tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31798683751418892222024-03-13T22:20:40.200-04:00Mach V STI BlogA blog about a car -- our 2008 Subaru WRX STI.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-91803035285537967212014-03-10T09:03:00.001-04:002014-03-10T09:03:22.959-04:00Looking Back<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4fA_yLgWsw-W6G4M70g_68LSLG5JTH9KjqSBYdMMMeTWmYGMukMbyd9ugke4GozaXvdLQLneAu0lEZ_rbVlUoqoiWxEM-b4n6-DmTm2c8Ozq2gBNJgFHopbEjM9HNeY1cnz9zC4o_CXW/s1600/7028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4fA_yLgWsw-W6G4M70g_68LSLG5JTH9KjqSBYdMMMeTWmYGMukMbyd9ugke4GozaXvdLQLneAu0lEZ_rbVlUoqoiWxEM-b4n6-DmTm2c8Ozq2gBNJgFHopbEjM9HNeY1cnz9zC4o_CXW/s1600/7028.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our STI on the day it left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After my last "Everything Must Go!" post, I did sell the car. I was reminded today that I did not make a final post on this blog to sum everything up.<br />
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I did very much enjoy my time owning and driving the STI. The GR chassis hatchback is a nice size, and the layout is roomy and practical to live with. It's not exactly a beautiful car, but after modifications (bigger wheels, a little bit of lowering, coloring the tail lamps, and some other details) I think it looked tough and at least purposeful.<br />
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Once we upgraded the turbo, the power was more than ample. Honestly, it was more than I could use in normal daily driving. Holding the gas pedal down for more than a few seconds felt like tempting fate and inviting arrest. Don't get me wrong, I love horsepower. I probably should have taken it out to the track to really explore the car's performance capabilities.<br />
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The handling was excellent, and the ride was compliant (despite the low-profile 19" tires) thanks to the adjustable Cusco dampers.<br />
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A few posts back I talked about cracking pistons on 2008 model year cars, and mentioned that our car had not suffered this fate. Well...now it has. Our car left us with a little over 8,000 miles. By 13,000, it had a cracked piston that led to rod bearing failure, and required the replacement of the short block. We did that repair and when we last saw the car it had headed out to the west coast, running fine. I guess I'd suggest that if you are in the market for a used 2008 STI car, at least be prepared for the possibility of engine trouble. Most of the cars on the road by now have far more miles than ours did, so any problems that were going to crop up have probably already happened.<br />
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The reason for selling the STI was so we could get a Subaru BRZ, which we did acquire, and promptly started modifying. You can follow that car's progress on <a href="http://machvbrz.blogspot.com/">its own blog</a>.<br />
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That's probably going to be it for this blog, barring news or updates from the car's current/future owners. If you do own the car, feel free to drop us a note with photos. Tell us about your adventures and how the car is doing.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-47025929868706259702012-08-13T22:14:00.001-04:002012-08-13T22:14:23.872-04:00Reduced! Come and get it!The STI is still taking up space in the Mach V showroom, so I have dropped the price by $3,000. $34,000 takes it away. That's so low, it's almost like stealing!<br /><br />Seriously. It's an amazing value for anyone who was planning to buy an STI and then modify it.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-42660472419061837752012-05-21T11:49:00.000-04:002012-05-24T21:41:11.718-04:00Selling the STI<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tvNdNld4KQOL_Oql7x1k7Nn7s9ELnCUuXFdRKx-2TNJRLojZgO1SRDnEAEFf0jga0z8k3yj0QRPC6TpFqmZSmeBb6in6L0WyazCTgvD3NYr0JYSq_V1rSluQyfxwpsT9gOSYOyPn8L07/s1600/5471280x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tvNdNld4KQOL_Oql7x1k7Nn7s9ELnCUuXFdRKx-2TNJRLojZgO1SRDnEAEFf0jga0z8k3yj0QRPC6TpFqmZSmeBb6in6L0WyazCTgvD3NYr0JYSq_V1rSluQyfxwpsT9gOSYOyPn8L07/s320/5471280x800.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Well, all things must come to an end, and although I love this car, the new Subaru BRZ is coming out and we've got one on order. That means we have to make some garage space, so the STI has to go.<br />
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It's got 8000 miles on it.<br />
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Kelly Blue Book on the car is $32,000. We've added $20,000 in parts and modifications. (The wheels alone cost more than $2500.) We're looking for $37,000 for the car, as is with all the mods. The title is in hand and it's never been in any kind of accident.<br />
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Here's the list of modifications:<br />
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Rays G-Games wheels $2,800.00<br />
Cusco Zero-2E coilovers $2,640.00<br />
Cusco E-con $579.00<br />
Whiteline front sway bar $188.00<br />
Whiteline rear sway bar $212.00<br />
Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit $143.00<br />
Whiteline Lower Control Arm Support Braces $102.00<br />
Whiteline steering rack bushings $68.00<br />
Whiteline rear diff mount insert bushings $38.00<br />
Kartboy end links front $115.00<br />
Kartboy end links rear $125.00<br />
TurboXS turbo-back exhaust with cat $1,049.00<br />
TurboXS intake $219.00<br />
TurboXS FMIC $1,169.00<br />
Cusco front strut bar $190.00<br />
SMY Cluster Maker gauge bezel $150.00<br />
Prosport Halo boost gauge $95.00<br />
Prosport Halo wideband air/fuel gauge $250.00<br />
Mach V boost control solenoid $79.00<br />
Blouch 20G-XT turbo $1,399.00<br />
Deatschwerks 850cc fuel injectors $549.00<br />
Seibon CF hood $839.00<br />
Custom paint for CF hood $450.00<br />
Rear exhaust garnishes $179.95<br />
Custom-painted tail lamps $300.00<br />
Custom-painted grill $150.00<br />
Dual-color LED turn signals $69.00<br />
LED tail lamps $50.00<br />
LED interior lamps $129.00<br />
HID fog lamps $189.00<br />
ProTune $500.00<br />
Cobb AccessPort $595.00<br />
ClearBra $800.00<br />
Labor $3,500.00<br />
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Total $19,909.95<br />
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If you're interested, give us a call at the shop at (571) 434-8333.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-17743755657968961662011-08-16T11:26:00.000-04:002011-08-16T11:26:45.345-04:00Another gauge mounting option<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>For a long time we've had requests from customers for an instrument bezel gauge mount. We've had that for the older GD chassis cars for a long time, but didn't have one for the GR...until now. Our friends at SMY Cluster Maker labored long and hard to make a gauge mount that fits and looks like a stock part.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83GGU-OxgWRcfcIha8z4SjjUqttElG3WqtVJOqbywxH2tf300ARbC_WVg9OD6zvOcY7xn4OjD4MyAk9mF_M5jCE35H1U3-xFFsmOfDks8vurXokb1qEtJFI681Vz6VV3vNK55IWD5sKy6/s1600/9572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83GGU-OxgWRcfcIha8z4SjjUqttElG3WqtVJOqbywxH2tf300ARbC_WVg9OD6zvOcY7xn4OjD4MyAk9mF_M5jCE35H1U3-xFFsmOfDks8vurXokb1qEtJFI681Vz6VV3vNK55IWD5sKy6/s320/9572.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The mount is textured just like the stock dash, and the finish is a flat dark gray that is a near-perfect match. If you weren't looking for the mount, you'd never know it wasn't a factory part. It fits two 52mm gauges. There's a good amount of mounting depth, but it's not infinite, so the very longest of gauges might not fit. The Prosport Halo gauges we had in our car fit fine, though.<br />
