DTOX. With number plates like that you could be forgiven for thinking Frank Akbari - the owner of this immaculate 2002 Rex - has recently given up 'the hard stuff'. Truth is, it's the car that's cleaned up its act; no longer is it strangled by the emission and fun-flattening measures that Subaru have taken with their late-model WRXs. Even so, the move to a Rex was a big change for Frank.
"I had moved up from a Hyundai Coupe with a lot of cosmetic work, so I thought the WRX was a very good performer overall," he says. "But it was a bit sluggish off-boost and it felt like something was choking it at above about 5000 revs."
Step 1. The first stage of cleansing was to relieve stress that had been building in the exhaust region - as Frank points out: "The '02 WRX exhaust is pretty restrictive with its three cat converters." One cat can be found in the up-pipe leading to the turbo, the second is situated immediately post-turbine and the third is mounted about halfway along the exhaust system.
"The first thing I did to the car was let it breath better through the exhaust," says Frank. "I ended up using a stainless 3-inch turbo-back exhaust from Hi-Tech in Sydney, but I've since swapped to an A'PEXi N1 rear muffler." And doesn't that shining cannon look grouse? (As Melbournians would say.)
With its high-flowing exhaust giving a marked improvement in performance, the car progressed to Step 2 of the DTOX program; a visit to AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operations). The team at AVO tested the car on their DTS four-wheel chassis dyno and were surprised at the WRX's progress - there was already 132kW at the wheels, up from about 110kW in its three-cat-reliant form. Still, there was a long way to go...
First, AVO stripped the factory up-pipe/cat converter assembly together with the restrictive factory turbocharger and bolted on a 'de-cat' mandrel up-pipe teamed with a much larger '320hp' Garrett-based roller-bearing turbo.
Step 3 was a big one. Beyond its new up-pipe and turbocharger, AVO slipped in one of their pod-type low restriction air intake and a meatier drop-in top-mount intercooler complete with a high-flow Y-pipe. Frank tells us the toxified factory blow-off valve was no good, so it was replaced with an AVO item.
And now for the psycho reprogramming that is Step 4. The factory Subaru ECU had a conservative mind-set that would be tough to break so AVO added a Perfect Power SMT6 piggy-back, which can be taught to behave in the proper manner for a performance car. There's a bit more timing added here and a bit of fuel pulled out there, giving improved alertness (otherwise known as throttle response) as well as outright performance. The smarter brain, along with an AVO high-pressure wastegate actuator, also controls a greater amount of boost pressure - up to 1.0 Bar. Boost could go a tad higher, but this is plenty for a car fresh out of DTOX - maybe with a bit of extra fuelling we could see more boost being put to use.
Today, Frank's Rex can walk proud with a proven 181kW at the wheels - no less than a 65 percent gain over the car's 'bad old days'. The improvement in performance has also called for a Daikin organic race clutch and a heavy-duty lightened flywheel.
The car is also looking a whole lot healthier these days. Frank has treated the '02 to a full tint, a de-badge job, clear front side indicators and a whopping set of 19 x 8-inch Advanti Racing alloys clad in 225/35 ZR Goodyear Rev Specs. Of course, the rear guards had to be lipped to accommodate. Adding composure and enhancing the appearance are 1 1/2-inch lowered springs teamed with Whiteline front and rear strut braces. The car is also detailed beyond belief. Frank is a self-confessed automotive perfectionist. "I'm getting the car professionally cleaned and detailed every two weeks," he laughs.
Inside, the Rex is pretty well stock but the modifications that have been made are beautifully executed. A neat AVO A-pillar gauge pod houses a Blitz boost gauge as well as the LED indicator for a Pivot wireless shift-light. The engine certainly pulls a whole lot harder through the top-end, so Frank has set the shift-light quite early. "It shines in my face at about 6250 revs," he says. An AVO short-shift and a Momo gear knob are the only other interior mods, aside from a head-spinning audio system...
The audio system has been started from scratch with a Pioneer top-line CD/tuner (and a 6-disc stacker in the boot), a 4 x 100W Pioneer amp and an array of Pioneer speakers - 220W front splits and 6-inch 180W-ers in the rear shelf.
Note that the factory rear speakers are mounted in the doors but, in order to achieve more bass, the new Pioneers were moved to the rear shelf. The factory rear shelf, it turns out, was pretty flimsy so a beefier replacement had to be created. Flip the ski-port forward and you'll see the 12-inch cone of a Pioneer sub staring back at you. This is screwed into a sealed enclosure with a dedicated AudioBank AvantGarde amp piggybacked on the rear of the enclosure.
EBC drilled and slotted rotors with EBC Green Stuff pads are used at the front , while the rear uses DBA slotted rotors with EBC Black Stuff pads. Frank explains the only a small proportion of braking force is generated by the rears, hence the fitment of milder rear pads. Fresh DOT 5 fluid is used throughout the brake lines.
With a total of 29,000km under its belt - many of those 'gone straight' - the car has give absolutely no problems. Not even the notoriously weak gearbox. "I drive it pretty sensibly," says Frank "and I always use Motul engine oil, even though it costs something like $40 for 2-litres."
Good on you Frank - don't ever let your Rex's new-found goodness and purity slip away...
Contact/Thankyous:
AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operations)
+61 3 9584 4499
AVO Performance
Thanks to Steve, Terry and Leo from AVO, Suspension City, Autobahn Falkner and Epping, Factory Direct Tyres at Thomastown, Magic Hand car wash, EBC, Frank's brother Farzam, wife Janine and son Jordan.
|