Underdog

On Friday morning I gave my girlfriend a tutorial on changing a flat tire. Once I had the tire off the car I saw the damage on the inside sidewall, it was a huge diagonal slice. Time for the winter tires! I called up Sullivan Tire in Watertown. After explaining my situation to him he quoted me for both the full set of Dunlop Wintersport M3's (OEM size) and a single replacement RE92. I was shocked to find out that the RE92 was $60 more expensive than the M3. I had no problem switching over after that. The base price for the Dunlops were $191 per. All said and done I paid ~$850 for my new tires mounted and balanced, with a 10% AAA discount. First impressions of Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires The tires immediately felt more supple and forgiving on dry pavement. I was very cautious at first with the tires fearing that they shouldn't be worked hard in 50 degree temps on dry pavement. However, even granny driving will not save you from the terrible roads around here and it was impossible to not notice how much quieter these tires are over bumps and rough pavement. Despite the complete lack of inclement weather during my trip I really appreciated these tires in the colder temperatures. I believe the M3's compound is much better suited for low temperature than the re92 (duh!). The tires did feel like they had much better grip but at the expense of only the slightest "mushiness." I am excited to see how they will perform at even colder teperatures and in the snow/rain/ice. So far, between 30-50 degrees these tires far outshine the re92 in every concievable way!

Hahaha! That's awesome, I would really appreciate if you could send that to me or post it up on here... Thanks for all the GRP love!

Well yesterday morning I went to Cityside Subaru and got my first oil change @ 1,730 miles. Since they were topping off all the fluids and adjusting the tire pressure I figured they might as well rotate the tires in anticipation of my roadtrip this weekend. (Going to the Adirondacks with the gf). Total was $40 and they were very friendly and helpful. I picked up a bunch of oil filters while I was there for future oil changes. On my way home this evening, I was driving through a huge puddle when I felt and heard a large bump. I think the manhole cover in the center of the puddle had come off exposing the hole. Just after the bump the car began puling slightly to the right. I was just about a mile from home and despite the slight pull I thought everything was ok. However when I finally got home I went to check the tire pressure and there was none. Grabbed my flashlight for a quick visual confirmation and the tire is indeed flat. I can't tell if it’s punctured or if it just came unseated off the rim so I get to take care of all that fun tomorrow! The trip has now been bumped back over 30 hrs... (originally supposed to leave this morning)

^ A Happy Thanksgiving to you sir! None of this would be possible if it weren't for Reza... Thanks for everything!

This morning the problem with the shifter seemed exaggerated. I can't tell if it's the cold weather but I'm definitely leaning towards getting the STS done. Are the bushings that Cobb offers to replace the bushings at the pivot of the shifter inside the car or the anchor point for the shifter under the car? I would think the pivot bushings would contribute to the "slop" if the are soft rubber. Also, I was looking at the vaca pix and they mentioned that our first oil change isn't due until 7,500 miles and @ 7,500 mile increments after that. I'm thinking that the whole first oil change might be nice just for peace of mind (especially cause you get the tire pressure adjustment, top all fluids, lube the chassis, inspection all for $27). Does anyone think that I should go for it or just follow the factory recommended service?