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Installation is pretty easy. The factory instrument binnacle removes without using tools. You do have to give it a good sharp tug to disengage it from the clips that hold it in, but it won't break. The new bezel just clips in -- again, no tools required.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-I0qYIq2OH452JmydMxDPhX5aDCKvjHLIuaeCsYe234swhSTdf_Izhyc876eRNWiZhYkXUHrAhE0dIrOqG3X_4WGicBBGz1IZp3SsaOKlbGd4saNcMHSLHtdr6iXm7106ajyzzAKnRdc/s1600/9564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-I0qYIq2OH452JmydMxDPhX5aDCKvjHLIuaeCsYe234swhSTdf_Izhyc876eRNWiZhYkXUHrAhE0dIrOqG3X_4WGicBBGz1IZp3SsaOKlbGd4saNcMHSLHtdr6iXm7106ajyzzAKnRdc/s320/9564.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
With the new instrument bezel gauge mount in place, we can see how well the Prosport Halo series gauges match the factory red lighting. Note that for the sake of a clear view (as well as symmetry), we mounted the touch pad for the left-hand gauge on the lower left side of the gauge, meaning the touch pad is now upside-down. We figured that's a minor price to pay for not having it sticking out into the instrument panel.<br />
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When combined with our windshield mount gauge pod, you've got a total of four possible gauges you could mount in any of the GR chassis cars. (GR chassis includes 2008+ Impreza, WRX and STI.) We actually did install four gauges in a customer STI recently. Stay tuned for photos or videos of that car.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-3882757834206456862011-02-09T13:07:00.000-05:002011-02-09T13:07:21.696-05:00Out with the squish!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9azTP5BYKpZIV_2Fy5J4KuTRdFUfhZ63LNKyO6LFMpxckU8uRafiijQjz1S-n0IXRPt53whXd2ilJe-qS4weclxkSkh6jYQV96aGfdEjtugKk7onkn6Ft82Yt33D1D_oRq1jQ4COWbSnb/s1600/Installing+steering+rack+bushings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9azTP5BYKpZIV_2Fy5J4KuTRdFUfhZ63LNKyO6LFMpxckU8uRafiijQjz1S-n0IXRPt53whXd2ilJe-qS4weclxkSkh6jYQV96aGfdEjtugKk7onkn6Ft82Yt33D1D_oRq1jQ4COWbSnb/s320/Installing+steering+rack+bushings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing stock steering rack bushings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We replaced several factory squishy rubber suspension bits on our STI with firmer polyurethane versions from Whiteline. On the menu this week were the <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/wh08wrxstire.html">rear differential mount inserts</a>, <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/whfrlocoarmb.html">front lower control arm bushings</a>, the <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/whankita.html">Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit</a>, and the a set of <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/whstrabu.html">steering rack bushings</a>. The idea of all these parts is to take out slop and squish from the system, resulting in more precise location of the suspension components so they can do their job more directly and without deflection. The factory rubber stuff is soft and comfortable, but as I've complained about in early blog posts, the 2008+ STI feels a lot more vague in its steering feel than previous-generation cars. I wanted some of that feel back.<br />
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Note that the 2011 STI did get revised, slightly firmer rubber bushings at the front and rear control arms. These Whiteline parts will be firmer still, but the difference from stock on the 2011+ cars will not be as dramatic as on the 2008-10 cars.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd97ooltiflx-MuDVcRpW9fC8qo823140bkNtrChqZkIFicWrrxrdj__glUhG5gT6iBx_9KvbD95oLqL_qYGP_04N_R4HtWTu0A3WGkv1cOEw1lYtfXx5_ntsx7ojLO2E0CdbFdp7jcDh/s1600/Rear+diff+carrier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd97ooltiflx-MuDVcRpW9fC8qo823140bkNtrChqZkIFicWrrxrdj__glUhG5gT6iBx_9KvbD95oLqL_qYGP_04N_R4HtWTu0A3WGkv1cOEw1lYtfXx5_ntsx7ojLO2E0CdbFdp7jcDh/s320/Rear+diff+carrier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointing to the stock rear diff carrier bushings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our shop guys report that installing all these parts was very easy. The steering rack bushings come with a cylindrical tool that makes pulling out the old bushings very simple. The rear diff bushing inserts just push into the voids in the existing rubber bushings -- we spritz the rubber with glass cleaner to provide a bit of lubrication. The two sets of front control arm bushings (the Anti-Lift Kit goes on the back of the control arms, and the control arm bushing set goes on the front) install easily, too.<br />
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Once the car was back on the ground, I took it out on the road to see if I could tell the difference. The effect on the steering was immediate -- between the control arm bushings and the steering rack bushings, it feels like the steering from a different car. There's much more immediacy in the reactions of the front end. Twitch the wheel, and the nose of the car twitches. Go over a ripple in the pavement, and you can feel it in the steering wheel. I love the increase in precision -- I feel like I can place the nose of the car very exactly in a corner.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCmo8U8q-riQl9H5BdPWdo73wmvGczOO_sm06J7O4ZbCFvwESAHPyFw0YOQTZ1PE7RdTo1sdUsSiKlsAxvaC-7MQvOFSHQ_cMR4Epm-AEzkA7rpND28VeSpirY-VSjjERnEln8obbx9Xm/s1600/Bushings+going+in+rear+diff+carrier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCmo8U8q-riQl9H5BdPWdo73wmvGczOO_sm06J7O4ZbCFvwESAHPyFw0YOQTZ1PE7RdTo1sdUsSiKlsAxvaC-7MQvOFSHQ_cMR4Epm-AEzkA7rpND28VeSpirY-VSjjERnEln8obbx9Xm/s320/Bushings+going+in+rear+diff+carrier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressing in the Whiteline rear diff bushing inserts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The rear diff bushings were not as easy to feel at the beginning. Once I started driving the car hard, though, I could tell things were firmer. There is less "bounce" from the rear under hard one-two gear shifts, and on-off throttle transitions produce less wiggling of the rear end of the car. It's hard to describe this, because I didn't really notice it before, I just perceive the lack of it. Getting on and off the gas when the car is loaded up in a corner, it seems to stay planted better than it used to.<br />
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I can't say there's no effect on comfort from these modifications. The increased feel in the front end is also accompanied by more small bumps and impacts transmitted into the car. The stiffer diff mounting is noticeable when the car goes over expansion strips or other quick, small impacts, and in the form of some additional drivetrain vibration and noise in the rear of the car. (You probably won't notice this from the driver's seat, but rear seat passengers might.) The car isn't uncomfortable to me at all, but it's firmer and not as plush-riding as the OEM bushings were.<br />
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Overall I'm quite happy with the changes. The steering feel, in particular, is worlds better than it was before. The whole car just feels more secure and planted because of the more direct connection to the road.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-39510009546240630112010-12-22T23:50:00.000-05:002010-12-22T23:50:23.367-05:00End of year updateWe've been doing some more tinkering on the STI since my last update. We've got a new gauge mounting solution for the car, and some suspension goodies.<br />
