new battery will drop about 20 lbs and give me a bit more space under the hood.

Stay tuned...

#SubaruAmbassadors

What's your source, that doesn't have an amplifier? I did the same with a carputer in the glovebox, line level to the amp in the trunk, then speaker wires back to the wiring adapter in the dash.

Keep up the good work!

 

[muller_777]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

with 255s, you should only have to grind your rear, not roll. grind that lip off you can feel. i had 255s that rubbed slightly and only had to do that to fix the problem (except i never did it lol).

 

[got2boostit2]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

with 255s, you should only have to grind your rear, not roll. grind that lip off you can feel. i had 255s that rubbed slightly and only had to do that to fix the problem (except i never did it lol).

Right at the margin where the bumper meets the quarter panel IIRC. I call it the "point".

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

My GD was the same way with the setup I had. I remember one road trip going over the Appalachian mountains, at night, in a thunderstorm, with the cruise control set at 85... It took a bit of energy out of me.

I had the same battery in all three of the cars, before the GD went over the rainbow bridge. They do last a long time.

Amen!

What's your source, that doesn't have an amplifier? I did the same with a carputer in the glovebox, line level to the amp in the trunk, then speaker wires back to the wiring adapter in the dash.

Keep up the good work!

I can't believe it's still kicking, it was in the car when I bought it and the manufacture sticker says it's from July of 2009. It's also gone completely dead on multiple occasions, but a few days of the reconditioning cycle with a CTEK charger and it comes right back. I feel like it's going to come back to haunt me for taking it out while it's still good.

I have an Apline HU that's connected to speedwire, so without an amp tied in the door speakers aren't getting any power.

Thanks!

with 255s, you should only have to grind your rear, not roll. grind that lip off you can feel. i had 255s that rubbed slightly and only had to do that to fix the problem (except i never did it lol).

I ground the lip completely flush last spring, went down to the spot welds, then sealed it all back up. I feel like my setup isn't super aggressive (17x9 +35, 245/40 although they have a pretty square tread block on "wide" 245's). It's rubbing right at the top of the arch of the wheel well, about an 8" section (about 4" in either direction from the top).

Right at the margin where the bumper meets the quarter panel IIRC. I call it the "point".

I knocked that area down last spring when I removed the lip (perhaps on your advice? I think you mentioned it to me or I saw you post something about it somewhere).

 

[muller_777]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

it's def not super aggressive, but enough to rub on there. I had NT03M's that rubbed a tad under some bumps.

 

[BaronOBeefdip]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - Up for the season, UOA results, on to alignment!

Nice updates mang, good to see your still chuffing along. Good to be back on the forum after a while and seeing everyone's journals hehe Hope your exhaust comes soon :/

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and life after WBM17

I think it's about time I give you all an update. I'll break it into a few parts, mainly because of the image count/post limit. First I'll cover the exhaust and diffuser install. During this time I also removed the front bumper to respray the IC core. I resealed both headlights as they were getting some condensation in them and I replaced the lens on the left front headlight as it had developed 100's of micro-cracks (the new lens did the exact same thing - I am not happy about that). I'm just going to buy two brand new OEM housings and be done with it.

I got a call from Keith during the last week of May letting me know that the HKS exhaust had arrived. The one that came in wasn't for me (it was ordered before) but he talked to the person he ordered it for as they aren't currently driving their car and they said it was fine for me to grab this one and they would take mine when it came in toward the end of June.

I picked the HKS up during the first week of June and got to work figuring out how to get it on the car before WBM, along with everything else I had to do.

Here it is:

Next to the Gimmick:

I actually wasn't too sure about it when I fit test fit it. The tip, which looks great off the car, seemed to be out of place, especially with the gimmick as the point of reference:

But then I remembered I had the HT Autos diffuser (which I wasn't sure I was going to install). After a quick mockup I was sold, and went ahead with installing the diffuser:

I felt that the diffuser helps balance out the HKS and allows the car to pull it off.

The next step was getting the midpipe situated. First off, the HKS is JDM length so it was about 4" too long to mate up to my downpipe:

The good news was that I was already planning to cut it and eliminate the 2.5" neck down that would have allowed it to mate up to the stock downpipe, and add a v-band flange to allow it to connect directly to my downpipe.

2.5" flange cut off - ignore the markings, I thought we were going to have to get crazy in order to shorten the piping enough to mate up to the downpipe but we figured it out:

After some issues with finding the appropriate mating v-band flange, I opted to "destroy" the slip-fit adapter I had used with the Borla and gimmick exhausts. I took the midpipe and the adapter to a local shop and we decided to salvage and reuse the original mating V-band flange - after some work and a quick stop home to make sure we had the angle correct for the flange:

He TIG welded it up and I was good to go:

I made some additional brackets for the diffuser to support the leading edge, double-checked all the exhaust bolts and and set the car back on the ground:

I used riv-nuts to install the diffuser instead of the traditional nuts HT Autos provided. Much easier than reaching up and over the diffuser to tighten each bolt. It doesn't sit perfectly in the corners due to the rear bumper extensions. I'm going to revisit this at some point - I may be adding JDM rear bumper spats so that will change how I have this stuff attached anyhow.

