QwaktastiK's 2014 SWP STI Hatchback Build Thread

[QwaktastiK]

Happy New Year!
Brakes are scheduled for January 14th. Was hoping to get them on before the end of 2020, but I didn’t receive my calipers until the 28th of December. So I had to push my appointment back two weeks.




Clutch update:
We installed the ACT MOD-TWIN clutch. The pedal pressure is stock or slightly softer than stock. I didn’t know how I felt about it at first. I was having a very hard time modulating it since it’s so light. Was feeling a bit like a light switch on/off with no in between. I feel like it engages high maybe? But tough to tell since it’s so light. I wanted to try something. I moved my seat back by one click and viola. I can now modulate it soo much better. It IS in fact engaging super high. I’m going to have R/T adjust it when I drop the car off for the brake install. Now that I feel like I can modulate it better, I am enjoying it so much more. What an amazing clutch, one that can handle 700lb-ft of torque and is stock pedal pressure. I’ve got about 100mi left on the break-in period and then I can resume my Sport Sharp pulls on e85.

I tried a tank of 93 while I’ve been in the break-in period on the clutch and I’ve come to the conclusion that 93 is not for me. Lol. Losing 100whp running 93 is definitely like driving a different car. Going to keep doing e85 with hopes more gas stations will start carrying it.

2020 was a great year overall for my build. I had a ton of delays and setback but overall achieved everything I set out to achieve. Was hoping for the brakes to be done but they’ll be the first thing on the docket for 2021.

2021 Plans:
Grimmspeed fender shrouds
Type RA brake install
Adjust clutch pedal engagement
Swain Tech thermal ceramic coat downpipe
Cusco chassis bracing
Leather wrap dash & door cards
New Hella Supertone Horns w/ Dress Up Bolts replacement screws
Audi RS3 rear wiper

We’ll see how things fall financially. The list might grow a bit. Hoping to pick up a used SUV at some point if we can find a clean one of what we’re looking for.

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[werk]

the hatch is gonna party whenever everything is dialed in! your pittie is freaking adorable man!

[QwaktastiK]

Originally Posted by werk

the hatch is gonna party whenever everything is dialed in! your pittie is freaking adorable man!

Thank you man! That’s Nacho. He’s a pocket pittie we adopted in July. He’s a riot.

Excited to try the chassis bracing stuff to see if it improves NVH and I can dial out some damping in the coilovers possibly.

[yamahaSHO]

Gotta dry them coilovers out.

[QwaktastiK]

Originally Posted by yamahaSHO

Gotta dry them coilovers out.

Lol. Fixed

[Brianb351]

Originally Posted by QwaktastiK

Excited to try the chassis bracing stuff to see if it improves NVH and I can dial out some damping in the coilovers possibly.

I did exactly that.

I Added an underseat brace from KEIN, supplemental cowl bracing under the front fenders from Ultra Racing, and set the rear sway on a stiffer setting. (I had a front ladder bar (H Brace) and F & R strut bars already).

I then adjusted both front and rear coilovers to be more soft, more so in the rear than the front.

The car feels much much better now. It grips more (suspension has more ability to do it's job) and it puts the power down better out of corners. and it rides much, much better from a comfort & compliance perspective. I should have done this years ago.

I would expect you to see the same or similar benefits with the GR chassis.

[QwaktastiK]

Little update:

Still waiting on the Grimmspeed Fender Shrouds. I ordered them on December 22nd. ETA 3 days.
Still waiting on 18+ STI front dust shields. Ordered them on January 8th. Was told ETA 1 week.

Likely going to have to reschedule the brake install appointment again. I could drive and pick these parts up faster. Might try to get the Cusco chassis bracing stuff in so I can get the ball rolling on that stuff while I wait for these other parts.

[JDMJNKY]

So gangster! love the caliber updates as well.

[CoronaWRX]

Awesome build, those calipers look awesome!

[chongl]

w00t 6 pots...why not a more exotic color?

[QwaktastiK]

Originally Posted by JDMJNKY

So gangster! love the caliber updates as well.

Originally Posted by CoronaWRX

Awesome build, those calipers look awesome!

Thanks man! So stoked on them. I love that they have the STI logo. If I went with Brembo GT kit, it would definitely look a lot more aftermarket with the “Brembo” logo instead of the OEM+ route I ended up going with.

Originally Posted by chongl

w00t 6 pots...why not a more exotic color?

Silver is my favorite color for calipers. I really don’t like bright colored calipers tbh. To each their own. But I like the clean look of the powder coated silver finish. And my god it’s a beautiful silver. As much as I like the OEM black, you can’t hardly see the calipers in the shadow of the wheel or during rolling shots. I considered color matching them Satin White Pearl like @tex_wrx, but silver is really my first choice.

I’m not sure if you’ve seen the new Series White STI, but I love the color scheme it has going on. Ceramic White paint, matte bronze wheels, silver Type RA calipers, and red accents. Subaru is doing it right.

[QwaktastiK]

Whelp, car is filthy. And I lost my front splitter today. But here’s a shot of the new brakes:


Hoping to get it washed this weekend. Inspection is scheduled for March 1st, along with new fender liners. Got the clutch engagement point adjusted. MUCH better. Still a challenging clutch to feather since it’s so light, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

[werk]

silver calipers on the white body looks nice man!

[BRGT]

Looks amazing. You made the right caliper choice.

[96accord]

Originally Posted by QwaktastiK

Whelp, car is filthy. And I lost my front splitter today.

How did you lose the splitter?

[QwaktastiK]

Originally Posted by werk

silver calipers on the white body looks nice man!

Thanks man! Agreed! Definitely my favorite color combo for calipers. A paint matched SWP would’ve been nice too, but the silver just looks so classy.

Originally Posted by BRGT

Looks amazing. You made the right caliper choice.

Thank you! It was an easy choice since I got to preview them on the Series White STI’s.

Originally Posted by 96accord

How did you lose the splitter?

We are getting hit with a ton of snow in Philly this year. I drive the S3 most of the time it snows since it has a little bit more ground clearance. Well. The S3 was up at R/T tuning since end of day Monday getting an updated Unitronic tune to get rid of a CEL. It was finished midday Wednesday but I work 12noon to almost midnight most days. So we had to pick it up Thursday morning if I wanted to drive it to work instead of the STI. We hit the road early to get ahead of the worst of the snow, but it had already snowed so much. Made it just fine until I turned into the corporate park R/T is on and I heard the splitter catch an edge as we turned at the intersection. Pulled into the parking lot and it had folded under on itself. So R/T was kind enough to squeeze me in and remove it for me before we made the drive home.

I was actually considering getting rid of the splitter since I’ll be changing work locations soon and the parking lot of my new spot is really steep. Nature helped with that decision. I’ll be doing a new front end refresh this year in the Spring anyway. License plate delete, authentic Chargespeed carbon fiber bottomline kit. PPF. So I’m not sweating it too bad.

[QwaktastiK]