Delivery December 28 2005

- Purchased the car with 6 miles on the odometer from Tim McKenzie (aka crazyhorse) at Folger Subaru.

First Brake Modification January 10th 2006

- After repeated attempts to get the 4-pots to work I finally ditched the OEM brake pads and swapped in a set of Hawk HP Plus pads. Response, pedal feel, and performance were greatly improved. I also flushed the brake fluid and refilled with ATE Super Blue.

Bye-Bye Shifter Slop January 29th 2006

- I installed a Kartboy short shifter and SS bushings - great mod!

Clear Bra Feb 10th 2006

- A 3M clear bra was installed by the one and only LeeBerbs.

First Track Weekend February 25-6, 2006

- First track weekend with the new car. VIR here I come. On Saturday it snowed heavily all day. The car is simply amazing in the wet as I was able to pass everyone in my group except the other Subarus. Sunday was clear and very cold. With stock RE92s, a brand new car, and cold weather the HP Plus pads were more than up to the task. They are a great introduction to high friction pads.

Trial and Error - Big Brake Kit March 1-30, 2006

- I attempted to adapt the Nissan 300ZX aluminum version of the Subaru 4 piston caliper to the Subaru knuckle. My opinion is that the stock rotors on the WRX are too small for any serious performance. My solution was to construct a bracket to attach the aluminum 300ZX caliper to the Subaru knuckle so that it would accept an SVX rotor. The SVX rotor would add about 4 lbs of rotor mass and is also 4 mm thicker than the WRX rotor. This 4 lbs would be saved as the aluminum Nissan caliper is about 5 lbs lighter than the cast iron Subaru caliper. Unfortunately the tab on the caliper would require some grinding of the knuckle and the stock 2006 WRX wheels did not clear the NISSAN caliper. This project is temporarily shelved.

Cobb Stage 2! April 1 2006

- Stage 2 is here!! Cobb Accesport and TBE make some nice power and preparations for Summit Point begin. I obtained a good set of STi takeoff wheels and barely used RE-070's to gain some needed traction on track.

Track Weekend at Summit Point April 1-2, 2006

- I attended a NASA track event at Summit Point - Shenandoah. Watch out for the ski slope and downhill braking going into the 'Karrussell"!! My instructor, who was used to Miata's was heard saying "This thing is a rocket ship!!" as he held on for dear life.

- HP Plus pads held up for Day 1 as I learned my way around the track. But just like the soft stock suspension they quickly became overwhelmed. I tried some experimental race pads on Day 2 but the rotor wear on them was HIGH and they did fade. The pics of the crumbled experimental pads are a good indication that they were overheated.

The Move July 1 2006

- No more stinkin' Jersey - Cary, North Carolina here I come! Whew my back hurt moving that many brakes. Nice new crib to work from!

More Boost July 15-25, 2006

- The lust for more power continues as I decided a turbo upgrade was in the cards. A used VF-39, STi TMIC and OTS Cobb map were installed. Boost control is a problem at high load but she ROCKS now.

(Pictures tankerWRX on Nasioc.com)

More Stiffness August 1 2006

- I finally installed some suspension upgrades. Per BigSkyWRX's guidance I chose USDM Pink wagon specific springs, Koni inserts, Whiteline swaybars and a good alignment. The drop is perfect and more importantly the handling is way better!

Track Weekend at Summit Point August 26-27, 2006

- I tested my new power and suspension at Summit Point with NASA in HPDE2. The power from the VF-39 is almost too much. I'm often able to pass at will on the straights but my driving still lacks.

With the new suspension and power I decided to go with dedicated track pads and installed a set of Hawk Blues. Aside from a persistent mushy pedal these pads worked great in hauling me down from speed repeatedly. The OEM rotors and caliper dust seals took a beating but I was very happy with how the brakes worked.

Ouch! October 1 2006

- Bummer - a freak accident sidelined me for the closing event at Summit - looks like my track season is over till February at VIR.

Protune by Dan @ Mach V Motorsports November 2006

- Overboosting with the VF-39 is persistent at high loads. A pro-tune helps but in cold temps it still occurs. I put down 290WHP and 300WTQ.

Hopefully I can get this solved before VIR.

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