Clip of my SPT Cat-back exhaust

One of the perks of upgrading your exhaust system is getting that mean deep growl that says 'Hey buddy, you better watch it!'. While my SPT Cat-back system is by no means the loudest Subie specific exhaust out there it does the job nicely. Below is a short clip of what she sounds like with the SPT Cat-back and SPT intake installed.

Do you miss the rumble from good old American Muscle?

Then look no further and check out my buddies blog for one hell of a story about Pontiac's latest offering and of course the icing on the cake, a ton of sweeeet mods!

My Wish List/Todo Items

I needed a spot to document all the items I want to pickup for my car from small accessories to bolt on performance parts all the way to the hardcore tuner stuff. Some of these items I can only dream about right now but why not come up with a list? I'll try to place them in categories w/ links to online retailers. As I get each piece I will remove it from the list then probably add two more items to the list as this is usually how it goes.

Expect this list to be updated almost daily!

Interior:
- 3 gauge dash pod
- AutoMeter "Z series" boost gauge (max 30 PSI)
- Autometer "Z Series" Oil Temp Gauge
- Prodrive Carpet Mat Set :
(I am not sure yet on the exact mats I'll be getting but they will be black)
- S203/S204 Hazard Switch
- Custom: Will be painting my side pillars metallic black
(Same color as my aux-in panel on my center console)
- Custom: Will be painting my side vent trim pieces metallic blue
(same color as my center console)

Exterior:
- STi Door Sill Set

Under The Hood Accessories:
- COBB Light Weight Aluminum Radiator Shroud (blue)
- COBB Anodized Aluminum Battery Tie Down
- STi Radiator Cap
- Carbon Fiber Hood Dampers

Performance:
- Cobb AccessPort
- Cobb SS 3" Downpipe
- High Energy Turbine Inlet (Up) Pipe

Cooling:
- JDM "Auto" Intercooler Spray Switch
- Cusco Nozzle Kit for I/C Sprayer
- Cusco Intercooler Spray Controller
- Perrin Radiator Hose Kit
- Greddy Oil Cooler Kit

Suspension/Handling:
- Cobb Sport Springs
- Cusco Front Strut Bar Type OS
- Eibach Anti-Roll Kit

Wheels/Tires:
- Falkon Ziex ZE-912
- MSW Type 16 18"

The Yearly Good Guys Car Show...

This is not really specific to my car but I managed to end up at the good guys vintage car show this year. It was fun to see all the '71 and older cars but after I got around a quarter of the way around I realized that most of the cars were identical to the ones next to them, sure some stood out but most were siblings of the surrounding cars. It cost 17 bucks a person to get in and I must say that I thought this charge was ridiculous! Come on, charge 7 or 10 bucks a person. As I drove around looking for parking the old timers where watching my car (or listening for that matter) so it was nice to not be knocked because I am not running American muscle, instead I am running a confident four banger which holds its own with a good chunk of these cars! Ahhh, technology.

I leave you with a few pictures of the cars/trucks that I liked. The green/white ford pickup brings up memories of what could of been (only a couple people on the planet know what I am talking about).... Enjoy.

Audio System 101

One of the first things I did after getting the car was rip out the crappy OEM head unit and door speakers to all be replaced by custom gear. My system is composed of a 4 gauge amp install kit, a JL Audio 2-channel amp, JBL Grand Touring 2-channel amp, two 10" JBL subs in a sealed box, Focal 165CA speakers, Dynamte on the trunk lid and front doors, a Zune, and to control it all a Pioneer head unit.

Notice the 4 gauge wire being fed into a distribution unit where each amp gets power from its own 8 gauge wire. Sweet!

Overall the audio system is solid but I will be upgrading the JL Audio amp with a higher output 4 channel amp, this will drive my current Focal components along with some additional rear door speakers.

My subs installed in the trunk. Yup, that is literally a bungie coord that I strapped around the box to keep it in place. If I used any of the cars power that speaker box would end up all directions in the trunk. Notice the two amps mounted in the back behind the speaker cabinet.

My dynamte'd rear trunk. Notice all the holes I created when I removed the rear wing.

Most people are probably wondering that the hell they are looking at here but this is how easy Subaru made it to run wires through your firewall, directly behind the pedals is a pre-drilled hole to run all your cables, this is where that 4-guage puppy lives. Also shown is the connection to the battery, I’ve got it nicely wrapped w/ the fuse close to the battery (in case you were like me when I was younger and thought fuses were worthless, lol)

Finally, I end this will a nasty (and I mean nasty) picture of the head unit. I want to replace this will a double DIN unit which will replace the pocket nicely. Also shown is my custom blue and black metallic custom interior.