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As I've talked about before in this space, the STI is a tough car to put gauges in. The top of the dash is all one curvy piece, and there's no separate removable clock pod on top like in the pre-2008 cars. We did develop the windshield pod that you saw in earlier posts, but that's not for everyone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Sideview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Sideview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I contacted our friends at Craven Speed with our problem, and we went back and forth with some design ideas for sitting gauges on top of the steering wheel cover. In the end, Craven came up with a simple universal gauge pod that will bolt on to almost anything, and will mount a gauge the way I had in mind.<br />
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The pod is made from CNC-machined aluminum, and is very sturdy. The little foot bolts into place from the back side, so it's perfect for the top half of the steering column cover. (It would not be so perfect for the top of the middle of the dash, though, since it would be difficult to access the underside to insert the bolts.) Despite the smallness of the base, it's quite sturdy, and I'm not worried about the gauge vibrating or moving around.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Frontview2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Frontview2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There's a 52mm version and a 60mm version of the pod. 52mm is more than large enough if it's going to be on the steering column. You might want a larger gauge if it's going to be farther away.<br />
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I just put a random EGT gauge in for this mockup -- I don't actually want more gauges in the car at this time, so this is just a temporary setup for purposes of photographing the product.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/crsp52bialga.html">Craven Speed gauge pod -- click me! </a><br />
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On the bottom side of the car, we're going to be installing some additional suspension parts courtesy of Whiteline. These include stiffer bushings for the rear differential subframe, bushings for the front control arms, a roll center adjustment kit, and maybe one or two more items. I hope to have some photos of those, along with some feedback about the handling, in my next blog post.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-50270020309632396102010-10-11T23:00:00.001-04:002010-10-11T23:16:43.067-04:00Boost and Wideband Gauges InstalledOne of my personal peeves is that turbo cars should all come with turbo boost gauges. I'm surprised I let our STI go without one for so long. But this past week we finally remedied that situation (thanks, Mach V shop staff!), and we got a new <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/prhaga.html">Prosport Halo boost gauge and wideband air/fuel meter</a> in the car. As you've probably seen from previous posts, we like the windshield mount pod, and chose that for our car. It keeps the gauges off the dash, which really doesn't have a lot of room, and the pod is nicely concealed from outside the car.<br />
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I made a video showing all the features of the gauges.<br />
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I'm just happy to be able to see what boost pressure the car is running without having to hook up a laptop or AccessPort to see it. Want to have gauges just like this? Buy 'em from<a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/prhaga.html"> our web site</a>. You'll thank me later.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-83834944197992170222010-09-07T09:51:00.001-04:002010-09-07T09:51:57.635-04:00Rota D-Force on the STIWe mounted up the new <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/rotadforce.html">D-Force wheels</a> (18x9.5 +40) to our STI. Here's what it looks like:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc2szHfwqviRHx-iG8qBl_4hXSoC-sLoQisIgXgmj34LiqIh_rRwj4cCI6k_FmpOAttuYkc_pTQKJtJoNrBCSoHMw5Y1tuNzxJPxDxqWtUDeueI2Bn5W0S-9bkXQN31YKZ9d6fWMqvt4X/s1600/Skidmarks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc2szHfwqviRHx-iG8qBl_4hXSoC-sLoQisIgXgmj34LiqIh_rRwj4cCI6k_FmpOAttuYkc_pTQKJtJoNrBCSoHMw5Y1tuNzxJPxDxqWtUDeueI2Bn5W0S-9bkXQN31YKZ9d6fWMqvt4X/s320/Skidmarks1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-i98NYA5Z7a9KNucr9WPLLd8RTNQFkN3GIWG2oz3KIrcFjzxcPKt03dEy0preXETAHKImilQZaOT2RHo2ZAPJkmQZ0uXOatUdjAnw62sWBDhgk9h4BB50V4iRzf64213x7a2jO0qGNU6x/s1600/Tightrearwheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-i98NYA5Z7a9KNucr9WPLLd8RTNQFkN3GIWG2oz3KIrcFjzxcPKt03dEy0preXETAHKImilQZaOT2RHo2ZAPJkmQZ0uXOatUdjAnw62sWBDhgk9h4BB50V4iRzf64213x7a2jO0qGNU6x/s320/Tightrearwheel.jpg" /></a></div>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-88371690465702218222010-08-31T23:37:00.001-04:002010-08-31T23:38:20.085-04:00300% More Exhaust Tips!Our friends at TurboXS haven't had a specific exhaust for the STI before now, so we initially installed the single-tip system indented for the WRX hatchback. That fit fine, sounded great, and was nice and light, but especially after we fitted up the STI accessory rear garnish bits, it always seemed like the car was missing something over on the left side of the rear valence.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqghvFoZJi9k-WD7XCLQ9lnQeaEd3zhbb0CZ3S4dT1jdEGra2ik_xqkzej1DlGCM-wep8BlXZuVA9uuzmP6M74V-W7JYjG2xVgh_NLfMD5DDg77Bd0H4snbiTLKxwFt5XbzTfHRCrIdPQ/s1600/Rear+angle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqghvFoZJi9k-WD7XCLQ9lnQeaEd3zhbb0CZ3S4dT1jdEGra2ik_xqkzej1DlGCM-wep8BlXZuVA9uuzmP6M74V-W7JYjG2xVgh_NLfMD5DDg77Bd0H4snbiTLKxwFt5XbzTfHRCrIdPQ/s320/Rear+angle.jpg" /></a></div>That's remedied now with a new TurboXS rear exhaust section with four very nice polished stainless steel tips. The new rear section actually bolted right to the rest of our existing TurboXS exhaust, so if you are in the same boat as us and previously bought a single-outlet TurboXS turbo-back, you will be able to just purchase the rear section to get the new multi-tip style.<br />
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I thought the sound would be a lot quieter than the single-tip system (after all, the muffler looks about three times as big), but it sounds very similar to the old system. It might be a tiny bit deeper in tone, but the volume level didn't seem to change. The look is great. Some systems for the STI have a pronounced "drain pipe" that hangs down just before entering the muffler, but the TurboXS system tucks nice and close up to the body.<br />
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The new quad-tip TurboXS system for STI hatchbacks will be available for purchase on our web site in the near future.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-26629575201573875182010-08-26T22:49:00.000-04:002010-08-26T22:49:45.876-04:00Rota D-Force Wheels for STI<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgab4rXUbqTynbtE-HvLLXMwREx-X90SVVhT2o7zEtCaVNgt-_MY4EIEfuRIVwuZ44uvgfI5Y0UM3UcWPKm__P3CtMdRd5mupmX3M50VYKWItAoCpkcKwgrhCansDmZS185hUAFVFZGBKQ/s1600/Testfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgab4rXUbqTynbtE-HvLLXMwREx-X90SVVhT2o7zEtCaVNgt-_MY4EIEfuRIVwuZ44uvgfI5Y0UM3UcWPKm__P3CtMdRd5mupmX3M50VYKWItAoCpkcKwgrhCansDmZS185hUAFVFZGBKQ/s320/Testfit.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D-Force test-fit on STI</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If you follow this blog you've probably seen me complain that there aren't many wheels available that are both wide and high-offset to fit the GR-chassis STI. Although there ARE lots of 5x114 wheels around, most of them have the wrong offset -- typically around +35mm -- and would stick out on the WRX STI.<br />