In my first month I have put roughly 1,500 miles on the car. The first 500 miles were probably the most difficult - getting the hang of the clutch, obssessing about warm-up time and trip length, etc... My driving has been probably 75% quick-trip/city driving and 25% highway (% by trip, not by mile) For the first 1,000 miles I made sure to not have shorter trips than 15 minutes in order to let the car experience a full warm-up/cool-down cycle. I also tried my best to never exceed 4,000 rpm and to not maintain a constant engine speed for too long (both per the manual). Gas mileage for the first 1,000 came in at 18.6 calculated and 18.6 actual. I was very surprised how dead-on the trip computer was/is. While I am spending a lot of money on gas, I knew what to expect when getting the car and I have no problem paying to play! I have become much more comfortable with the car since the break-in period ended. Instead of shifting between 3-3.5k rpm I will use a bit more of the engine's range and shift between 4-5k rpm based on how "spirited" I feel like driving. If I'm feeling more economical I revert back to the 3-3.5k shift point which seems to result in a smoother ride but a bit more lag if I need to get on it. I really only have one complaint about the car and that's the shifter. The shifts often seem very "vague" like I can't tell if the gears are fully engaged. It definitely lacks a crisp, smooth shift. I think I have read every STS thread on this forum and I'm not convinced that one will fix these issues. One issue I have noticed is when I'm approaching a stop I will have the clutch disengaged and be positioning the shifter into first in preperation for a green light. The shifter will not "fall" into place until the car has almost completely stopped. The feeling could be described as if it is waiting against a hard stop which suddenly disappears and the shifter just falls into place. I can't tell if this is a safety issue (preventing a mis-shift to 1st instead of 3rd) or just the syncros taking a moment to engage. The other "problem" I have discovered is the common affliction known as the "mod-bug." I have an almost insatiable desire to modify this car in many different ways. The problem is two-fold: 1) funds are tight; 2) The car is so good as is, I don't want to mess it up. From my original list of ASAP mods, only a select few have survived: 1. iPod jack (have the parts just waiting to pull the stereo and hack) 2. De/Re-badge - I'm really liking chenc's L7 badges, but I've also considered blank and "LEGACY" on the left and "2.5GT" on the right. 3. Clear/Black headlights - I'm still on the fence on this one, I haven't really seen a side-by-side on GRP. 4. The shifter may annoy me to the point where I'm willing to try the Cobb DA STS. Otherwise, I'd rather put my money into maintaining the car and keeping it clean. Two issues come to mind: 1. I would like to do an oil-change soon to get the break-in oil out of the car and get some fresh dino-juice in there. I will probably go synthetic at around 10,000 miles. I will most likely bring this to a dealer for the first oil change (since I have to pick up the oil filters anyway, might as well get the lube/tire pressure/inspection for $27). 2. I'd really like to get into datalogging. It seems that this is the best way to truly know what modifications make the most sense for your goals. I have been looking into finding a small, lightweight laptop for use with datalogging and some minor A/V usage. It would be nice if it came with enough grunt to run photoshop (very basic user) and some modest games. Any recommendations on a quality laptop would be appreciated. I'm also interested in being able to add other sensors besides those in the OBDII protocol. (for instance, the OBDII logs IAT but I would also like to get temp/pressure before and after the IC). If anyone has experiece with the hard/software necessary to run some external sensors, I'd appreciate the help.

Interesting note: I calculate my tank-to-tank MPG in an excel spreadsheet and after 5 fillups I reset my trip odometer and compare my actual trip MPG to the computer. I calculated an actual trip MPG for my first ~1,050 miles and came out with 18.608 mpg, the computer showed 18.6! Given the lack of significant digits, the computer was dead-on accurate.

Saturday evening on 495 South near Bridgewater, MA. You - silver GT sedan debadged except for the "T" in GT, medium tint. Me - GRP Leggy pulling up on the side and drafting, only other car on the road at that point and you wouldnt even acknowledge me. Shame on you!

1st day of ownership at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI. All in all, actually driving the car made me realize that I did not feel the need for any performance modifications to the car at all. This thing has plenty of power for me. Right now, I want to get the car looking proper and this brings me to my mod plan. ASAP: Tint (medium tint, even all around) Clear/Black headlights Side sill chrome piece -> Black or GRP Rebadge, not sure what will stay or go, maybe paint letters black or GRP. Gotta do something with that grille, either blacked out, or some combo of black and GRP, radiator needs to get sprayed too. Tail overlays AUX in jack per the combined efforts of RyanE, ipoduser and jazzymt. As needed or convenient or affordable: Winter tires - Nokian WR's or Dunlop M3's seem to be in fashion. Wheel/Tire pkg. for summer - Thinking something in 18" like a spec.b or something like the OZ Michelangelo (which is 17"). Would like to get gunmetal or something 20-30% darker than OEM wheel. Brake pads, SS lines, Black out calipers Fulcrum LCA bushings Cobb STS STi gauge pack OEM sub or install my Polk/MOMO 10" in custom enclosure Extended armrest JDM 2.0 GT Spec. B bumper swap w/ new Legacy STi grille and STi front lip, probably get the Silver STi badge at the same time. Springs/dampers when the stock ones wear out. AP/UP/DP/TMIC/Meth/Protune when the powertrain warranty is out. That's about all I have planned but its nice to know that even if none of these ever happen, I will still get a smile any time I get in that car.

