Turbology

Gears of War

2010-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome back faithful followers, and I hope our American friends had a great Thanksgiving holiday with their loved ones. What's new on our end? Jura aka George is the proud first-time father of a beautiful baby girl, Katerina. Mom and baby are both doing great and George is suffering from a melted heart haha.

Butch was in the hospital too for a quick upgrade. Porter is the official team mascot, but now we've got another "dog" on the team, his name is Hewland...

Don't worry buddy, we could never replace you!

Rallye Střela Kralovice 2010

2010-11-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

The boys were back in the Six-Star saddle two weeks ago for another cup championship event, this time southwest of Prague for Rallye Střela Kralovice 2010. Official navigating duties were once again the responsibility of our great friend David Klvač. Anyhow, there was another race in between this one and Rallye České Středohoří, but an injector failure at the start of the first stage forced a very premature retirement and a disappointing DNF.

In addition to a fresh set of 660cc injectors and an updated MoTeC tune, George decided the gravel-spec D2 suspension was too soft and bouncy for long stretches of tarmac. We were definitely losing some time in the sharper corners waiting for the chassis to settle and track properly. After being re-tuned for the new injectors, the car went off to a rally chassis specialist and the car was limitedly dialed-in on these beauties...

However awesome those new dampers are, the "problem" is that they entirely change the handling dynamics of the car. It's not at all that the D2 gravel coilovers were bad, it's simply that they are valved for loose traction surfaces and allow for more vertical travel than tarmac units. The new dampers control chassis travel so precisely that it was like a completely new car. I guess I could equate it to years in the kitchen with a dull knife than getting a very sharp one all of a sudden.

The new suspension certainly took some getting used to, and a couple of the stages were run at night. Awesome indeed, but admittedly tough to manage on an unknown suspension and weather conditions that made the roads slicker than average. The combination of cooler temperatures and light rain resulted in sort of a "damned if you do, damed if you don't" tire situation, so the boys slipped a bit to 11th overall and 7th in class.

Here are the overall rally maps and the individual stage routes:

And now, on to the GOOD stuff!

And of course we have some decent action footage at 3:37 and 4:44...

Rallye České Středohoří 2010

2010-09-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

After our respectable finish in the previous rally, Jura (George) had his mind set on entering as many events as possible. I did pretty well as a navigator, but on account of trans-Atlantic location constraints, Jura needed a new co-driver for Rallye České Středohoří 2010. He called our buddy Dave Klvac, another adrenalin junkie and accomplished tattoo artist, and off the boys went to Litomerice, a small town in the northwest corner of the Czech Republic near Germany.

I was unfortunately not in attendance, but the guys got plenty of on-board footage and some photographers took some great shots of them in action. There were nine stages in this rally, and Stages 3, 6 and 9 Tetrised (yes I just used it as a verb, deal with it) their way through an old army base, bummed I missed those! They finished even better this time around, 7th overall and 6th in class.

Another nice slide at 2:19 and some great in-car footage from 6:10...

Rallye Železné Hory 2010

2010-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, hope everybody had a great weekend! So for however much I like cars, tuning and racing, I've never actually competed beyond the keyboard, and that's always bothered me. Talking about which size turbo is best-suited for a daily driven street car and sliding sideways around a downhill hairpin turn at 30mph are two entirely different creatures. This past August I definitively set-out to change that and see what rallying is all about.

If you've been following this blog at all, you likely know by now that the focus is on our '97 Impreza rally car build in the Czech Republic (CZ). But why don't you do that here in the US, you ask. Well, for one, it's expensive here, a lot more so than in CZ. Also, it's much easier to enter an organized event over there than it is here, certainly for better or for worse. Sure, that means that a lot more inexperienced drivers make up the field, but it also gives one plenty of chances to get experience.

Off we went to Chrudim, a small town located near Pardubice in north-central CZ. Rallye Železné Hory 2010 was scheduled for Saturday, August 14 with recce runs done on Friday. Also scheduled for Friday night and Saturday morning was a brutal storm, and it rained sideways all night in between brilliant lightning strikes and earth-trembling thunder. Between this saturation and the anxiety of competition, sleep was nowhere to be found.

The rally consisted of eight stages, two different tracts run twice each and then the same tracts run in reverse twice each. Jura was behind the wheel and I was strapped in as navigator. Mind you, this was our first rally, and better still, I was reading our stage notes back to him in Czech. I speak fluently, but my reading and writing isn't quite as strong. Nevermind, no time for second-guessing now. I synced my stopwatch with the event clock and off we went.

