bad weather, and car mods kept me away...
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2026 6:20 pm
The weather in VA has been insane. Since late May, we've been at 85 to 100+F and have had rain at least every other day. At one point, my yard was nearly 30" high; the ground was sopping wet or goopy mud. There was no way to mow. It soaked in a few weeks ago when we only received sprinkles for a 4-day stretch. My 90" finish mower deck and 60hp tractor overheated trying to mow it all. As you can see from this photo, the yard needs it again.
So what have we been doing? Well, the grandkids, the twins, have been a fun pastime. Either here at our place or down at their home. We were able to spell the parents long enough to attend a wedding. My grandson is enthralled with the car. It was our first chance to take the twins out for a drive in it. As my son-in-law said, they are "Motion-deactivated children." We put them in the car and drove; the two were out like a light after a few squeals of joy.
This is probably how you remember the car. Gold rims, and appearance. Living down 1.5 miles of dirt road has its disadvantages. The poor thing always seems to have dust or grime on it.
Well, I had to put the stock rims on for a few reasons. First and foremost, we'd put 50k on the Pilot Sport 4s and wore the inside edge of all four. I rotate my tires at every oil change, as this is a heavily modded and boosted car; that happens every 3,000 miles. It's a known issue with these; Subaru sets them up for neutral handling, and this is the result of the rear control arms' camber settings. It's going to get resolved at the end of September with some new adjustable lower control arms and front and rear sway bars.
The second reason I had to swap out to the 19' stock rims and unused factory OEM tires is, well, I did not want my retune on the dyno on old, scrubby all-seasons. These are the factory vegetable peelers.
Why did I need to retune the car? Well, I'm in year two of my three-year plan for the car. One of the little issues with my previous tune was where the torque came in. To limit damage to the stock transmission, we had 85% of the torque available at 3800 rpm. So when in a corner, it was not uncommon to be at peak torque when serious boost hit. So, that was a little annoying, but I understood why it was that way. My desire was to move the torque earlier into the power band, along with bringing in a bit more of it in the lower and upper rpm bands.
Doing that with the stock clutch and transmission was a ticking time bomb. Enter the STI transmission and drivetrain swap with DCCD and I-wire. What's the difference? Well stock WRX trans is solid up to 400-425 btq, STI is rated for 700 btq. Stock trans has open diffs in the center, front, and rear. STI trans is clutch type LSD in the center, front, and rear. DCCD stands for driver-controlled center differential. The I-wire setup attaches to the DCCD and allows me to control the Center diff and front and rear lsd lock up.
Much stronger STI r180 rear diff and axles.
There is a gap between the R180 and the STI transmission when you use a stock WRX two-piece driveshaft. You can get a spacer, but the stock driveshaft is only rated to about 500bhp. Enter the carbon fiber one-piece driveshaft. The stock VB clutch is good for about 4750btq, and the stock STI clutch is about 540 btq. I went with an ACT twin-disk clutch rated at 700 btq. The clutch has a bit of chatter to it, but it has nearly the same pedal feel as the stock WRX clutch. Engagement with STI transmission is completely different, but that is another topic.
Twin-disk clutch chatter while in neutral, also known as 3 cylinder diesel swap. Why put up with the chatter? Well, a single-disk 700 btq clutch would be a beast in daily traffic.
https://youtube.com/shorts/wGNwXQcVP24? ... 4e1GQ-uhzr
I also upgraded the trans mounts from rubber to stronger billet aluminum and urethane. I need to do the same for the rear diff. Sadly, I don't have an actual picture of the trans or the mount. I do have a picture of the DCCD I-wire app that is open while I drive. DCCD percentage is how much the center diff sends to the rear, anywhere from 50/50 to 41/59 front-to-rear. Below are the Auto and Manual tabs. I can set it to do 50% less than normal or up to 150% more than normal in auto. In manual mode, I can set the lock-up from 5% to 100% at all times.
One of the issues I was warned about is the limitations of 93 octane gas, and that there was an upgraded low-pressure fuel pump and regulator that would give an additional 10psi of fuel to the high-pressure fuel pump and keep it from cavitating so early. I also knew there was a limitation with my stock turbo inlet and my big turbo. So, I had the LPFP, regulator, and Stock turbo inlet replaced. My goals were to be around 400 whp and 400wtq on pump gas. I am now out of fuel for my build; if I want more, I have to replace the injectors and HFFP.