Yeah it was pretty expensive and it hurt cutting that check but considering the taxes on the car were $1,500 I'm not that hung up on it. East coast to Europe is about 3,000 miles, so that seems right to me... plus I don't have to worry about it sinking!

Thanks! I used D.A.S. (Dependable Auto Shippers) which I found through Wukindada's advice: checking out ebay - autos. Originally I was trying to get the cheapest quote possible and D.A.S. gave that to me: $850 which covered transportation from Santa Monica, CA to Woburn, MA (3000 mi.) and also insurance ("valuation"). I ended up striking a deal with them to get the shipping, enclosed carrier, top vehicle placement and the insurance for $1,275. I chose these add-ons because I figured WTF, it's peanuts compared to the price of the car. I had checked out epinions.com and a lot of people complained about D.A.S. but I found them to be curteous and helpful, the online tracking worked awesome and the car got here a full week earlier than expected. All in all, a very positive experience.

Car is here! I'm going to go enjoy the hell out of it for a bit and savor the clutch stink... Will post answers to questions when I get back...

2006 Legacy GT Ltd. Sedan - 2.5L Turbo/5MT - Garnet Red Pearl/Black Purchased new 10/20/2006 Engine - New EJ257 w/ Balanced Nitrided Crank and OEM Rods, Wiseco K598M9975 Pistons w/ SwainTech Gold Coat (8.25:1 CR), King XPG Bearings - B25 Heads with Tomei Poncams, stock valves/springs, DIY bowl/runner clean-up, SwainTech TBC chambers and exhaust runners - KillerB Oil Pickup & Windage Tray - GroupN Engine and Pitch Stop Mounts - Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator and Hoses - Fluidampr Crank Pulley Exhaust/Turbo - JDM V8 STI Twinscroll Header/UP painted w/ VHT Silver Header Paint - Blouch Dominator 1.5XT-R Twinscroll w/ Coated Turbine Housing - Grimmspeed 3-Port EBCS - Moore Performance Divorced Twinscroll DP (WBO2 bung, catless w/ re-plumb) w/ Cerakote Titanium and PTP Lava Wrap - Cobb SS CBE w/ Perrin Poly Hangers - PTP Lava Turbo Blanket Intake/Intercooling - GR STI Cobb SF Intake w/ Air Box and MAF - Perrin Turbo Inlet - VA STI OEM TMIC & Y-Pipe - Homemade splitter - GR STI OEM BPV - "STI Swap" Grimmspeed PnP GR STI Throttle Body, Intake Manifold, TGV Deletes Fueling - DW65c Fuel Pump - FPCM Wiring Modification - '07 STI FPR - STI Top-Feed Fuel Rails - ID1000 Injectors Drivetrain - ACT HDSS Clutch w/ SMFW & TSK TOB - Cobb DA-STS - Kartboy Front, Rear, and Shift Linkage Bushings - Original 5MT Gearbox w/ Motul 300 - Front LSD from V4-V6 JDM STI RA - 5MT DCCD from V2-V6 JDM STI RA and 22B - MapDCCD Controller - Moore Performance Blast Plates - GroupN 5MT Mount and Subframe Bushings - AP Suretrac R160 Rear Diff from V5-V6 JDM STI w/ Motul 300 - Spec.B Aluminum Diff Cradle - Whiteline Rear Diff Bushing Inserts Suspension - 18"x7.5" e48 Rota Tarmac II/Group A, Full-Royal Steel Grey, with 225/40-18 Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 - Bilstein BSS Coilovers (F: 60N/mm, R: 80N/mm) - Hotchkis Adjustable Swaybars (F: 25mm, R: 22mm) - Kartboy