blurred's 2006 STI, gtx2867r/vband, street car

[blurred]

I figure it was time to get a build thread started now that I'm getting fairly deep into it and this year will bring a whole new feel to my car.


2006-2012 - bought, bored, reminded
I bought my 2006 STI back in January 2007, it was used with 35k already on the odo! (it was a summer 2005 build date) so I enjoyed the depreciation the previous owner took and had myself one of my dream cars. I didn't plan on doing any modifications other than a cat-back, or muffler change so that I could hear it (far too quiet stock) and I just enjoyed it for the first few months.

That didn’t last too long and that summer I added a few pieces.

MadDad V2 Catted, divorced WG downpipe (new - ex-TSC Vendor)
MadDad 3" Whisper catback exhaust (new - ex-TSC Vendor)
Tactrix cable/Open-source (used - TSC buy/sell)
Innovate LC-1 Wideband/VEI wideband gauge (new - Ultimate Racing)
VEI Dual Oil Pressure/Oil Temp gauge (new - VEI Systems)
STRI DSD SLM2 Boost gauge (new - TougeTuning)
Autometer Bezel gauge pod (used - TSC buy/sell)
Install (service - Dynamotorsports)

I had these installed and then proceeded to tune it myself using RomRaider and my Tactrix. I downloaded a Stg2 basemap and just built from that. I think I did a fairly decent job as the car is smooth, pulls nicely and has stayed together until now, with 210k on the ODO. I know I have power left on the table, but I really haven't cared too much about every last HP, just that what it has, is fun.
...so that lasted a month or so....



GrimmSpeed Ported stock exhaust manifold (used - TSC buy/sell)
GrimmSpeed Cross-Pipe (used - TSC buy/sell)
GrimmSpeed up-pipe (new - GrimmSpeed)
Installation (service - Dynamotorsports)


GiroDisc 2pc front Rotors (new - Innovative Tuning)
Hawk HPS f/r brake pads (new - Can't remember)
Installation (service - myself)

I installed and touched up the tune and now I was pretty sure my mods were complete.


I saw a nice deal on a set of 2pc rotors and decided to jump on it as the unsprung weight reduction, serviceability and low cost compared to OEM were all things that I knew I would seek out in the future. I mated them to some Hawk HPS pads and left the rear rotors as they were perfectly fine (the fronts were as well, but 2pc bling...) The HPS basically sucked for me and although they were "ok" they didn’t have the aggressiveness of the OEM pads. I like to brake quickly using short distance and the HPS didn't offer the initial bite that I like. I got used to them and as I wasn’t tracking just dealt with it.


JDM Spec-C Type RA (black) seats (used - friend of Polaren)

These seats... well, these are beautiful seats, full stop.
They were already modded for height adjustment on both sides but I only installed the driver’s seat due to the lack of side airbag and I didn’t want to make that decision for my passengers. The seats are worth every penny as the comfort level is very high as well as the support.


I never should have sold them (you are welcome SledgeHammer!!!) but I started a plan to sell the STI and pick up a project car.


Although the STI was a dream car I don't think I ever fully bonded with it in terms of making it a long term project. I tend to get bored every few years with cars and just grab the next and move on. Those who know me listened to me babble on and on about how I was going to sell the STI, pick up an s2000 for a turbo project etc... I went on like this for at least a year or two, not really giving the STI any love, just driving and maintaining.
What I didn’t do in all of that time was actually put it up for sale. I think in the back of my mind I couldn’t... so, fall 2012 I decided to do a quick suspension refresh as my shocks were at the end of their life. The car was getting floaty, and I had some less aggressive tires on that replaced my previous Direzzas.


Racecomp Engineering Tarmac2 coilovers with higher 600/500 spring rates (used - TSC buy/sell)
Cusco Rear camber plates (new - Innovative Tuning)
Hankook RS-3 235/45/17 (new - GoForTires)
Alignment (service - ABM Auto Centre)

As I was searching for a used set of shocks to use/rebuild for rear clunk I saw a for sale post by Mike from Innovative selling a barely used set of Tarmac2's from RCE. They had higher spring rates and were one of the only coilovers that I had ever decided to use and had on a wish list. On impulse I bought them and drive down to have them installed. Unfortunately we realized that I was going to need some camber plates in the rear as they didn’t come with the proper parts to use with a stock tophat (you order them based on the tophats being used and Mike had used camber plates so I needed the same). So a few days later the plates came in and I headed back down to get everything installed.
I just want to point out that Mike actually opened up on a closed day to fit me in for the second visit even though it wasn’t actually his fault. Big thanks to him and his staff that came in on his day off.