Our assigned number was 20 in class A4, so that simply means we left the service area 20th and really has no bearing on overall position since a rally works on staggered starting times. Each stage is blocked off to regular traffic, but transit between is on open public roads and all laws apply, especially with the local boys in blue eager to write tickets. We passed more than a few guys that had been busted trying to make up time for issues during the stages.

You're given a certain amount of time to reach the beginning of each stage, and if you don't make it to the timing checkpoint in the allotted time, you are assessed a penalty relative to the delay. It sure keeps you on your toes if you have any mechanical work to do on the car in the service area. We calmly drove over to stage one, accelerating gently to bring the engine to temperature and braking gently to warm up the race compound pads.

Stages 1 and 3 don't look too tricky by the map, but longer straightaways with full-throttle turns means very carefully scrubbing off a lot of speed into any more substantial turns. We made the decision to start the day on rain tires, especially because Stages 2 and 4 wound through a shaded forest where the sun didn't reach the damp, moss-covered road. I think it's fair to say that it didn't impact our time significantly, and it turned out to be a wise choice (more later).

Our good ol' buddy Jan Kvasnicka in his EVO IX was paddocked next to us in the service area. There is no doubt that he is a faster driver than George, but he is also more reckless (you always have to push the envelope to get faster). He felt confident enough to switch back to dry slicks for Stages 3 and 4. Well, we passed him holding the "OK" sign on the side of the road, and shortly thereafter we saw his EVO face-planted in a ditch after a blind, sweeping right. Damn.

Thankfully Kvasa and his co-driver Dave (the guy that made our twin-scroll headers) weren't badly injured, but the car was a different story. They nose-dived into that rut on the inside of the turn and a large rock tore the bottom of the motor open, so needless to say it's totaled. No pics, because it's bad juju to show-off someone's misfortune, especially our good friend's. So, he was done for the day, but true-blue, he stayed to cheer us on!

After a midday service and lunch break, it was time for Stages 6, 7, 8 and 9, which if you recall are the earlier stages driven in reverse. So yes, we saw all the turns before, but any mud, gravel and debris that was sprayed onto the outside of turns in the earlier stages was now directly in the apex of those same turns in reverse on these later stages, yikes! We were extra cautious, especially after Kvasa's wreck.

Fortunately, we finished in one piece, and respectably at that. We knew going in that we were not going to win, so our goal was to get our feet wet, not crash and most importantly, have fun! Is the fastest way through every turn with the e-brake? Definitely not, but the fans loved us, and we loved driving for them. Even with all of our showboating, we managed to finish 9th overall and 7th in class.

A nice slide at 1:41...not so much at 7:33 haha!

2011 Impreza STI Spec C Nürburgring Challenge

2010-06-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

BY DAVID GLUCKMAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO

June 2010

The Nürburgring. You may have heard of it. It’s a popular place of late, with industry test periods filling the schedule Tuesdays through Thursdays—providing ample fodder for spy-photo junkies—and sanctioned racing on weekends. And then there are the secretive private sessions, out of which come that trendiest of bragging rights, the manufacturer-generated, unofficial Nordschleife lap record. This is the story of one of those records.

First things first, here’s what you want to know: Subaru got an STI sedan to lap the ’Ring—helmed by rallying legend and four-time-in-a-row WRC title holder Tommi Mäkinen—in 7 minutes and 55 seconds. That’s quicker than the quickest production sedan to date, Porsche’s Panamera Turbo, which clocked a (still-unofficial) 7:56 lap, which in turn is quicker than the CTS-V, which posted a 7:59.32.

Not So Fast, But It’s Fast

The stickler is that the Subaru in question wasn’t a production car, it was, in the words of the company, a 2011 Impreza WRX STI prototype. The car is basically the bastard child of two JDM-only models with some extra bespoke aero bits thrown in for slipperiness and high-speed stability.

The car starts with the suspension from the improved-for-2011 WRX STI—it’s 5 mm lower than the 2010 model, with 1-mm-thicker front and rear anti-roll bars, higher-rate springs all around, stiffer rear-subframe bushings, and new front-suspension pillow-ball bushings. The engine is the Japanese-market STI Spec C’s, a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-four that’s been given the larger turbo from the R205, another Japanese special-edition STI model. It’s now putting out a claimed 320 hp, which makes the time that much more impressive when compared to the Panamera’s 500 turbocharged ponies (although the Porsche is surely carrying around a few hundred extra pounds). The R205 also donates six-piston front brakes and a front strut-tower brace; it features a flexible center portion that allows vertical motion but maintains lateral stiffness. Weight is saved through the use of an aluminum hood from the Spec C, unique aluminum front fenders, the Spec C’s smaller battery, and the deletion of the radio as in the R205 and Spec C. Extra aero parts specific to this car include a full undertray, a front-lip extension tacked onto the R205’s lower spoiler, and a Gurney flap added—taped, really—to the rear at Mäkinen’s request. (The car was getting a bit out of shape without it in the high-speed sections.) A full roll cage and race buckets fitted with a five-point harness for the driver and a four-point for the passenger make things safe.

