I'm new to the forum and would love tips/advice on my build

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Welcome! What specifically do you have and what are your goals for the car? Several people here will chime in with some experience and thoughts on how to get you there!
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Welcome! You've come to the right place. We're a respectful community with a ton of good information and helpful people to point you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. As for your build plans, time your time. Rushing into a build is a recipe for disappointment and an empty wallet. The first thing we need to know is what your desires are for the car and what plans you have for motorsports (if any). Builds can vary wildly depending on intended usage. So we need to evaluate that first and then we can come to a decision on the best path forward for you.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Welcome to IGOTASTI!!! You're going to absolutely love it here!! What car do you have? Post some pictures of the ride!!

Give us a list of modifications already done and what your goal is for the car.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Hey everyone! It's nice to be a part of this

Welcome!

We'll need lots more details about what your goals are, what's already done, budget, model year, etc...!
 
Thank you Grinder! I have a 2013 STI. So far I have done a lot of upgrades. I have a Stage 3+ IAG, Cobb 20G, Cobb fuel system, Cobb Flex fuel kit, upgraded clutch and fly wheel, DSS front axles, Cobb FMIC, IAG AOS, Cobb SF Intake, slotted/drilled front rotors, Invidia 3inch catless DP, Up pipe with external WG, Tomei Titanium Extreme Ti single exhaust, Koyorad radiator, Moshimoto 154 degree thermostat, perrin engine mounts, perrin inlet, turbo timer, wideband O2 gauge, boost gauge, and the cobb accessport. Right now I have 438whp/430wtq on a mustang dyno with e72. I have about 30k into the upgrades now. I am looking to spend another 50k to finish the entire build.

I am looking to do the following this summer/fall: This will get me to mid 500s in whp on E85

FP Black,
1700cc injectors
450 pump
DSS rear axles
DSS carbon fiber drive shaft

Next spring/summer/winter I am getting the following done: Early stages of this step will be around 800whp. With the new block it will be 1000-1100 whp.

Borg warner 9280 twin scroll 1.05 A/R
V-mount intercooler kit
Twin scroll rotated kit
K Sport front and rear brake kits
K Sport air suspension
Varis Wide body kit
Radium engineering 8 injector dual stage fuel rails
Multi pump fuel system
stage 5 heads and cams
Built block by Revworks
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Thank you Grinder! I have a 2013 STI. So far I have done a lot of upgrades. I have a Stage 3+ IAG, Cobb 20G, Cobb fuel system, Cobb Flex fuel kit, upgraded clutch and fly wheel, DSS front axles, Cobb FMIC, IAG AOS, Cobb SF Intake, slotted/drilled front rotors, Invidia 3inch catless DP, Up pipe with external WG, Tomei Titanium Extreme Ti single exhaust, Koyorad radiator, Moshimoto 154 degree thermostat, perrin engine mounts, perrin inlet, turbo timer, wideband O2 gauge, boost gauge, and the cobb accessport. Right now I have 438whp/430wtq on a mustang dyno with e72. I have about 30k into the upgrades now. I am looking to spend another 50k to finish the entire build.

I am looking to do the following this summer/fall: This will get me to mid 500s in whp on E85

FP Black,
1700cc injectors
450 pump
DSS rear axles
DSS carbon fiber drive shaft

Next spring/summer/winter I am getting the following done: Early stages of this step will be around 800whp. With the new block it will be 1000-1100 whp.

Borg warner 9280 twin scroll 1.05 A/R
V-mount intercooler kit
Twin scroll rotated kit
K Sport front and rear brake kits
K Sport air suspension
Varis Wide body kit
Radium engineering 8 injector dual stage fuel rails
Multi pump fuel system
stage 5 heads and cams
Built block by Revworks

Wow, that's awesome! What year is it? I'm not as knowledgeable about some of the engine stuff, but I noticed you didn't say much about the suspension or brakes!

DSS Axles and drive shaft is a great weight savings, have you looked into other weight savings options? Some new lightweight wheels would go well with your wide body kit! And a full coilover setup (or bagged, if that's your thing) would be a good compliment too. But you may want to look into some more options such as the bushings (especially if it's an older car), braces, etc... They can really help stiffen up the slop that comes with the car, and if your car is old it'll REALLY help as the old stuff wears out. Someone recently posted a few old-vs-new pics of bushings that'll convince you in a heartbeat!
 
Thank you! I've been busy for sure..lol It's a 2013. I actually will be doing the Tomioka racing rear axles. They are rated at 1000whp. I just ordered some 19 x 8.5 wheels that weigh 15lbs each. Which bushings are you talking about? I am looking to upgrade all my control arms to cusco. I'll check out the bushings when you give me the name. :) I want to do air suspension, the k sport executive air suspension. I'll be doing the K sport big brake kit too for front and rear.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Thank you! I've been busy for sure..lol It's a 2013. I actually will be doing the Tomioka racing rear axles. They are rated at 1000whp. I just ordered some 19 x 8.5 wheels that weigh 15lbs each. Which bushings are you talking about? I am looking to upgrade all my control arms to cusco. I'll check out the bushings when you give me the name. :) I want to do air suspension, the k sport executive air suspension. I'll be doing the K sport big brake kit too for front and rear.

Oh man, bushings! I think [MENTION=1172]Alin[/MENTION] just did a bunch and should chime in soon...

Transmission bushings (mount, crossmember, , engine pitch stop, shifter (lots in there!), rear diff. Not to mention all the ones in the suspension (trailing arms, swaybar mounts, etc...)

Do you have good experience with the k-sport BBK? Of literally anything on the car, the brakes are the one thing that is between you and death. I have no experience with them, but make sure you know what you're getting yourself into! There are plenty of reputable big-names out there. Personally, I went with the Stoptech ST-40 trophy. But Alcon, Wilwood, Brembo, AP Racing and Stoptech being kind of the "big" name brands that are coming to the top of my head.


What wheels did you get?! And maybe even more important, what tires?!
 
Oh wow. I never thought about bushings in all those areas. I'll ask allpro subie about those being replaced with new ones. Thanks for that info! I just ordered 19x8.5 Klutch KM20 Matte Bronze wheels. Here's the link. https://www.elementwheels.com/wheels/klutch-wheels/km20-matte-bronze/ksl1985matbrz K Sport seems to be a very good brand. The front brakes are 8 pot and the rear brakes are 4 pot. I am looking at Hankook Ventus Evo2 tires. I want those for traction with the low treadware rating. I am going to be getting custom transmission gears made with longer ratios made helical cut out of chromoly steel. The transfer gear will be upgraded too. That's later next year though.

Any other suggestions?

I appreciate the input!
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Oh wow. I never thought about bushings in all those areas. I'll ask allpro subie about those being replaced with new ones. Thanks for that info! I just ordered 19x8.5 Klutch KM20 Matte Bronze wheels. Here's the link. https://www.elementwheels.com/wheels/klutch-wheels/km20-matte-bronze/ksl1985matbrz K Sport seems to be a very good brand. The front brakes are 8 pot and the rear brakes are 4 pot. I am looking at Hankook Ventus Evo2 tires. I want those for traction with the low treadware rating. I am going to be getting custom transmission gears made with longer ratios made helical cut out of chromoly steel. The transfer gear will be upgraded too. That's later next year though.

Any other suggestions?

I appreciate the input!

I had the Evo2 tires. They were in some ways great, and in other ways underwhelming.

The great: they lasted a LONG time, especially given how many track days I did.
The bad: they really weren't that grippy. I was disappointed in overall grip day 1 hour 1. Just seemed to lack bite. ESPECIALLY in the wet/damp.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Speaking of bushings... (Photos on pages 150-152)

https://www.igotasti.com/vBforum/threads/5453-The-Batmobile_Engage-Member-Journal/page150

These are the bushings I've replaced over the years, from what I can recall off the top of my head:

Whiteline Urethane Swaybar and Endlink Bushings
Whiteline Urethane Roll Center Adjust Kit
Whiteline Urethane Gearbox Positive Shift Kit
Whiteline Urethane Steering Rack Bushings
Whiteline Urethane Rear Diff Support Bushings
Kartboy Urethane Front AND Rear Shifter Bushings
STi Group-N Transmission Mount
STi Group-N Engine Pitch Stop Mount

...aaaaand I think that's it. I'll let you know if I think of any others.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
I had a complete polyurethane overhaul kit of essentially every bushing the car is fitted with, but never actually installed it. I sold it a long time ago. I think it was named along the lines of "Extreme Performance Polyurethane Bushings."

You'll have to delve deeper and research as there are a lot of bushings that you don't normally think about or are unaware of. It's also an aspect that isn't discussed too much on forums. You have one end of the spectrum where everyone swaps out intakes and blow off valves, and on the other end, you have things like bushings that virtually never get talked about.
 
Thanks a bunch for this list! I'll look them up on the internet. :)

Speaking of bushings... (Photos on pages 150-152)

https://www.igotasti.com/vBforum/threads/5453-The-Batmobile_Engage-Member-Journal/page150

These are the bushings I've replaced over the years, from what I can recall off the top of my head:

Whiteline Urethane Swaybar and Endlink Bushings
Whiteline Urethane Roll Center Adjust Kit
Whiteline Urethane Gearbox Positive Shift Kit
Whiteline Urethane Steering Rack Bushings
Whiteline Urethane Rear Diff Support Bushings
Kartboy Urethane Front AND Rear Shifter Bushings
STi Group-N Transmission Mount
STi Group-N Engine Pitch Stop Mount

...aaaaand I think that's it. I'll let you know if I think of any others.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Yesterday I pulled the trigger and got wheels/tires ordered. I ended up getting https://delintetires.com/tires/d7/. They have a 320 treadware rating and they appear to be good based on what the website tells about them. I ordered these wheels. https://www.elementwheels.com/wheels/blaque-diamond-wheels/bd-11-antique-matte-bronze/bd11-1985brz. I was told a lower treadware number means better traction in corners and on a track. Do you think the same?

Treadwear numbers are tricky. They only serve to give you an idea of stickyness and longevity across tires of the same brand. i.e. a 300 treadwear from Dunlop and a 300 from Bridgestone is not the same and may not be comparible. I've seen reviews and tests where Tire XYZ of Brand A with a 300 treadwear was stickier than Tire ABC from Brand Z with a 270 rating.

Each manufacturer has their own in-house treadwear calculation.
 
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Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
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