My wife and I are eating at a local restaurant. Both cars are loaded down with stock WRX trans, rear diff, seals, axles, and drivelines.
I wasn't able to get the final dyno runs. I was sorting out some of my tools for a Subi owner who needed help. Here is a quick snippet of one of the pulls. Temps were 115 in the bay, at about 90% humidity.
https://youtu.be/3OCppuoJl1E
https://youtu.be/rwDigyNU1WI
So, what were the end results? 422 AWHP/50 0BHP and 402 AWTQ/480 BTQ. With a bit lower temps, roughly 439 AWHP and 408 AWTQ
I did a detail on Castor, and here he is, all cleaned up
Being clean lasted all of 4 hours..... stinking rain
So, about the STI trans: if I had the same car brand-new today, I would do the STI trans swap tomorrow. This swap, by far, is the single biggest driving improvement to the car. It sticks in the corners as well as my wife's Focus RS. Even stock, this engine and turbo would be better suited to this trans than the stock WRX trans. I would also do the I-wire controller; while I don't mess with it much, it is a huge benefit when traveling back country roads. If I'm barnstorming Auto minus one tick seems to be the least intrusive and best grip setting I've found. Auto plus one tick seems to be great in slippery sections of road with dirt, leaves, or loose debris. Then there is manual full lock-up for dirt and gravel... yeah, you get the idea.
The shift box, the STI trans, along with the Porsche GT3 RS manual, IIRC, are the last two hand-built racing manuals you can buy. It is short and crisp. My stock WRX shift box utilized the whole shifter opening, with nearly 5.5"x6" of shifting for 1st through 6th gear. The STI shift box, is 3 by barely 4". 1st to second is 3" up and down, same with 2nd to 3rd, and 5th to 6th. It's a tight space, and I think learning this from the get-go instead of having 50k of mileage on the old stock WRX box would have been advantageous.
The shifter: I had the 'STI short shifter kit' for the VB on my stock WRX trans. Yes, it shortens the throw considerably while cutting down on slop, but it does so via cables, not linkages. There was always a passive give to shifting the WRX compared to my wife's Focus RS ( cable shifter but less passive give) or my old Audi and E-30 track car. I opted for a Kartboy shifter, stops, bushings, and wrist pins. It has made, along with the general transmission, the shifts smooth and crisp, with very little passivity or squidgyness. I've held off on replacing my shift nob, as I want to get the swaybars and adjustable lower control arms installed, but I feel as if a 150 extra grams of weight would be the perfect balance.
So what have we been doing? Well, the grandkids, the twins, have been a fun pastime. Either here at our place or down at their home. We were able to spell the parents long enough to attend a wedding. My grandson is enthralled with the car. It was our first chance to take the twins out for a drive in it. As my son-in-law said, they are "Motion-deactivated children." We put them in the car and drove; the two were out like a light after a few squeals of joy.
This is probably how you remember the car. Gold rims, and appearance. Living down 1.5 miles of dirt road has its disadvantages. The poor thing always seems to have dust or grime on it.
Well, I had to put the stock rims on for a few reasons. First and foremost, we'd put 50k on the Pilot Sport 4s and wore the inside edge of all four. I rotate my tires at every oil change, as this is a heavily modded and boosted car; that happens every 3,000 miles. It's a known issue with these; Subaru sets them up for neutral handling, and this is the result of the rear control arms' camber settings. It's going to get resolved at the end of September with some new adjustable lower control arms and front and rear sway bars.
The second reason I had to swap out to the 19' stock rims and unused factory OEM tires is, well, I did not want my retune on the dyno on old, scrubby all-seasons. These are the factory vegetable peelers.
Why did I need to retune the car? Well, I'm in year two of my three-year plan for the car. One of the little issues with my previous tune was where the torque came in. To limit damage to the stock transmission, we had 85% of the torque available at 3800 rpm. So when in a corner, it was not uncommon to be at peak torque when serious boost hit. So, that was a little annoying, but I understood why it was that way. My desire was to move the torque earlier into the power band, along with bringing in a bit more of it in the lower and upper rpm bands.
Doing that with the stock clutch and transmission was a ticking time bomb. Enter the STI transmission and drivetrain swap with DCCD and I-wire. What's the difference? Well stock WRX trans is solid up to 400-425 btq, STI is rated for 700 btq. Stock trans has open diffs in the center, front, and rear. STI trans is clutch type LSD in the center, front, and rear. DCCD stands for driver-controlled center differential. The I-wire setup attaches to the DCCD and allows me to control the Center diff and front and rear lsd lock up.