Taken for a Ride

A month after Subaru set its time, and just days after the Nürburgring 24-hour race, we were invited to meet with Mäkinen and the STI team to have a look at the car and for to experience what a record-setting lap feels like. And we did, for the most part. There was a narrow window early on a Tuesday morning, which only allowed track time for two flying laps. The first was interrupted by a truck that snuck onto the track—no joke, watch the video—which reminded me why you should always pack an extra pair of boxers, and the second was a flying, full-speed blitz, at least until the end when Mäkinen realized we were running out of fuel.

But the ride was no less of a thrill. Flying over German hill and dale, all of which looks the same—Armco, very green trees, graffiti—but every twist and kink of which is unique, learning the intricacies of the ‘Ring, let alone getting comfortable hurtling through at eye-popping speeds, is no small feat. Muscles ached from attempting to keep planted in the seat, eyes hurt from scanning the graffiti-plastered pavement, and we weren’t even driving. Afterward, when we asked how much time Mäkinen had on the track before the record run, one of the Subaru guys laughed. “We asked him to learn the circuit on PlayStation, but he never did it.” The Finn’s response: “I wanted to, but it was the Japanese version.” A certain Herr Schmidt, a German member of the STI development team who is very familiar with the ‘Ring, took Mäkinen out the first time he was at the track and showed him around. He told me that a normal person needs about 50 laps to improve their time. Mäkinen did so in maybe five. “He ran unbelievably quickly.”

Mäkinen says that, as a rally driver, he’s developed good “road memory” and didn’t need to run the track too many times. He said he viewed it like any rally stage, except without any pace notes, and shrugged it off by saying the hardest part for him was adjusting to the car’s right-hand-drive setup.

Why Bring a Prototype to the ‘Ring?

Subaru brought this prototype to the Nürburgring because that’s what it has done with past models. The automaker first lapped a non-STI WRX prototype in 1992, posting a time of 8:28.93. It then returned in 1996 with a prototype of the version III WRX STI, and turned in an 8:10.75. The heavier second-gen WRX STI, which bowed for 2000, posted a lap that “did not meet our expectations” (Needless to say, we didn’t learn that car’s time.) A 2002 STI prototype picked up the baton, setting a lap time of 8:06.59. Most recently, a 2004 prototype got down in the 7s with a 7:59.41. Subaru contends that time spent on ‘Ring times is a very helpful R&D exercise for the development team, providing an opportunity to try out new parts that can and sometimes are applied to future models. (We don’t expect to see a full undertray on an STI any time soon, however.) With this year’s car, STI project boss Hiroshi Mori aimed to create “the fastest WRX STI ever,” but he was quick to mention that fast doesn’t necessarily come from maximum speed and engine output.

Indeed, the ‘Ring offers a little bit of everything, and—more than any other track—it offers a simulation of real-world roads. Altitude varies by about 1000 feet, and there are loads of blind corners. Pictures don’t do the elevation changes justice; the deceleration from a few of the more drastic uphill portions had us wondering if the harness would hold. Blind corners appear and disappear, but luckily we didn’t have enough time to process them, or the thought that there might perhaps be another utility truck just past the apex.

You’re probably wondering, like we were, what any of this has to do with reality. Well, besides this particular car’s tenuous R&D connection, vanquishing the Panamera Turbo was a point of pride among the Subaru delegation. However, if Porsche wanted to build something analogous to this amalgamated STI, a ‘Ring-specific Panamera Turbo, we have no doubt that the Stuttgart boys would have their mark back in a heartbeat. What the Subie’s time really proves, though, is that the STI continues to be enhanced, iteratively. Plus, the PR machine loves to be fed.

The latest prototype is easily “the fastest WRX STI ever,” at least among those built by Subaru. You just can’t buy one, which is kind of a bummer. Our ride in the prototype does, however, have us a little more excited to experience the 2011 hatchback and sedan, which we’ll get to drive soon enough.

Impreza 555, Impreza WRC '97 and Prodrive Impreza Group N

2010-06-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Folks! What we have here is an outstanding review and comparison of two legendary Imprezas and the latest offering from Prodrive that's as close to a factory-backed WRC car as we can get since the departure of SWRT. This fantastic video is courtesy of the folks at Autocar UK.

1997 Impreza GT Project: New paint!

2010-06-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

While we received quite a bit of positive feedback for the initial matte black paint scheme, Jura has never been known for his patience or complacency. He emailed me out of the blue (pun intended) to show me his latest inspiration for the car. This new livery is in classic Subaru style!

King of the Hill

2010-05-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Dammit Bobby! Racing of any variety just seems to run in Kvasa's blood. After a successful career in motocross and supermoto, he's taken like a fish to water in his EVO IX, and after dialing in the car during a few regional events, he won first place at a national hill climb.

We climb all hills

2010-05-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Not only do we get up paved hills faster than most people, but we make roads where there are none. How about a near vertical slope? No problem, as easy as pegging the throttle...and encrusting the camera in dirt.

Ken Block

2010-04-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Mr. Block is deserving of recognition for his balls-to-the-wall driving in his various STIs. While he has defected to Ford (and who wouldn't for the chance at legitimately competing in WRC), his Subaru shenanigans shall not soon be forgotten.

Imprezas make good snowmobiles...

The notorious gymkhana practice vid...

Gymkhana 2 in the new car...

The Maestro, Colin McRae.

2010-04-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well, amjayes just keeps delivering. A humble tribute to the greatest Subaru driver of all time, and certainly one of the greatest drivers of all time in any realm. This is Subaru heritage folks.

Are you ready? Just sit back and enjoy.

Impreza WRC '98 on tarmac

2010-04-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Once again, another fantastic video by amjayes. I don't know where he finds this stuff, but I am very thankful that he does. Intense!

1997 Impreza GT Project Hill Climb

2010-03-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Getting the car dialed in on tarmac...the brakes were set-up for loose, low-traction surfaces so the pads weren't quite up to duty for pavement where the car had much more grip and higher entrance speed to all the turns.

Anti-Lag Systems (ALS): Bang bang!

2010-03-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

If you've watched any rallying for a minute or two, you've heard ALS at work even if you had no idea. ALS in very basic terms is a method to keep the turbocharger spinning and producing boost even off-throttle. So what? So what?! You're not reading this blog if you don't like boost (and as we all know, boost is better kekeke!), so ALS is like Beethoven's Ninth to us turbologists!

ALS is critical in racing because it maintains constant turbo boost during all throttle conditions. Since most lesser-displacement 4-cylinder engines rely on turbochargers to level the playing field versus good ol' displacement, it's crucial that those turbos function efficiently to close the gap. Sounds great, who cares. Maybe you're at the wrong site...

Turbochargers are modern (well that's debatable) marvels of engineering. They are powered by spent exhaust gas at no parasitic loss to the engine and create immense horsepower and torque. However, just like any rotating mass, they require force (exhaust gases) to overcome inertia. The time this takes to happen is known as turbo lag.

Turbo lag is in simplest terms the time it takes the turbo to produce the desired boost level. In the earliest days before ball-bearing center cartridges and variable geometry turbos (aka VNT), turbo lag on brutal cars like the Porsche 930 often led to hairy driving conditions for all but the most skilled drivers. Plant the gas and pray.

So, one could make the argument that ALS, in its effort to eliminate lag, also provides for a more predictable, stable car under cornering, as the power is already in place with no sledgehammer effect. More basically, ALS serves to greatly expand the usable powerband of WRC cars, which is very important in exiting turns with minimal traction.

OK, hopefully that sheds a little light on the subject without diving into the deep end technically (which we will do a bit later). Let's observe ALS in its natural environment, shall we?

Impreza 555 on tarmac...

2010-03-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

If you like Subarus of any variety (and especially GC Imprezas), this is a must-see. One of the better videos I have ever seen with some really fantastic audio. Enjoy!

Polish Rally Sprint

2010-03-18T05:15:00.001-07:00

A great video from our Slavic brethren across the border in Poland. Some nice (and not so nice) steering and braking. The older EVO at 1:45 sounds particularly raw!

Turbosexual

2010-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Our buddy Jarda (the guy with the blue Impreza from the airfield vids) likes balls, so we got him some toys. =P

Ours is bigger haha!

1997 EDM Impreza GT Project at the Airport

2010-03-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

This is the most epic post in the history of this blog. Finally, after all the trials and tribulations, the blood (literally) , sweat and tears...she is track-ready. Hopefully, you all have enjoyed following the build right alongside us. Obviously, there are faster cars. There are nicer cars. But few cars have the history of this one. Many of you may not know this, but Jura's older brother (the guy fabbing the TMIC and skid plates in the pics), passed away tragically in a freak accident soon after working on the car. Needless to say, there is a lot of soul in this car, and it means just as much to us sitting still as it does sliding sideways across the tarmac.

EVO Hill Climb Car at a Recent Rally

2010-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Our man Kvasa aka Johnny and co-driver David Brabec (the guy that fabbed our twin-scroll headers for the Subaru) putting the EVO IX through its paces.