Solid Endlinks - AVO Rear Swaybar Mounts - Spec.B Aluminum Front Control Arms w/ Whiteline ALK and Front Bushings - Whiteline Roll-Center Correction Kit - Cusco Front Lower Arm Bar - Cusco Front Cross Member Brace - Carbing Strut Tower Bar w/ Integrated MCB - Spec.B Aluminum Rear Trailing Arms, and Upper Links - Whiteline Adjustable Rear Camber and Toe Links - Cusco Rear Lower Arm Bars - Cusco Side Power Bars Steering - 2015 STI Steering Rack (13:1 Ratio) - 2015 STI Solid Steering U-Joint - Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings - Cusco Steering Rack Brace - Motul ATF Braking - STi Brembo Calipers - DBA Street Slotted Rotors (rear adapter rotor for Legacy parking brake) - Hawk HPS Pads - Techna-fit SS Brake Lines (custom rear line for Brembo conversion courtesy of Brakeswap.com) - ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid - Carbing Strut Tower Bar w/ Integrated MCB Exterior - JDM Spec.B (Rev.A-C) Front Bumper & Grille - STI Front Lip Spoiler - JDM Power Folding/Heated Mirrors - JDM Tail Lights - TRS Mini H1 XB35 Bi-Xenon Retrofit in cleared headlights - Debadged - 45% Tint, Sun-Tek Carbon - GTSpec Aluminum Undertray - '08+ All-in-one Key Interior - DAMD Steering Wheel (Black w/ Red Stitch) w/ Spec.B Stereo Controls - RedlineGoods Custom Shift Boot, E-Brake Boot, and Armrest Cover (Black Nappa, Black Nappa Perf., Red Stitch) - STI 5MT Shift Knob - Spec.B Aluminum Pedals and Prosport Dead Pedal - STi Performance Gauge Pack - Block8Head 2-Gauge Dash Vent Pod w/ AEM WBO2 and Fuel Pressure Gauges (also wired to TGV sensor input @ ECU) - STI Door Sill Plates - Jazzy Aux-in with Griffin iTrip Bluetooth Receiver Electrical - Duralast Platinum AGM Group 34R Battery (740CCA) Relocated to Trunk w/ Moroso Battery Box - 1/0 SGX Main Power Feed w/ 200A ANL Fuse - Power Distribution Box w/ Bussman 10 Fuse/5 Relay Accessory Panel - 4 Ga Alt/Starter/Fuse Box/Ground Wiring

Spotted a good looking chick in a pristine red 2nd gen LGT yesterday on Rt 2W in Concord, MA at about 4:30-5pm. Very very clean looking car, no mods that I could see. Also, further down Rt. 2 I saw an '05+ silver GT sedan driven by a guy (bald), no mods to speak of.

Wow, someone payed attn in science class. Great lab write-up and format. Very intuitive and easy to read. Thank you for making 10-15 mins of my work day interesting!!!

saw an ABP lgt on California Rd. this morn ~6:30ish in Newton, you were headed towards Nonantum Rd... anyone on here?

Gotcha... this now makes 5 people I've met on the forum who are somehow connected to BSC... Weird! GO SOX! BeanBoy: Who's your friend?

LGTfan88: What do you do in Natick?

Really? Who's your friend? What type of position did you almost take?

Finishing up school at Wentworth (in Boston)... Living in Brookline (Coolidge Corner)... Working in Watertown (Boston Scientific)... -Rick

GRP LGT across from Best Buy on Brookline Ave. in Landmark Center (Boston) on Saturday night. Nice and clean...

Pond St.? I live in Brookline over in Coolidge Corner, right off of Hahvahd st. You from the area? edit: wasn't my car btw...