Rally Armor Flap Install

So I get an email from U.S._Postal_Service_@usps.com informing me that my flaps have been delivered. The day just got better. After getting home I rip open the box and check out the goods. Four flaps, a stuffed bag of hardware and finally one page of instructions but who needs those?

The before picture:

The basic tools i'll need and the flaps w/ hardware:

Get under the side skirt and plastic liner so the adapters can be installed:

Front: Requires three adapters and one plug

Rear: Requires three adapters (Note, some of these are different then the front adapters)

You should end up with 6 plastic things. The two larger ones are from the side skirt, these need to be put back on the car. The smaller four are no longer needed. I kept mine in case I pull the flaps off.

First one is on....

Half Done...

The finished product:

We'll see how they work out over the next week or so...

Tint Thursday

Mark your pocket books, outlook calenders or write it on your hand for this momentous occasion! A friend (G8 GT baby!) and I will both be getting our cars tinted this coming Thursday (31st). Expect to see before and after pictures the day of.

Here is a pic of another Subie with a similar tint. Hopefully our tints will come out just as nice.



I can't wait!

The wheels have been found!

As I was browsing through the September '08 issue of Turbo magazine I ran across an Ad for TireRack.com, no surprise, everybody knows about TireTrack, then around the middle of the page I came across a 'New Style for 2008' and there it was. The black wheel with the red stripe I've been looking for! These wheels will fit perfect with my Rally Armor flaps (which also include a red logo) and my aspen white body w/ red STi logos. I must admit that when I get these wheels I will be popping off the center logo piece as I want straight black. I will be going with the 18" wheel with a +45mm offset.


For those interested the tirerack link is:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=W19147502B&wheelMake=MSW&wheelModel=Type+16&wheelFinish=Black+w%2FRed+Stripe&showRear=no&autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=Impreza+WRX+STI&autoYear=2007&autoModClar=&filterSize=All&filterFinish=All&filterSpecial=false&filterBrand=MSW&filterNew=All&sort=Brand

Now it's time to find tires to wrap these puppies in.

The beginning...

You probably think I am out of my mind for creating a blog about a car, sure it sounds a little crazy, perhaps I am a little (or a lot for that matter) insane, but all of us have something we are passionate about in our lifes and one of my passions is my car. This blog will be here to document the journey me and my car will take, as I make modifications, do maintance, learn and grow, who knows where this will end up....

I start this first entry with a brief description, current and furture planned modifications, and of course a few pictures.

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I've always been interested in cars however I always put it in the back of my mind until 08/2007 when enough was enough and I brought home my baby, a new '07 Aspen White Subaru Impreza WRX STi w/ 22 miles on it. Ever since I've had the car I’ve been researching the technology behind the STi and performance cars in general. A few months after purchase I had the dealer install a SPT cat-back and intake (now I regret paying the dealer for the install, what a joke to have them do the work, right?). I am at the point now where I am working on the car in my garage (well if you can call it a garage, those who have seen it know what I am talking about). I've got mod fever now and I am constantly thinking about things I can do to the car.

Current Modifications (Performance, Interior, Custom, just everything I’ve done to it):
- SPT Cat-back Exhaust
- SPT Cold-Air Intake
- SPT Short-Throw Shifter (Subaru Performance Group 2A Package)
- SPT Turbo-gauge (Subaru Performance Group 2A Package)
- SPT Titanium Shift knob package (Subaru Performance Group 2A Package)
- Rear wing removed (Stuck white vinyl tape on the holes, ugly!)
- Painted the center console metallic blue. The lip for the cigarette lighter/aux input is metallic black. I left the brushed aluminum STi trim around the shift boot alone.
- Removed the OEM radio/door speakers (what crap), Installed Focal components in the front doors, two amps are mounted on the back seat. Two 10" JBL subs reside in the trunk.
- Stuck SPT vinyl logos on the rear windows for the hell of it.

Soon to be mods:
- RallyArmor flaps all around (currently in the mail, can't wait until they get here)
- Cobb Springs
- HKS DP (Downpipe)
(Not sure if going cat-less is what I really need or want but I want to get a true turbo-back setup so I can get the most out of an AccessPort tune)
- Black 18" wheels w/ red stripe
(Not sure on the exact brand of wheel yet, if you have suggestions please let me know).
- Cobb AccessPort
- Spark Plugs? From what I've read you can get a small increase in power but I am not convinced yet and think this might be BS.
- Rear door speakers need to go, will replace with a set of Focals
- Replacing current amp that drivers the door speakers with a larger 4-channel since the amp that drives the subs overpowers.
- Some aftermarket uppipe. Have not decided on a brand yet.
- Several small things, like SPT battery tie down, high pressure radiator cap, etc.

Tires:
- Stock Potenza's (of course...)
- For winter I wrapped the car around Fuzion ZRIs and I must say they SUCK!

Pictures: