Car Mods that aren't as good as they seem

For episode #121 of the Podcast, Jon and DP sit down to discuss the common questions that we get about ideas that seem great, but are unfortunately not as good as they seem at first.
The topics discussed include:
STI 6-speed swapping a Naturally Aspirated Subaru
Removing Air Condition from your daily
Installing a Dry Sump oiling system in a daily driven car
Putting Fixed-Back Race Seats into your street driven car
Putting a Cage in your street driven car
Running 200 Tread Wear summer tires year round
We talk through all of these topics and try to highlight the key pieces of information that make these less than ideal.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
In this Episode:
00:00 - Introduction
01:29 - STI 6-speed into a Naturally Aspirated Subaru
06:38 - Dry-Sump Oiling System into a Daily Driven car
12:08 - Removing Air Conditioning from your Daily Driven car
14:00 - Fixed-back Race Seats in a Street Driven car
19:27 - Putting a Roll-Cage into a Street Driven car
23:00 - Bolt-in Roll Cages???
24:05 - A 600 Horsepower Daily Driver???
32:40 - Putting a Sequential Transmission in a Street Car
40:50 - Driving 200 Tread Wear Tires year Round
_______________________________________________
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[@notsponsored103]

Sequential in your street car? YES! Do it, more demand, lower prices!

[@FlatironsTuning]

Ha! Didn't think of the more demand, lower prices. Sequentials for everyone! Stay Tuned!

[@bmoore8853]

Great topic, as always good content. I have a suggested topic for the future episode; aftermarket suspension/steering mods that ruin christmas for daily drivers (like hardened bushings and mounts, inappropriate alignment settings, aftermarket steering wheels with no airbags, too stiff of suspension, etc in the name of #racecar)

[@FlatironsTuning]

That is a good suggestion. I'll definitely add it to the list for topics. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@060racing8]

From someone who has stripped the interior of their daily and removed the air conditioning it is not recommended as it is very exhausting to drive on hot days

[@FlatironsTuning]

Totally agree there :-)

[@deltafire5058]

The chain of requirements for a race seat that you mentioned keep going. The seat requires the 4 point harness to work properly. The 4 point harness requires a helmet to work properly, and the helmet requires a HANS device to work properly. You're going to look kina silly on the street lookn' all NASCAR.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Ha! You are correct. It is wild how quickly that one spiraled out of control. It is a seemingly simple choice that brings with it a lot of requirements. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@zedaye9552]

My dream is: -WRX FA20 with STI 6 speed swap, sequential paddle shift, 4.44 ratios. -Full suspension and arms (KW HLS system) -Twincharge with port + direct injection with Harrop SC from BRZ/86. -Reliable engine build, 400hp is plenty (had close to 500hp in the past, and not necessary to go that high, especially with higher diff ratios) Might take me 10 years to do it, but would love to do it.

[@FlatironsTuning]

That is a heck of a list for sure. It would be a lot of fun. Hope you can make it happen! If you need any help, we'll do what we can. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@johnwesely]

Y'all should try and do a collab with Collector Car Feed. I think it would be a really good fit.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for the suggestion. We'll have to check out their channel and give it some thought. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@poudrecanyonbiker]

I really like my Firehawk Indy 500s. I have found they have decent wet traction. But once that moisture is frozen, all drivability goes out the window. But otherwise feel decent in sub freezing temperatures when dry. (~FBO 05 LGT)

[@MarktheRude]

Had a situation where I had to drive in a snowstorm with summer tires in my Forester. If you went over 40km/h, you were going to go off the road, so, you were essentially driving on the straight road partially sideways, controlling your direction with more with a throttle than with the steering wheel. It was basically like driving a Monte Carlo stage in a rally sim, and I'm pretty sure the only reason I didn't crash was because of rally sims.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Ha! Yes, that is never fun for sure. Glad you made it home, and hope it doesn't happen again. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@tbas8741]

The Tyres Point is Mute for Hot Countries. On my 1999 WRX i Run RE003's All year in Australia as where i live its never below 5-10*C and if they are a bit cold i just swerve to warm them up a bit, Also in winter i run lower tyre pressure so they deform more and heat up faster, (Summer 36F/34R....Winter 32F/30R Tyre Pressures.)

[@FlatironsTuning]

I suppose that is a good point. Winter can definitely mean different things depending on where you live for sure. For us, it means temperatures below freezing and snow and Summer tires aren't ideal for sure. But for your conditions, I think you have a solid plan. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@MrChipBreak]

another great informative vid!

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for watching. Stay Tuned!

