So I made it past break in... whew. I was fairly well behaved too. Instead of waiting until the "magical" 1000 mile mark before exceeded 4k rpms, I implemented a staged break in approach. I kept the rpms in check until around 400 miles or so, then I would increase the rpm limit by 500 every 100 miles after that. When I would get the engine revving up into the higher ranges, I would do it in a controlled and linear fashion (i.e. not jumping all over the throttle). I figure I would slowly ratchet up engine speed over time without applying any undue stress.
During the break in period, I was most careful about avoiding driving at the same rpm for extended periods of time. I didn't want the piston rings to wear in unevenly, figuring that would extend the life of the motor over the long haul. Hopefully I did a good job. I swear I could feel the engine "loosen up" as I drove it, especially around the 500 mile mark or so. It seemed to get noticeably smoother and faster as I went.
Anyway, that's all behind my now so I can relax and have fun driving it. I did change the oil at 1k miles using Shell Rotella T synthetic. I've used this oil in just about everything and love it. It allowed my road bike to shift much better in colder weather, and I even use 10 gallons of it as hydraulic fluid in my tractor. It was on sale and I bought several gallons. Walmart usually has the cheapest price if you can find it.
Speaking of oil changes... I think my next little DIY project is going to be related to this topic. It might be a month or two away at least, so stay tuned.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Patience is a virtue
The title of this post was something my mother often said when I was young. I never gave much thought to the meaning, but it was typically said just before I had to wait longer than I'd liked for something. I guess it means that self control and patience are good qualities for a person to have. Some related quotes are "good things come to those who wait" and "only fools rush in". You can probably think of one or two more if you try.
I'm a firm believer in taking the extra time to think things through, avoiding the pitfalls of rash decision making. (Luckily for me, it gets a bit easier to do when you get older.) Separating my performance modifications into "phases" and waiting until after I've driven my car a while before purchasing them, should result in me being happier with the final outcome. This topic came up late last week when I was asking for upgrade advice on a WRX owner's forum. I was getting some good feedback on various products, but one reply stood out from the rest. A gentleman suggested taking the money being saved for making the car faster and spend it on making the driver better. In other words, taking professional driving lessons would result in much better SCCA solo race finishes than pouring thousands of dollars into car parts. He also provided a very interesting link to a website called Autocross to Win, which I added to "Links of Interest" section on the left hand side of my blog. Much of the information on this site is for the serious racer, but many tips can be useful to the "just for fun" guys like me.
One particularly key piece of advice I pulled from the forum post and website link was the importance of tires and wheels. Of course I already knew it was better to have lighter wheels and wider, racing tires, but I didn't realize just how big of a deal it was. Matter of fact, I'm seriously considering moving new tires/wheels way up on my list of upgrades. If you get a few minutes, click on the website link and spend an hour or so reading through the articles. If you are just getting interested in racing, I think you'll come away much better off for it.
Good luck!
I'm a firm believer in taking the extra time to think things through, avoiding the pitfalls of rash decision making. (Luckily for me, it gets a bit easier to do when you get older.) Separating my performance modifications into "phases" and waiting until after I've driven my car a while before purchasing them, should result in me being happier with the final outcome. This topic came up late last week when I was asking for upgrade advice on a WRX owner's forum. I was getting some good feedback on various products, but one reply stood out from the rest. A gentleman suggested taking the money being saved for making the car faster and spend it on making the driver better. In other words, taking professional driving lessons would result in much better SCCA solo race finishes than pouring thousands of dollars into car parts. He also provided a very interesting link to a website called Autocross to Win, which I added to "Links of Interest" section on the left hand side of my blog. Much of the information on this site is for the serious racer, but many tips can be useful to the "just for fun" guys like me.
One particularly key piece of advice I pulled from the forum post and website link was the importance of tires and wheels. Of course I already knew it was better to have lighter wheels and wider, racing tires, but I didn't realize just how big of a deal it was. Matter of fact, I'm seriously considering moving new tires/wheels way up on my list of upgrades. If you get a few minutes, click on the website link and spend an hour or so reading through the articles. If you are just getting interested in racing, I think you'll come away much better off for it.
Good luck!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Reviews
Once I begin dodging orange cones and racing against the clock in some nearby parking lot, I plan to come back here and post my thoughts and lessons learned hoping it helps others in their quest to become a part time racer. Sharing these experiences and passing on what best to do (or more likely not to do) in order to be become better Solo driver is my primary objective, but I plan to do a bit more if I can.
My guess is that most people who are drawn to racing, also love cars... driving them, working on them, talking about them, you name it. Since racing and a desire to win go hand in hand, it seems inevitable that owners will want to improve their cars performance whenever possible. Turning wheels and mashing throttles often goes hand in hand with turning wrenches and mashing thumbs. Well maybe more coordinated shade tree mechanics take better care of their thumbs, but you get the idea.
Long story short... I'm hoping to also do some performance product reviews as I upgrade my WRX. There are a lot of WRX/STI owners out there, and these cars are modified as much if not more than any other model. Maybe visitors who have no interest in participating in SCCA events will still benefit from feedback on a particular product they were interested in and I happened to be using myself. From time to time I may also discuss general topics or point readers to a link of interest.
If a particular vendor really stands out I may also do a brief write-up on my experiences with that company. Good deals and great service are what we all hope for, but it's not always easy to tell who's good from who's bad until after the purchase. If I find a product vendor that deserves to be highlighted, I'll be sure to let you all know.
To start things off; WRX/STI owners looking to learn more about their cars should read this terrific compilation of FAQs on NASIOC: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533787
Whatever I learn over the next year or so (either technical or anecdotal) I plan to share it here, so check back every so often. Talk to you soon!
My guess is that most people who are drawn to racing, also love cars... driving them, working on them, talking about them, you name it. Since racing and a desire to win go hand in hand, it seems inevitable that owners will want to improve their cars performance whenever possible. Turning wheels and mashing throttles often goes hand in hand with turning wrenches and mashing thumbs. Well maybe more coordinated shade tree mechanics take better care of their thumbs, but you get the idea.
Long story short... I'm hoping to also do some performance product reviews as I upgrade my WRX. There are a lot of WRX/STI owners out there, and these cars are modified as much if not more than any other model. Maybe visitors who have no interest in participating in SCCA events will still benefit from feedback on a particular product they were interested in and I happened to be using myself. From time to time I may also discuss general topics or point readers to a link of interest.
If a particular vendor really stands out I may also do a brief write-up on my experiences with that company. Good deals and great service are what we all hope for, but it's not always easy to tell who's good from who's bad until after the purchase. If I find a product vendor that deserves to be highlighted, I'll be sure to let you all know.
To start things off; WRX/STI owners looking to learn more about their cars should read this terrific compilation of FAQs on NASIOC: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533787
Whatever I learn over the next year or so (either technical or anecdotal) I plan to share it here, so check back every so often. Talk to you soon!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Decision... decisions.
If you click on my "Planned WRX Modifications" page linked above, you'll see I've set a target budget and put some thought into what upgrades to purchase once I get my new car. That doesn't mean I'm not still trying to learn as much as I can before the time comes to put down the money and place an order. There is a pretty good chance I'll be tweaking my decisions right up until I'm ready to pull the trigger.
One of the biggest decisions I have is which turbo back exhaust (TBE) to go with. I might get a complete package like the one offered by Perrin Performance (www.perrinperformance.com), or piece together a catted downpipe and cat back exhaust (CBE). What ever I decide, it needs to be as quiet as possible while enhancing the Subaru "rumble". Of course, it also needs to be high quality and fit my budget.
I emailed Maddad Performance (www.maddad-performance.com) to see what options they will have for the 2011 WRX 5-door since it has a quad tipped muffler similar to the 08+ STIs. Their Metal V2 downpipe plus Whisper CBE is very appealing to me although it is a bit pricier than I'd like. The divorced wastegate section on the downpipe is interesting, and I like the sound. I'm still waiting to hear back from those guys though.
Whichever TBE I go with, I plan to measure the sound level (in decibels) inside and out. I'll take reading at idle and a few additional RPMs so that other's will have an idea of how it compares to the stock exhaust. I also plan to compare the sound at speed on a particular stretch of highway. This is the kind of information that is difficult to find on the internet. It's easy to find forum posts comparing exhausts with owners saying this one is "pretty loud" or "only drones a little bit on the highway", etc. Some of the more complete comparison threads are unfortunately several years old and don't always apply to newer models. I guess exhaust sound is also a bit subjective, complicating things even further. It would be great if somehow I could get my hands on two or three packages and compare them all, but I'll have enough of a challenge choosing and paying for one.
Be back again soon!
One of the biggest decisions I have is which turbo back exhaust (TBE) to go with. I might get a complete package like the one offered by Perrin Performance (www.perrinperformance.com), or piece together a catted downpipe and cat back exhaust (CBE). What ever I decide, it needs to be as quiet as possible while enhancing the Subaru "rumble". Of course, it also needs to be high quality and fit my budget.
I emailed Maddad Performance (www.maddad-performance.com) to see what options they will have for the 2011 WRX 5-door since it has a quad tipped muffler similar to the 08+ STIs. Their Metal V2 downpipe plus Whisper CBE is very appealing to me although it is a bit pricier than I'd like. The divorced wastegate section on the downpipe is interesting, and I like the sound. I'm still waiting to hear back from those guys though.