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In an effort to remedy this situation we worked with Rota to spec out a wheel that would be nice and wide, but still fit under the fenders of the wide-body STI. We just got them the other day. They're called D-Force, and they're 18x9.5", +40. They have a very large (2.75") lip, which is really unusual for wheels that fit the big Brembo brakes of the STI. At 22.6 pounds, the weight isn't too bad, either.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXCmK3mAVwbu3Xf_PzQAfh0ig26rPCDthktdEqJLc7IBht4vXejnmeLVpMGKJzgYXvr0F7XA4uDoX1V_QZDS4P4QhF8d12uRFtY4jocGD0G4HsdVJajmOKTSozXlXjQ45Wz16XIeDrhj3/s1600/D-Force.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXCmK3mAVwbu3Xf_PzQAfh0ig26rPCDthktdEqJLc7IBht4vXejnmeLVpMGKJzgYXvr0F7XA4uDoX1V_QZDS4P4QhF8d12uRFtY4jocGD0G4HsdVJajmOKTSozXlXjQ45Wz16XIeDrhj3/s320/D-Force.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D-Force</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For now, we only have this wheel in flat black. Other colors to come will certainly include "Hyper Black," which is a smokey silver color. I'm open to suggestions on what other colors you'd like to see. Also, we could do the wheel with a polished and clear-coated lip. Comment at the bottom of this post if you have an opinion either way.<br />
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Want them? As I write this post, they are in stock and you can buy them. You can <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/rotadforce.html">find them at our web site</a>.Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-74895608579251129102010-07-25T19:54:00.000-04:002010-07-25T19:54:05.641-04:00GT Performance dyno video<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is the video from the second tuning session with the GT Performance race car. With boost peaking at about 22 psi, tapering to 20 psi, the car made 565 horsepower at the wheels. It's running 100 octane fuel.</div><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Video here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoMgVCjKuY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoMgVCjKuY</a></span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-71978808491457760142010-07-24T01:29:00.000-04:002010-07-24T01:29:40.932-04:00Tuning an STI to higher horsepower levels<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had the opportunity recently to tune a beautifully prepared 2006 WRX STI that was put together by GT Performance in Maryland. Among other goodies, the car sports a fully-built 2.6-liter block with custom dry-sump oiling, a built-up dog-gear transmission, a complete roll cage, and even air jacks. A Garrett GT35R turbocharger pushes air into a Cosworth intake manifold, and through Cosworth heads. The car made a whopping 565 whp on our dyno. Here's a look at an earlier dyno run -- a mere 500 whp:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the car on the track at Summit Point:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We look forward to working with the GT Performance crew some more in the near future.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-4736684254510105502010-04-22T21:52:00.001-04:002010-05-26T08:39:20.581-04:00Driving the Mach V STI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkECadecCogDm_OegIET5ZuFxS7c9pawowxbTnpQOuJW2gS5AClQCo3Psuf0BZRjoA2foRoZ4PmMuIBg8ykkCUeKsIacIilUBT6jsPilwog5PhaOvGxf_PqZ8LIXonDyz0_qEiqKogcZ4T/s1600/Rocklands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkECadecCogDm_OegIET5ZuFxS7c9pawowxbTnpQOuJW2gS5AClQCo3Psuf0BZRjoA2foRoZ4PmMuIBg8ykkCUeKsIacIilUBT6jsPilwog5PhaOvGxf_PqZ8LIXonDyz0_qEiqKogcZ4T/s320/Rocklands.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took the Mach V STI home and ran a few errands. Hauled a big PC to work, took the kid to school. The car is still its usual self for around-town driving. The exhaust note might be a tiny bit louder at idle and low speeds, but it's hard to tell.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Full throttle is another story. When the 20G-XT-equipped STI gets up above 3500 rpm, everything starts to happen really fast, and it sings a baritone Subaru full-throttle song that turns heads -- in a good way if those listening are car fans. (I got a thumbs-up from a guy in a BMW Z3 M roadster.) But maybe that noise is not so good if you're trying to keep a low profile on the road. Not like the car in its current form is subtle -- what with the multi-vented hood, huge wheels, and all that.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The power is pretty fun. At freeway speeds you can still dip into the gas in sixth gear and get a good dose of passing speed, although there is more lag than there used to be. Dropping a gear gets the car up into insta-boost range and you'll quickly be at extra-legal speeds.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which brings me back to the thought of losing my driver's license. I'm going to have to get the car to the track to see what it's like to drive it really hard at this power level.</div>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-86864479358544701042010-04-13T13:33:00.001-04:002010-04-13T14:26:48.983-04:00Blouch 20G-XT on the car<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu5qhPt2-CnherkyFVoJ8t94AcEj67rZHgIr7fdjY2xI_gHIqwQn2D_AhdWC8VP9LneBUbdsj1Hp66hTK8AzjDaEBedfFqicfL03nYMy37Mtgc5JUI5Wtf7j9Hr1_YMh284ceipCC2gon/s1600/Runs+14+and+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu5qhPt2-CnherkyFVoJ8t94AcEj67rZHgIr7fdjY2xI_gHIqwQn2D_AhdWC8VP9LneBUbdsj1Hp66hTK8AzjDaEBedfFqicfL03nYMy37Mtgc5JUI5Wtf7j9Hr1_YMh284ceipCC2gon/s400/Runs+14+and+40.jpg" width="400" /></a>We bolted the new <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/bl20gxttu.html">Blouch 20G-XT</a> turbocharger to our STI, and rolled it back onto the dyno for some more pulls. The turbo delivered as advertised. Spool was a little slower than the <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/tomeiarmsturbo.html">Tomei ARMS turbo</a> we had on the car before, which is understandable given how much larger the turbine outlet is on the 20G-XT. The car made a lot more horsepower at the same boost levels -- 33 more hp and 30 lb-ft of additional torque to the wheels. An added benefit that isn't seen on the dyno graphs is that off-boost throttle response is better -- the more wide-open turbo outlet probably is the reason. The exhaust note is a bit louder now, too!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most of the time when we put a 20G on a car we've also done a turbo induction hose, TGV deletes, and headers, none of which are on our car. When we do get those mods done, we'll dyno again. I'd expect another 10+ hp at that time. </span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-74826882124687464372010-04-02T22:41:00.001-04:002010-04-02T23:00:17.911-04:00Needs More Turbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrelQQWz2qO_69cjaqrdJZ7kf0lm8dkcBc9lDskF5KS_kbIZj364YJwJ9uqnf28mTM1z7pXelZhZb2J_XsY1OImhqh_G74FNlg90pp9glL-ITYfWH_6WjLm3eTNQQoggNwB3zczk37OTGN/s1600/XT+20G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrelQQWz2qO_69cjaqrdJZ7kf0lm8dkcBc9lDskF5KS_kbIZj364YJwJ9uqnf28mTM1z7pXelZhZb2J_XsY1OImhqh_G74FNlg90pp9glL-ITYfWH_6WjLm3eTNQQoggNwB3zczk37OTGN/s320/XT+20G.