1997 Impreza GT Project

2010-03-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

Turns out the VF36 turbo on the car was on its last legs for the rally and finally gave out shortly there after. So, we swapped in a new one and took it to an airfield to see how she ran...

More from the races...

2010-02-27T07:28:00.001-08:00

Here is our buddy Jarda (the same blue car from the airfield vids) at the winter rally.

2010-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Kvasa's EVO hill climb car with a slight change in livery...;)

1997 Impreza GT Project: At the Races!

2010-02-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Finally, after a lot of blood, sweat and tears, the car was ready to rock. The motor was freshly rebuilt with Eagle rods and Wiseco pistons, the VF36 twin-scroll set-up was complete and the biggest news, we tracked down a MoTeC ECU for a steal, so in it went. We brought the car to Slovakia to get tuned and then right back to CZ for its first event.

We actually let our DSM buddy Jan drive as we thought he might be able to give us good feedback on the chassis of the car and dialing it in properly, which he did (not without some fanfare, though in typical Jan fashion). So without further ado, here she is in all her glory doing mountain snow battle at Valašské Zimy 2010.

Finally getting some traction @ 3:38...

And not so much @ 4:58 hahaha...

More Mitsu Madness!

2009-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Our buddy Jan a.k.a. Johnny a.k.a. Kvasa was back at it this past weekend in his EVO IX at another hill climb. 100+ entries and most of them were purpose-built race cars. Kvasa placed 6th in his daily-driven, full-interior EVO.

Turbocharged Shenanigans

2009-11-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

We went to see our buddy Jarda (with the blue GC Impreza from the track days pics) to check out his car and do a little driving if the weather permitted. We went to the garage where Jarda keeps his car and "spares." Let me tell you right now that Elf should market their Turbo Boost fuel as cologne. It smells delicious. Our abandoned airfield wasn't quite as expansive as Ken Block's, but we still managed to have some fun.

The beast and its heartbeat. No blow-off valve for this EJ20, just insta-boost from the VF36 twin-scroll

on anti-lag muahahahaha!

You know your Impreza means business when it sounds like this:

Didn't get enough the first time? Me neither.

It sounds absolutely brutal, but how does it drive? Well, a VF36 twin-scroll plus anti-lag plus launch control plus a Hewland 5-speed dogbox minus full interior equals...

Unfortunately, the Hewland was popping out of 4th gear so we had to shut down the boostcapades earlier than planned. Jarda's 12-year old son then practiced his

e-brake turns in his older brother's GT.

Czech Hill Climb

2009-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

So the Impreza was incapacitated for my visit, but that's not to say that we didn't have any fun. From the airport, we went directly to a local hill climb event to see our buddy Jan run his EVO IX. He is a motard racer by nature, but competition is truly in his blood. Jan was in 6th place after the first round and 6+ seconds off the lead. He wasn't sure he could make up any ground but he finished 2nd overall for the competition, 7/10s behind, you guessed it, a brutal GC race car.

Here is the event-winning GC Impreza. Just listen to that idle...

A few more random shots of cool stuff - an E36 with an E39 M5 V8, a Czech Crawford STI, a RHD GC STI and last but not least, Jan's trophy.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 12

2009-11-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

I went to the Czech Republic this past October to see George and take a first-hand look at the progress of the car. George let our buddy David Brabec try driving car for a local hill climb event, as Dave provides technical support for the motard etc. Anyhow, an errant downshift spun a bearing, so the EJ20K was rebuilt with Eagle rods and CP pistons. Much to my chagrin, the car wasn't running yet, so I wasn't able to drive it. Much to my delight, it wasn't running because it's getting a JDM VF36 twin-scroll set-up complete with custom made headers, uppipe and downpipe. Dave is doing all the work since he owns an exhaust shop. Take a look at the headers being fabbed and some general shots of the car. Feel free to catch a boner.

A shiny new Cosworth high-flow, high-volume oil pump to keep the EJ20K happy and custom gaskets for the twin-scroll set-up.

Here she is in all her semi-glory...

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 9

2009-11-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

They're called project cars for a reason, and chances are, when everything seems to be going right, something will go wrong. Some may question buying a used Getrag V160 in the first place, but even with the "rebuild" using fresh OE parts, it was still significantly cheaper than a new transmission from Toyota. Or so we thought.

This small bearing is the cause of our current malaise, and without it, the transmission is barely capable of shifting. Fortunately, Toyota sells this part. Unfortunately, Toyota sells this part together with the entire transmission case. So, the hunt is on. I figured out who makes it and supplies it to Getrag, now it's just a question of getting a response.

