Tapion1981's 2019 WRB STI

1301 Views 26 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Tapion1981, 6 d ago

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

3

It was a dark and stormy May 29, 2019 in Feastervill-Trevose, PA. Lightning crashed and thunder rolled (sure, the song) and there I was in the dining room of where I was staying, hard at work and trying to bring home the bacon for my family. I had just moved to the area not 6 months ago to try my hand at public audit firms (which I still do to this day, just a different company.)

I was on a work call that lasted 1 1/2 hours, my mind was focused on work, furiously taking notes and praying the internet to not drop and cause any panic. The storm had only lasted 2 hours, but it was a storm that would forever stay in my heart. The car that I had at the time (2015 Fiat 500L) was parked in the driveway, serene, calm--flooded.

Yep that's right, in just a short time, the heavens had opened up and flooded my car that was parked on a decline. Insta-kill, fully flooded, no hopes of ever coming back.

I could've cried, thrown in the towel and pouted like a baby, but nay, nay I say! After weeks of trying out various cars, testing, researching and asking questions until I was blue in the face I had settled on a car that I thought I would love.

My 2019 Subaru WRX Premium. 6MT of course.

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Automotive tire

Even got YouTuber Scoobyfreak86 to acknowledge it, but not really.

Car Wheel Tire Land vehicle Vehicle

In the back of my mind, a seed had been planted, an itch. It was an itch that my WRX couldn't quite scratch, to satisfy me. Long had I dreamt of hearing the sweet, melodic sounds of a spirited car again. Hearkening back to my younger days, enjoying the freedom of the drive, of feeling the wind in my face and a smile gracing my lips. Being a family man couldn't afford me much. Well, a divorced family man, supporting and loving my kids as any father should. So I scraped by, saving up and finding deals online and installing parts myself to achieve an impressive 300whp and 325tq on my WRX.

I thought it would satisfy things, but it didn't. It left me yearning for more, to feel my body shake and my knees tremble with anticipation of shifting gears, but back in the EJ powered cars I had loved.

I bided my time, waiting 3 long years, patiently, nervously; for the day when I would have my chance again. That day happened when I received my pay increase for 2022, increasing my base annual salary by $15,000. Was this a sign from the gods? Had fortune smiled down upon me, was Lady Luck on my side?

I'D LIKE TO THINK SO!

Wheel Tire Car Land vehicle Vehicle

Find out next time...on Dragon Ball Z!

(NOTE: I'm a nerd, 41, and also half Korean. I was raised on this. Don't judge.)

See less See more

Reactions: 5

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #2 · 4 mo ago

Stardate: August 2022: I replaced my fog light bezel covers, with the SMY Triple Bar Lights and Turn Signals. I had them on my previous WRX, but they didn't seem to really, mesh with the car. I think this looks much better.

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #3 · 4 mo ago

2

The car was used, and thanks to some great people at Area1320 and the dealership that I purchased it from, the dealership was kind enough to let me take the car to Area1320 to do a full compression test and leakdown test that passed with flying colors. When I opened the hood though? I was greeted with a neon green monstrosity. I'm debating on changing the brake caliper colors, but will probably do that when the weather turns warmer. Since I have the whole "Black and Red and Blue" vibe going, I may play around with Photoshop and do some experimenting.

However, after trading with another local STI owner, I went ahead and reverted to stock. Thank god.

Oh, and doing an IAG Street AOS install as well.

Car Vehicle Motor vehicle Hood Automotive design

Car Motor vehicle Vehicle Automotive design Personal luxury car

See less See more

Karlot

· #4 · 4 mo ago

Nice car. love the dragonball reference haha.

what are your plans for it overall?

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #5 · 4 mo ago

My claim to fame is that I have the original series of comic books, albeit in Korean, because---I'm half Korean.

Plans for the car are to update the following:

1) Update the shocks to Bilstein, not sure about what series. I have heard good things about the B8s, but still doing research. I do not want coilovers though, way too much of a hassle.
2) Update various bushings to poly, just for a more connected feel and to tighten things up a bit.
3) Exterior is basically done, since I have the Eibach Pro-Kit Springs and a few other things, I don't really want to touch the exterior aesthetic of the car. I did the black and red emblems and the black and red badges. Doing the Perrin Stablizers tonight and debadging part of the trunk tonight.
4) Exhaust wise? It had a Tomei on it when I got it, hated it, traded for the AWE track. I want to change out the AWE Track exhaust or do some fanagling with the exhaust to get the spacing better. I love the sound of the AWE Track, but it sits SOOOO damn close to the bumper that I don't want things to melt.
5) Power Wise? I want to wait to see what the results of the Grimmspeed V2 GESI Downpipe are, and how much scaling people have to do compared to the COBB GESI downpipe. But my plans are:
a. Intake
b. Fueling (injectors, pump, FPR and lines)
c. EBCS (duh)
d. Downpipe of some kind (Cobb or GS)
e. Headers
f. Oil pickup

All of that is in really no order, but probably the oil pickup first, since I've worked on STIs in the past and Hondas so I'm familiar with the process.

See less See more

Karlot

· #6 · 4 mo ago

i'm curious, why do you think coilovers are a hassle? i get that for some setups/goals, a quality spring/strut combo works great, but i dont think coils are any more of a hassle than a spring/strut setup.

sounds like you have a good plan, although if that's as far as you are going, you likely wont need the fueling you mentioned. unless you plan on running ethanol. on pump gas with those handful of mods the stock fuel system should hold up just fine.

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #7 · 4 mo ago

I've had coilovers before in the past, and I would much rather prefer a "set it and forget it" sort of mindset when it comes to the suspension, if that makes sense? I see your argument, because invariably, the Bilsteins may be a worse ride feel and I can't adjust the damper settings to accommodate.