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although the Tomei ARMS turbocharger on our STI made decent power, and spooled very nicely compared to the stock hair dryer, we just can't leave well enough alone. We asked our friends at Blouch Turbo if they had any suggestions for something with just a little more oomph, and we got a <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/bl20gxttu.html">Blouch 20G-XT</a>: A Mitsubishi 20G compressor housing and center section mated to a custom Blouch turbine side that will bolt on to any 2002-07 WRX, and any 2002+ WRX STI. But wait, there's more. The compressor wheel is not cast like traditional wheels. Instead it's CNC milled from a block of billet aluminum. That means it can be made lighter and more efficient than old-school compressor wheels. The upshot is supposed to be more power and better spool. We'll find out next week when we bolt the turbo on and roll the car back on the dyno.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 20G turbo has always been my "go-to" turbo for 2.5-liter cars. It spools almost like a stock turbo, but has massively more top-end. If you have a 2.0-liter car, the 18G is probably a better choice, as the 20G takes a while to get going with only a 2.0 engine blowing on it. Blouch also has an 18G-XT available. Watch our web site for more details on purchasing these turbos soon.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-67219581601190601292010-03-23T10:57:00.000-04:002010-03-23T10:57:18.893-04:00Trickle-Down Economics, Subaru StyleToday Subaru announced that the 2011 WRX sedan will get a wide body look that borrows the front fenders of the current STI hatchback. The car will be on display at the up-coming New York Auto Show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnjCj8ig_bZ7RIqtHpdgfM1TYJlF9bvLPFG8CvsiYHhei49mRHGxsxS4K0UTopPNNerUVXBZL2-2y-kuWwkXR-nObHUoMr4ZbkIakXOSNL7cXtAl2iEoBKjxDkL9DKctOghKvZ-9P7Tc5/s1600-h/2011+sedan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnjCj8ig_bZ7RIqtHpdgfM1TYJlF9bvLPFG8CvsiYHhei49mRHGxsxS4K0UTopPNNerUVXBZL2-2y-kuWwkXR-nObHUoMr4ZbkIakXOSNL7cXtAl2iEoBKjxDkL9DKctOghKvZ-9P7Tc5/s320/2011+sedan.jpg" /></a></div>What does this mean? Well, besides the obvious benefit of a 1.5"-wider track for WRX sedan buyers (the car also gets a more aggressive front end, blacked-out grille, and wider 17 x 8" wheels), it seems to me that it would be easy and cheap to just make an STI sedan, now that the body work is taken care of. Our customers have pined for the lack of an STI sedan since the old one retired back in 2007. I hope they haven't been holding their collective breath since then, but I'd wager there will be a 2011 STI sedan available alongside the hatch.<br />
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We've been working with our suppliers to get larger and wider wheels available for the current WRX STI -- now we'll renew those efforts, since the wider WRX will also allow for those bigger fitments. (We've seen STI hatch models run wheels as wide as 10".)Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-26630400218682669292010-02-10T11:08:00.001-05:002010-02-10T11:09:41.482-05:00Tokyo Auto Salon 2010<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's been extremely snowy here at Mach V HQ, so I haven't had the STI out much in the last few weeks. (I know, it's AWD, but it's also pretty low.) I did get over to Tokyo for the Tokyo Auto Salon, though. Here are some of the STIs I saw there.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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The silver car above was Subaru's car for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race. It's got a 2.0 liter engine with 320 hp, upgraded suspension, fat wheels and slick tires, roll cage, race seats, and other goodies.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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Subaru's new R205 special edition STI has special lightweight wheels, six-pot front brakes, special suspension, and 316 hp.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJFxTWKGIj4ywWpyi9zYhk2xuZoxon3vLsCfZZm6GdktbvPfw1WORXbDMp9qdKyILL3PEu2xDMsqhETGFclJTne1PCKLfsSVkhU4wZaLAbI5O9nYQsO9i3t7LDfUreqWISF2Ba3xuFDH/s1600-h/Black+RS-D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJFxTWKGIj4ywWpyi9zYhk2xuZoxon3vLsCfZZm6GdktbvPfw1WORXbDMp9qdKyILL3PEu2xDMsqhETGFclJTne1PCKLfsSVkhU4wZaLAbI5O9nYQsO9i3t7LDfUreqWISF2Ba3xuFDH/s400/Black+RS-D.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The black car had aftermarket exhaust, carbon hood, and new Yokohama Advan RS-D (deep lip!) wheels. 19x9", I think.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUdfT5MbpLWr6JVpILXMClz1cWtZ-707PhM4wmZpiMDjnCwBK2HTePEsj9WEeFe1Mr2U8uR7r985DByvRornNOT9ozErbvJMHssrbnkiD3sVrsgrGVwcplQ0rmqkT675bnRgtcYHOW-P6/s1600-h/Prodrive+GRB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUdfT5MbpLWr6JVpILXMClz1cWtZ-707PhM4wmZpiMDjnCwBK2HTePEsj9WEeFe1Mr2U8uR7r985DByvRornNOT9ozErbvJMHssrbnkiD3sVrsgrGVwcplQ0rmqkT675bnRgtcYHOW-P6/s400/Prodrive+GRB.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This one was from Prodrive Japan. It's got a carbon hood, front bumper, side skirts, and rear wing from Varis.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">I've got a few more STI pics that I'll upload later.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></div>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-48831066311403619962009-12-27T21:50:00.003-05:002009-12-27T22:02:46.523-05:00Pure Carbonium<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEiE4ru6pRfQtK2bE49iRf9CAir5jVk5dWytrY1goqdlK8avDLnD_5drlN4nHPzK3PP9IOBLuW2QCYKhpwkofBCKglMmu0sY0kobJThkHZ2-BuzLqwhSdZg_TVTORyY4v_CdCD2S0WX4g/s1600-h/Center+and+steering+wheel.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420113001902917538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEiE4ru6pRfQtK2bE49iRf9CAir5jVk5dWytrY1goqdlK8avDLnD_5drlN4nHPzK3PP9IOBLuW2QCYKhpwkofBCKglMmu0sY0kobJThkHZ2-BuzLqwhSdZg_TVTORyY4v_CdCD2S0WX4g/s320/Center+and+steering+wheel.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a new </span><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/3mcafiwr.html" style="font-family: arial;">3M carbon fiber-look wrap material</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> that we're selling. It's not really carbon fiber, but it looks very convincing. Unlike carbon fiber, it bends around tight corners and, with the application of a little heat, can stretch and cover convoluted surfaces. It's self-adhesive and pretty easy to apply. (There are other carbon-look materials that are fabric-based and require spray adhesive to put on. This is a lot easier.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">I took a couple of hours and applied the material to the dash of our WR</span><span style="font-family: arial;">X STI. For an amateur, I think I did a pretty decent job. I popped the silver dash inserts free of the dash, and wrapped them each in the carbon-look material. I trimmed out the vent openings so the "open" and "closed" indicators show. I also removed and wrapped the steering wheel button inserts to match. Tools used: Heat </span><span style="font-family: arial;">gun (a hair dryer would do), Exacto knife.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Subaru makes a "carbon look" dash kit for the </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1DpHHKWZXshMe1IzmGYPu-qEMVJX7oIxRhjHhQB0EnywZfVwerSz4BduR0j7T71l_k9bpusX8E2Ex7VwjOlwqyuoc36drkO9DYLz8pbZOxc7Bp8CcUWqlVGHTDti0PO807DQux501Rru/s1600-h/Steering+wheel+closeup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420114679791413538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1DpHHKWZXshMe1IzmGYPu-qEMVJX7oIxRhjHhQB0EnywZfVwerSz4BduR0j7T71l_k9bpusX8E2Ex7VwjOlwqyuoc36drkO9DYLz8pbZOxc7Bp8CcUWqlVGHTDti0PO807DQux501Rru/s320/Steering+wheel+closeup.