Whichever TBE I go with, I plan to measure the sound level (in decibels) inside and out. I'll take reading at idle and a few additional RPMs so that other's will have an idea of how it compares to the stock exhaust. I also plan to compare the sound at speed on a particular stretch of highway. This is the kind of information that is difficult to find on the internet. It's easy to find forum posts comparing exhausts with owners saying this one is "pretty loud" or "only drones a little bit on the highway", etc. Some of the more complete comparison threads are unfortunately several years old and don't always apply to newer models. I guess exhaust sound is also a bit subjective, complicating things even further. It would be great if somehow I could get my hands on two or three packages and compare them all, but I'll have enough of a challenge choosing and paying for one.
Be back again soon!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Some background...
Prior to the start of me posting my ramblings here on my own little corner of the interwebs, I had already put a decent amount of time and thought into the process of buying a new car and eventually competing in SCCA solo events. Here's some more background to catch us up on the decisions made prior to creating this blog:
My current daily driver is a 1997 Honda Civic LX. My wife and I purchased it brand new right after we got married and it's been a very good car. After all these years it's gotten a bit long in the tooth, so I decided a year or two ago to replace it. I'm a fairly indecisive person and I hate spending a lot of money on things (i.e. I'm cheap), so I went back and forth between getting a used truck, an SUV, a family sedan, a sporty car, and everything in between. All the while I would keep repairing the old Civic to get me through another 6 months or so. Most of these repairs were normal maintenance items like brakes and exhaust, but I knew it was getting to the point were "bigger" things were going to start failing.
One of my more significant motivations to get a new car was when something literally crawled up and died inside my Civic earlier this year. As the weather warmed up throughout Spring, the smell grew indescribably disgusting. No one in my family would get close to the car, let alone drive in it. Luckily I only work 2 miles from home, so I would hold my breath most of the way to the office. I tried to pin point the source of the odor, but could only trace it to somewhere in a tubular section of the frame. I jammed a hose into a small opening and flooded the area to try and wash away the smell. Thousands of maggots poured from various openings and were strewn across my driveway... creeping and crawling every which way. There were also some small chunks of what looked to be dog food, so I assumed some type of rodent (or family of rodents) made a nest and eventually died when I drove out into the cold, Winter weather. Surprisingly, forcing gallons upon gallons of water through my cars undercarriage had zero positive effect on the smell. Every few days, I would repeat the process and then leave the car outside my garage with the windows open to bake in the late Spring/early Summer sun. Finally, after weeks of suffering through nauseating drives to and from work, the smell began to dissipate as the creature(s) rotting up inside the car naturally decayed away. In the end the damage had been done and my decision was solidified... I was getting a new car.
By this point I also decided on getting a sporty vehicle. I had read a bit about SCCA solo autocross events and they looked like something fun to do a few times a year. Even though I wanted the new car to be fast, I still had a family to think about so it also needed to be practical. I had eventually settled on a Subaru Impreza WRX since it was AWD (better control for rookie drivers, and helpful in the Winter weather), easily upgraded, and relatively reliable. I narrowed it down even further to the 5-door hatchback since the additional storage would come in handy for lugging around a set of golf clubs, or for bags of sport equipment when taking my son and daughter to practices and games. For a short period of time, I had decided to get the higher end WRX STI. I could probably afford the additional upfront cost and higher insurance premiums, but it was still too much money to justify. I'm not saying the STI isn't worth the price of admission, just that it wasn't the right fit for me and my particular set of goals. Maybe a few years down the road I revisit the decision and feel differently, but for now I think I made a good choice to buy the WRX. After investing ~$3000 in modifications, I believe I'll have a nice performing car and I won't feel guilty for spending more money on a car I probably didn't "need".
Once I decided on the which model to purchase, I sent an identical email to four area Subaru dealers and asked for their absolute best price on a metallic silver 2011 WRX 5-door (the only option I asked for was fog lights). I let them know the same information was being requested from other dealers. I ended up choosing the one with the second lowest price ($75 under invoice) since they were very responsive and helpful, and the quoted cost was only $30 higher. After a few weeks of email exchanges, they called me so I could put down a refundable $500 deposit and place the order. I was told it would take 6-8 weeks before arriving, but the good news is that Subaru fills special ordered cars before dealer stock so it might get to me sooner. Sooner definitely equals better in this case.