Mitsubishi Mayhem

2009-08-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

We here at Turbology don't really play with Mitsus too much, but that's not to say we don't respect and dig 'em. Here is our buddy Jan with his EVO IX. He's actually a professional motorcycle racer, but he loves four wheels just as much as two.

Just the same, we are crazy for Subarus, but we can have just as much fun in the dirt on two wheels...

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 8

2009-06-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Getrag V160 6-speed rebuild is finished and the transmission is as new. That's a good thing, because by the looks of this turbo, the drivetrain components are in for quite a beating. We are just waiting on the custom driveshaft due in next week, then it's finally time to get this beast tuned and on the road. For now, all you get are these grainy camera phone teasers...

1997 Impreza GT Project: Track Day

2009-06-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Posters are for looking, cars are for driving. Recent track day to put the sled through its paces. Blue Impreza is a friend's rally car.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 11

2009-02-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

So this isn't so much a sequence in the build process as it just for fun. After all, if you want to just look at a car, get a poster. Committing to take a car to this level is certainly not an easy decision, especially as all the creature comforts of home are removed one by one. But the end driving experience far and away outweighs these small sacrifices.

The Impreza's pedigree is founded on outstanding performance in all conditions, and Subaru's dominance in early WRC events only confirmed the same. So off to the mountains we went to do a little snowshoeing. That being said, we'll probably be investing in some meaty tow-hooks in the near future.

In too deep, or just another day in the life of a Subaru?!

Over the river and through the woods...

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 7

2009-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

Now that we've teased you enough with darkly-lit and un-detailed engine pics, these will make you forget all your frustrations. Polished compressor housing, polished intercooler piping and powdercoated valve cover. Check, check and check. What moves you?

Life is full of tough choices. GT42-74mm or GT47-80mm. Crazy power and quicker spool or insane power and quick spool. Sounds like a win-win either way.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 10

2009-01-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

George put his brother's fabricating skills to use once again in fabricating a front skid plate to protect the oil pan from any treachery on the roads of the Czech countryside. Overkill you say? Hardly. This car is very much meant to be driven with all due respect to the modifications and upgrades.

This is not a show car by any means, but it does look damn good.

That being said, a little fun in the snow and a change-your-underwear-near-death-power-slide later, Butch has a broken passenger side corner lamp and a battle-scarred front bumper. We think this only adds to the colorful history of the car, worn as a badge of honor. What's the point of go-fast mods it you never go fast?

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 6

2009-01-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Now that the motor was fully-assembled and the body was sporting fresh paint, it was time to put them together! Here she is waiting patiently for her heart transplant:

Tougher than Nigerian hair...

Of course nothing ever goes as planned with a project car, and the injectors were too big to sit in the fuel rail properly, so Tochi sent it back to Rich for the appropriate tooling.

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 5

2009-01-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

With the motor receiving a top to bottom overhaul, Tochi decided the body needed a little attention to match the forthcoming performance. Off to the bodyshop for a custom Porsche 993 blue paintjob and Rod Millen rear-wing install.

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 4

2009-01-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

After the Crower cams were delivered, Rich at Majestic Motorsports was finally able to finish assembling the motor. Plastic-wrapped for freshness!

Like I said before, Tochi happens to have very good luck, and just as the motor was being all buttoned-up, he found a crazy deal on a V160 6-speed transmission with a weak third gear synchro. The third-gear grind wasn't a concern as the transmission is being rebuilt entirely.

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 3

2009-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

The original motor had 100k+ miles on it and with the power goals for the car, Tochi decided to heavily build one of his spare 2JZ-GE blocks. He also signed a working partnership of sorts with Kyle Weathermax of Velocity Performance to subsidize the cost of the parts. Around the same time, procrastinating on the internet paid off in a big way when Tochi found the built head for a steal in Florida. For a few weeks it was like Christmas on repeat at Tochi's house...

The custom grind cams from Crower took a long time to arrive, but it was worth the wait. 274s with 10.8mm of lift, definitely an interference motor! There's been quite a bit of commentary about retaining the distrubutor-based igntion, but an ongoing motto for this build is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 2

2009-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

The car ran and drove, but low-compression in one cylinder meant it was seriously down on power and at the risk of severe damage. Rather than chance popping the motor entirely, Tochi began to tear down the car and prep it for a trip to see Josh at First State Motorsports for the AEM EMS stand-alone, 1000cc injectors, twin GReddy BOVs, 4-inch downpipe, FSM intake manifold, Fluidyne radiator, exhaust manifold modification to fit the GT42 with the distributor still in place, Wilson's throttle body and 4-inch exhaust. Removing the non-essentials to make Josh's job easier:

After she came back from FSM:

Due to the reconfigured intake manifold and large injectors, the car had to be street-tuned by Brad Brooks of Brooks Tuning to get it drivable. Tochi couldn't be there during the tuning session so friend and fellow Supra-owner Alex Der drove the car while Brad tuned.