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">older WRX cars, although they don't make one for the current generation. I think this is far more convincing than any previous faux carbon I've seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Several customers have asked me about doing the roof of the car in this. It won't last forever (3M says 3-4 years in exterior application, and that's in a vertical mounting), but it should look pretty good. We can cut a large enough piece for that, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">So far I've received mostly positive feedback about this particularly modification to the car, although a few have decried the fact that this is strictly cosmetic, and has no useful function. Well, that's true, but I'm in good company; I've seen similar dash treatments -- and this is factory-issue, not applied by the consumer -- on high-end Mercedes and BMW cars recently. What do you think, readers?</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-21985335696609650932009-12-11T21:48:00.003-05:002009-12-11T22:14:28.674-05:00US Market Gets a Special Edition STI!<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLgJuD7XZS4620r8Reg_2HrB9V3r4T19bo8RexChvUoU1ccrkIlGGhnBmbi9AVDSLQ1byWHASdSoJ0QIqZ5vDYMSdHHtwa-20L3cMaShTxFJ1JgFX2UkTe6SaOPWGnwUil3ZXh4u4C2ed/s1600-h/2010-subaru-wrx-sti-special-ed_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLgJuD7XZS4620r8Reg_2HrB9V3r4T19bo8RexChvUoU1ccrkIlGGhnBmbi9AVDSLQ1byWHASdSoJ0QIqZ5vDYMSdHHtwa-20L3cMaShTxFJ1JgFX2UkTe6SaOPWGnwUil3ZXh4u4C2ed/s320/2010-subaru-wrx-sti-special-ed_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414179049860822466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">We're used to seeing the Japanese home-market special edition WRX STI models. There's been the S202, S203, S204, WRX STI Spec C, and even a WRX STI Spec C Type RA-R. All of those cars are factory hot rods, with all kinds of cool goodies like stiffer suspensions, different (usually larger) wheels and tires, better brakes, and more power. What do we ever get? Well...there was the "Limited" model that one year, that came with leather and a sunroof.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps there's been some kind of change in philosophy in Spring Hill, because Subaru has announced a special edition that sounds pretty good to me. Named (wait for it...) "WRX STI Special Edition," the car will gain some features and lose some. Gained: Revised suspension with stiffer front springs, stiffer rear shocks, stiffer rear subframe bushings, and a fatter rear sway bar; and special wheels from the Japan-market Spec C car that MUST be lighter than the 27-pound standard US wheels.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Lost: Six of the ten speakers, and five of the six CD slots in the stereo; HID headlamps; turn indicators on the side mirrors; auto climate control; and $2000 of price, bringing the MSRP down to $32,995 plus delivery fee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The grumpy Subaru forum denizens didn't seem too thrilled about this car ("Give us the Spec C!"), but I like it. It's slightly lighter, I assume it handles better, and it's quite a bit cheaper. In fact, I'd like to see Subaru go FARTHER in this direction. I'd continue the de-contenting and remove the entire SI-Drive system, switch to 17" wheels and tires, and swap the spare tire for a can of flat-fixer. (I'm trying to think of what else you could remove, but I'm out of ideas.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The other thing that would make a special edition car a little more special would be a few more horsepower. Call it ten more for a total of 315, and maybe 100 pounds off the standard car, getting the weight down to maybe 3150. Sounds like a fun ride to me.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-61369388672207480332009-11-28T23:40:00.006-05:002009-11-28T23:55:49.500-05:00PLX Gauges and the STI Windshield Pod<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrAYqr-egO89BckiP2RNdGXHfXHMtMt2iMudJUAHNWd0ANy_e1MJ686jkOGvKT3EOczhIRH36_D1tGYJ5jCMeActwHkxpNtVwr-g2BPms0Ir-707IqZ4aKK4ZXrrv4EEJlLs5fTYiOsR4/s1600/Mach+V+logo+gauges.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrAYqr-egO89BckiP2RNdGXHfXHMtMt2iMudJUAHNWd0ANy_e1MJ686jkOGvKT3EOczhIRH36_D1tGYJ5jCMeActwHkxpNtVwr-g2BPms0Ir-707IqZ4aKK4ZXrrv4EEJlLs5fTYiOsR4/s320/Mach+V+logo+gauges.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409382212540662258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fastwrx.com/widugapod20w.html">windshield pod</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> we mentioned some time back is now in production and on the shelf. We put a couple of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fastwrx.com/plxdm100.html">PLX DM-100 gauges</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> in a customer car and they turned out great. We were pleased with the Mach V splash screen, but it's the rest of the programmable functions of the gauges that's the cool part. You can choose between about six different data display modes, each of which is customizable by color. (Note that I was still playing around with colors in the second picture, below.) You can also upload custom wallpaper or gauge styles for each gauge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you have more sensors than you have gauges, you can change what sensor is displayed on what gauge using the wired remote control. Or you can display four different data channels in text form on one gauge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The gauges are just about 1" thick, so mounting is </span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QdN44dDDVNGsSpfTe0kK5OmqhDIkqM7SNQ-BUdj1ZA1mY_h6KnEw2FUZcM_m19TCoLhBgwxftCV38U5US361gxXnJf0gfZfPoM6wUu69gmIBS2R6zbDcwEk-ouD3Xgp2w_vzy3gINId2/s1600/PLX+gauges.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QdN44dDDVNGsSpfTe0kK5OmqhDIkqM7SNQ-BUdj1ZA1mY_h6KnEw2FUZcM_m19TCoLhBgwxftCV38U5US361gxXnJf0gfZfPoM6wUu69gmIBS2R6zbDcwEk-ouD3Xgp2w_vzy3gINId2/s320/PLX+gauges.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409383304730400914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">really easy. They'll fit in any standard gauge mount (which is what we did), or you can just surface mount them or put them on a simple stand or L-bracket. They come in 52mm and 60mm sizes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Reconfigurable and programmable gauge displays are the future of gauge technology. Some of the latest cars have gauges like this -- the Lamborghini Reventon is one that I can think of. Recent airplanes have this approach, too, with LCD screens that display the appropriate data at the right time, rather than just fixed gauges that may or may not be useful all the time. As the technology gets less expensive, more and more original-equipment automotive gauge displays will eventually look like this. But for the time being, it's up to us in the aftermarket to lead the way.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-83202756932368760672009-11-24T21:43:00.006-05:002009-11-28T23:35:57.378-05:00Uncorking the Power!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDybEIVm8Cp5vYUnXFX2-iJGdJmtWLPYQBLdCr4ExNsEy0vcncQz8gZ6PkYw3Z8fgF6-CxvIVRDUIoAzNg24P1vGONye1P2CqqZ7dmTW-P0y_FRW6mLgrl9RUUxedTtqQtoCsl8ZwFqynx/s1600/Gary+STI+24.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDybEIVm8Cp5vYUnXFX2-iJGdJmtWLPYQBLdCr4ExNsEy0vcncQz8gZ6PkYw3Z8fgF6-CxvIVRDUIoAzNg24P1vGONye1P2CqqZ7dmTW-P0y_FRW6mLgrl9RUUxedTtqQtoCsl8ZwFqynx/s320/Gary+STI+24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409379596526843762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">In that never-ending quest for more horsepower, we've been experimenting with some different parts on the STI. But as I've mentioned before, paying customer work has a way of coming before our own shop car. The good news is, this customer wanted to put almost the exact same modifications on his 2010 STI, as we have on our 2008 model. (Despite being different model years, the cars are mechanically identical.) We wrenched for a few days, then strapped the customer's STI up to the trusty Dynojet dynomometer for some testing.