That was a hectic day, install in Buffalo at 10am, finished up around 3ish, blast back up the HWY to Markham to have my RS-3s installed, then blast back across the city to ABM Auto Centre to have my alignment done.


At 9am my car was a little tired, but by 6pm WOW, I was reminded why I bought it and still wanted it. My plans to sell were completely thrown out the window after the off/on ramp from EB 401 to Allen Rd North... the grip was awesome and even though the speed was quite... big.., the car was so planted, I got the itch back, and the project was on.


Hawk HP+ pads f/r (new - Apex Automotive)
DBA 4000 rear rotors (new - TougeTuning)
Timing belt (new - Apex Automotive)
Installation (service - Apex Automotive)

Just time for some much needed service, Timing belt was overdue and rear rotors were starting to show their age (they had 180k on them and still were thick but, I knew the HP+ would kill them quickly). Now it was time to put a more aggressive pad on, I went back to pads I used in the past but wasn’t very happy with them on the STI. They felt inconsistent and were just too loud for the mediocre performance that I felt they gave. Initial bite was great, but sometimes they seemed to lose some grip once warm/hot and slowing from high speeds while driving "briskly". The RS-3s were phenomenal tires, I really like how well they grip, although the sidewalls felt a little soft, but the grip on the street... no complaints, especially as they are so reasonable in price.





On to 2013!

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2013 - Collecting parts, Generating a build plan


Well 2013 was going to be broken into 3 parts:

Suspension completion
Turbo upgrade
Motor Build


This of course didn't go to plan as I got a little side-tracked and started buying things outside of my budget, so the 3 stages were tossed and I just started buying parts and leaving it at that.


GiroDisc Rotor Rings
StopTech Street Performance pads F/R

Well, I was getting tired of the scattered performance of the HP+ pads and my front rotors were starting to show signs of wear so I ordered a new set of Rings along with some StopTech pads to hopefully remove the noise and add some performance.

I went back to Apex for the install and we ran right into a problem, the rings didn't seem to fit. Strange, as the part numbers were correct etc... A quick email to AlphaMotorsports had me on the phone minutes later with Derek who had already contacted GiroDisc to confirm that we should have to correct parts. I took some photos while Jason started to re-assemble my rotors to re-install. Before he had finished the rotor I had already spoken with someone at GiroDisc who had determined that my Hats were an older style (not fully floating) and that I would need new hats to use their current rings (proper floating setup). This was around 2pm... I had a no charge set of new hats on my doorstep the next morning at 10am!!! So back to Apex where Jason squeezed me in for an install.

The StopTech pads are rated for a much higher temp than the HP+ and a much larger range. They actually feel similar to the OEM pads, had decent initial bite and gradually get better with temp. I havent had them go "soft" on me yet and feel is very consistent so I am happy with these as a street pad.


New Rotors


OOOPS!


That's Better!




Enkei NT03+M - 17x9.5 et+44 Silver (new - JRP)
Dunlop DirezzaII - 255/40/17 (new - 1010Tires)
Whiteline Roll centre adjustment kit (ball-joints, tie rod ends) - (new - JRP)
Whiteline Adjustable lateral links (new - JRP)
Vorshlag front camber plates (new - Vorshlag)
Perrin end links F/R (new - RallySportDirect)
Fender Rolling (service - Dynamotorsports)
Installation (service - Dynamotorsports)
Alignment (service - ABM Auto Centre)


I decided to buy some new wheels and wanted to go a bit wider while staying at 17". the wheel should be relatively light, very strong, and with a decent offset allowing good width. Although they are certainly not everyones choice, I happen to like the look (don't get me wrong, the lower offset 18" version looks great) of the Enkei NT03+M in the 17x9.5 +44 size. Although the face isnt the popular concave look, I get the benefit of good caliper clearance and being able to be 9.5"w and not poking a huge amount out of the fender. 17" max performance and r-comp tires are much cheaper than 18's as well.

I read everywhere that I would need to mod the rear fenders to clear the wheels/tires but I wanted to avoid cutting the rear metalwork if possible. I don't mind replacing a front quarter if it rusts, but I don't want the possibility of a rear quarter rusting from the inside out. Using the slotted struts, rear camber plates, and adjustable lateral links allow me to "walk" the wheels/tires inboard to keep the tire away from the fender. My guesswork did pay off, and this summer I actually have some lee-way to bring the rear wheels back out a little without touching. I have narrowed the rear track width, but, it is still slightly wider than stock. The handling is wonderful like this, and I am super happy with how it turned out.