Granted, yes, it's been a LONG time since I've had coilovers. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised?

Back in my old Honda days (B, H, and K series) I was always taught to have a decent "ceiling" for IDC, it helps with avoiding "potential" lean conditions if the injectors are too high for their duty cycle percentages. Again, this is just based off of my information and what I've learned over the years.

If there's scientific fact and proof? I'll sing a different tune. It's also that age old saying, "better to err on the side of caution."

Karlot

· #8 · 4 mo ago

fair enough. my coils have been a set and forget it setup lol. i would like to get electronic dampening control, so i can adjust to full soft on the street and go to the track settings for track/backroads, but honestly it's not at all a necessity. i have setup coils and never adjusted after i did lol. there are some that ride great too, that said, nothing wrong with a spring/strut combo, i was just curious.

and i understand having a ceiling, but when subaru says 100% IDC, it's not static, jaztuning aka yamahasho on here has run well over 100%idc on these cars without leaning out, i think he posted that he got to like 125% on one setup. he could explain this much better than i could, but 100% on subaru isnt a true 100%. even on a stock turbo setup, on pump gas, you'll be fine with the oem fuel system. if you want to add more, you can, but it's not a necessity at all with the mods you listed.

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #9 · 4 mo ago

Oh yeah, I remember long ago that Tein had that electronic setup which was really cool. Expensive, but really cool.

Agreed, and I have talked to Jaz about this. I think for me, it's more about having it and not needing it, than needing it and not having it. If I do decide (and probably will) get equal length headers, I can "presume" that the fueling would then be needed. Again, just presuming, but even that can be dangerous at times! lol

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #10 · 4 mo ago

2

Feeling bored, and because I wanted to do SOMETHING to my car, I said "why not remove the silver?"

At least 2 hours later and multiple visits to stores to get Goo-Gone and a plastic scraper, I'm ok with the result.

Maybe remove the STI badge? Not sure. Or I could change the color to something like black but either way....decisions.

Vehicle registration plate Vehicle Automotive tail & brake light Automotive lighting Car

Vehicle registration plate Car Automotive tail & brake light Vehicle Automotive lighting

See less See more

Karlot

· #11 · 4 mo ago

All preference. There’s one by wclatheworks that is titanium, you can do burnt or not. I plan on running the burnt one on mine. It’s legit looking

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #12 · 3 mo ago

Agreed. I currently love how it looks. The silver was a little too much of an eyesore, that's why I removed the silver side badges and did the OEM Series Grey badges since I've had terrible luck with anything other than OEM.

Karlot

· #13 · 3 mo ago

for badges that are aftermarket it's all about what adhesive you use. i have seen some pretty good ones. i just really want the titanium sti badge myself lol.

NorthernRage

· #14 · 3 mo ago

Karlot said:
i'm curious, why do you think coilovers are a hassle? i get that for some setups/goals, a quality spring/strut combo works great, but i dont think coils are any more of a hassle than a spring/strut setup.

Playing devil's advocate here, but short rebuild intervals could make coilovers a hassle. If you drive regularly on roads that resemble the surface of the moon, you could be looking at costly rebuilds every 20k miles if you want to keep them in optimal working condition.

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #15 · 3 mo ago

@Karlot Yeah, lol, my experience was the color fading and the clear coat failing. Depending on the color, the titanium looks chefs kiss and on others, not so much. I did get WC Latheworks a while back, but the color didn't match too well and I will say the adhesive was pretty awesome.

@NorthernRage It's a fair point, and a good point. Currently, I live in NJ/PA (Philly) area so the roads here are gross. I'll be moving to Indiana soon and the roads are worlds better, thank god.

Karlot

· #16 · 3 mo ago

NorthernRage said:
Playing devil's advocate here, but short rebuild intervals could make coilovers a hassle. If you drive regularly on roads that resemble the surface of the moon, you could be looking at costly rebuilds every 20k miles if you want to keep them in optimal working condition.

fair point. i think fortune suggests every 45k miles if you arent tracking it, and have a 5 year warranty. so to me that's not too much. but alot of strut manufacturers also claim you should rebuild the shock at similar intervals,

and nice tapion, that sounds like it's a good haha. i really do plan on getting it, granted my car isnt blue so the color is less of a worry. just want it to semi match the burnt blue on my exhaust and lug nuts, and i'll do the front badge too. nothing too crazy.

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #17 · 3 mo ago

See, I think that would look great, and I think silver, white and black on cars can benefit from the titanium badges/emblems the most. Silver, white and black are relatively neutral, so they're more of a blank canvas. Blue (WRB, LBP) Grey (DGM, MMP) and Red stand out too much so for me, and this is just IMO, wouldn't benefit.

Karlot

· #18 · 3 mo ago

i think it can look good on red. but it's harder to pull off. my car will be wrapped soon, so i'm still deciding on color, leaning towards gunmetal again, but slightly darker than the oem paint. and for that burnt ti would work very well lol. i have a thing for titanium. if i could, i'd have it basically everywhere.

Tapion1981

Discussion Starter · #19 · 3 mo ago

I think since I have WRB, it's a tough color to pull off, hence why I feel the black/red emblems match great with the car.

The only thing I still want to change colors would be the calipers, probably going black with white lettering or black with red lettering.

Black90tsiawd

· #20 · 3 mo ago

Karlot said:
All preference. There’s one by wclatheworks that is titanium, you can do burnt or not. I plan on running the burnt one on mine. It’s legit looking

I've got several parts from WCL which i really enjoy. But so far as front/rear STi badges go, check out Titanium Dynamics. They're beautiful.

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 27 Posts