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+-- Forum: Technical (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Member's Projects (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=12)
+--- Thread: Project RS (/showthread.php?tid=6314)
- ScottyB - 06-02-2008
HAULN-SS Wrote:the general rule that the biggest one in the hole is going to hit first, since they are natives, and move on.
you know thats normally how we do it, especially with brookies since they're so aggressive. but these guys were really tricky. lots of looks, then turning back at the last second, and we weren't spooking them either. the first big one Jen got took a good dozen looks at her fly before it hit. finicky things...
mmmm, grilled trout. so good, so good.
- ScottyB - 06-28-2008
picked up a used Drawtite hitch on friday, bought it from a really cool guy with a 6 speed, VF39'd '02 bugeye. we chatted it up for a while, good times. hope to put it on next weekend.
what would compel me to buy a hitch? well, the Xterra already has a hitch, and we like to bike so now we can get a proper, hitch mounted bike carrier and stop f'ing up my paint with the crappy trunk mounted one i've had for years.
but really....i want that little harbor freight trailer...to carry stuff *evil laugh*
- ScottyB - 07-11-2008
after a week of listening to my exhaust bang the trailer hitch i finally got my Kartboy XL exhaust hangers for the rear section to lower it a bit. for any of you subaru guys -- the hangers are really nice quality but i hope you bench press refrigerators in your free time otherwise they will be a pain in the ass to get on (high durometer urethane). for the record, i don't bench press fridges so i had a nice workout trying to get them on.
![[Image: KB-011L.jpg]](http://www.oakos.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/KB-011L.jpg)
but now my exhaust is quiet again and as a bonus it doesn't move around as much. cabin vibration remains the same.
also picked up a very lightly used set of rallyarmor mudflaps. these are pretty wide coverage so they stick out a bit, but i think they look mean (blame it on my inner McRae). i have been concerned with the paint so i hope they protect it a bit and offer me the chance to sling it through some gravel without feeling guilty
![[Image: basic_impreza_pr.jpg]](http://www.rallyarmor.com/store/images/basic_impreza_pr.jpg)
- flintster55 - 07-11-2008
Nice nice. That's two things I've actually been thinking about getting soon. I'm concerned if I lower my exhaust anymore though it will bottom out quite a bit. How much do you think they actually lower it? And definitely post some pics of the mudflaps on your car. I've always been on the fence of whether I like the like the look of these or not so maybe you can finally persuade me
- D_Eclipse9916 - 07-11-2008
I think mud flaps are definitely bad ass on wrxs. If you bought a rally car might as well use it, and if your beating up on it, might as well protect it a bit.
Are the stock wrx exhausts really tight to the undercarriage and they hit the car? Or is it just a loosening up of te hangars over time.
- ScottyB - 07-19-2008
flintster55 Wrote:How much do you think they actually lower it? And definitely post some pics of the mudflaps on your car.
i'll post pics of both. they lower it about an inch.
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:I think mud flaps are definitely bad ass on wrxs. If you bought a rally car might as well use it, and if your beating up on it, might as well protect it a bit.
Are the stock wrx exhausts really tight to the undercarriage and they hit the car? Or is it just a loosening up of te hangars over time.
thanks i agree. i feel the same about Evos.
the stock exhausts actually have alot of room to move around. the stock mufflers are huge IMO so any aftermarket exhaust boosts your room. the only problem is that the hitches don't offer much clearance except for the Curt brand which i don't have.
- DavidL - 07-19-2008
flintster55 Wrote:Nice nice. That's two things I've actually been thinking about getting soon. I'm concerned if I lower my exhaust anymore though it will bottom out quite a bit. How much do you think they actually lower it?
What does lowering your exhaust do for you? I finally picked up an SPT and installed it last week, and it sounds amazing, and looks way better than the stock twin-tip, but lowered?
- ScottyB - 07-19-2008
bludevil12 Wrote:What does lowering your exhaust do for you? I finally picked up an SPT and installed it last week, and it sounds amazing, and looks way better than the stock twin-tip, but lowered?
i bought a hitch so i could utilize a hitch mount bike rack and possible tow an autocross trailer. the hitch sits below the bumper and if you don't lower some exhausts, the top of the muffler tip will bang on the hitch crossmember.
if you lower the exhaust slightly with longer hangers, you can avoid this issue. i don't like the look of the exhaust lowered but it beats listening to the whole car resonate as the exhaust directly contacts the metal.
- ScottyB - 07-28-2008
installed the rallyarmor flaps and adjusted the exhaust yesterday.
if you can change your oil you can install these mud flaps. rallyarmor even provides a play-by-play video installation on their website so its silly easy. that said, expect to bust some cheap plastic clips. also be amazed at how much mud/leaves are collected up behind your splash guard. now that they are on the car, i love the look. it makes the whole car look lower/wider and more purposeful. i love how functional they are as well. unless you are a baller/rally whore i would suggest just getting the "basic" flaps as i have, as opposed to the color logo and urethane flaps. these are ample for the job.
for anyone looking to put a hitch on their impreza, it looks like the best combo is 3 extended length hangers -- 2 for the muffler, one for the rearmost midpipe hanger. if you have a smaller-tipped muffler or a small physically sized muffler you will have tons of room.
turned 45k miles on saturday as well....looks like i will have put almost exactly 20k miles on this car since i bought it last september. its been a pretty good ride so far. despite its faults it grows on me more every day.
pics later today for anyone interested.
