It’s been about 4,000 miles since my new motor was installed. I recently had a local shop put a RAW Performance Street Series shortblock into my 2007 STI. So far the car has been running great, and I plan on writing a blog post soon that details my recent build.

After draining the Motul 5W-40 8100 X-Cess oil that I had been running – I decided that I wanted to cut open the OEM Subaru blue oil filter. I used an electric Black & Decker saw that I had lying around, and it managed to do the trick. However, I ended up cutting the filter directly in half, as opposed to just cutting the bottom part off. (and sliding the rest out) I’ve included some high-resolution pictures below.

At one point, I found myself driving through part of an unplowed parking lot, which had about 6″ of fresh powder. My STi cut through the snow with ease, without a hint of trouble. Looking back, I realize this was primarily due to my choice of an excellent snow tire; the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25. I purchased a set of these tires from Tire Rack about 2 years ago for my STi and picked them up in a 225/45/17 size. Currently, I’m running them on the stock 17×8 BBS wheels.

This setup has proved to work very well over the last 2 years. Last winter, I went on several ski trips which involved lots of snow driving. Again, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25′s proved strong, and got me through the snow without issue.

I did plenty of research prior to purchasing my Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25′s. One helpful resource for me was reading user reviews from consumers who had already bought these tires, such as the one you’re reading now. The Tire Rack website is a great resource to find reviews such as these, which are written entirely by the consumers themselves. You can find a link to the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 review’s page here. (Scroll down a bit once the page loads)

One of the primary reasons that I went with the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25′s is that they feature better dry road handling than most other “snow tires”. Tire Rack refers to this as increased “European high-speed winter driving performance.” In addition, it’s pretty common for snow tires to be associated with the stereotype of being “soft”, and not allowing for spirited driving. Owners of STi’s typically drive their cars as they’re meant to be driven. Therefore, having a tire that’s capable during the winter months is necessary. Being able to pass RWD pickup trucks in the snow also makes for a good laugh.

I’ve always trusted Bridgestone in the past, which is why I decided to try out the LM-25′s. One of my more recent purchases from them was a set of Potenza RE-01R‘s.

Overall, I feel that I made a good choice. I’ve had the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25′s for about 2 years now, and have driven them through 2 New England winters. Even with some mixed in spirited driving, they still show very little wear. With that said, I think it’s safe to say that these will last me more than a few years, especially since I run them seasonally.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to Tire Rack and pick up a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25‘s today!

Recently I’ve found that jacking up my STi has been a lot easier when doing so from the pinch weld of the car. However, I quickly realized that using a standard floor jack could cause possible damage to the pinch weld. Therefore, I’ve created a pinch weld adapter for my floor jack using a hockey puck, and some simple tools.

Previously, I would jack up my car using the front jacking plate, and the rear differential. The downside to this is that my car is lowered on coilovers. Therefore, my Craftsman floor jack cannot fit under the front of the car. To remedy this, I’ve been driving the car up onto a set of 2×4′s, which has worked out well, and provides just enough clearance for the jack.

Although overtime, putting the 2×4′s into place has gotten quite annoying. In addition, they were just another item that I needed to bring with me to autocross events. I had tried jacking up my car using the pinch weld; however I wasn’t too fond of this idea, as I felt like I was bending or damaging the weld. (Too much vertical stress on such a thin piece)

I’ve seen a few pinch weld adapters for sale on the Internet, however most of them have a vertical beam that sticks out from under them, allowing them to be held in place by the floor jack. However the problem with this is that my floor jack doesn’t have any openings to allow this beam to fit into. In the end, these adapters wouldn’t work for me.