1995 Supra Hardtop Project part 1

2009-01-13T08:18:00.001-08:00

This blog is great because it gives me a chance to showcase all of my friends' ongoing builds without having to rehash the details again and again. So begins the chronicle of Tochi's 1995 Toyota Supra Hardtop. The story goes back almost three years now when Tochi came across a local guy selling the car with a T61 installed, tuned on an A'PEXi SAFC and with low-compression in cylinder 5. Anyway, the guy needed cash ASAP, and Tochi happened to be in the right place at the right time. The stars aligned and a few days later the car was in Tochi's garage.

Now Tochi has never been one to do things by the book, so while everyone was in his ear about a 2JZ-GTE swap, Tochi knew the the GE head actually flows better, and while the GTE block has oil squirters etc, the GE block could be built to support insane boost too. His previous SC300 NA-T made almost 500whp on low boost. Tochi is also a luck guy, and he happened to come across a listing from a guy in Florida selling a worked GE head complete with everything except cams for a steal.

Needless to say, things were starting to come together. Without getting into too much detail and detracting from additional posts, here is a list of current mods:

1995 Supra Hardtop
ported and polished 2JZ-GE head
Ferrea valves 1mm oversize
Ferrea titanium retainers
Crower valvesprings
Crower Tochi-spec custom cams
Crower custom lash caps
bronze valve guides
Titan Motorsports cam gears
Cometic custom headgasket
ARP headstuds
ARP rodbolts
CP 9:1 pistons (.40 over)
CP rings
Eagle rods
Clevite 77 main and rod bearings
ATI fluid dampner
modded water pump
modded oil pump
TMS timing belt tensioner
TTC performance catch can
Fluidyne radiator
GReddy cooling panel
Boost Logic fuel system (triple Walbros, Aeromotive regulator, 1,000 cc injectors, dual -6 feed and return lines)
Nuneztt fuel rail
First State Motorsports intake manifold
Wilson 90mm throttle body
Garrett GT42-02 1.01 A/R heat-coated
modded T4 exhaust manifold
FSM 4-inch aluminium exhaust
FSM 4-inch downpipe
FSM 3.5-inch intercooler piping
GReddy Type-RS BOV x 2
HKS Type-R wastegate
XS Power 4-row FMIC
WOTM ferramic clutch with stock flywheel
AEM EMS standalone ECU
FJO wideband sensor
SPA boost/oil pressure gauge
TMS solid differential bushings

And of course a little recipe for things to come!

Getrag V160 6-speed transmission rebuilt
OS Giken quad-disc clutch
HKS Hipermax coilovers
Sparco Milano Prestige seats
CCW 16-inch front runners
Weld 15-inch drag wheels with 29.5-inch slicks
Garrett GT45-80

1997 Impreza GT Project part 10

2009-01-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

It's alive! I suppose this isn't a true installment in the series in light of the previous ones, but the first drive down the block deserves its own post. I have to say the car is considerably quicker than I thought it would be on the stock turbo, so with the VF39 installed it should really cook. Running a little rich, but flames are kind of cool.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 9

2009-01-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

Fortunately for George, his brother is an accomplished welder, so in addition to modifying the intercooler, he fabbed up this beefy rear differential guard.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 8

2009-01-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

With most of the aesthetics finished up, it was time to start fitting Butch with the important stuff. It took a long while to sort out all the lines and fittings for the hydraulic handbrake, but we finally got it in the right position, although we are still adjusting the fluid levels etc. Some other nice stuff in these shots include the Sparco seats, harnesses, steering wheel, pedals and mudflaps.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 7

2009-01-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Following is the epic customization and installation of a giant TMIC from Ebay. It was originally intended for a 2002+ WRX, so while we manged to get the inlet lined up with the compressor outlet, we modified it considerably to seat the GReddy RS blow-off valve properly. Note the beautiful custom stencil =).

1997 Impreza GT Project part 6

2009-01-07T15:00:00.001-08:00

Now that a few more cosmetic touches were finished, it was time to get a few more important parts installed, like the windshield and center console panel. Haha even our dutiful mechanic loves the VF39 (to be installed after we get some bigger injectors and fuel pump). We are curious to see how the VF39 spools on an EJ20G - should be pretty responsive!