Much stronger STI r180 rear diff and axles.
There is a gap between the R180 and the STI transmission when you use a stock WRX two-piece driveshaft. You can get a spacer, but the stock driveshaft is only rated to about 500bhp. Enter the carbon fiber one-piece driveshaft. The stock VB clutch is good for about 4750btq, and the stock STI clutch is about 540 btq. I went with an ACT twin-disk clutch rated at 700 btq. The clutch has a bit of chatter to it, but it has nearly the same pedal feel as the stock WRX clutch. Engagement with STI transmission is completely different, but that is another topic.
Twin-disk clutch chatter while in neutral, also known as 3 cylinder diesel swap. Why put up with the chatter? Well, a single-disk 700 btq clutch would be a beast in daily traffic.
https://youtube.com/shorts/wGNwXQcVP24? ... 4e1GQ-uhzr
I also upgraded the trans mounts from rubber to stronger billet aluminum and urethane. I need to do the same for the rear diff. Sadly, I don't have an actual picture of the trans or the mount. I do have a picture of the DCCD I-wire app that is open while I drive. DCCD percentage is how much the center diff sends to the rear, anywhere from 50/50 to 41/59 front-to-rear. Below are the Auto and Manual tabs. I can set it to do 50% less than normal or up to 150% more than normal in auto. In manual mode, I can set the lock-up from 5% to 100% at all times.
One of the issues I was warned about is the limitations of 93 octane gas, and that there was an upgraded low-pressure fuel pump and regulator that would give an additional 10psi of fuel to the high-pressure fuel pump and keep it from cavitating so early. I also knew there was a limitation with my stock turbo inlet and my big turbo. So, I had the LPFP, regulator, and Stock turbo inlet replaced. My goals were to be around 400 whp and 400wtq on pump gas. I am now out of fuel for my build; if I want more, I have to replace the injectors and HFFP.
My wife and I are eating at a local restaurant. Both cars are loaded down with stock WRX trans, rear diff, seals, axles, and drivelines.
I wasn't able to get the final dyno runs. I was sorting out some of my tools for a Subi owner who needed help. Here is a quick snippet of one of the pulls. Temps were 115 in the bay, at about 90% humidity.
https://youtu.be/3OCppuoJl1E
https://youtu.be/rwDigyNU1WI
So, what were the end results? 422 AWHP/50 0BHP and 402 AWTQ/480 BTQ. With a bit lower temps, roughly 439 AWHP and 408 AWTQ
I did a detail on Castor, and here he is, all cleaned up
Being clean lasted all of 4 hours..... stinking rain
So, about the STI trans: if I had the same car brand-new today, I would do the STI trans swap tomorrow. This swap, by far, is the single biggest driving improvement to the car. It sticks in the corners as well as my wife's Focus RS. Even stock, this engine and turbo would be better suited to this trans than the stock WRX trans. I would also do the I-wire controller; while I don't mess with it much, it is a huge benefit when traveling back country roads. If I'm barnstorming Auto minus one tick seems to be the least intrusive and best grip setting I've found. Auto plus one tick seems to be great in slippery sections of road with dirt, leaves, or loose debris. Then there is manual full lock-up for dirt and gravel... yeah, you get the idea.
The shift box, the STI trans, along with the Porsche GT3 RS manual, IIRC, are the last two hand-built racing manuals you can buy. It is short and crisp. My stock WRX shift box utilized the whole shifter opening, with nearly 5.5"x6" of shifting for 1st through 6th gear. The STI shift box, is 3 by barely 4". 1st to second is 3" up and down, same with 2nd to 3rd, and 5th to 6th. It's a tight space, and I think learning this from the get-go instead of having 50k of mileage on the old stock WRX box would have been advantageous.
The shifter: I had the 'STI short shifter kit' for the VB on my stock WRX trans. Yes, it shortens the throw considerably while cutting down on slop, but it does so via cables, not linkages. There was always a passive give to shifting the WRX compared to my wife's Focus RS ( cable shifter but less passive give) or my old Audi and E-30 track car. I opted for a Kartboy shifter, stops, bushings, and wrist pins. It has made, along with the general transmission, the shifts smooth and crisp, with very little passivity or squidgyness. I've held off on replacing my shift nob, as I want to get the swaybars and adjustable lower control arms installed, but I feel as if a 150 extra grams of weight would be the perfect balance.
