Latest update on Project Northstar incoming!
Latest round of upgrades to my 2015 WRX went on earlier in June and should be pretty close to all I plan to do power wise to the car. As per my previous post we had installed the Killer B catless J-Pipe with the stock cat-back and it made good power but I am preferential to a catted exhaust system. With that in mind we acquired an Invidia Catted J-Pipe to mate to the COBB Cat-Back that was waiting in the wings. The reason I chose the COBB Cat-Back is that I felt it fit the bumper cut-outs the best and from past experience COBB exhaust systems fit amazingly well. We took the time to swap out the Killer B J-Pipe and Intermediate pipe for the Invidia piece and at the same time installed the COBB Cat-Back. Installation was a breeze and everything fit up nicely. At the same time since the car was going on the dyno the next day we also installed the Grimmspeed EBCS as we found the factory BCS system to be poor. The Grimmspeed EBCS went on perfectly and is an important piece for those looking to go to stage 2+ power levels just like previous generation Subarus. Dyno Sheet and more info to come later.
On June 19th I attended the Hanson Driving School again for the 3rd time with my 2015 WRX. The weather looked promising and with the the above mods I was looking forward to listening to the smooth exhaust note of the FA20DIT. For this school I was moved up to the advanced group as the school had a lot of people sign up for the beginner group so people were getting moved. My instructor again was @bdon22; who also happened to have his beast of a 2006 WRX finally back out on track. The car is still running the same stock tires/wheels, StopTech Street Performance Pads and AP Racing Brake Fluid. Brandon immediately noticed the increase in power from last time and also a huge improvement in my driving as well. After the 2nd or 3rd session Brandon mentioned he felt I should be “signed off” which basically enables you to lap at the school without an instructor in the passenger seat. After a bit of confusion we ended up going back out on track right behind Peter Hanson driving around some students. After about 5-6 laps I somehow managed to stick right behind him and after the session was over Peter came over and the first thing he said was “I was sure i’d lose you in 2-3 corners”. He then started asking me about the car and when I told him it had stock calipers, stock discs, stock brake lines, stock tires, stock suspension etc etc. he seemed extremely impressed by what such a stock car was capable of.
I’ve been reading some discussion as of late about the StopTech Street Performance pads so I wanted to give some feedback on these. To start these are a STREET brake pad, they are not really geared towards being used on track and really are not good for competitive racing. They’re a relatively inexpensive pad upgrade that will give you better performance then the stock pads without the common issues with more track oriented pads such as being noisy. They are a nice improvement over the stock 2015 WRX pads but I still experienced pad fade after about 3 laps at DDT. Not as bad as the factory pads were when they went but compared to a solid track pad they are far below that. Something to keep in mind with brakes is your experience is very much dependent upon your pace and how hard you are on the brakes. So for the casual lapper these would be fine, however they aren’t a replacement for track pads.
Thanks to these companies that are helping with this Project
COBB Tuning – COBB AccessPORT and COBB Cat-Back
Mad Graphics – Full Vehicle Vinyl Wrap and Side Graphics
Grimmspeed – License Plate Relocation Kit
Turn In Concepts – Shifter Bearing and TGV Deletes
Killer B Motorsports – J-Pipe
OnPoint Dyno – Dyno Tuning and Testing
Uni-Body Collision – Paint Work (Emblems, Lip, Trunk Spoiler)