The car is not "dumped" and can/will probably go a little lower this year, but nothing too low.

The Vorshlag Camber plates added a degree of caster and I now have 6 Deg on the front

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Test Fit - definately going to rub, needs all the parts installed and aligned for sure.









235/45/17 on a 17x8 OEM BBS vs 255/40/17 on a 17x9.5 (the 255/40/17 Direzza2 actually measures about 262mm... cheater tire)


Time for Alignment - Perfect!






And, as she sits today






So, other than driving that did it for 2013. ...well for installs that is! These are all in a pile waiting for 2014 and the next step.


TGV Deletes (used - TSC buy/sell)
AMR 3" hard inlet (used - TSC buy/sell)
Injector Dynamics ID725 top feed fuel injectors (new - RallySportDirect)
Injector Dynamics Top Feed Conversion Fuel Rails (new - RallySportDirect)
Injector Dynamics Top Feed Conversion Fuel lines (new - RallysportDirect)
Cobb Accessport V2 (used - TSC buy/sell)
KillerB Holy Header (new - RallySportDirect)
GrimmSpeed TMIC (new - RallySportDirect)
GReddy Multi-DA Gauge - Boost/Oil Temp/Oil Pressure (new - RallySportDirect)
Cobb SF Short Ram intake/AirBox (new - RallySportDirect)
AEM Wideband/failsafe gauge (new - JRP)
AEM Digital Water temp gauge (new - JRP)
GReddy front Lip (new - JRP)
TiAL MVS external wastegate (new - JRP/RallySport... cant Remember!!)
JPM Coachworks Alcantara Steering wheel re-wrap (service - JPM)

I think thats it...



Future parts to complete the turbo change?


Garrett GTX2867R with TiAL V-Band housing
TBE, not sure what size or combination of sizes, probably 3.5" terminating with a Varex muffler.
Water/Meth injection as a safety buffer
Koyo Rad
Ducted oil cooler
Fuel surge tank, likely Radium engineering
Motor build, specs are still up in the air, but in the 9.5:1 CR range, headwork and cams.
Air/Water intercooler is a possibility down the road, it was going to be sooner, but I will leave it off for now.

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I'm going to do a little unplanned headlight upgrade. Last year I changed my OEM HID bulbs out as they were definately pushing less light that a fresh set after quite a few usage hours.

I upgraded to the newest Phillips 85122XV X-treme Vision bulbs. They are 4800k, so a little higher up the spectrum from OEM 4300K but the selling point is that they produce the same lumens (normally the higher the K the less lumens).

What I found (and a few other friends that are also using these now) is that Phillips has engineered these to focus more light near the cutoff which, when aimed properly, throws more intense light further down the road and off to the sides. a Huge improvement and money well spent. read more about them here if you are interested New Philips Xenon X-tremeVision

The second part of this will be a clear lens swap from the OEM fresnel lens. Nothing too fancy, just a set of TSX-R clear lenses from TRS. My housings are pretty beat so they will be getting a full polish and cleaning/sealing as well to refresh them as close to new as possible.

pics to follow as the work gets done.



pics from fresh bulb install

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Couple of teaser shots, more to come!

TSX-r Clear lens, smoked corner reflector, 55w ballasts, Phillips 85122xv bulbs



Garrett GTX2867R with TiAl v-band turbine housing... Yes the little guy on the right (along with a whole slew of GTX family members )

[xirallicgdb]

Nice car and a lot of nice parts!! In for numbers on the gtx28!

[Excision]

those rotors are tits!

[mitchkeller87]

The car looks awesome. I like those tires a lot, I have been wanting a pair for my car for a little while now.

[milab21]

Love it...was just readin it on iwsti

[blurred]

Originally Posted by xirallicgdb

Nice car and a lot of nice parts!! In for numbers on the gtx28!

Thanks! the initial goal is going to be around 400whp, 7000rpm, and keeping torque low, around 300lb-ft. Once the motor is build, cr raised and some headwork/valvetrain we will rev it higher and make whatever we can from this turbo.

Originally Posted by Excision

those rotors are tits!

They are great, less unsprung weight, killer looks, quality is awesome, customer service outstanding... and now they are full floaters, so yes, definately one of my favorite items on the car.

Originally Posted by mitchkeller87

The car looks awesome. I like those tires a lot, I have been wanting a pair for my car for a little while now.

Thanks! I didn't want these tires originally when I got the enkeis, I was going to stick with the RS3s (out of stock at the time). The Dunlops were a little more expensive but I do like them. the RS3 always felt soft on the sidewalls, while these feel a bit stiffer. Either tire is great on the street.