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Would it surpass the Mach V STI?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's what we put on the car that's the same as the Mach V STI:</span><br /><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/tufrinkit08w.html">TurboXS front-mounted intercooler kit</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/tuin08wr.html">TurboXS intake</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/defuin.html">Deatschwerks 850cc fuel injectors</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/tubedo0wr.html">TurboXS downpipe (catted)</a></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's what's different from our car:</span><br /><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/in08sticatba.html">Invidia Q300 cat-back exhaust</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/gtspexmaandu.html">Prosport header/up pipe</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/samsilinpip.html">Samco silicone induction pipe</a></li><li>TGV's removed</li><li><a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/detd20gtuup.html">Blouch TD06H 20G turbo</a></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">One extra note about my tuning this car: It's a 2010 model, and at this point in time Cobb Tuning's wonderful AccessPort is not compatible with the brand-new ECU. The only way to tune this car for now is Open Source software available on the Web.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I don't usually use this approach for a several reasons. The first is that the results of my tuning can (in theory) be easily read by someone else, where the AccessPort gives me some amount of rights management over the ECU tune I create. The second is that the Open Source stuff does not allow "real time" tuning. For each change you make, you have to re-flash the ECU, which has traditionally been pretty time-consuming. (Early systems from four years ago would take 20 or 30 minutes for each re-flash.) The final reason is that the software has often been a little half-baked. I tried an early version a couple of years ago and there were some major bugs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Things have come a long way since I last tried this stuff out. Although I still worry about my intellectual property a little, the speed of the re-flash has advanced to where it takes less than a minute to shoot a change to the ECU. And the software was stable during the whole tuning session, with no obvious bugs or problems. It still takes me a bit longer than the AccessPort system, because I'm using several different pieces of software and having to switch and move data between them. But most of the gripes I previously had with the Open Source stuff have been addressed.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVzMRGgTVrm_SZitwEn6FG6nZqDTp2MK6hNy6643cMEK4vaClNLWhADgmggCO6hBScghcK7vFYPaTMqXMx9mGaxdE0zHPl3tgS79dU4eHApXxZfqp8kTuYTblJO-jWhj0LKT9w2RlOUFl/s1600/Gary+vs+Dan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVzMRGgTVrm_SZitwEn6FG6nZqDTp2MK6hNy6643cMEK4vaClNLWhADgmggCO6hBScghcK7vFYPaTMqXMx9mGaxdE0zHPl3tgS79dU4eHApXxZfqp8kTuYTblJO-jWhj0LKT9w2RlOUFl/s320/Gary+vs+Dan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407872961443826290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This customer wants to use his car for track day use at road racing courses. That means the car will see very hard use, with high heat loads and much longer times on-throttle than any street car will ever see. I planned to be conservative with boost, fuel and timing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Despite those guidelines, the car still made great power. The chart at left shows our own Mach V car (green lines) on a run where the boost and timing were similar, graphed against the 2010 car. Since there are some substantial breathing differences -- the headers, induction pipe, and the TGV deletes -- I can't say whether or not the turbocharger is responsible for all that additional power. But this combination of parts certainly woke the car up.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-57315627985275130602009-10-21T21:43:00.005-04:002009-10-21T21:57:12.318-04:00Fall New Goodies Edition<span style="font-family: arial;">Yep, it's fall! Leaves are falling, the temperature keeps lurching from 40 degrees F to 76 and back, and...hey, there are new goodies for the STI in the inbox!<br /><br />We have been hounding our friends at Kartboy for some rear endlinks for the 2008+ STI. Kartboy makes our favorite endlinks for the older WRX, but until now they haven't made one for the new rear suspension design.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54G5hbt1wvH9ixe_sTSerk8Y6QBwfEYAO4-Ca-J-_Pa1QU0M4iRdOuoucX974qNwmlchVNLwDXs6C52qmRjlMXo0lXuGXIhr2gt3WlCp2Hb6JZocUNFIzyiUckikdRQRBeZW7WPdj8uFj/s1600-h/08+links+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54G5hbt1wvH9ixe_sTSerk8Y6QBwfEYAO4-Ca-J-_Pa1QU0M4iRdOuoucX974qNwmlchVNLwDXs6C52qmRjlMXo0lXuGXIhr2gt3WlCp2Hb6JZocUNFIzyiUckikdRQRBeZW7WPdj8uFj/s320/08+links+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395235700532538706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">For those of you new to this kind of thing, the endlink is a little connection piece that transmits force back and forth between the suspension and the sway bar. The factory ones are rather spindly and aren't really up to the punishment delivered by fatter aftermarket sway bars and/or autocross or road race use.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Kartboy ones, on the other hand, look super-stout! These are going on our car at the next opportunity. We've got more to sell, too, so you can get some too. <a href="http://www.fastwrx.com/kabialdr.html">Kartboy Endlinks</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We've also been involved in the development of a gauge pod that fits neatly on the windshield above the rear view mirror. It's ALMOST in production. Here is a little peek at what this will look like.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnVH828pubI7-p6NQl8FVMd9pEwQjQoVpUXxJKMgDT6NG-qj9ZOolAobv3uuXSOrHMFgSsTGTkeP3v4XeOf9k0VnPgIjdqrU5hjWwNzlyJptHgqJ88k6kTxAmp7n5kwsIiwWWor4vrLxB/s1600-h/08windshieldpod1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnVH828pubI7-p6NQl8FVMd9pEwQjQoVpUXxJKMgDT6NG-qj9ZOolAobv3uuXSOrHMFgSsTGTkeP3v4XeOf9k0VnPgIjdqrU5hjWwNzlyJptHgqJ88k6kTxAmp7n5kwsIiwWWor4vrLxB/s320/08windshieldpod1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395236457419442018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">I like this design because it keeps the gauges off the A-pillar. A-pillar mounting is just a little too look-at-me boy-racer for my tastes. This windshield mount is hidden behind the screen and tinting at the top of the windscreen, so it's nearly invisible from outside the car.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch an update about product pricing and availability soon.