- DavidL - 07-28-2008
Looking forward to pics!
- flintster55 - 07-29-2008
+Juan
- ScottyB - 08-01-2008
sorry, not the best pictures because it's bright as hell outside right now.
from the front, not super noticable but you do see them stick out a bit.
![[Image: DSC_5144.JPG]](http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/DSC_5144.JPG)
my favorite angle. here you can also note how low the exhaust is now due to the new hangers. it is lower on the left side due to using the provided hitch mount which also requires a long hanger to clear the muffler on that side. but the important part -- no more banging and rattles!
![[Image: DSC_5143.JPG]](http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/DSC_5143.JPG)
here you can get a better feeling for the coverage. the rears offer about another 2 inches of coverage inboard compared to the fronts.
![[Image: DSC_5142.JPG]](http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/DSC_5142.JPG)
one thing to note is that being the type of plastic they are, you will see them start to retain a "memory" from the constant wind and heat. mine bend rearword a bit at the bottom and on the outer edge. that said, i hear all the gravel and crap bouncing off of them just going down the road so i like knowing that's not coming up and pelting my doors and sills. for $25 bucks slightly used i'm happy.
- flintster55 - 08-01-2008
mmmm sexy... that might be just enough to convince to get some of those bad boys. Now that I'm rocking 8 inches of wheel and a 235 tire I really feel guilty about stuff destroying the side of my car so I think these would be a very good investment.
- ScottyB - 08-02-2008
flintster55 Wrote:mmmm sexy... that might be just enough to convince to get some of those bad boys. Now that I'm rocking 8 inches of wheel and a 235 tire I really feel guilty about stuff destroying the side of my car so I think these would be a very good investment.
one cool thing is that if you ever tire of them or want to move on to something else, people are looking to snatch these up ALL the time. you'll have no trouble selling them at a minimal loss.
- ScottyB - 08-03-2008
nighttime under-the-lights autocross at atlanta motor speedway coming up next saturday. should be alot of fun, i'll try to get some pics.
- flintster55 - 08-03-2008
Oh man I'm jealous. Under the lights has to be cool. Good luck buddy :thumbup:
- ScottyB - 08-10-2008
no results up yet but yesterday was fun but a bit dissapointing. i was the first heat, running at 5 pm so we went out on 140 degree pavement instead of the nice cool pavement that the 3rd and 4th run groups went out on when the sun went down. watching the cars run under huge spotlights was really neat. i loved being out there working and feeling a nice breeze on a 80 degree night. the event was a sellout too, we had 187 entrants. when i left at 10pm they still had 1 run group to go.
the heat really seemed to hurt the falkens. granted i was beating on the tires pretty good but they were literally greasing over after the first 3 or 4 turns. i managed to experience oversteer, understeer, and 4 wheel drifting in every run :lol: i may experiment with pressures more but i wasn't rolling them over on the sidewalls terribly.
the class was ruled by pre-90 civic hatches which were all prepped very well -- gutted, coilovers, autocross-spec street tires. i really would have liked to have gotten a ride in one, they looked awesome.
as for handling observations, right now i am running the stock front bar (WRX size) and an early WRX rear bar (20mm) and they are not enough. for daily driving the STi struts are fine but for autocross i intend to move up to a 22-24mm in the rear and a Tribeca bar in the front which is 27mm. camber could be better but for daily duties but for now i don't think i'd want more than -1.5 anyway. later down the line i may go for more. i had a chance to drive a '06 2.5i wagon (basically my car but in wagon form) with a big front bar, steering rack bushings, 225 hankook RS-2's and upgraded brake lines and the turn in was awesome. the brake lines didn't feel much different to me. so for anyone on the fence about bars, i would recommend them first.
coolest car: lotus seven replica, black with OZ chrono evolution wheels. so hot.
most surprising car: forester XT, fast as balls
most brutal car: Z06
there were no 911s or any big american muscle....kinda weird.
- flintster55 - 08-10-2008
Nice sounds like lots of fun man. I can't wait to get out and try some autox myself now that I'm not on stock rubber. Sway bars are next on the agenda for me too. I was thinking about doing the exact same setup with the 22-24 in the back and most likely a 27 up front. I've never had mine aligned since I've owned the car either so I doubt that would hurt either. If you come across any deals on the bars tho when youre doing some shopping definitely let me know
- ScottyB - 08-10-2008
flintster55 Wrote:If you come across any deals on the bars tho when youre doing some shopping definitely let me know
definitely. if you do bars i would do an alignment at the same time and have them max out your camber. what kill our cars is that as the suspension compresses we go from negative camber to almost positive, instead of gaining more negative. the bars keep the car from losing that camber through lean and the alignment will maximize what little camber you do have.
those new tires will help you out hugely!
- flintster55 - 08-10-2008
How much camber is just right? -1.0? -1.5ish? It's still my DD by all means so I just dont want too much wear on my tires just from an aggressive alignment. But yea, going from 205/55 no names to 235/40 Yokohamas has been night and day. It doesnt even feel like the same car. I can't wait 8)