[@060racing8]

In Australia it's relatively common to get a 5-speed dual range gearbox and swap in 4.44 diff gears (you do have to cut a clearance Groove to clear the low range gear) a lot of people use a turbo gear set with the taller fifth gear for economy . This would be on a lifted vehicle with bigger tires

[@FlatironsTuning]

Excellent! I bet that is pretty fun. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@thadrobeck]

Had an 03 6mt in my GC open light car with a 1.8L for years and loved it. never felt like the gears were too long and the DCCD gave such a huge performance advantage, it's been my favorite mod overall. If I had to choose between the engine that's in it (EJ257) and the transmission, I choose the 6 speed every time.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for the comment. That is interesting, especially with the 1.8L engine. The JDM shorter gears would definitely help at least. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@thadrobeck]

@@FlatironsTuning I eventually swapped a 2.2 legacy block into the car which, while it didn't make the car feel significantly faster did make it a little easier to get up hills. The 2.2 was in for most of the rallies I've done in the car. The JDM 6mt gearing doesn't feel that far off from the 4.11 5 speed that was in the car before. My buddy with a stock 00 2.5 rs swapped an 03 WRX 5speed and it was awful, it was almost never in it's optimal power band at auto x speeds

[@FlatironsTuning]

@@thadrobeck Makes sense. The lack of the shorter 1st gear in the WRX 5-speed would be really tough for the NA engine for sure.

[@stevemartegani]

I wasn't expecting a discussion of 6mts in the NA cars. Has anyone here actually driven a car with it? I've put together gearing/rpm/mph charts and the 6mt is still a bit lower geared. The JDM 6-speed basically has 1-6 within the same range as the 4.44 5MT 1-5, so it shorter geared still. It's also not prohibitively expensive if you keep the R160 and were planning to upgrade the front LSD in the 5mt too. Also Note: 4-Point harnesses are not generally allowed without cages, UNLESS they are DOT approved ASM harnesses like Schroth and Takata have. Most organizations recognize those for HPDE use.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for the comment. You are correct that the JDM 6-Speed with the shorter 5-6 would be better for that application. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@Rynowhite14]

Great video! I’ve been on the fence about putting in a roof vent on my daily bugeye, but it sounds like the same kind of thing. It’s cool, but also introduces more problems, and unfortunately the factory ones aren’t worth the money.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. That is a tricky one. I like the look of those as well, but I never could come to grips with cutting into my roof :-) They are cool, and if you decide to make the move, make sure you get the vent and the cover that goes over it. That will help prevent any leaks in rain, etc. We run these on our Rally Cars, and they do work well :-) Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@toplistcrew7645]

At first I though the same about the roof vent. But around two years later I changed my mind. I just don’t like the idea of losing my map light smh….

[@davidhazel1206]

I think people want the 600whp so they can beat cats, think right about the 600-650 range is when your able to put a car length on a hellcat

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. That could certainly be part of it. Stay Tuned!

[@lukerogers78]

Thank you

[@FlatironsTuning]

Absolutely! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@ryanbrandes9131]

Great video! I have an 01 Outback I started using for rallycross after letting it sit for 6 years with a hole on the block. It now has a SOHC EJ20 from Japan. I think the rust might slow me down on making decisions about modifications, but I'm a too tall for the seats. They don't really hold you in either. I thought about a fixed back seat, but are there good options for reclining sport seats that would sit lower in the car? I've considered a lightweight flywheel and lightweight pulleys since they'd be easy to pull from the car at the end of it's life, and it would help my abysmal acceleration.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. Yes, Recaro and some other companies make reclining seats that have much better bolstering than the OE seats. Take a look at those for sure. Glad that you are enjoying the car. Rallycross is perfect for an 01 Outback :-) Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@daveearnshaw6874]

What ever happened with the Salta Motorsports Golf R that you ran on Harvey’s dyno.I remember thinking why muck around with a Subaru.I’ve owned a lot of Subaru’s but last year purchased a bucket list car,a new RS3.Comfortable to cruise around in,flick the switch,ballistic.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. He has been fighting electrical gremlins for a while (CAN Bus problems) but he is getting it sorted. He ran Rally Colorado this year, and finished 2nd overall I believe. He actually put the AC back in for the event :-) Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@woodzy575]

The triple disk race clutch

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for the comment. Race clutch, yes, multi-plate not as much as it used to be. More companies like Exedy, ACT, and Competition Clutch are making multi-plate clutches with organic disk's so the drivability is very good, but they handle a lot of power. In many ways, they are better than a very stiff single-plate clutch. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@sunnycoastbadrse1730]

Hey Jon, have a question I would love your opinion on. Should a freshly rebuilt closed deck 2.2l 207 be run in on a dyno? or on the road and then dyno tune? what is preferred and why? 05 GG, Link ecu flex tune, front mount, 1700ID, currently on safe 98 tune due to pushing headgasket pressure on the dyno and subsequent rebuild, Still needs the full power tune. Hoping for 320 KW on blouch 1.5......and shortly after a 6 speed :) TIA

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. The short answer is that you can do both. You are doing two things with a new engine. First is that you need to get the engine surfaces broken in, and second is that you need to make sure that everything is connected and working properly, not leaking, etc. You can certainly do this on a dyno, and some dyno's can run the car to break in the engine. The issue is it can be expensive because you are using their time to do something that you can do on the track/street for less. It really comes down what options are available, and how much time you have. We have broken in an engine on the dyno a few times, and it has worked out well for us so far (knock wood). There can certainly be advantages to getting about 500 miles on a new engine to make sure everything is solid before giving it full power. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!