/update 1 of 3? I'll post more tonight, I have to run out for a bit now.

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and life after WBM17

Other prep for WBM and the future in general included PDR of the entire car. The crease in the left rear door from over 5 years ago, along with 25 or so other little dents, dings, waves, and other defects were removed. The dent guy even did the roof, which I wasn't expecting.

Door before - The dent and surrounding distortion from the impact can be seen in the body line of the rear door about 2/3 of the way up and toward the front door. Seeing it every time I looked at the car for the last 5+ years bothered me more than I realized. I should have had this done much sooner:

After:

I replaced the 9 year old lead-acid battery as a preventative maintenance/bay cleanup (project noyellow)/diet item with an AGM powersports battery. The stock tiedown bar was no longer up to the task so I picked up a Kartboy tie down as well:

While messing with the battery stuff, I decided it was a good time to finally add a 4-channel amp so I could have working speakers again. The lines out from my head unit were connected to speedwire as I always intended to add an amp to power the speakers but never got around to it, so the wires were just zip-tied to the x-brace in the trunk. I knew this wouldn't fly for the car show at WBM, and also didn't mind the option of listening to something other than the car during the long drive. After some back-and-forth on where to locate the amp, I decided to reinstall the vertical bars that go behind the rear seat that I removed when I installed the x-brace. I modified them slightly at the base to fit better with the x-brace and bolted them back in. These, along with two riv-nuts in existing holes in the chassis became the mounting points for the amp mounting board (poly cutting board):

We added a connector in line so I can easily remove the amp in the future if I need to, without messing with the screw terminals on the amp itself:

My dad handled the connector and soldering, fortunately for me. He works with that sort of thing and has for about 30 years, whereas I have no patience for wiring.

All buttoned up:

I also redid the wrap on the radio trim as it was peeling up/torn along the more extreme curves. After a few failed attempts at getting the wrap to stay down I decided to go with matte black in the radio section:

Finally I did a full detail on the car. It had been a few years since I've done a hardcore detail session so there were some minor scratches, plus some unavoidable marring of the paint from the PDR. I've gone into great detail (see what I did there) on my detailing techniques before, so I won't get into it. I also didn't take many pictures because I was racing against the clock to get ready for WBM at this point - I wasn't ready for my 5am Friday departure until about 12:30 am Friday.

I used a clay mitt for the first time, which was faster than a claybar but I think I prefer the old-fashioned way. I compounded the whole car with M205, then a combination of M105/ultimate compound. Sealed with Chemical Guys Blacklight, then Jetseal, then topped that with a coat of Collinite 476s.

Jetseal curing:

I loaded the trunk up with extra fluids, basic tools, spare belts and hoses, etc., detailing supplies, and everything else I thought I'd need for a 500 mile/9 hour drive in a Subaru put together in my garage, and went to try to get some sleep before leaving for Connecticut and WBM in a few hours.

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and life after WBM17

And finally, the WBM17 update.

Friday:
How my morning started:

I left around 4:45am (couldn't sleep) to meet up with my two good friends Matt ad Mike so we could all roll out together. It was clear when I left despite the forecast of rain. We met up at a predetermined gas station near the OH/PA boarder at 6, fueled up and got on our way. We were looking forward to the drive as we have 3 clean, black GD's - Matt's 04, my 05 and Mike's 06. It rained most of the way through PA but cleared up as we got closer to NY.

The car was, for the most part, great. Two back-to-back scary moments had me on edge for a while.

#1: About halfway through PA and while it was still raining, we exited the highway to get gas. When I pulled away from the stop sign at the off-ramp and tried to accelerate a bit harder (~40% throttle) the whole car started shaking violently and wouldn't pick up speed. After talking to my friends at the gas station we determined the clutch disc and flywheel were cold (highway cruising) and wet, and the clutch was "slipping." This turned out to be true.

#2: I filled up and moved the car away from the pump to run inside to use the restroom. It idled kinda low and almost as if it wasn't running on all cylinders upon startup but came around after 5-10 seconds and was fine. When I came back out, the car wouldn't start. It was turning over fine, but just wouldn't fire up. It eventually started and hasn't given me a single issue since.

Overall we made excellent time and were at the hotel in CT by 2:30pm (Matt not pictured):

This was my first drive with the HKS exhaust, and I absolutely love it. No drone, very tame. I also used bluetooth for the first time (prepping for the Y2K changeover now!) and it was nice to have the option of car sounds or Pandora.

Friday night we met up with some of Matt's friends from CT (he used to live out there) and went to dinner. We went for a short night cruise as well, but all 3 of us were pretty exhausted so we called it a night.