1997 Impreza GT Project part 5

2009-01-07T14:35:00.001-08:00

Enough waiting around damnit! Front bumer back on, gauge cluster back in and a little gloss black vinyl for added flair (a little shameless promotion never hurt anyone). It was time to uncork the motor too, so on went a 3-inch turboback stainless exhaust. Very nice fit and finish for the price.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 4

2009-01-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

So after a little reassembly, Butch hibernated for a few days while some other goodies arrived. Tucked away in the garage, on went the JDM STI taillights to replace the lame stockers. The original peashooter exhaust is still on for the time being.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 3

2009-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Such a tough car needs an appropriate color, and after much annoyance unsuccessfully attempting to find John Deere Blitz Black tractor paint in the Czech Republic, our paint guy mixed something even better, in our very humble opinions. Our homeboy Big Majk (thats Mike for you non-Slavophones) made sure everything was in good order.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 2

2009-01-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

So as frugal as we Czechs are, there was no chance the original chassis could be saved, as even pulling it straight would be a risk given its intended use. Luckily we got our hands on another Impreza for a good price, and so the project began.

To prevent any further prolonged hospital stays, we brought the car to a guy that does nothing but fabricate roll cages. As the saying goes, if you do only one thing...

The hood and trunk lid (can you tell he is a McRae fan) were salvageable, so on they went, and off this Frankenstein went to the paint shop.

1997 Impreza GT Project part 1

2009-01-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

I have a deep-rooted love affair with Subarus ever since I saw an Impreza WRC sliding sideways through a snowy Swedish forest on The Speed Channel (before it became the network for turning left...er, NASCAR). However much I get goosebumps from the boxer rumble, my friend Jura (George for simplicity's sake) in the Czech Republic takes the term "fanboy" to a whole new level. Do you have a full color tattoo of Colin McRae's Impreza on your thigh? Didn't think so.

George is crazy in general, but even more so when it comes to anything with a motor. Honda Fireblade at 200mph through a potato field? Check. Fiat 5-cylinder driven so hard it catches on fire? Check. Hussaberg Motard wheelies in front of the police station? Check. Gallardo highspeed police helicopter pursuit...well you get the idea.

So what does any of that have to do with this post? Well, George has a beautiful European-market Impreza GT Turbo (WRX equivalent) that he perpetually drives on the edge of disaster. Certainly not a problem by my standards, but our story begins when that same edge cut deep and hard. Rally pedigree or not, be advised that an Impreza cannot slide through a tree.

History tells us that Czechs are tough as nails, and if Nazis and Communists couldn't phase us, neither can the ICU. You know she's a keeper when she gives you a collapsed lung...

Basics: Blow-Off Valves (BOV)

2007-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Following a lengthy conversation I recently had with one of my friends about blow-off valves (BOVs) and their cult-following popularity, I figured that may be a good place to start.

So why do Porsches, Audis and VWs (VAG cars for simplicity's sake) run diverter valves? Why not blow-off valves? Can they run blow-off valves if they wanted?

Definitely good questions, and the root of all debate for recirculating or vent-to-atmosphere (VTA) valves, but not so readily obvious without a little background about mass air flow (MAF) meters and air-fuel ratios (AFR). VAG cars run diverter valves because as far back as I can remember they all use hot-wire MAF-based engine management versus MAP-based management typical of Hondas or even converting to MAP via HKS VPC or AEM EMS or another stand-alone.

The problem with VTA BOVs on flow-based (MAF) versus pressure-based (MAP) cars is overly-rich AF ratios during purging. As you may or may not know, the VAG hot-wire MAF measures a given quantity of air entering the engine via electrical resistance through an exposed circuit in the MAF housing. This explains it more in detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_flow_sensor

So what happens is the air passes through the MAF before entering the compressor half of the turbo, and the ECU adjusts load of the fuel injectors accordingly. Since the MAF measures the total volume of air right before entering a closed system, the ECU cannot account for the air that is lost if you run a VTA BOV post-MAF. So that compressed charge air that is lost when VTA skews the AFR so that there are more parts fuel than air, hence the rich AFR.

The rich AFR conditions during purging can cause drivability issues, mainly instances of stalling (particularly after accelerating quickly in low gear and then pushing in the clutch) as well as soot on the rear bumper above the exhaust tip and also something called "cylinder wash" or "bore wash," when the additional fuel in the AF mixture actually dilutes the oil lubricating the piston to cylinder wall contact. Bad news, since gasoline is a horrible lubricant.

So basically, VAG cars negate all those effects entirely by recirculating the diverter valve purged air back into the intake piping, eliminating any potential for overly rich AFR conditions. It's definitely possible to run a VTA BOV on VAG cars and a lot of people do it (just like they do on Subarus and Mitsus), but the car won't run as well as it would with a recirculating set-up. Ways to solve it are by converting to MAP (HKS VPC, AEM etc), running a blow-through MAF (where the BOV sits BEFORE the MAF on the charge piping) or using a hybrid BOV that vents partially to atmosphere and partially back to the intake.