Monk's Nightshade

Monk: The Grey Goose

The Grey Goose...


Monk's Nightshade
this isn't another mix i'm posting up, it's what i'm naming the car


Current Modifications:
Cobb AP2 with TopSpeed/Siegel ProTune (~19.5psi)
Prodrive TBE (minus center-pipe)
Whiteline FR & RR sway bars
GTE alignment
Group N Tranny mount
Hawk HPS pads for street
Spare set of BBS for track
Spare Carbotech XP-10(FR) & XP-8(RR) Brake pads for track

Fluids:
Motul 8100 Oil
ATE Superblue Brakes
All Other Fluids - OEM

Future Plans:
06 STi front control arms
Stiffer bushings for pretty much the entire car
3" TBE
Possibly an M1 subframe brace
Tinted lights
front lip


Anyways, i might as well get started on this thing if for no other reason than to track history and changes made. if you want to skip the warm and fuzzy shit, scroll down by the graph.

first a bit about me...
5+ years ago i was driving a 93 miata and starting to do some reasearch on cars. the main focus being on the new 350Z that was coming out, it was damn sexy. some time passed and i ended up doing some advertising work for subaru of gwinnett and soa.

they were going on and on about this WRC-based car called the WRX. they sent me all kinds of brochures and what-not so i could properly execute the design work for them (interactive stuff). so naturally i read the materials and it occurs to me, this car is really quick, and affordable. but in my opinion, it was not an attractive car.

the more i read the numbers, the more intriguing the car became. coming from a rwd n/a car, i knew that you can only safely go "fast" on the dry, paved road. and then the light went on: "the only thing more fun than going fast in good conditions, is going fast in ANY condition!"

more than that, it had the awd/turbo platform. i had driven my friend's modified TT a while back and remember how incredible the car felt.

so, the sales manager at sog hooked me up really nicely on a loaded PSM 04 WRX. this was the first year of the STi, but it was pretty spartan. paying that much for just (what i thought was) the power difference didn't make sense. of course i thought "this will do it for a while", then i read some numbers on prodrive's site. yeah, that didn't last long. i went to stage 3. not too long after that, i got to know this bouncey guy named scott siegel. i thought "this guy really knows his shit" so, i pretty much handed the car over to him and the car went to full coilovers, bars, bushes, road-course set up and a custom tune. it was a great car, really.

fast-forward nearly three-years and i find myself talking to will and scott over lunch about the 2.5 swap (for the umpteenth time). after we talk about the $ numbers to do it properly, they both pretty much concede: "it still won't be an STi man... they're just... magic. go drive one" "you can transfer pretty much all your mods"

so i show up at SoG a day or two later and drive a black 07 STi. it really was magic. and i knew that it was pretty much bullet-proof, and oh, my, is that an mp3 player port, better turbo and gears...etc. the throttle didn't feel quite right, but i was told "it will learn"

so i buy it and trade the 04.

go through a week of buyer's remorse "i don't deserve a car like this, why did i spend this much money on a car, etc." even though it only cost like 3-4 grand more than the loaded wrx.

and my wife is like: "we can afford this and you know it. you rarely do anything for yourself, so if you like it, then you do deserve it. besides, this will help me decide if i want one in a couple of years"

yeah, my wife is THAT fucking cool.

SO... on to the car

07 OBP STi
Whiteline sways
Intake silencer delete mod
Throttle reflash mod.

Now, on to the real reason of this journal, to help other people understand what's going on with their 07 STi



a moment about the 2007 throttle... there are a LOT of complaints about "jerky, uneven, laggy throttle response out there (iwsti.com has a good list of them) i got the reflash "fix" yesterday and it definitely smoothed out the WOT response. but i don't think it change the TPS (throttle position sensor) maps beyond that. For those that don't know, the 07 stock TPS maps looks like the below (this is a rough graph, but is similar to tha actual maps SS showed me on his laptop) i put what an analog throttle kind of looks like in green

as you can see the majority of the 07's throttle pedal is pretty useless for daily driving. i'm guessing it's set up like this so it feels "sporty". well, i don't like it, at all. in fact the TPS changes based on RPM, Engine speed, Gear, and whether your accelerating or deccelerating. squirrely is my description of the 07 throttle.

as a side note, i've heard that the only difference in the SI drive subaru has on the legacy gt's (i think) is that the map goes from normal, to this map.

but i didn't buy this car with the intention of keeping it stock. i'm currently waiting (like almost every other 07 owner) for the 07 AP 2.0 release. current word from cobb is that they have dedicated this and next week to finalizing the program.

so, don't buy an AP now unless you want to wait a few weeks AFTER it's been released, because you will have to ship them your AP. just wait until they release and then buy from them. this recommedation comes directly from cobb (go to their forums). the AP has the ability to change all TPS maps, which is key IMO.

if you do plan on keeping it completely stock (no EM), i wouldn't recommend this model/year... unless SOA releases a fix for the TPS maps too. which they may. if i planned on keeping stock, i probably would have returned the car or traded it back in for something else. maybe...

this isn't meant to take a swipe at Subaru, i like their cars a LOT, but the way the throttle is set up is senseless marketing rubbish.