Saturday:
We spent Saturday morning and afternoon cleaning the cars up as the weather had cleared. I ran into an issue with mine - it was about 12:30pm by the time I started washing, the paint was hot and the sun was high. The water was drying on the paint almost immediately and I ended up moving to a shaded area to finish the cleanup. Unfortunately it was too late, the paint was severely etched by hard water. I finished the wash and after some research decided to do a vinegar wipedown to break down the deposits, which worked, but also stripped the wax and sealants I had applied not even 72 hours earlier. The clearcoat was still etched, but the deposits were gone so I slapped some Collinite 815 IW on it and called it good enough. Another unfortunate note is that "burning" on the tip of the HKS is discolored/uneven after cleaning it using detail spray and other non-abrasive methods. I'm not very happy about that as I now need to pull it back off the car and "reapply" the burn. Anyhow, we went karting saturday night which was a great time - the karts were fairly quick (helmets and helmet supports required) and the experience was close enough to being on-track to bring that bug back - more on that later.

Sunday - WBM17:
We woke up around 5am and left for WBM around 6am (we stayed south of Stafford Springs). We were among the first to arrive which was nice as we were able to get loaded in to the car show parking soon after the gates opened. We spent all the time we had before the judges came around (we were in the first group) detailing the cars, then closed them up and walked the show.

Ohio crew holding it down:

Left to right: Matt's 04, my 05, Mike's 06:

Serious Black:

Dan's car over at the IAG booth:

Overall we had a great time. I've been trying to get back to WBM since going in 2013 and the car fought me each year, but it finally worked out. Mike took Best 06/07 and Matt took 2nd Best Paint (2015/2016 Best 04/05 winner as well). It was great to see that there are so many people in the Subaru community and how much it's grown and continues to grow. I don't see myself making the trip again anytime soon, but things can change. I'd like to check out some of the other Subaru-focused shows and also turn more focus to motorsport events.

My cousin and her boyfriend from MA came to WBM so we went to dinner and then headed back to the hotel to recover from the madness of the last few days.

Monday:
We left around 7am - just too tired for a 5am departure. After getting out of CT the traffic was clear, and the weather was clear the whole way. The car made it home without issue. I stopped to get gas once I got back into Ohio and ended up stuck behind a semi truck that had just gone through a wash on the on-ramp. It spit a bunch of carbon onto the car, so I decided to wash the car when I got home even though it had been a long day (I also mowed the lawn since I didn't have a chance to in the time crunch before WBM):

Being absolutely exhausted I crashed as early as I could Monday night and prepared to re-enter reality.

This trip made me realize just how much I like my car. There's something about driving 1200+ miles in a car that (aside from the engine itself) was assembled in my garage with friends and family that makes you stand back and appreciate what it really is. It didn't burn any oil of coolant, it was comfortable enough, it was fun, and it didn't give me any real issues. All of the late nights, and the cliche "blood, sweat and tears," the time and effort, the setbacks (and associated stress) and everything else is somehow worth it. Even though it seems like a large portion of the car scene is trending toward putting fender where tire belongs (in my opinion), I know there's still a lot of people who would rather spend time on a road course.

There are still a few items on the list that I want to take care of and some maintenance items that may be coming up that will lead to further changes, but overall I am very happy with my car. It's at a point where I can more or less just enjoy it, and that's been the goal from the start. WBM17 was a milestone as it was a goal that kept getting pushed back, and now that it has passed I feel like a whole new set of opportunities is opening up. I am going to weigh some options but am excited to see what the future holds for Serious Black

 

[xirallicGDB-F]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and WBM17 - 3 long posts

Loving the exhaust, worth the wait!!

 

[got2boostit2]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and WBM17 - 3 long posts

Good summary Kyle and thanks for sharing. One day I'll make WBM, one day. Lol

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and WBM17 - 3 long posts

Loving the exhaust, worth the wait!!

Thank you! It was worth the wait. The burning on the tip wiped off partially with detail spray so I need to figure out how I'm going to correct that. I absolutely love how it sounds though, being designed with EL primaries in mind makes a big difference.

Good summary Kyle and thanks for sharing. One day I'll make WBM, one day. Lol

Thanks, D. There were a lot more cars with fender sitting where tire would normally contact the wheel than I cared to see, but builds like Dan's are refreshing and there were plenty of people who still wanted to talk technical stuff too. It was great to see so many people from so many walks of life united by a common interest, regardless of the style they're into.

 

[Kyle_05_STi]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and WBM17 - 3 long posts

First HPDE of 2018 is booked Going to get at least 2 major events next year.

Took Serious Black out on Black Friday. Meant to go for a short drive, but the weather was nice so I just kept driving. Ended up snapping a few pictures, here's one:

I owe you guys some updates, and need to catch up on some journals. Stay tuned...

 

[BaronOBeefdip]

Re: Kyle's 05 STi - PDR, HKS Super Turbo, Rear Diffuser and WBM17 - 3 long posts

Any news?

Aside from that, I can't believe I forgot to come in here and check your exhaust/WBM update. That exhaust is super nice, I think you made a great choice. It seriously makes me happy to see a guy obsess over paint care like I do. I really feel like our journals are similar, and similar experiences over the course of ownership, except your car is black(with some other obvious differences ). Not even to mention that we have the same taste/opinions...I know I've said it here before, but if I'm ever out your way, I'm buying you a damn beer!