Die cut sticker, 1 × 1 in
Small enough for a helmet, a laptop or a toolbox drawer.
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A time trial team of one, a 2011 STI hatch named Battle Beans, and an honest log of everything that went right and wrong along the way.
- Power
- 370 whpIAG short block, Blouch 1.5 XTR
- Brakes
- AP 9660372 mm front rotors
- Classes
- M2 / TT3 / XASCCA TT, NASA TT, SCCA Solo
- ECR best
- 2:06.4Eagles Canyon, 2.7 mi
Battle Beans…the Subaru
| Car | 2011 Subaru WRX STI hatchback (GR) |
|---|---|
| Engine | IAG short block, forged pistons and rods; Killer B header and up-pipe; Blouch 1.5 Dominator XTR |
| Fuel and tune | COBB fuel system, 100 octane |
| Suspension | Group N bushings, Whiteline 24/22 mm bars, coilovers, corner balanced |
| Brakes | Essex AP Racing CP9660, 372 mm |
| Wheels and tires | 18x11, 295-section 200TW |
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Group N Bushings
Started with STI Group N bushings through the entire chassis and powertrain. Probably the best bang-for-the-buck mod: it removed the vagueness from the rear end and dramatically improved throttle control. Start here for suspension.
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Attention to Detail
Replaced every lock nut that had been used more than once: cheap reliability insurance. Ball joints got replaced too as a while-I'm-in-there job. They had 80k miles on them anyway.
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Suspension Basics
First real suspension mod: Whiteline solid sway bars, 24 mm front and 22 mm rear. Full-stiff rear induces some snap oversteer at the limit, so the rear bar lives on the middle setting.
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Racecomp Engineering
GTWORK/Bilstein Trophy Cup coilovers: adjustable ride height without the complexity of adjustable damping. They cut lap times, but the real win was how easy it became to drive repeatable, consistent laps.
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A Proper Alignment
Super Pro adjustable rear lower control arms to control camber after a 0.5 in drop. Front top hats went from Whiteline back to new stock, since the drop alone reached the target of -2° front camber.
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Corner Balance
Coilover ride-height adjustment made a real corner balance possible. Redone after every weight change, most recently the Tomei titanium exhaust and lightweight battery.
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A New Short Block
A compression test turned up a weak cylinder, so instead of rolling the dice with power mods on a questionable motor, it got an IAG short block.
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While You're In There…
Killer B oil pickup and baffle kit, ACT clutch, Gates timing belt, new oil and water pumps, full-radius valve job, Killer B ELH and up-pipe, COBB intake and fuel system, and a Blouch 1.5 Dominator XTR with 3 in inlet and 10 cm housing.
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Because Why Wouldn't You…
A non-stock turbo bumped the car out of the classes originally planned. Didn't care. This turbo is awesome. TGV deletes were needed to fit the 3 in inlet and should free up a little more power.
Read the speed overlay -
Brakes
The OEM Brembos can handle track duty with the right fluid and pads. The AP Racing CP8350/325 kit added thermal capacity and saved 14 lb of unsprung weight.
Read the full write-up -
Kumho Ecsta V730
Tried Kumho's 200TW tire for autocross and a track day. It leans toward the endurance-200 crowd rather than the super 200s: less grip than an RE-71, but it wears like iron and is remarkably consistent.
Read the full write-up -
Motion Ratios and Stiffness
A couple of weeks of free time measuring motion ratios and anti-roll bar stiffness front and rear, to estimate lateral load transfer distribution and make suspension changes less of a guess.
Read the full write-up -
Cooling Down the EJ
Over 100 whp more meant heat. Oil in the pan went past 260 °F and coolant peaked above 220 °F, so something had to be done.
Read the full write-up -
Titan 7 T-R10 Wheels
Wider tires at last: 18x9.5 Titan 7 T-R10s in COBB gold, wrapped in 265/40/18 Kumho V730s, then straight to the track to see how much time they found.
Read the full write-up -
Essex AP Racing 9660 × 372 mm
More power, wider tires and cold New England temperatures called for more brake. The buy-once, cry-once solution.
Read the full write-up -
High Lead in Oil Samples
After a day with pan temps near 270 °F, an oil sample came back high in lead. Bearing wear? The readings fluctuated, then settled, so the job became eliminating variables one by one.
Read the full write-up -
Splitter and Wing
A flat plywood splitter and a 9 Lives Racing Big Wáng, built to be legal in SCCA Max 2, NASA TT3 and Solo XA at the same time. Target: a 2:04 at Eagles Canyon.
GR STI Data
A consolidated list of data I've had to track down while working on my car. Hope it saves you some time.
Merch
Stickers for your car, your toolbox, or your rival's car. Order through Instagram and I'll sort out payment and shipping.
Die cut sticker, 4 × 5 in
Window or quarter-panel size.
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No background, just the lettering. Looks painted on.
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One person's attempt to take themselves less seriously. It started as a joke and… well, it's still a joke.
I'm collecting what I've learned while slowly turning my old daily driver into a dedicated track car. Hopefully it saves you time on your own STI, or at least you can learn from my mistakes.
Like an oil cooler. Just get an oil cooler if you're tracking your car.