I'll keep this thread updated as i do more to the car.

 

Nice, ya wife got any friends like her?

 

You mean does his wife have any sisters? Haha...

Wow that is one hell of a wife and ride! Lucky man!

 

I think all the 2.5 throttles are like that. I know my 06 WRX feels horrid and does not respond the way I would like when I am trying to feather the gas off a corner( damn power understeer). Its like the throttle has a lag or delay built in.

Nice write up though.

 

update: second day on the reflash, car feels a touch smoother than yesterday, maybe they DID change the TPS a bit? dunno.

re: wife's friends. yes she has a sister, but she's involved

 

have you had it tuned yet?

 

No, she is stock and will be engine wise for awhile. I am happy with the power for now. I will go for a TBE and a retune eventually though. There is a TON of suspension stuff I want to do before the engine gets touched.

 

i'm pretty sure you can get the TPS maps set to more of an analog feel (looks like a 45 degree angle on the map software) when you do get tuned. get a cobb AP, this way you can have a few different maps and test out the throttles (you can also run meth on/off maps too, as well as a bunch of other stuff) just make sure you get a professional tune, nothing beats it.

 

next weekend, i'll probably put the boost and oil press gauges in, then...

i wanna put the prodrive stuff on, and see if the div WG on the DP causes creep. this way i know if i can keep it or if i have to sell it. i want to do this before i get the AP and have it tuned, i don't want to waste scott's time if it creeps.

scott said it's a per-car thing. some creep with DWG and some don't. i'm hoping the porting on the new turbo model helps.

i'm playing with the idea of KW coilovers but that wont be for quite some time.

my big thing now is getting a set of track wheels/rubber so i can get more time on the track to have fun and not worry about how much daily driver tread i have left at the end of the day.

and of course the pads/lines/fluids for the brakes need to be done

 

Yeah, I agree on the tune. I had an 04 tuned by Doug. I was planning on going with Cobb this time instead of Ecutek. I like the idea of being able to change maps. I was planning on having SS do it when I get her tuned.

I am just glad to know that I am not losing my mind and that its not just my car alone that does it.



I will get around to the fun stuff eventually.

 

you say that as if the suspension stuff isn't fun lol

 

On the WRX (especially the 06-07) its required. The car is too soft for the amount of torque the car produces. This takes some of the fun out of it.

It will be fun once its done and setup though.

I will stop filling your journal with my plans. Have fun with your plans.

 

i don't mind at all but you're right, wrx's of ALL years NEED suspension mods. they just don't feel right without them.

 

Nightshade: 03.02.07

Just an update of goings on...

Whiteline FSB/RSB were installed weeks ago. car handles way better than before. still thinking about future suspension steps.

Last weekend Autometer Bezle with Boost and Electronic Oil Pressure Gauges were installed. i'm going to word this in a way that is easily search-able.

A note about the gauge install...

I bought the phantom gauges from egauges and the oil pressure and boost install kits from wrxtra ( jscspeed.com had some sae to metric adapters you might need ).

oil gauge i tapped the engine galley plug under the tmic for the oil pressure. make sure you have ALL of the tools that wrxtra recommends in their directions. it will save you several trips to autozone.

also, the wrxtra instructions do not show a coolant hose that gets in the way of the galley plug sender adapter. remove this hose BEFORE you remove the galley plug. some coolant will come out. have rags ready. you may want to just remove the BPV hose as well (before the plug) to give you some working room. it's TIGHT in there.

boost gauge was a cake-walk comparatively. remove tmic, makes it a lot easier.

gauge lighting wiring:
i ran the 12v and ground lines from the gauges to the cigarette lighter 12v (white) and ground (black) connections. 18g wire, strippers/crimpers, pipe connectors, and quick-release connectors were used.

removed inside trim below steering wheel (and steel cross-memeber under it) as well as side trim next to the cig lighter.

guages work fine, but if someone sees something inherently wrong with this wiring, let me know. i went off of the subaru tech ref manual to find the easiest wire-tap.

oil pressure gauge wiring
10g sender wire to S gauge input, and the 10g ground "G" gauge input to the intake manifold ground bolt on driver's side (quick-release and loop (or eye) connectors used, respectively)

tmic removal
much easier to get out than back in. water or spit works well as the rubber hoses are WAY too tacky to just slip back on. it was a bastard. particularly the TMIC to turbo hose.

final thoughts
i'm always uncomfortable about changing things that are a part of the engine block. i've seen no leaks from the galley yet, but i keep checking. the real test will be at the track. i'll bring the stock galley plug just in case

coming soon...
second set of BBS wheels/tires for track, and hopefully feedback/writeups on cobb's AP beta for 07 STi.

 

Nice!

Should be really fun when you get it tuned. I saw a dyno graph from what doug managed to do with one late last year and it had amazing gains in torque!

edit: found the graph



nearly 100lb gain, and thats on a stock motor!

 

wow, what other mods did this car have?!

 

nah, i'm gonna wait a while before i go with anything more than the exhaust and tune.

i may still put a perrin on there if/when i start considering a larger turbo. but that's a ways off.

 

looking/sounding very nice dude!

 

thanks man

so when are you getting another one?

 

hopefully next summer if things go the way i would like them. :sx: we will see though

 

Lookin good Monk. Nice writeup. A little get-ta-know-ya and a bit of informative. Good balance. Let me know when you are going to be able to break free and head up to the mountains. See ya round.

 

Thanks man, yeah i really do wanna get back out to the mountains soon. this weekend is tied up with strayen's coilovers, cooking for st patty's and then i'm heading to road atlanta to check out siegel and ball doing their onelap thing. next weekend i think i'll do the prodrive install.

i'm guessing track day will be not too long after that. with ANY luck, i'll be piped and tuned for the track.

 

just realised I never answered you. No other mods that I know of. I'm 95% sure it was just a stock car but remapped.

 

100 lb. ft. gain with no other mods?!? Just a tune??!?

 

yeah!

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1125595&highlight=limited

and this is what happens when you add some mods

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1148167&highlight=limited

:eek3:

 

that's crazy impressive if that's a sustainable tune.

btw prodrive TBE is IN baby

if the AP is in before thursday, i'll be tuned next week. we'll see what this red headed step child can do.

BTW, i couldn't fit the heatshiel back on. how bad is that? just more heatsoak? i'm guessing i'll pick up a cobb or cusco soon.

 

Awesome man. Great car and way to keep it clean.

 

nightshade going in for brain surgery

:naughty: Cobb APv2 in, tuning today. will post results. i'm sure it's going to ge a long one...

 

Awesome man!!! Keep us posted.

 

Monk, you should put some type of heat shield in soon, I ordered a spt heat shield a few says ago. I had my down pipe installed last week and that MF gets crazy hot, I can't help but think how thats affecting the airflow through the intercooler. Just a thought.

P.S good luck with your tune

 

very nice man... u gonna dyno it?

 

well, it was a long day yesterday. there are quite a few changes on the 07 ecu but what i had originally thought was TPS map issues really turned out to be AVCS wackiness. wierd light-switch settings. but scott smoothed them out.

although the the avcs A & B were the real culprits of the jerkiness, scott made a quick linear throttle response version for me to use. i think i actually like it.

the car is about 95% done. a lot of time was spent doing the "learning curve" thing (downloading new software, updating AP firmware, and anything that required a base-map change need to be uploaded via AP, not protuner. wierd)

there's a wierd WGDC thing that happens where it goes from 40% to 100% and the boost spikes from 10lb to 19.5lbs in an instant (the TPS also goes from like 60% - 100% at the same time) when actual throttle position is still 6-7cm from the floor.

scott suspects that they (cobb) may have missed a table. there was WGDC A & B, but it looks like it may be switching to a "C" that isn't listed. cobb also needs to put in a real time pysical throttle position monitor as well.

So the car feels great comparatively, a LOT more tourque, but again, it's not finished. but is plenty safe to drive around. i'm keeping the ap connected with dynamic advance monitor up just incase there's detination, but there shouldn't be. scott just suggested it as a precaution until it's done.

we'll hopefully dyno it after scott gets back from haiti and finishes the maps up.

 

wait... u can see the AM with AP2?

 

yeah, dyn adv, ign adv, wastegate, rpm, coolant, boost, injectors, maf, and i think one other thing. i don't remember off the top of my head.

 

blood pressure and pulse rate?

 

and hard-on state

 

So my grandfather passed away the weekend of april 7th and i've been a bit out of the loop. didn't get to drive the car much either after the tune.

but, we went back to maryland for a memorial banquet last weekend and of course i insisted on taking nightshade. 1400mi sounded good for a test.

some interesting findings... DynAdv is currently maxed out at 5 (scott left it there until finished). DynAdv (for those who don't know) typically climbs the most when you're going uphill in a high-gear/lower rpm situation. and it should always climb not go negative. negative is bad.

Cruise Control Conundrum
well, after engaging the cruise control, i notice the dynadv getting all shitty (-8.5) so i'm like WTF? i disengage CC and it STILL is going negative. the car is driving like a piece of shit (basically like it was stock lol). then a light goes off... i realize that the damned CC has a map of it's own, which is the total suxor. so i try swapping maps realtime and problem fixed.

so i'm wondering, can i drop a realtime map during CC to counteract the CC's map?

i was running scott's map as a base map. so i'm guessing that the CC map from subaru acts like a RT map. i didn't turn the car off to test this theory, but since the car needs to be "off" to actually reflash/upload i'm guesssing this is correct.

Bad Gas Blues or "No we don't run dem fancy turbo cars out here, slicker"
then on my way back i got gas from billy-bobs poduhk gas station because i was low. and holy SHIT did the dynadv go tits-up. i'm guessing the gas was stale or it was 87 in a 93 marked pump. CEL code, 02 trim lean. so i run it gently until almost empty get some bp 93, reflash the codes out and blast off to clear out what i'm sure was a violated and crying O2 sensor.
everything is cool from this point forward.

Throttle Bump (aka the ongoing saga of monk's finniky feet)
a note about the throttle (yeah, still):
i'm noticing a slight buck or bump when i'm off throttle and then touch the throttle again as i roll back on. so, i check out the Injectors.

on engine braking they're at .76 then when i touch the throttle it goes to 2.04. i think there's a little bump in a map somewhere.

i'll need to get with scott on that.

the wierd thing is if i over-shoot the roll-on point by about 3cm i don't get the bump and the Inj goes from .76 to 1.79 (or 1.53) which feels silky smooth. BUT, the normal number for Inj at idle is 2.04

 

2007 STi Pill issue...

(just notes to self not much to see here....)
New information about the boost/wgdc/throttle (not related to the above)

It turns out the 07 pill restrictor is smaller and factory WG tensioned less than previous years. pulled below information from Cobb's forums: they are recommending this mod to 07 drivers.

What originally seemed like an undiscovered WGDC map issue may be the pill issue... symptoms of this issue seem very similar to the spike in throttle/WGDC/Boost that Siegel exprienced.

None the less, Scott maintains that it is a WGDC map "C" that is not pointing to A or B... Now I have nothing against Cobb, but I'm more inclined to believe Scott. Again, he's not done with my car so we'll see how this all pans out.

Here are the stock pill sizes for all USDM years:

2007 STi WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.0335”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~9psi

2004-2006 STi WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.043”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~10psi

2007 WRX WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.028”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~6psi.

2005-2006 LGT WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.049”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~10psi

2004-2005 FXT WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.047”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~7psi

2004-2005 WRX WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.047”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~6psi

2002-2003 WRX WGDC Tables
Stock restrictor pill size = ~.047”
Factory wastegate pre-tensioned to ~10psi

if this is the case, then this is what happens when you change too much shit in one year. what undergrad credit-whore did they let into the engineering dept?! nuff said.

 

COBB releases new 2007 maps that finally address throttle-feel issues. doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but might as well add it to the journal...
http://www.cobbforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34945

Reviews are good, "cable-throttle" feel seems to be the best part I've read so far.
wondering if they're looking into the 3rd wgdc table yet.

Update:
Ran the maps for shits and giggles... cable-throttle is not the term I'd use to describe them. still jumpy, but they "feel" strong, due to the curve they put in. if you don't have a SIEGEL of your own, try running one of theirs. it's not to bad, really.

Still no word on WGDC-C yet. dang, I was hoping to have this ironed out for the track day. I guess not so much.

 

So I'm thinking very seriously of doing the morettes conversion... the 06 treatment is out:


i'm kinda liking the tails too, we'll see what kind of pricing they can come up with for the whole set.

any opinions?

 

I have never been a big fan of the Morettes but the headlights could look good with the right complimentary mods.

I don't like those tails.

 

Bent wheel blues and Morrett is out of their bloody minds

Wheels
I'm heading to work last week. There's a car pulling left onto the same road, and cutting it a little wide. So i get over to the right a little
BAM!

I think i hit a pothole, no, wait, that's a piece of the fucking road that's MISSING. AWESOME. :squint:
Had to have been the loudest fucking thing i've ever heard in a car. My ears were almost ringing.

I take a look at it when i get to work. looks like the outter sidewall belting is blown out (goose-egg). i go to SoG to see about getting another tire.

They take off the tire and the wheel is bent on the opposite side of the goose-egg. DOUBLE AWESOME WITH SPECIAL SAUCE :fawk:

So i finish up paitnting my track wheels (BBS w/ RE070's) with High Temp Spray paint. They look DEAD sexy (picts later). Definitely getting the street wheels powder coated.

I swap them out and go to Alloy Wheel Repair in Norcross. They hook me up for 125.00 and i can't tell it was ever banged up. good job

Morette's
So I finnaly hear back from light boys across the pond.
After doing a quick currency conversion the front lights will cost...
$750.00 W...T...F :eek3:
Rears? $450.00 (the price i was expecting for the fronts since orciari's were going for $500)

what does the price include? the housings. that's it. no bulbs, ballasts, nadda zip zero.

protective sheilds for the expensive ass HID's? NONE. your lenses are exposed. dr. 10th street will be getting my business, 'cause that's bloody stupidssh:

 

TGP Trackday on Carbotech XP-10 / XP-8

I dropped the new pads in for the WRXatl track day yesterday...

The setup is as follows...

• Stock Brembo Calipers/Rotors Front and Rear
• Pads: XP-10 Fr / XP-8 Rr
• SS lines
• ATE superblue fluid
• RE070 Tires

Alignment

• -1.2 F Camber
• -1.6 R Camber
• 0 TOE

These are TRACK pads... the came recommended to me by Siegel-becuase that's what they are running on the One-Lap time attack car and were described as "invincible". The noise and cost alone aren't something I'd want to deal with for a daily driver setup. Luckily the STi calipers change out pads like buttah. So, I'll run these on track and the stock brembos on street (will probably get bobcats after the brembos are dead).

Longevity
Minimum pad depth to backing plate is 5/32-after that they're dead. For a non-competitive driver like myself who will see about 4-5 road-course days a year and some autoX thrown in, these are a great choice. They'll probably last me well over a year or two.

First Impressions
Bed-in process is, again, not for street. The instructions specify running laps until pad fade, then cool down to touch-temp, then run harder again for a few laps.

So how do they feel on a hot lap? Outstanding... lap after lap the brakes were THERE everytime. Great initial bite, very good modulation and trail braking. I would recommend these to anyone that's going to spend time on the track. "Invincible" is a good description... nothing kills track fun like not knowing if your brakes are going to be there on the next turn.

Wear
Too early to tell yet, but all sources note that they are very rotor friendly. I didn't notice any rotor wear at the end of the day.

Dust
Yeah, they are messy as hell. be sure to clean your wheels immediately after the track day. The amount stuff these pads throw off is plentiful. If you're going to spend enough time on the track to warrant the expense and time of using/changing these pads, you're probably thinking of investing in a set of track wheels too, so it's kind of a moot point.

Other Findings on the track
The STi on stock suspension does NOT rotate effectively. I have whitelines on the front and rear with tire pressures set to 40FR and 36RR. I had the rear set higher, but the car wouldn't rotate nearly enough, so Scott recommended that i drop the rear. So, after doing that and setting the rear bar to full-stiff, it finally began to rotate at an "acceptable" level. Still, a far cry from my 04 WRX that was on bars and coilovers

So What's Next?
KW Coilovers, PDE top plates and the M1 subframe-brace. After riding shotgun with Matt in the One-Lap car I realized just how well-behaved and compliant a Subaru can be.

Miscellany
My wife came with me for the first time, and now she wants her own helmet, 'nuf said

 

Flappety Flap-Can't Fix That Flat

I pull into our developement a couple nights ago and I hear "thoonk! flapflapflapflapflap"

:eek3:

Yeah, that's a screwbit going in the center tread and out the sidewall. :eek4:


I go to Will cause I'm pretty sure the tire is fucking hosed.

Will: nope, can't do it.

Me: but-but, it's only got one track day on it... :crying:

The surviving tires' depths are about 6/32... not enough to play nice with a new shoe.

So I can look at this two ways...
1) find the nearest contractor and beat him over the head with the screwbit (with tire still attached) until conciousness is lost or i start feeling better (at least $600.00 better).

2) look at this as an (albeit expensive) opportunity to get the street wheels professionally powder coated black by transferring the good tires from the street wheels to the already-painted track wheels.

I'll be calling Miller PC next week...

 

damn! atleast you were not cruising down the highway!

 

true dat.... dude that is a fucked up avatar lol, i love it.