STi gone...

And I actually thought this one was going to be a keeper!!

It's been less than a year since I purchased her, but due to unforeseeable circumstances I've had to sell up. 

I believe I've achieved my goal of modifying it to a level where its got enough power without compromising comfort and drive-ability for a street car. 

The 06/07 STi is definitely one of the better looking Subaru shapes to come out of Japan.

And with the addition of the front lip and aftermarket wheels it sure is a head turner.

  And with all the creature comforts one could need..

I've been extremely lucky as it SOLD to the first person to inspect it only after having been listed for a few days. I do hope the new owner is as meticulous as I once was with maintenance.
   
A BIG thanks to my friend Michael for taking some great shots that definitely helped with the sale. 

No I idea what my next car purchase will be, but it definitely won't be anywhere near as thrilling as the STi. 

Andrew

TCP Auto TBE Exhaust

A quick video for those who wanted to hear how loud the TCP Auto exhaust is from a cold start...

Excellent exhaust system, definitely recommend it to anyone.

Andrew

More Samco goodness!

The standard Subaru rubber hoses aren't so great. 

As you can see after multiple removals of the TMIC, the clamps have eaten into the rubber. Lucky Samco have an alternative.

No more potential boost leaks after installing the new piece. Looks heaps better too...

Preventive maintenance

As the weather starts to heat up, the urge to ensure all fluids are fresh becomes stronger.

I started noticing a coolant smell after short drives. Turns out my lower radiator hose developed a slight leak.

So a replacement set from Samco was purchased. The silicone hoses Samco produce are top notch and at the price the standard rubber hoses sell for, it makes financial sense to purchase the aftermarket alternative.

Wouldn't surprise me if these hoses out last the actual radiator... 

Before the car was filled with fresh Castrol Radicool coolant, the overflow bottle was removed and thoroughly cleaned from the mildew that was had started to form on the insides. 

Second item that required replacing was the turbo to intercooler silicone elbow. 
The standard STi item had developed a slight rip from previous IC removals/installs. 

Samco part E9051 was sourced and cut to fit the tight squeeze.

Next item on the list to be replaced is the intercooler to throttle body hose as the standard rubber item developed a rip...

Mods Mods Mods!!

It's been awhile since my last post and how soooo much as changed!!

Change is good, especially when its in the form of a power increase.

First things first, the stock exhaust was to go. This was replaced with a TCP Auto turbo back exhaust system. I decided to go with the TCP system due to the lower db reading it produced, which apparently comes in just under the legal limit. I wasn't after a noisy full blown race system, just a decent flowing system that would help improve the power output and give that unquie subaru exhaust rumble. 

Gotta love the shiny new bits...

First the intercooler comes out...

The dump pipe bolts would have to be the hardest bolts to remove in the entire install

Second item to be installed was an AEM Cold Air intake system.

The oversized filter sits in the guard for that stealthy look...

I forgot to take an actual pic of my intake in the guard....however the above is pretty much it!

And finally a Walbro 225 fuel pump was installed and the car started first time perfectly without a hitch. 

The car was driven (off boost) to Springy Motors for a Dyno Tune. This is the first vehicle I've owned that I've taken in for a tune, so I was quite nervous. But thankfully Danny did an excellent job and with a conservative tune managed 200KW's ATW. 

My main goals is to maintain reliability, gain a little power while keeping the car as stealth as possible. And so far it seems to be working.

A BIG thank-you to Cambs for helping me install the parts! It's great to be learning so much from an experienced DIY'er! 

Lightweight Enkei RPF1's

The strong Aussie dollar lead me trolling through Tirerack.com for new wheels for the Subaru!

Whatever my decision was it had to be lightweight and black!

The Enkei RPF1's had value for money written all over them!! I decided to stick with the OEM 17x8's as I had no intention of rolling the guards or having scrubbing issues...

The pictures don't do the wheels or the car any justice! Still working on getting some nicer pro shots taken soon...

And so it begins....

