I picked up this crystal gray metallic 2005 WRX STi with about 39,600 miles on it. I'm over 75,000 as of July 2009. CBRD SpeedFactory, where I bought it in late 2007, tuned the engine for an additional 15whp over stock using a Mustang dyno, adding more power and torque throughout the entire curve. They also put on Eibach lowering springs and 18" x 8.5" TR Motorsport wheels in gunmetal (made by Enkei and only 18.5 lbs each). It was de-stickered by one of the previous owners, but CBRD added a few of their own.

This car feels great on back roads, and even better on the track. It handles amazingly well and can really be tossed through turns, which is why I love Subaru AWD so much. If you're a Subaru fan, you may appreciate my 2000 Legacy GT as well. In July 2009, I installed RaceComp Engineering T0 coilovers with Grouop N top mounts. These are non-adjustable coilovers (except for height) made by KWVariant with a custom spec from RCE. With the Group N tops, no camber bolts, and 13.5" ride height all around, I was able to get -1.5 camber at all corners. The dive, roll, and squat compared to my old suspension has been reduced by more than half, and combined with the new alignment, this car handles so much better than before.

The wheels came wrapped in 225/40R18 Kuhmo Ecsta SPT tires from CBRD. They are summer tires, but they just don't stick like the Goodyear Eagle F1s on my Legacy. More importantly, they didn't handle the heat of being on track very well. I upgraded them to 245/40R18 Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs before my first track day of 2008. I had to have the rear fenders ground out in order for the tires to fit without too much rubbing, especially with the old suspension being too low. What a difference it is going to the wider tires in the 200 treadwear category. They really hold up to the heat of being on track well, although the hydroplane resistance on the street isn't as good as most lesser performance tires. This summer, I couldn't pass up the ridiculously good pricing on Bridgestone RE-01R's that Tire Rack had right when the RE-11's were coming, and they have been great as well. The RE-01R tires are much noisier on track, though, screaming through every turn all the time. When these are done, I will be deciding whether to use the Dunlops again or to try out the new Nitto NT05s, both of which I can get for about the same price. I'm leaning towards the Nittos right now, since they went through more track testing and seem to be targeted at street class time attack rather than dominating at autocross nationals.

Also in spring of 2008, I upgraded the brake pads to Ferodo DS2500, and replaced the brake fluid with fresh ATE DOT-4. During this time, I noticed that one of the previous owners had installed Goodridge SS lines. I have Quantum Motorsports brake ducts to install for the 2009 track season (still...I only put in the rotor attachments so far). I hope to make my pads and rotors last a little longer during track days without going to track-specific high-temp pad that won't work as well on the street, especially since they usually eat rotors when cold. I will be modifying this car more for HPDEs as I figure out what needs upgrades the most, but I am pretty tapped out this year after the new suspension.