Therefore, I finally set out to create my own adapter. I decided to use an old hockey puck that I found laying around my garage. Pictures are really worth a thousand words; therefore I’ve included a number of them after the page break. You can use the following steps to create your own floor jack pinch weld adapter:

1. Clamp a hockey puck into a secure location using some type of vice
2. Eyeball or draw 2 lines down the middle of the puck, signifying your cutting points. You need about a half-inch (0.5″) for the pinch weld to fit into.
3. Cut down the middle of the puck. I used a Black & Decker HandiSaw. Make your cuts straight down at first. Then once you’ve gone down far enough, begin to cut sideways, causing the cut-out piece to eventually fall out of place. (and be removed)

Be sure to leave some space towards the bottom of the puck; this way it stays in one piece. Once you’re done making your cuts, be sure to test fit the adapter by placing it onto the pinch weld, and pushing it upwards. (To make sure the pinch weld fits)

Overall, I feel much better now that I’m using an adapter on my pinch weld. I no longer fear any bending or damage will occur. Feel free to drop some comments on this post if you have any questions, that way other readers can see them as well.

I took a quick run to my local Ace Hardware store and managed to find a set of bolts that fit perfectly, without any hassles or issues. The size I got was:

M8 x 1.25 x 40mm

The added length of these bolts provided plenty of clearance for the Whiteline front strut brace. When I took one of the stock bolts into the store with me, it appeared to be close to 25mm in length.

After picking up a set of 6 new bolts, I quickly put them onto the car, as I had been waiting to put the strut brace on for a few weeks. I simply jacked up the front end of the car, took the wheels off, and replaced the studs with the coilovers/camber plates still attached to the car. Obviously I loosened and removed the tophat nuts, but the lower control arm and knuckle still held the strut in place without issue. The lower strut bolts were not loosened or removed, therefore my alignment is still perfectly in tact.

I also picked up 6 new M8 tophat nuts, as the stock ones looked like they were going to be rounded soon.

I will post up pictures soon!

Let me start by saying that these tires aren’t for the feint at heart. When buying these, you don’t think about if you need them or not. They’re designed for people who know they need them. (racing, competition, etc) At the beginning of the 2008 autocross season, I decided to convert my 2007 STi into a BSP prepped car. A common setup in BSP is wide wheels, paired up with race compound tires, also known as “r-comps” for short. The SCCA rulebook states that cars in the Street Prepared class are allowed to run DOT-legal race tires. Therefore, they can technically be driven on the street. (and yes, it’s fun!)

The two big race tire names in autocross are Kumho and Hoosier. Kumho offers the V710, while Hoosier offers the A5. Both brands and models can be found on all types of different cars throughout the grid areas. The general run-down for comparison is as follows:

Kumho – Longer life, more durable, less costly
Hoosier – Higher overall grip, more costly, lower tire life

When it came time for me to choose which brand to go with, I weighed out the pro’s and con’s of each, and thought about things for about a week. I’d been told by many to go with the  Kumho’s, as they’re known to be friendlier for first-time race tire owners. (lower cost, more life, etc) Therefore, I ended up ordering a set of Kumho V710‘s from TireRack, and they shortly arrived a few days later. (Did I mention that TireRack has some of the fastest shipping that I’ve ever seen?)

After receiving the tires, I quickly had them mounted up onto my race wheels; a set of 17×10 +35mm 5Zigen FN01R-C’s. This setup would soon produce incredible amounts of grip.

My first event arrived a few week later, and what do you know? Rain!. I figured what the heck, I’d been waiting for weeks to try them out, so I put them on anyways. That day went quite interesting. Let’s just say brand new race tires on a wet course isn’t the slickest idea. (No pun intended!)

I had another event 1 week after my 1st, and thankfully it was dry this time. It was also very hot that day, which is beneficial for race tires, as it allows you to keep their temperatures up. Tires of this nature operate much more effectively when warm; and it’s certainly very noticeable when they cool off. The event that day went very well, and I managed to pull off 2nd place in my class. (BSP)

One thing that you notice straight away is the noise. Race tires are silent. There’s no more crazy screeching noises coming from the tires. They just grip, and that’s it.

Not only do they create a ton of grip, but they also induce the driver with an enormous amount of confidence. I found myself rapidly dropping my times each run, consistently throughout the day. Things only got better as the day went on, and I grew more accustomed to my new setup. I’ve read that people say race tires are worth about 2 seconds on the autocross course. I’m going to partially agree, in the sense that they definitely lower times, but I think it’s more in the range of 4 seconds.

Overall, the Kumho Ecsta V710 is an excellent autocross tire. I have still yet to try out the Hoosier A5′s, but from where I am today, I can’t find myself wanting anymore. I personally feel that the Kumho V710 offers all that I’m looking for, and I can’t see them getting any better than they already are.

Interesting in picking up a set? Check out the Kumho Ecsta V710 at TireRack today!

Often times enthusiasts will purchase suspension parts for their cars, without thinking of the attached strings, such as added noise, vibration, and harshness. Or for some, they knew there will be added NVH once the part is installed, but the handling benefits outweigh the comfort factors. I happen to fall into this 2nd category myself, and figured I would post up a review of the Whiteline Rear Strut Brace for the GD STi.

Last year I installed RaceComp Engineering Tarmac 2 coilovers onto my car. These coilovers are great, and offer excellent adjustability, without sacrificing too much ride comfort. I drive the car with Tarmac 2′s on daily, and therefore have adjusted my struts to a comfortable setting. Often times people will categorize coilovers as making their cars feel stiffer. I think a better word to describe the Tarmac 2′s is “tighter“.

However, with this added performance other factors come into play, such as NVH. A few months after installing my coilovers, I began to notice a slight windshield creak, and it was only audible when going over driveways or slight inclines at an angle. So what did I do? I hopped onto IWSTI, and searched about the issue. Long story short, I wasn’t alone. Countless other members had experienced the same thing, and they all had one thing in common: They were all running coilovers.

A few members had posted about how they installed strut braces to help tighten up the upper strut tower areas of the car. Subaru enthusiasts often deem strut braces as an unnecessary mod, since the strut towers are so close to the firewall up front. Although this rule does not apply to the rear. Therefore, I decided to go ahead and order both front and rear Whiteline Strut Braces.

I ordered both front and rear Whiteline Strut Braces, along with a few other goodies all from Import Image Racing. Shipping was very fast, as everything arrived only a few days later.

I have PDE camber plates on the front of my car, with Cusco camber plates out back. I quickly learned that the tophat studs on the PDE plates up front weren’t long enough, and did not feature enough thread to securely tighten down the brace onto the car. I’ll save my stud-replacement front brace install adventure for another blog post, so stay tuned!

Installation:

Installation of the rear brace was fairly straightforward. I used the following process:

1. Remove rear seats
2. Remove 6 tophat studs with the car on the ground (3 on each side)
3. Remove ends from center piece of the strut brace.
4. Fit end pieces into place, and loosely thread tophat nuts back on by hand
5. Adjust the brace’s center piece length as needed, and then fit it to the end pieces
6. After proper fitment, tighten up the 6 tophat nuts
7. You’re done!

Overall, the install went without a hitch. It should be noted that for step 5, I pretty much crawled into the trunk of the car, as it was my only option to get an up close view of things. Whiteline also mentions that you should not pre-load the strut brace. Therefore, I adjusted the length to where it was tight, and could no longer spin, and then loosened it 1 full turn. Either way, if the brace is properly fit into place, it’s going to work functionally, regardless of how stiff or lose it is. It should also be noted that the proper fitment of the brace is for the center piece to be parallel with the ground. (flat) This can be seen in the pictures below.

Initial Impressions:

After going out for a drive, I immediately noticed an improvement. My rear windshield creak was mostly gone, although I still had a few squeaks. I decided to fully wait on judgment until after installing my front strut brace as well. (To complete the pair)

Another improvement that I noticed is that the rear end of the car feels more planted and controlled. Shifting from side to side is virtually eliminated, which allows the rear struts to really take the hit when riding over bumps and such. (A good thing) With my Tarmac 2′s, I can hear a nice “psst-psst” sound, which is most likely coming from the strut’s external reservoirs.