[@sunnycoastbadrse1730]

Thanks @FlatironsTuning for the reply, much appreciated, hopefully my tuner has time to do a running in process

[@TDT0188]

I feel like you get more inquiries for 600 hp because of marketing and generally accepted limits for the short blocks that are available. Anything semi closed deck with forged goodies gets rated to 500ish. Closed deck stuff gets rated to 600+. People want the "indestructible" motor at the bottom of the scale so to speak.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. That could certainly be a part of it. We have certainly had those conversations. Stay Tuned!

[@1atinlove]

OB1-What are your thoughts on turbosmart OPR v2 and the modular blocks for gauges or FPR

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. The Turbosmart OPR V2 is pretty interesting. Having a bypass for the oil in the original design was a little problematic. This new design is interesting because it does away with that. I will say that we haven't run into any issues where we needed to reduce the flow of oil to a turbo with something like this. From our experience, most turbo manufacturers will give you the required restrictor in the form of a line or banjo fitting, etc., and that has worked. But if you were building a custom kit, I can see where you may need this level of custom control. Their gauge block is interesting. it is a lot like the vacuum block on some of the aftermarket manifolds. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!

[@touayaaj84]

MKV supra at 500 vs 382 is night and day difference. 500hp is the sweet spot

[@blitzscreen243]

Just as bad as summer tires in the cold is cold tires in the heat just as dangerous

[@PeterHernandez-lg2eh]

2006 subaru sti . 1st swap was for me was replace the oem stock air intake with thr spt short then next and last for me was the spt catback. Should I have kept it all stock? 70 retired fixed incomeno mucho denero

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. The SPT intake works well (Still have one on my 03 WRX), and the catback is fine as well. I'd say both of those should work well for you. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@daveearnshaw6874]

What’s your take on the 06-08 Legacy 6 speed gearbox?

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. The short answer is that the diff's in the STI transmission make it a better option in most cases. The lower price of the Spec-B transmissions is tempting, but you lose out on all of the handling benefits that you get with the STI transmission diff's. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!

[@MarktheRude]

13:45 Well, to be fair, even WRC drivers would love to have AC's on their cars.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Very true. And it is required in some endurance events. Long story short, the few lbs it saves isn't worth it for most of us. Especially compared to the increased comfort it provides when it is warm out 🙂 Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@PocketDrummer]

20G turbo on a type RA block. Good idea or bad idea?

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. That is a very good idea. The 20G turbo is tried and tested on the EJ25, and you will most likely have good results. Just keep in mind there are a number of different 20G turbos out there. The Cobb 20G for instance is a TD05 20G which means that it has a small hot-side. This gives you quick spool, and around 330 - 350 whp. www.flatironstuning.com/cobb-td05h-20g-8-turbocharger-08-sti The Blouch 20G XT-R is a ball-bearing turbo, so it isn't Mitsubishi turbo at all actually, but a ball-bearing turbo that falls into the same power range. www.flatironstuning.com/blouch-20g-xtr-ball-bearing-turbocharger-wrx-sti If you go with a 20G with a larger hot side (TD06, TD06SL2 TD06H) you will have better top-end, but you will lose some of your mid-range response. Hope that helps feel free to open a Live Chat with us on the site if you would like to look at options further.

[@mightysurtur752]

Suggestion for a question of the week would be on intake manifolds

[@Craiggg12345]

Generally stock on the STI is good up to 500whp

[@mightysurtur752]

@@Craiggg12345 more on the idea of stock vs the na manifold vs aftermarket ones

[@FlatironsTuning]

Thanks for your question. This is a challenging one because getting back to back information is hard. But we'll add it to our list. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@mranderson3927]

The other tire/big hp item, even a 400hp build needs quality rubber to behave well, and you chew em up, gets spendy

[@FlatironsTuning]

That is a good point as well. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@martinburnett3852]

I just wish someone told me an adjustable fuel pressure regulator would increase NVH

[@FlatironsTuning]

Ha! They can certainly make some noise from time to time. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@johnwesely]

Honestly, if someone is crazy enough to want to go through the time and expense to 6 speed top and NA impreza, more power to them.

[@FlatironsTuning]

Ha! It comes up more than you would think :-) But the devil is in the details. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned.

[@ninjaknight-jn9ky]

5mt with 12kg or 5mt 4.44 dccd is what I would want.

[@FlatironsTuning]

That would certainly be a lot of fun 🙂 Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

[@woodzy575]

4.444 was good around town or on track but on the highway 3000 rpm doing 60MPH for hours is not too enjoyable.

[@FlatironsTuning]

@@woodzy575 Yep. Road Tripping in a 4.44 Forester XT was interesting. That is not its natural habitat :-)

[@buecar]

TY ads are getting ridiculous. 2x before the start and then again at 2 25 in the video, like WTF YT. Not even 3 minutes of video... sorry end rant.

[@impulseproman]

First here

[@johnwesely]

Incredible.

[@AccessDEANied]

definitely not trying that mod on my car

[@PeterHernandez-lg2eh]

I'm good with the car regardless

[@poudrecanyonbiker]

I really like my Firehawk Indy 500s. I have found they have decent wet traction. But once that moisture is frozen, all drivability goes out the window. But otherwise feel decent in sub freezing temperatures when dry. (~FBO 05 LGT)