So over the past few months as I quickly got acquainted with the new STi, the modding bug slowly kicked in :-/

I was quick to order an STi front lip from Ultrex Performance, which helped transform the front end of the car. 

Then the Greddy Infometer was next to be installed, which I might add has saved me a few times with it's alarm notification....

And replaced my old scratched gear knob, for a newer more lighter STi duracon style knob!

I also had a box of Duragloss products arrive from the States. Its the first time I've used any Duragloss product. They seem to have a good warp on a few detailing forums, so I thought why not. 

I noticed a couple of marks on my roof lining and on my floor mats, so Duragloss 451 Fabric & Carpet Cleaner was put to the test.

I applied the foam aerosol cleaner and let it set for 20 secs then scrubbed the surface with a dry towel.

The roof lining came up great and the mats have never looked better. It also leaves the surface smelling fresh. So I'd definitely recommend this product.

New addition GDB MY06 WRX STi....

Introducing my new toy....MY06 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, personally my favorite shape STi!

I had honestly never intended on purchasing one of these cars, especially considering that I had been trawling the Japanese Auction houses for a decent Mitsubishi EVO 5/6 to import for over two months!! 


These days the number of rusted or smash repaired cars going through the auction houses is astonishing! It pays to have a trusted Import Broker such as Iron Chef Imports helping you out through the some what daunting import process. 

Although the GC8 STi is 11 years old, it really hasn't lost its aggressive sporty looks against it's newer sibling!! Gotta love the classics clean lines.


However mechanically you can definitely feel the difference between the GC8's 2L and the newer 2.5L unit in the GDB. After driving both cars back to back, the lower end lag in GC8 is very noticeable in comparison to the more torquey GDB. 


The newer STi has gained a few KG's over the years, yet it still feels nimble and agile.

I know the picture quality isn't great, however I just had to snap a few comparison shots of the two cars with my phone. 


After a few weeks of driving it, I've managed to rack up over a 1000KM's and still can't stop smiling from all the fun i'm having.

Currently the car is overly stock, however sporting only pink STi lowering springs which provide an improved stance and handling. It did come with a few goodies on the inside; Leather Trim, Sunroof, Pioneer DVD-SAT Nav unit, sub-woofer, two amps and a reversing camera! 


Being my usually self, I couldn't help resist but to start modify the car to liking. So I installed a Greddy Informeter Touch which has live ECU stats via the ODBII port. 

An STi front lip is on the way and then the real fun will begin once a Turbo Back Exhaust System, Cold Air Intake and a flash tune are on the car.

Minor brake service

So it was about time to roll the STi out of the garage and actually inspect what was left of the rear brakes. They were making a horrid grinding sound after the last track day.

Pulling the caliper off revealed bits of metal from the old pads!

The difference in size between the new and old pads was ridiculous! We should've definitely changed them before the last track day. Our friend Elias popped by and helped with popping the new pads in, pushing the piston back into place and bleeding the brake system. 


And now she's ready for the next track day!


Andrew

Dec & Jan Winton!!

Well once again it wouldn't be a track day without the usual drama that comes with it all.

And as always going to Winton is very exciting for me! Doesn't matter if I've had 3hrs of sleep the night before, just as long as we get there on time, without any hiccups I'm satisfied. 

So as it was, I had the pleasure of warming up the tyres and brakes for the other guys. That was until the inevitable happened *Engine Check Light* flickering on the dash!! That's right, another airflow meter had failed...right before the first session was over.

This was fast becoming a painful half yearly occurrence! With the exception of the AFM, the STi had been extremely reliable, especially with all the punishment the three of us had put it through.

So with that unfortunate event, our day was ended prematurely and we headed home.

Luckily for us Winton was hosting another track day in Jan which gave us enough time to sort out this troublesome sensor.

So with the car back up and running again, we headed back in Jan and had a flawless day. We had such a blast that the rear brakes were burnt to a crisp. Surprisingly the fronts were still holding up ok....

Leaving the pits with our friend Leon in his Renault Clio Sport 172.

Andrew