I have yet to autocross with the new braces installed, however I do have an event this upcoming weekend. (Sunday) I’ll report back with race impressions in my comments section.

Overall, I definitely noticed a solid improvement from the Whiteline Rear Strut Brace. With a cost of only $169 for the Whiteline Rear Strut Brace, I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for ways to improve their STi or WRX suspension.

I’ve included a gallery below with pictures from the install. I have not modified these pictures since taking them, therefore they are very high quality. (56k warning!)

The PDE plates are an absolutely excellent product. Their build quality is incredible, and they fit perfect. Their unique design sets them apart from all other manufacturers, as they feature a unique set-interval camber adjustment system, by the use of different holes. Each hole represents .2 degrees of camber, and the plates can be adjusted accordingly. For me, this setup has worked out great as I’m able to have my daily driver camber setting for the street, and then I’m able to max out the front camber when I go to autocross events. After I’m done with my event, I simply change the plates back to my DD “hole”, and I’m back at exactly -1.7 camber with 0 toe!

Coilovers are great, don’t get me wrong, but they sometimes come attached with other variables, including added noise, vibration, and harshness, also known as NVH for short. My Tarmac 2′s have been great as a daily driver setup as well, but I’ve noticed that they have promoted a creaking sound in my front and rear windshields. To many, this is expected and is not an uncommon occurrence.

To fix the issue, I’ve decided to invest in a set of Whiteline front and rear strut braces. The rear brace installed without a hitch. The Cusco camber plates provided plenty of thread on the tophat bolts for the brace to latch onto.

Although the front was a bit more of a challenge. After loosening the 3 tophat nuts on each camber plate, I quickly discovered that the tophat bolts on the PDE camber plates simply weren’t long enough. As part of the strut brace, Whiteline provides a set of washers, and in the instructions asks that you place them under the brace at each of the 3 bolts. This is done because the strut tower area isn’t exactly level, and the washers are meant to help fix this.

So, to help visualize, the setup goes:

PDE Camber Plate > Tophat Bolt > Strut Tower (Body of the car) > Washer > Strut Brace > Tophat nut

With the supplied washers in place, I was only able to get about 3-4 full turns out of each tophat nut. This left me with a bolt that wasn’t able to fully thread through the tophat nut. A picture is really worth a thousand words, so I’ve included one below:

As you can see, the nut definitely has some thread to latch onto, but by no means do I feel this is secure. Therefore, I’ve opted to get some longer bolts, as the original bolts are designed to be removed from the PDE camber plates.

For those readers who might run into this problem in the near future, I’ve found that I need the following bolt size:

M8 x 1.25 Metric Button Head Bolt

The length can vary, although something probably around 60mm should be sufficient. I still haven’t picked up a set of these bolts myself, but I plan to sometime this week. I will keep you updated on how it turns out, and on the final size that I end up with.

Another picture:

Moving on, I also feel that I should point out that PDE’s customer service appears to be non-existent. I’ve emailed them about 4 days ago, and still haven’t received a response. I also noticed that their website states that the camber plates fit with most aftermarket strut braces. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Whiteline strut brace isn’t very different that any other braces on the market. Therefore, I’m not really sure how this statement can be true, but it’s still on their website.

Overall, PDE without a doubt makes an excellent product, though when it comes to customer service, they don’t shine very well. (if at all!) If your thinking about getting a set of PDE camber plates, by all means go for it, just don’t be surprised if it takes 3 weeks to get them, or if you don’t receive a reply from customer service. (they don’t even have a phone number posted!) In the end though, if you do end up getting the plates, take them and run!

Now, onto my story: I was driving my car during a winter safety driving school (last year), and long story short, my car and a snowbank had a quick meet and greet . Unfortunately though, this snowbank had turned into an icebank in the single-digit temperatures of northern NH during January. Therefore this icebank created some serious scuffing/gouging/scratches on my front right and rear right wheels. (the stock 07 silver BBS’)

I drove on them for the rest of the winter, but eventually dirt and other junk started to collect in the scuffed areas, something I couldn’t clean out, no matter how hard I tried.

