What next? V7 STi

[boon]

Ok so I'm heading down that terrible path of modifying what is already a pretty nice car.

I've done a bunch of mods and I'm not exactly sure what to do next.

Car: 2001 GDB STi Sedan

Mods so far:

3" Rage Siamese downpipe, heatwrapped

2.5" Zerosports "Cat back" exhaust

VF34 Turbo

Apexi Panel filter

Zerosports Winning S Adjustable suspension

Version 10 Spec C back seat (for the ski hole) - lightweight fabric, yo.

On the to-do list:

Larger in-tank fuel pump

ECU reflash

The car is my 'daily driver' - that said, I drive maybe a couple of times a week. It's more of a weekend cruiser.

In the winter it goes Welly -> Ruapehu nearly every weekend so good highway performance is important, but really I just want to make it more fun to drive. It might get to see a track once a year.

Suggestions on what to do next? Paramount importance is reliability and excellent drivability.

[funkytown]

Walbro and reflash would be ideal things to do

id say you should look in the suspesion department

change up the sway bars

anti lift kit

roll center adjuster

coil overs perhaps

what rubber you run?

under body k frames

perhaps then pads, fluid, brake boost and some braided brake lines to give sharper pedal feel

these things (maybe not the coil overs) but the others will make the car much more alive and responsive

[Scoobydoo]

Yeah I'm pretty agreeable to those mods. Definitely get the Walbro, and I'd probably get the reflash done pretty soon, seeing as the ECU won't be optimised for your new exhaust and turbo, so won't be running nearly as efficiently as it could be, and will probably boost spike a fair bit. Are you running any kind of boost control, as that's another thing you can look at, getting an EBC. That will help in controlling the boost with those new mods, not necessarily make more power, but just help control the power you have.

It seems you already have the suspension sorted with the Zerosports Winning S. options after that would be sway bars (rear at least), anti-lift kit, under-body braces. Street brake pads are fine for the street, but when it comes time to go on track, then you can get some good track pads and change them over. You should be using RBF600 (or similar) brake fluid regardless, and the braided lines are a nice to have also. You already have the Brembos so no upgrade required there haha. The brake booster brace is also really really good and improves brake feel no-end. You should get that before the lines I think.

New tyres I think are also a track-time thing, rather than an everyday thing. You don't want to spend $350-upwards per corner on tyres you'll wear out on the street. Although in saying that, you can get some pretty good deals sometimes and they don't always cost that much, so it really depends on how much "spirited" driving you do, and since you go to the snow a lot and a lot of km's, I think a good street-tyre is sufficient, like Toyo T1R or similar, which are about $200 per corner if you get the right hook-up.

[Guest]

Next mod would be to swap ur V7 Sti for mine

[ODB]

get a 4wd truck for the snow and put the sti in the garage for track days and spirited driving only!

[boon]

A 4wd truck is no fun on the 3 hour drive there and back though

Oh, and I've also put a Cusco brake cylinder stopper on it already, excellent investment, firmed up the pedal no end.

Ok, so on the shopping list:

Walbro fuel pump

Reflash

Rear swaybar - 22mm?

Anti-lift kit

Roll center adjuster (err, what is this?)

K braces

Braided brake lines

EBC?

How many of these require a wheel alignment? I haven't put my coilovers on yet (haven't actually taken delivery quite yet!) and since they'll require an alignment (and cert, sigh) I want to get as many things done that will change the geometry as possible so I can kill all the birds with one stone, proverbially speaking.

[Guest]

Definitely get a reflash done. You'll be smiling from ear to ear, I promise you.

Personally I wouldn't bother with an EBC as that's money you could spend on the tune, and the factory equipment will control your boost just fine.

And... you will no longer be limited to 180kph on the track.

And yep, get a fuel pump first. $200 for a 255lph Walbro, piece of wees to fit.

Also consider I/C water sprayer if you don't have already. I don't know what rules are for track use though...

[Simon C]

I found that the Zerosports suspension was plenty stiff enough. On the track, just turn the dampers up to maximum. The car is roll free, and steers neutral with a tendency to oversteer. I didn't see the need to upgrade the swaybars.

Other things that made a huge difference on my V7:

Antilift kit (no more front end lifting under hard acceletation)

Intercept type EBC (reduced spool by ~400 RPM, could hold 1.6bar to redline instead of dropping to 1.0bar)

Bridgestone RE070 tires (much better turn in, steering feel, grip, but noise and ride quality suffered)

The Walbro is a good idea, and you're lucky that your factory ECU is reflashable.

I'd say you're looking at >230kw after a good tune, with a nice spread of torque and good handling. It'd be great as a daily. If you go much further, you risk stepping over that line and making compromises in your DD for the sake of speed on the track.