The car decision was out of the way and it was time to sit and wait. A few weeks earlier I had added a regional SCCA autocross event to my calendar so I could stop down and see what's up. It was on a Sunday in the parking lot of a local University. I arrived just before the driver's meeting so I could get a feel for how that all went. I stayed for the first hour or two of racing before I needed to leave and do some things with the family. The overall impression I left with was that it was a very well organized event, and both the drivers and staff were equally friendly and helpful. The competition was low-key and not overly intense. It had a great family-type atmosphere too, which was a bit surprising to me although I admit I didn't really know what to expect. I felt good about the whole thing, and even more excited to get the new car and begin learning how to race in the Solo events.
So far, so good. Now I needed to get back to researching how I was going to spend my $3000 budget on WRX upgrades...
My current daily driver is a 1997 Honda Civic LX. My wife and I purchased it brand new right after we got married and it's been a very good car. After all these years it's gotten a bit long in the tooth, so I decided a year or two ago to replace it. I'm a fairly indecisive person and I hate spending a lot of money on things (i.e. I'm cheap), so I went back and forth between getting a used truck, an SUV, a family sedan, a sporty car, and everything in between. All the while I would keep repairing the old Civic to get me through another 6 months or so. Most of these repairs were normal maintenance items like brakes and exhaust, but I knew it was getting to the point were "bigger" things were going to start failing.
One of my more significant motivations to get a new car was when something literally crawled up and died inside my Civic earlier this year. As the weather warmed up throughout Spring, the smell grew indescribably disgusting. No one in my family would get close to the car, let alone drive in it. Luckily I only work 2 miles from home, so I would hold my breath most of the way to the office. I tried to pin point the source of the odor, but could only trace it to somewhere in a tubular section of the frame. I jammed a hose into a small opening and flooded the area to try and wash away the smell. Thousands of maggots poured from various openings and were strewn across my driveway... creeping and crawling every which way. There were also some small chunks of what looked to be dog food, so I assumed some type of rodent (or family of rodents) made a nest and eventually died when I drove out into the cold, Winter weather. Surprisingly, forcing gallons upon gallons of water through my cars undercarriage had zero positive effect on the smell. Every few days, I would repeat the process and then leave the car outside my garage with the windows open to bake in the late Spring/early Summer sun. Finally, after weeks of suffering through nauseating drives to and from work, the smell began to dissipate as the creature(s) rotting up inside the car naturally decayed away. In the end the damage had been done and my decision was solidified... I was getting a new car.
By this point I also decided on getting a sporty vehicle. I had read a bit about SCCA solo autocross events and they looked like something fun to do a few times a year. Even though I wanted the new car to be fast, I still had a family to think about so it also needed to be practical. I had eventually settled on a Subaru Impreza WRX since it was AWD (better control for rookie drivers, and helpful in the Winter weather), easily upgraded, and relatively reliable. I narrowed it down even further to the 5-door hatchback since the additional storage would come in handy for lugging around a set of golf clubs, or for bags of sport equipment when taking my son and daughter to practices and games. For a short period of time, I had decided to get the higher end WRX STI. I could probably afford the additional upfront cost and higher insurance premiums, but it was still too much money to justify. I'm not saying the STI isn't worth the price of admission, just that it wasn't the right fit for me and my particular set of goals. Maybe a few years down the road I revisit the decision and feel differently, but for now I think I made a good choice to buy the WRX. After investing ~$3000 in modifications, I believe I'll have a nice performing car and I won't feel guilty for spending more money on a car I probably didn't "need".
Once I decided on the which model to purchase, I sent an identical email to four area Subaru dealers and asked for their absolute best price on a metallic silver 2011 WRX 5-door (the only option I asked for was fog lights). I let them know the same information was being requested from other dealers. I ended up choosing the one with the second lowest price ($75 under invoice) since they were very responsive and helpful, and the quoted cost was only $30 higher. After a few weeks of email exchanges, they called me so I could put down a refundable $500 deposit and place the order. I was told it would take 6-8 weeks before arriving, but the good news is that Subaru fills special ordered cars before dealer stock so it might get to me sooner. Sooner definitely equals better in this case.
The car decision was out of the way and it was time to sit and wait. A few weeks earlier I had added a regional SCCA autocross event to my calendar so I could stop down and see what's up. It was on a Sunday in the parking lot of a local University. I arrived just before the driver's meeting so I could get a feel for how that all went. I stayed for the first hour or two of racing before I needed to leave and do some things with the family. The overall impression I left with was that it was a very well organized event, and both the drivers and staff were equally friendly and helpful. The competition was low-key and not overly intense. It had a great family-type atmosphere too, which was a bit surprising to me although I admit I didn't really know what to expect. I felt good about the whole thing, and even more excited to get the new car and begin learning how to race in the Solo events.
So far, so good. Now I needed to get back to researching how I was going to spend my $3000 budget on WRX upgrades...
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