Therefore, prior to putting my winter wheels back on for the winter this year, I decided to fix the two damaged wheels. Now keep in mind, the damage done to these wheels was purely cosmetic. The “physical structure” of the wheel was still completely solid and showed no signs of damage.

Now, let’s begin with pictures of the two damaged wheels:

The above pictures should give you a good idea of the extent of damage done. Pretty much the entire face of each wheel was affected.

After doing some research on the internet, I found a “matching” silver paint for the silver OEM BBS wheels. Wurth makes a silver lacquer that supposedly matches the OEM BBS’. They also make a clear lacquer, which is the accompanying clearcoat product. Therefore, I decided to give it a chance and ordered both products. (Link can be found here)

Below you can find a list of materials that area needed for this project. Please note the amounts are based on fixing/refinishing 2 wheels.

Materials Needed:

• Wurth Silver Lacquer Paint – 1 can
• DupliColor High Performance Wheel Coating (clear coat) – 1 can
• DupliColor Sandable Primer – 1.5-2 cans
• Blue Painters Tape
• Bondo Spot Putty
• 220 Grit Sandpaper
• 400 Grit Sandpaper
• 1500 Grit Sandpaper
• AutoPrep Automotive Paintwork Cleaner (removes wax, etc, really strong stuff)

It should be noted that for pretty much all of the following steps, I was wearing a small white respirator, to protect me from any harmful fumes. (small mouth covering face mask)

Step 1 – Clean the Wheel

Start out by thoroughly cleaning the wheel. I used SimpleGreen for this task, with the added help of a garden hose to thoroughly hose everything off. After getting the wheels squeaky clean, I also used the AutoPrep paintwork cleanser and sprayed it on. After spraying, let it sit for about 1 minute before wiping off. (warning: this stuff is REALLY strong, do this outside and be careful of fumes)

Step 2 – Light Sanding

After cleaning, lightly sand down the wheel. You may opt to tape off the tire sidewall portion of the wheel at this time, although I did not do this until later. Mainly focus on the areas which are going to be repaired. For this task, I used 220 grit sandpaper.

Eventually you’ll begin to see metal, which will actually have a shine to it in certain cases. Also be sure to sand/rough-up any scuffed areas, as this will be important for the Bondo to properly adhere to the wheel.

Step 3 – Bondo

After fully sanding down the wheel, begin to apply the Bondo spot putty. This was my first time ever working with Bondo, and therefore I was quite generous with the product. Applying too much Bondo to an area has no ill-effects; it’s just more material to sand off later on. Please note that you MUST wear a respirator during this step, as many of you know Bondo is really strong stuff, and the fumes/odor can be harmful.

The spot putty consists of two elements. The white putty, and the red hardening cream. When mixed, the bondo has roughly 5 minutes until it hardens. According to the directions, one must mix first, then apply the product to the application. (in this case, the wheel) Although I didn’t feel like getting too messy with things, so I simply goo-ed on the white bondo all over the wheel. Following this, I applied the red hardening cream ontop of the white goo, and mixed it all together while wearing rubber latex gloves. (and while both products were already on the wheel) Also, the Bondo only needs to be applied to the problematic areas. (such as scratches, gouges, scuffs, etc)

A picture best describes this:

Step 4 – Bondo & Wheel Sanding

Let the wheel sit for some time, allowing the spot putty to full-dry. I believe the directions stated the putty could be sanded within 30 minutes of application, but I didn’t want to risk it. Therefore, I simply let it dry overnight. (not necessary, an hour or so should do)

After the putty has fully dried, take out your 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, and begin to sand the putty down. Again, be careful and wear a respirator, as sanding creates lots and lots of small particles. (bondo flavor!) I started out sanding down the bondo’d areas with 220 grit, and followed up with 400 grit later on. You should also sand down the rest of the wheel at this time, to fully even things out.

