Next Upgrades June 10, 2006
At the April IRCC event I did a ride-along in the “Japtrix” WRX. Jose just put in a 2.5L shortblock, VF-22, and supporting mods that put down nearly 300whp with a conservative tune on a Mustang (heartbreaker) dyno. That 42-second ride convinced me that staying in STX makes me a dumbass. I wanted to make this car into something wicked from the moment that I decided to buy it, and giving up all the enjoyment that would bring for the sake of bringing home the occasional trophy was just plain stupid.
For weeks I mulled over exactly what configuration I’d like and pricing it out. I got the labor estimate from Jose a couple of weeks ago and started ordering parts as if money were going out of style. I think the tally is somewhere around $4,800 in engine-bay parts.
- 2.5L Shortblock
- Helix 264 Camshafts and Titanium Valvetrain package
- TD06H-20G turbo, ported
- eBay TMIC
- Injectors, fuel pump, hoses, etc
- Cobb Street Tuner software
I’m expecting this combination to make around 350whp on 93-octane and there’s the potential for more with an agressive tune. Factoring in what I’ve recently spent on suspension bits, a couple of pricey dress-up items, and the BMW I’ve got no money left for the install, but that should only delay me by a month or two. Less if I can get the BMW sold quickly.
I never thought that I’d be one “those people” that puts > 50% of their new car’s price into upgrades, but… This car is going to be a monster and as I’m coming up on 30 years old this may be my last good opportunity to own such a beast.
Of course, once the BMW sells I will totally be looking to put most of the proceeds into a more fuel-efficient commuter car. I put roughly 80 miles on the car each work day and rarely see more than 21MPG. A TDI Golf or Jetta, circa 1999-2000, with an EPA rating of 42/49MPG is sounding mighty nice. They put down as much torque as the ‘01 1.8T models so they’re certainly not without sufficient highway passing power either.
Whoa
Last weekend I put in a rear strut tower bar and was shocked by how much it improved the car’s handling, especially transitioning out of corners. It also pretty much eliminated the squeaks coming from that part of the car. Best $150 or so that I’ve ever spent.
This morning Jorge came over to install my Megan Racing coilovers with the springs swapped to 6K/8K. We had a few issues that caused us to miss getting an alignment done at a performance shop, but the local Tire Kingdom is open late and did alright. The car is completely transformed, after a quick cruise through my favorite highway exchange (Florida Turnpike South to I-595 East to US-441 North) I would say that the car’s handling limits now greatly exceed my willingness to test them on public roads. Thankfully I’ve got an autocross to run in the morning.
Pushing down on the front of the car I can’t even get it to move now. The ride is a bit on the harsh side but I’ve still got 10 clicks of dampening adjustment left to the softest setting. I’ll probably set it to full-soft before I go to work on Monday and bring it to the firm side one click at a time until I can no longer stand it. Assuming that full-soft isn’t also too harsh. Which it could well be. That would suck a little, but… for the effect on the car’s handling it is a compromise that I can learn to live with.
I’ve also got the M3 in autocross-ready condition, probably next weekend I will attend the Homestead event just to give it a whirl. I had been eager to get in on the track because with its gobs of low-RPM torque and amazing suspension setup I figured it would dramatically outperform the Saabaru, but now I’m thinking that the wagon would give the Bavarian a serious ass-whooping.
