[wudabum]

Sooooo...I think I've been long overdue on starting this journal, and now that I have a little time on my hands, I figure I would start now. So here goes!

2013 OBP Forester XT Premium, got it around Thanksgiving of 2012

Currently mods are:

Performance:
Turbo: Kinugawa TD05 18G 8cm
Cobb Catted Downpipe
Process West TMIC
Grimmspeed 3 port EBCS
DW65 Fuel Pump
ID1000 Injectors
Perrin Turbo Inlet Hose
Cobb SF Intake with heat box
GFB BPV
Cobb SS Uppipe
WRX OEM Midpipe
OEM Forester XT Mufflers

Suspension:
Mann Engineering Stage 3 Suspension Package
Whiteline 22mm Front sway bar
Whiteline 20mm adjustable rear swaybar with reinforcing braces
Powerflex rear subframe inserts, Sport rating
Whiteline steering rack bushings
Whiteline Anti-lift kit (caster)
Whiteline front lower control arm bushings
Mann Engineering coilovers with Swift springs

Whiteline Rear Differential Positive Power Kit Bushings (Front) KDT905
Whiteline Rear Differential Positive Power Kit Inserts (installed in the rear) KDT903

Brakes:
Grimmspeed Master Brake Cylinder

Exterior:
Sport grille
OEM Fog lights with Lamin-X yellow covers
Window tint: 35 front, 17 rears
Hella Supertone horns in black

Interior:
Kenwood DNX6990HD with Access metra steering wheel control interface
Footwell illumination kit in blue
Glove compartment light in blue
SMY Dual Gauge Pod
Defi Boost Gauge
DAMD D-Shaped Leather Steering Wheel with Red Stitching
Paddle Shifters

My Forester plans have been influenced greatly by this forum from reading a bunch of write-ups here and everyone's journal. Special shout out and thanks to everyone in the 18G suggestions thread!

My goal has been to make this a very practical daily driver that I can have a lot of fun with and try not to get carried away.

Sorry, my engine bay is constantly dirty!
I'll try to get interior pictures when I can.

I will try my best to keep this journal updated with new things that I do to the car.

 

[STIdarkside]

Welcome!

Nice set of mods there. How do you like the Mann Engineering Coilovers?

 

[wudabum]

One of the first things I did when I got the car was upgrade the suspension. I went with Mann Engineering because I went with them with my other Forester and I know they do great work and Gary is very easy to work with and he knows a ton about Subarus. I originally did everything except the coilovers. Even without the coilovers, the handling improved drastically and I was very happy with it. After the first suspension upgrades, I ended up getting an accessport and Cobb downpipe. Made driving much more fun. Honestly, I didn't think I would go past Stage II...

I finally made the plunge and got the coilovers. They are a joy to drive on. The ride quality is close to stock, and I've played around with the different settings and they make driving the Forester extremely fun.

I had the Swift springs on my other Forester and while it was a great improvement over stock and gave the car a decent drop, compared to the coilovers, the ride quality was fairly actually a little more harsh and I like the flexibility I have with the coilovers. When installing them I wanted the height to still maintain some utility in the car and did not want it too low.

After driving around with the suspension for a while, I began craving more power and did some research and sought out advice from members who went through that path as well. Ultimately, this thread proved to be extremely beneficial in forming my plans for performance: 18G Upgrade, Suggestions?

 

[FXTerrific]

Ahhhh, that's right....this is the naaaasty SH!!! Awesome man, glad to see this show up. Ive loved everytime I came across you mentioned a mod here or there.

Keep it coming man!!!
Esp on this:
"Whiteline steering rack bushings
Whiteline Anti-lift kit (caster)
Whiteline front lower control arm bushings"
Pics/feedback please...haha.

 

[wudabum]

next project!

 

[Rescuer]

:grin2:

 

[wudabum]

Installed! Very quick and easy installation thanks to the write up for the paddle shifters by @Rescuer and the steering wheel write up on iwsti. My kit from japanparts included the harness so it was really easy plug and play. I figure I might as well do the 2 at the same time. Haven't driven it all that much yet but so far I'm liking it a lot.