Sand the puttied areas down until they are flush/smooth with the rest of the wheel surface. Once sanding is complete, the surface of your wheel should be completely smooth. If not, add more putty if desired and repeat. I managed to get by on the first try, and most likely you will be able to as well.

Once the wheel attains a smooth surface, any pink areas left should represent a scratch, scuff, or gouge that was filled in by the spot putty.

Pictures after getting a smooth wheel surface:

Step 5 – More Wheel Cleaning

After sanding, be sure to clean the wheel again thoroughly, making sure no sand dust is left behind. Most likely, there will be lots of dust left behind, so I sprayed some AutoPrep paintwork cleaner. Again, this stuff is very strong, and did a great job of cleaning the dust up. I also used my shop vac, which allowed me to suck up the loose dust prior to cleaning the wheel.

Step 6 – Prep Work

Prep work! Now that the wheel is squeaky clean, your going to want to tape off any areas that you don’t want to get paint onto. That includes your beautiful STi! During my project, I actually had my wheels on an old red wagon, so I could wheel them around, and also did all paint spraying outside. (and closed the garage door behind me, preventing any paint from hitting my car)

I recommend taping off the sidewall of your tire, the silver wheel hole bearings, and the black valve stem & cap. I used blue painters tape, which worked well and held up great throughout the entire painting process.

Cut out some newspaper, and tape it to the inside of your wheel, preventing any paint from hitting this area. I also put painters tape onto the backs of the spokes.

During spraying, it’s also VERY handy to have a stack of note cards. You can prop these up between the tire sidewall and the lip of the wheel. These also work great in protecting the tire from getting paint on it.

Prep work shots:

Step 7 – Primer

After fully sanding down the wheel, your ready for primer! I purchased some “Duplicolor Sandable Primer” for this task. This product is available in different colors, so don’t get confused! All colors are the same formula, and it will be hidden underneath your paint anyways. I opted for the gray color.

Apply 3-4 coats of primer. I sprayed very light coats, and allowed about 15 minutes in between the first 2 coats. After applying coat #2, I allowed the wheel to dry for a few hours, making sure it was fully cured. After fully drying, I was able to see the finish it left, and then applied coats 3 & 4, being sure to cover any areas that I missed. It should be noted: It’s better to apply 3-4 light coats, than to apply 1-2 heavy coats, to prevent running.

If you do get some running, no need to worry, simply be sure to let the primer fully dry, and then sand the affected area, followed by respraying.

After the primer has fully dried, lightly sand it with 400 grit sandpaper. Once sanding is complete, suck up the remaining dust with a shop vac. DO NOT USE AUTOPREP CLEANER ON THE WHEEL AT THIS POINT! AutoPrep cleaner is so strong it will strip the primer right off. If you have remaining dust left over, use a softer/less harsh cleaner. I opted for a light mix of SimpleGreen.

Pictures of primed wheel:

Step 8 – Time for Paint!

After allowing the primer to fully dry, it’s time for paint. Again, I applied 3-4 coats, and these were very light coats. The Wurth silver lacquer has a very metallic look to it, and the shiny metal flakes will fly everywhere, so be extra careful to protect anything in the surrounding area that you don’t want paint on.

Apply 3-4 coats of Wurth silver lacquer. I applied the first two coats, and waited 15 minutes in between coats. After the 2nd coat, I let the paint fully dry for 1 hour, then applied 2 more coats, again waiting 15 minutes in between.

Step 9 – Clearcoat

Now I had originally ordered the Wurth clear lacquer as well, so like anyone else would do, I applied it after the paint was done drying. Although unfortunately, it did not deliver the shine that I wanted. Therefore, after doing some reading on the int4rw3bz, I set off to Advance Auto Parts, and picked up some DupliColor High Performance Wheel Coating. (the clear color!!) The product ended up working great, and now technically one of my wheels has two types of clear coat applied to it. (This may have actually helped in terms of durability, I’m not really sure)

After the paint has fully dried, apply 3-4 coats of clear coat. Again, follow the rule of 15 minutes in between coats. (and allow 1 hour drying time after the 2nd coat) Also, I highly suggest allowing the 1 hour drying time after coat #2, to thoroughly check for any missed areas, as it’s hard to see where the clear coat hasn’t been applied to.