Originally Posted by milab21

Love it...was just readin it on iwsti

Thanks, hopefully I will have more updates soon, the shop is quite busy at the moment finishing off some winter projects so sometime this spring it should all come together.

[ToneWrx02]

Im abit confused how you jump from 35k to 210k miles in a summer ..

[blurred]

Originally Posted by ToneWrx02

Im abit confused how you jump from 35k to 210k miles in a summer ..

It has been 8 years, the first post is a recap since 2006. (And in KM )

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Well all my headlight stuff is done and I finally had a chance to go out and take some proper photos. unfortunately I don't have a tripod so these were all handheld and at a fairly slow shutter so they could be a bit sharper but are ok.
All photos were taken at the same aperture, shutter speed and focal length. post processed for some noise reduction, sharpness, and to make white balance the same through all photos. No exposure compensation
f2.8, 16mm, 1/3 shutter, iso100

so,
OEM 2006 Subaru STI projectors
TRS TSX-R clear lenses
Philips 85122XV Xtreme Vision bulbs (low beams)
Philips HIR (high beams)
Light corner marker tint film
Morimoto 5Five 50w ballasts (low beams)
GoldenEye mod

All work provided by Dynamotorsports





Low Beams



Lows beams with High beams



Reference photo with no lighting



couple more random shots





Light output on the road is great, very even and definitely an overall improvement. I would recommend these bulbs and a clear lens upgrade for the Subaru HID projectors for sure.

[hummelsubaru]

Originally Posted by blurred

And, as she sits today

im falling in love with your brake and front wheel set, mate. the disc fills up so well. keep up good work.

[jvsoundwave]

Sick build!

[zxdfsjfyj]

That didn't last too long and that summer I added a few pieces.

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OK, I'll throw a little update in as things are plugging along quickly. I brought the car into Dynamotorsports last week and they proceeded to strip it down for the rebuild. I'll go into more detail once it is back on the road and I do a full write up but to recap what has been done/installed so far... Water/meth, new wideband, water temp, and boost/oil pressure/oil temp gauges , jpm steering wheel, fuel pump, injectors/rails/lines, headers, tgv deletes, now getting the turbo, tmic, intake, uppipe, wastegate set up for fabrication of the downpipe and wastegate location/dump and recirc.

So it is pretty much the home stretch now.

[habskater11]

looks sick, nto3's look awesome and with some meaty tires. your doing it right

[Bobby Jones]

Nice. Keep us updated.

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A few more pictures of the progress, the car is finished now, should be tuned this weekend.


In progress, getting the turbo, inlet, lines etc in their final position to start bolting everything back on. A real emphasis was placed on clean routing to keep clutter at a minimum and to ensure servicing would be as easy as possible down the road.



GrimmSpeed TMIC, with 125cc water/meth nozzle and IAT temp sensor added to the underside, both AEM.



KillerB HolyHeader mounted, such a nice piece! You can just see the new custom dowpipe and the EWG recirculation pipe in the background. DP is 3.5", minimal bends (you can actually see through it the bends are so small) thanks to the stock(ish) location of the turbo.




Garrett GTX2867r with TiAl V-band housing, and TiAl MVS 38mm wastegate. The KillerB uppipe was modified for both the V-band housing and the EWG. The wastegate dump was recirculated at a very low angle merge at the bottom of the downpipe. A number of gussets and brackets were installed as well.



Semi-Completed engine bay, just a few little touch-ups and parts to go back on. I am pleased that it is still stock appearing and doesn't have lines and hoses all over the place. I also like that I was able to keep the FHI strut tower bar with the big tmic just by spacing it up a bit, also having enough room for an aos on the firewall.



Sorry for the phone quality pics, better ones to follow. Number and driving impressions next week

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About a month ago I had the car tuned (I posted in the power section but forgot to update this thread... http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hlight=gtx2867 )



I ended up with 365whp at 7000rpm and 300wtq, flat from 3800-6200rpm. The goal/hope was to keep 300wtq to 7000 but this wasn't possible with the setup unfortunately, we dropped about 20wtq from 6200-7000. This is perfectly acceptable as it is almost impossible to notice while driving.





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YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

This being a dynapack it doesn't show "spool" like an inertia dyno (unless you run a ridiculous ramp time) so this actually is similar to a 1st gear roll from idle. On the street when actually moving I have full torque by 3000-3200rpm. This is all kind of meaningless though, because it is so responsive that at partial throttle I am still making boost and it is basically impossible to be under 3000rpm. In actual driving, the second I hit the throttle I have full boost and because torque is flat almost to redline, there is no let up in power until I shift.

Some comparisons to my previous stg2 setup? I have more power off boost (less restriction with a freer flowing turbo). I have a more linear increase of power from vacuum to full boost, meaning I am making more actual power increases starting from 1-5psi where on the vf39 it felt more like you were either in vacuum or full throttle, full boost and not much in between. Between gears boost recovery is much better, there is less of the rubber band feeling. I can shift "slowly" and instantly be back at full boost in a WOT situation, where with the vf39 it always felt like it had to take a breather between gears if you didn't shift like a dsg.



Other than that, powerband is HUGE, I can't say enough good things about it. Having that rush to redline in every gear is something special. I absolutely hated having torque falling so much on the stock turbo, that feeling in 4th gear that you were making 100hp at 6000rpm... so glad that's gone now!



Next steps? Well first of all, it will be to change the exhaust out. Currently I am running a 3.5" downpipe and the wastegate is plumbed back in (at a very low angle merge) just before it necks down to my 3" MadDad dp/Whisper catback section. The main reason that torque is falling slightly is that we are starting to choke the turbine a bit. There are a few ways to solve this; cams, cam gears, higher compression ratio, reducing exhaust energy, larger turbine, larger turbine housing, reducing exhaust restriction... Well the obvious (read:cost effective) route is opening up the exhaust, so I will have a 3.5" built and use a Varex muffler so that I will have the ability to keep the noise down when trying to avoid unwanted attention.



Some additional notes: Oil and coolant temps are rock solid and "low", they don't spike at all. Some of this is due to using a fresh AC condenser and using a TMIC, my new Koyo rad is getting as much fresh air as possible, I haven't seen coolant temps over 193f and no oil temps over 95c. After numerous dyno pulls and plenty of "fun" driving they don't spike at all. IATs are basically ambient, I have only watched them on one drive to be honest, but 12c outside temp I was seeing IATs from 11-15c (measured post intercooler) before, during, and after a couple of 2 gear pulls on the hwy, so at this power level, no need for concern of the TMIC, however next summer I will be taking more notice.



Here are a couple of driving videos, one of just a quick 1st through 4th:

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

This video I wanted to try to show how responsive this is from a worst case scenario. This video I am rolling along in 1st gear, foot completely off throttle, at idle speed. I go WOT and go first through 4th and 60mph comes up right around 5sec. I would actually like to compare this to any other setups so if you have a similar video, or could make one I would like to see it (showing speed/boost/rpm)



http://youtu.be/u9nC3hGwL-c

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Now that the sun is back out, the salt is off the roads and the pavement is getting warmer it was time for a tire upgrade.

Now that I'm putting less km per year I decided it was time for some r-compounds. Initially I ordered some Toyo RA1s, but they only shipped 3 and didn't have anymore in stock... So next up were some Nitto NT01s (same compound as the toyos) however they were out of stock as well, with no ETA... So third times a charm and I went with the Toyo R888s in the same 255/40/17 size.

They are pretty similar in width to the 255/40/17 Direzza2 so I didnt need to do any clearance work (very close to running inboard on the rear though... Maybe a 1-3mm spacer will be added)

Got them installed and another perfect alignment at ABM Auto Centre.

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Been a while but I have a short update. I started hearing some clutch noise, light tapping on engagement back at the end of summer and within the same day it got louder, was more difficult to downshift and noticed some odd slip on engagement but almost total engagement under load.
So last week I was able to get a hoist at Dynamotorsports for them to put in a new unit.

Found a broken spring carrier, and a second that was about to snap, a scored flywheel, but still some meat left ... Not bad for 230,000km








I replaced it with an Exedy Stage 1 with HD pressure plate and an Exedy light weight flywheel. Also added an ACT monoloc for added peace of mind.



Now on to break in. I have a few more planned upgrades in the next couple of months, just ran out of time to complete on this go 'round.

[xirallicgdb]

That turbo seems like a great dd choice. I've had my mind made up on a gtx 30/71 for a long time but by the time I actually buy a turbo, there will likely be something new and uber awesome haha. How do the R888's compare to the z2's?

[ToneWrx02]

Originally Posted by xirallicgdb

That turbo seems like a great dd choice. I've had my mind made up on a gtx 30/71 for a long time but by the time I actually buy a turbo, there will likely be something new and uber awesome haha. How do the R888's compare to the z2's?

Im looking at the ATP GTX3067r since the killerb 3067r is absolutely amazing.