And I already have plans to fill up that pod with an AEM wideband, I just need to get the socket to remove the plug in the bung on the Cobb downpipe and haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

 

[Galager]

I love it. Super sleeper. Did you do the front and rear sway bar at the same time? I only did the 20 rear and am now thinking I should go 24 on the front.

 

[wudabum]

I love it. Super sleeper. Did you do the front and rear sway bar at the same time? I only did the 20 rear and am now thinking I should go 24 on the front.

Yea I did the sway bars at the same time. On my previous SH, I had the STI RSB and I thought it was a good improvement, but i think having the whole package of the rear and front really evens out the handling of the car.

 

[FXTerrific]

Wow sick man. The paddles are so much fun, and that wheel?...ohhh boy!

Good calls.

 

[FXTerrific]

Sell me ur rear seat!!! (assuming its black?)...haha.

 

[wudabum]

lol i actually have been looking at seat upgrades but i'm not sure what i can replace my rear seats with...

also, that plug in the cobb downpipe is pretty stubborn and stuck in there pretty good. i'm going to try som pb blaster and see if that helps

 

[FXTerrific]

lol i actually have been looking at seat upgrades but i'm not sure what i can replace my rear seats with...

also, that plug in the cobb downpipe is pretty stubborn and stuck in there pretty good. i'm going to try som pb blaster and see if that helps

def on the plug. pb blast the crap outta it, for a couple days. i always tried it when cold, and then one day randomly when hot, and sure enough, then it worked.

and def on the seats. i dont know for sure on the rears as far as aftermarket. folks to the 08+ wrx/sti stuff...but i just want the oem leather..rather then suede. which is nice, but itll get torn up for me (my luck my dog...or my son). with the wrx stuff there will be a gap between seat back and seat bottom..unless you figure out a way to get crafty with brackets and positioning, or adjustments. i dont know a for sure way. other then covering your oem cushions with material from a wrx/sti. then sell me your leather for sure if its black!!).

the wrx/sti rears are cheap on ebay...so ive been tempted as i feel like theres gotta be a way.

 

[wudabum]

mine isnt leather lol

thanks for the tip on the plug

 

[FXTerrific]

Even if not leather, I'm down for black cloth. Just saying buddy, lol.

 

[wudabum]

Ahhhh, that's right....this is the naaaasty SH!!! Awesome man, glad to see this show up. Ive loved everytime I came across you mentioned a mod here or there.

Keep it coming man!!!
Esp on this:
"Whiteline steering rack bushings
Whiteline Anti-lift kit (caster)
Whiteline front lower control arm bushings"
Pics/feedback please...haha.

I just realized I never actually addressed this.

As far as the steering rack bushings, it stiffens up the steering quite a bit and enhances the feedback of the steering. i'm a big fan of the upgrade.

Not sure what to think of the anti-lift kit as it adds caster, and it's an alignment thing and I kind of did a lot of this stuff all at once so it's difficult to really gauge what it did on it's own.

I'm a big fan of all the bushings that I upgraded and I will probably do some more bushing upgrades (I think my next upgrade will be the rear differential bushings). They really take out a lot of the slop in the stock bushings and makes the car feel whole and together

The handling of the car is pretty much optimized at this point in my opinion. I'm really happy with how it handles and will probably only do a handful of other upgrades to it.

 

[FXTerrific]

Thanks!!

 

[wudabum]

ugh, i ended up rounding the socket for that plug...not good. that gauge will probably be postponed for the time being

 

[wudabum]

Decided I'm not going to try to install the wideband. I have it up for sale, it's the AEM (30-4110) UEGO Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge.

 

[Galager]

Decided I'm not going to try to install the wideband. I have it up for sale, it's the AEM (30-4110) UEGO Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge.

You should have one. Just have a shop weld another bung in, it's easy.


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