"Its best time is a 12.487 seconds at 108.26mph" enthused Michael as he handed over a wad of curled-up quarter mile time slips.
"Bloody hell, how many passes did you make?" I asked in amazement.
After flicking through them, he smiled and casually replied "Thirteen". Whew, this car sure works hard for its living!
"I rev it to 7 to 7-and-a-half thousand and jump off the clutch for each run...and it's still got the standard clutch!" he stated proudly.
Anyone into Rexes will know about their willingness to fry clutches - so how can the fastest WRX in our great land still have the standard, yes standard, clutch? Well, the car has covered only 5,000 clicks and it's only a few months old, so give it time!
Michael purchased the brand-spankers Subaru in July 1998 after off-loading his modified Honda Civic V-TEC. This Hercules Honda had a full rebuild with aftermarket pistons, crank, cams - you name it. It managed a respectable 14.6 second quarter mile - which isn't too shabby, but the mighty WRX betters that straight off the showroom floor...
Obviously the WRX is an already quick platform on which to build up a street racer - Michael didn't even have to venture inside the engine to find a heap more power. A pair of STi head gaskets was fitted to cope with the high boost pressures but that's all - apart from the bolt-ons. A large roller-bearing APEXi turbocharger is responsible for much of the car's improved top-end power and replaces the factory's small capacity unit. This turbo mated straight up with the factory exhaust manifolds, making installation easy.
The air intake to the turbo uses an AVO high-temp hose, an HKS air filter and an AVO carbon-fibre divider that shields the filter from engine bay heat. Driving the car around the streets, it became obvious how progressive the torque delivery was - no big unsettling jolts of power here. The thing just keeps building torque and tries to rev off the tacho!
The problem of inadequate intercooling for modified WRXs has been solved with an increasingly popular modification. An APEXi intercooler has been plumbed into the large space at the front of the car, behind the numberplate. This location allows good airflow through the core and also gives more room for a bigger 'cooler, potentially reducing restriction and improving heat exchange efficiency. Teeing off from the intercooler pipes is a vacuum-operated Blitz blow-off valve, which makes a very distinctive (slightly strange!) fluttering noise during gear changes.
The electronic brain behind the brawn is a Zero Sport ECU which came straight from Japan. This unit offers different fuel and ignition curves to the factory ECU and also ups the rev limit to eight grand! Michael says with the big turbo it's still hauling at these lofty rpm levels - enough to make Michael sh** himself when he tried it the first time! On the road, it's obvious the computer likes to throw in a heap of fuel after the throttle snaps shut - on gear changes there are foot-long blue flames from the 5 inch stainless tip...
The sound from the Japanese Motorsport-supplied exhaust system is spectacular. Off the turbo, the HKS 3-inch front pipe leads into a mandrel HKS Hyper system with a single rear muffler. We can testify you can't drive past pedestrians unnoticed!
The exhaust turbine's wastegate is bossed by a Blitz BSBC electronic boost controller which has five preset boost levels: 14, 16, 18, 20 and a massive 22psi! Michael uses the 22psi setting only when the car's at the strip, where it is filled with BP100 racing fuel. Increased engine blow-by is an unfortunate by-product of sky-high boost pressure, so an AVO oil breather tank has been fitted to catch some of the mis-guided oil. Japanese SARD SR24 Racing Plugs screw into the combustion chambers to further help dismiss detonation.
The 5-speed gearbox, clutch and pressure plate are all standard (for now!) but the addition of an STi light-weight flywheel allows the engine to rev more freely. Michael is wary of the WRX gearbox problems and is currently eyeing-off an STi gearbox for installation when his spits the proverbial dummy. Also, a great feeling, snap-change C's quick shifter sticks up through the floor.
Being an MY98 model, the WRX missed out on the new MY99's four-pot front brake calipers but uses purposeful drilled-and-slotted DBA discs at each corner, clamped by factory calipers with Endless N1 pads. Michael describes the braking performance as being "alright", but from his mention of a couple of spins, maybe he'd like to pull-up a bit earlier!
The Rex's belly is now a little closer to the ground after the fitment of lowered King Springs, with a little extra handling coming from 205/50 Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres. For the time being, standard 16 inch wheels are fitted but we noticed a priced and circled wheel catalogue sitting on the front seat. "I wanted to get the engine done first and then do the looks" confessed Michael. His first priority was speed - something we can understand!
Still, the car features F1 tinted glass, its share of stickers and a Makspeed front bumper that reaches down closer to the road. And yes, that's the standard bonnet vent the driver peers over - design subtlety was never the WRX's forte. Many people actually prefer the wagon to the sedan because of its surprise-packet attraction, plus in this case Michael didn't want the conventional sedan "like everyone else".
Inside the car, it's obvious how far trim levels have improved since the release of early WRXs. The front rally-style body hugging seats are as good as you'll find in any mass-produced vehicle, and the Nardi wheel is pretty slick too.
Because of the way the engine now revs there's an Ultimate shift light that shines on your face to remind you when to change gears, and a Blitz boost gauge compliments the factory white-faced dials.
Being a guy who is into audio systems in a big way, Michael's fitted an Alpine CD head unit, MB Quart front splits and a pair of Soundstream 10 inch Reference subs in the luggage area. The speakers are powered up by Soundstream Class A 3.0 and 6.0 amplifiers.
Ahh, so that's the real reason why he wanted a wagon - to fit a club style stereo!
CONTACTS:
Japanese Motorsport +61 8 8260 6919
AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operations) +61 3 9584 4499
Makspeed +61 3 9639 3161
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