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-58890022381903321742009-10-16T23:16:00.004-04:002009-10-16T23:56:59.290-04:00More Dyno Time<span style="font-family:arial;">We did get the STI back on the dyno, and temps were much cooler than during the summer. But still the STI wouldn't make any more power than before. I tried some different approaches -- lower boost with more ignition timing, for example -- but didn't have any luck. I was comparing the dyno results with a recent STI I tuned that featured a 20G turbo. (The </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fastwrx.com/tomeiarmsturbo.html">Tomei ARMS M7760</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is similarly-sized to a </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fastwrx.com/detd20gtuup.html">Mitsubishi 20G</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.) The Tomei turbo spools significantly faster, but seems to have less top-end. Is the turbo holding our car back? Or is something else going on? We're going to find out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I also managed to take some video of the car on the dyno. There's not a whole lot to see, but you can get some idea of the noise and of the car straining against the straps. Off the left side of the screen are two high-velocity fans, which make a lot of noise on their own.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dypwsAnRaJZIUeHZf0twHy6aV1NPJPyT7_vUFTJwpdS-vapyO2DRt1Kz1ZFRuJHeItT5x_qgqSykcJGEjK0Aw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Finally, something more blog-related than car-related: The FTC has released </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf">guidelines about disclosure in online media</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. Specifically, it's trying to give a little more clarity to bloggers their relationship with advertisers or sponsors. I thought I'd use this opportunity to talk about the sponsors of this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Basically there's only one sponsor: Mach V Motorsports, my company. At least as of this point, all the parts featured here were purchased by the company. None were donated by other companies. We sometimes get some discounts on parts that are intended for the shop car -- I think the hood shipping was discounted, for example. But aside from that, every part was bought and paid for, and none of my suppliers knew I would be discussing the product on this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the future, assuming the popularity of Mach V STI Blog suddenly shoots up, companies may fight for the right to give us free goodies to review. (Oh please, oh please.) When that happens, I'll be as clear as I can about parts that were given rather than purchased by us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I do hope that this blog prompts people to go to our web site -- www.fastwrx.com, remember! -- and buy things. That's the whole idea of the blog.</span></div>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-31636652513357326142009-10-05T20:47:00.005-04:002009-10-19T20:17:34.449-04:00STI Carbon - Gentleman's Express<span style="font-family:arial;">I know, there's always some excuse for me not </span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6K7NPTlXDWoKrjVZyESs3st0TVTGQfVQlsMP9LA0ZT22XOTa7CXXTZTh6eIah9mH68Iw8fGHQjd2fxTv300gyTlzp9aIqhQVCYLFUC9TqRaP8i3mCY5lwRa2cDSRwIvoTXkZ_ttZM7LW/s1600-h/STI+carbon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6K7NPTlXDWoKrjVZyESs3st0TVTGQfVQlsMP9LA0ZT22XOTa7CXXTZTh6eIah9mH68Iw8fGHQjd2fxTv300gyTlzp9aIqhQVCYLFUC9TqRaP8i3mCY5lwRa2cDSRwIvoTXkZ_ttZM7LW/s320/STI+carbon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389288621967586226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">coming back here with 400 whp from my trusty STI. So here's the latest: I dislocated my right shoulder, and am just a week back from surgery to repair it. One of the many downsides of shoulder surgery is that I can't row a manual transmission for a while. So the STI (and my Mini Cooper S) have been sitting at the shop while I borrow a friend's Scion TC automatic. (Thanks, Larry!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Just so I'm not ending this post with my medical history, I thought I'd comment a little on the latest Japanese-market special edition STI, the STI Carbon. It's basically like your regular STI, but it's got a carbon fiber roof (like the BMW M3 and M6 cars) for reduced weight up high, where the weight reduction does the most good in lowering the car's center of gravity. Sounds fine, but there's more! There's...an automatic transmission??? Oh, and some suede seats and dash, but whatever. </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.autoblog.com/"> Autoblog</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, among others, said it "...</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/30/tokyo-preview-subaru-wrx-sti-carbon-doesnt-make-sense/">doesn't make sense</a><span style="font-family:arial;">."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here in the U.S. the transmission choice seems downright bizarre in a car of this type, but there's some precedent for this kind of thing in Japan. Of course, the current-model Mitsubishi Evolution X is available with a twin-clutch auto-manual gearbox, but back in 2002 Mitsubishi produced the Evolution VII GT-A, which had a regular slushbox automatic transmission, plus more sound deadening than the regular Evo. It was termed a "gentleman's express" car, something a little more civilized than the normal boy-racer Evo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Indeed, in Japan you'll see "salarymen" business-suit-wearing drivers on the highway in all sorts of high-performance cars, many of them modified. It's FAR more expensive and difficult to own and maintain multiple cars there, so most of these are their drivers' only cars. That means they have to do double-duty, sometimes as track cars and daily commuters. There are lots more wagons there -- if you're going to have to live with only one car, a wagon is quite useful -- and many of those are heavily modified. (As a former Legacy GT wagon owner, I go nuts over the huge quantity of modified Legacies I see in Japan.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So in that context, the dichotomy of the performance-enhancing carbon roof against the performance-sapping (but maybe utility- or comfort-adding) automatic transmission makes some sort of sense. The STI hatchback layout has high utility -- it's a decent alternative to a full-on wagon in terms of cargo space. But maybe the businessman would like something just a little more relaxing during that long Tokyo commute. We'll see. Remind me next year and I'll report back whether it was a sales success or not.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179868375141889222.post-45619521129725769992009-09-16T09:46:00.004-04:002009-09-16T10:15:42.815-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iCgXmyHYW8qEfmdFdhdlRfU4gU1Nz1gXFk8jFV9OI0WAenx9KEOxukG-bJlj9G7aH0pd09faQxBwJk69qYje5Uz9rSFXEP5lSxZofc6O1l7rjjUPZt8eYxHW00Sbj1IQglTOpUyn71Ea/s1600-h/Sun+shade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iCgXmyHYW8qEfmdFdhdlRfU4gU1Nz1gXFk8jFV9OI0WAenx9KEOxukG-bJlj9G7aH0pd09faQxBwJk69qYje5Uz9rSFXEP5lSxZofc6O1l7rjjUPZt8eYxHW00Sbj1IQglTOpUyn71Ea/s320/Sun+shade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382062609508392898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the problems I have with running a small business is that it's hard to set limits on how much time you spend on it. There's always more work to do! I say that because I've been finding it hard to make time to put my own project car on the dyno when I have a steady stream of customers asking for tuning. (It's a good problem to have.) So we've seen a lot of cars on the dyno lately, but my white car hasn't been one. On the plus side, the weather has been cooler, so when it finally does get back on there the ambient temps should be a little lower.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't make a post without a photo, so here's one of the car with a new Subaru World Rally Team sunshade I got from my online friend Subie Gal.</span>Mach V Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11160673260139890196noreply@blogger.com0