4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I've tuned and raced Subarus for 25 years. Maybe I can help?

thescreensavers

Im sorry to hear that . Loved my GR WRX but the engine was on its way out when I traded it in at 80k. Bearing material in the oil.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

No I'm sorry to hear that. In 25 years I never had one issue with any of the 4 Subarus I owned. I raced 2 of them regularly for about 5-6 years each, tracked one occasionally for about a year, and well the Type RA I have just daily driven to work. What a waste! I should really find a new owner for the Type RA or just store it in a museum with how slow I drive these days.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, @4DRZ . Buddy has a 2018 Anniversary Edition WRX and we were wondering if the STI brakes could work on it. Internet diving just added confusion - like, maybe pre-2008 STI brakes will work but not newer? Just hoping to get more information.

Over last weekend I installed the Cobb Stage 1 drivetrain kit in it - shift plate, shift rod bushing, and the left side lever stop which firmed up an otherwise very sloppy shifter. Need to adjust his clutch pedal down - engagement is in the top 20% of pedal travel. Otherwise, a very nice, livable but fast, car. Little harsh on bad roads but that was expected. Looks are 100% stock and he wants to keep it that way (he even waffled for a day over the Cobb **** vs the OEM shift ****). He's my best friend from high school and he finally has a car we can talk about LOL. I'm trying to guide him to reliability and driveability mods since there's SO MUCH AFTERMARKET EVERYTHING for Subies.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Good question Mike. Why does he want to upgrade brakes? Is he planning to do track days, just wants better initial bite on the street, or did he just find a good deal on a used set and likes the look? A fair amount of track time in his future is the only reason I would see him "needing" to upgrade the brakes. If he just wants better braking on the street I would have him look into better brake pads. If he just wants them to look better, he can easily paint the calipers a different color. Anyway, that sort of conversion used to mean swapping out hubs because WRX's were 5x100 and STI's were 5x114.3. However, that changed to the same 5x114.3 for WRX as the STI a while ago and according to tirerack the 2018 WRX uses the same 5x114.3 bolt pattern as the STI, so yes those parts should technically work. (Maybe there is need for an adapter plate. I don't remember since the last WRX I upgraded brakes on was my '02 to a serious set of AP Racing brakes. That was almost 20 years ago- damn I'm getting old!)

If he does upgrade to STI brakes then he just needs to make sure that his wheels will clear the larger STI calipers. This is especially crucial if he is planning to do track days because he will not want to run spacers on track. Another thing to consider is that some parts of the WRX were not designed for STI brakes so if he does serious track days his master cylinder might not send quite enough fluid to those brakes fast enough in extreme situations. He also might be sending more heat to the wheel bearings than they were designed for (a huge issue with my '02). Now because his WRX and the STI use the same bolt pattern I am assuming they probably use the same wheel bearings. Subaru carries over lots of parts between the WRX and STI so I am assuming the same or similar master cylinders, but definitely something to look into.

Good for you for upgrading the shifter. I noticed huge shifting improvements in my STI Type RA from replacing Subaru's "short shift kit" with a Torque Solutions short shifter and bushings. The bushings were a huge pain to replace under the car compared to replacing the entire shifting assembly from above in my G37S, but it is a substantial improvement. A surprising place he can gain improved shifting is from a heavier weighted shift ****. This is the only place I will ever consciously add weight to a car, but also the easiest place to improve shifting quality.

Good for sticking with high quality parts like Cobb too. I remember with my '98 2.5RS aftermarket parts were non-existent. You either paid an astronomical amount for genuine Prodrive parts from England, genuine STI parts from Japan, or DBA in Australia. Then the WRX comes out in '02 and the market is completely flooded with parts like the Civic. Then it became a process to find high quality parts amongst all the crap by companies just trying to cash in on the tuner craze. If you find a reputable tuner like Cobb, Rallisport Direct, Subimods, fastwrx, etc, they should be able to find the right year STI calipers and any necessary parts to make the swap.

thescreensavers

Got to Autocross on the updated suspension (HKS HiperMax S and Hotchkis FSB) and I am super happy how it felt, neutral but fighting for front grip (thanks 225s!). Ill eventually got to a square setup and a 200TW tire. (On Michi All Seasons)

PS Yes that is an Explorer

iCrap

iTrader: (8)

Looks fun, after all these years I still have yet to get out to an autocross. i gotta try it one day.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

You should do it at least once. Doesn't have to be a hobbie, and it's worth the effort.

iCrap

iTrader: (8)

I just wish I would have tried it in the G before reverting back to stock But, my S2000 is more well suited to autocross anyways. I did go once, but I didn't know I had to pre-register and they ran out of slots. But everyone there was really nice and I did a bunch of ride alongs, which was cool. This was before Covid hit and then after that the AutoX club shut down for a while.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Just suggesting upgrades to him, and the WRX sliding calipers are pretty much the same as on my FIL's Forester - I measured, they're very similar if not the same. If he just needed some extra stopping juice I'd recommend Hawk HPS pads and be done with it.

Not sure if I mentioned upthread, but I've dealt with Cobb since the 90s for RX7 stuff back in the day. He's solid.

Thanks!

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Ya know, I've autocrossed almost all my cars (including the Jeep Cherokee) but not the G yet.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Back in 2000, I autocrossed my brand new 1999 Maxima SE 5MT once. Since then, I've autocrossed my G37S 6MT three times. The first two times were utter chaos. But last time with the G was amazing. The car is as dialed in for Auto-X as it could possibly be while still on street tires, and was awesome to drive. Loved it.

But all that said, it was still more of a bucket list event. A "look what I can do with my car" kind of thing.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Ideal for autocross is something lighter than the G (or the Z, for that matter)... S2000, Miatae, early Civics (where they still had double wishbone rather than Macpherson struts).

Driving something big that handled well (like my old RX8) was fun, but then to see a completely stock Miata destroy everything but the modded S2000s that swapped FTOD back and forth... well, if you're going to compete, get the right tools. If you're having fun, run what ya brung.

I drove my 96 Cherokee in an autocross school my NC Mazda club set up as a lark to test the course when we were setting it up. Even in AWD got it up on 2 wheels a few times, but it was stable (VWs can do that too) so I ran it in the actual event to show people what you can do with otherwise stock boring things. Had to run it with a passenger though - needed the 200# on the pass side to keep it shiny side up. My codriver is a good friend and we normally drive his Spec-Miata or M3, but it was a hoot.

For me not racing the G it's more a function of needing to drive 2 hours to Savannah or Myrtle to get to an autocross. Nothing in Charleston and I don't have that much time to blow as a dad.

OTOH - my wife got me a Charlotte track-experience day in a GT-R for Christmas. So, may have to get back into feeding the go-fast-crack-pipe.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Absolutely. The Infiniti G is not the right car for Auto-x.

All I'm saying is that my 12 year old G, as it sits today, is about as good for auto-x as my car will ever be. And a stock S2000 would probably beat it no matter what I do.

For that matter, a skilled Auto-X driver would probably do better in any car.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

The Savannah group has the two modded S2000s, they beat purpose-built go carts for fastest time of day. They're *blistering* fast.