After the last coat of clear coat, be sure to let the wheel fully dry. This step is very important, as it’s sensitive to the final finish of your wheel(s). Also, be sure not to use any types of cleaner on the wheel for a few days, to let the recently applied clear coat fully de-gas. (polish should be ok, but hold off on the wax if you can)

Step 10 – Admire the Finished Product

That’s it! Give yourself a pat on the back. I never thought that I would be able to complete a project such as this, but I just did a lot of reading, and pretty much said to myself it’s worth a shot. I wanted to have my wheels repaired anyways, so I figured if they came out undesirable, I would just have a bodyshop re-do them. Though the bodyshop may do great work, they also charge $150 per wheel.

The end product came out looking VERY good, and it’s practically OEM quality! I will admit the texture of the finish does not feel 100% the same, but that can be corrected out with some 2000 grit sandpaper, and some quality polish. I plan on applying some Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (SIP) within the next few days, as this should do wonders on smoothing out the finish. Menzerna makes top-quality polishes, so I figure it’s worth a shot. (You can pick up some Menzerna SIP here)

So there you have it folks: Your BBS wheels are now back in great shape, and all of this was done for less than $50!

Questions/comments? Reply to this post, and I will try my best to answer them! (this way other readers can see the questions/answers)

All of the pictures within this post are thumbnails, and they can be maximized by clicking on each one.

Here are some finished shots of my BBS wheels. Both repaired wheels are on the right side of my car.

This part of the lip used to be scuffed like crazy, now it looks brand new!

Non-repaired OEM finish wheel (left) vs. Repaired Finish (right)

Pictures 1.5 months later (right after washing the car):

Pictures later that day, wheels dirty from winter salt once again:

The 2009 Subaru Forester XT shares the same engine as the ’08 Impreza WRX. Perrin Performance was able to get 225 whp and 300 lb-ft of torque out of a stock 08 WRX with a stage 1 tune. Therefore, it looks like we can expect roughly the same numbers from the new Foresters.

The link to the Cobb AccessPORT for the 2009 Subaru Forester XT can be found here.

Although Bridgestone has done it again, and this time their back with their new Potenza RE-01R. This tire has been placed into the extreme performance category, and it certainly holds true to the name. I purchased 4 of these tires from TireRack just over a year ago, and couldn’t be happier.

My initial intent of my purchase was to obtain a nice set of street tires to use for autocross. At the time I was competing with my car in the SCCA BSP class, although I was running street tires. (BSP allows R-compound race tires) I somehow figured that I was best off with street tires, and the ease of being able to drive to events on them certainly appealed to me. Therefore, I went ahead and purchased a set of 245/40/17′s.

They arrived a few days later, and I immediately had them mounted up onto a new set of Hyper Black Rota G-Forces. (17×8 +48mm) The tires ran great, and I drove them on the street for about a week to break them in. (these were street tires that I had planned on using only to/from/at events) My initial impression was that they were significantly quieter than the stock STi Potenza RE070. (225/45/17) With the RE070′s, it sounds almost as if the tires are howling down the road, but with RE-01R’s on, the car sounded completely silent.

Grip also seems improved, but not something I would consider significant compared to the RE070. Rain performance is also very good, without much sliding, if any at all. Overall, the RE-01R introduced much more comfort, with the added benefit of additional grip.

Since then, I’ve taken my RE070′s off my stock wheels, and have put snow tires on them. I’ve been daily driving during the summer on my RE-01R/Rota combo now for about a year, and I absolutely love the setup. I’ve also introduced R-compound race tires to my lineup for autocrossing, and I’ve been using the RE-01R’s as my rain tires. (race tires in standing water = no good)

Currently RE-01R’s are a “special” and are on sale at The Tire Rack. Interested in picking up a set? Click the link below to grab them now, before the price goes back up!

Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Tire