TougeFriends JP

Finally got the chance to drive the STI in favorable conditions after the most recent changes. If you saw the last post I made regarding a track day I attended at Willow Springs, you'll realize it was pretty much a total shit show. 110F weather, a new track surface that was really slippery, an abundance of traffic, and the list goes on. After speaking with friends who frequently attend track days there and showing them in car footage, they said I could have run times approx 4-5 seconds quicker, if the conditions weren't so bad; meaning I would have been in the 1:28-1:29 range. That's awesome because sub 1:30 was my goal. So, knowing I'm on pace is a great feeling, but it's also frustrating knowing I could've had it, but the stars just didn't align. Oh well. Off to Autoclub Speedway. Last time I was here, the car was bone stock aside from HC800 pads and some front camber bolts. My best time was a 2:00.39 and that was also during a day that was seeing te...

Ah, Formula D. A series that offers the same soundtrack as a NASCAR event. A series that claims "it isn't a race" but awards drivers for putting bus lengths on the chase car from the starting line. A series whose parking lots and stands are filled with Hoonigan everything and so much vape smoke, you can't even see the track in front of you. A series which seems unable to maintain a roster of 32 drivers to compete. Formula D has received more than its fair share of criticism over the years from many people, myself included. There are those who seem to really enjoy it and what it has to offer, while there are those who are less than enthusiastic about what the series prioritizes. From an engineering standpoint, I think it's absolutely insane what these cars are capable of. 150mph+ wheel speed with over 60 degrees of steering lock while being within inches of another vehicle at speeds at nearly triple digits. These cars can accelerate faster at lock faster tha...

The STI has already had some track time over the past couple years since I bought it. The car has remained extremely simple and basic over the course of my ownership, and that was the plan all along. I didn't want to do the typical garbage of buying the car, then immediately "get an accessport and go stage 2 bro". I hear complaints left and right about the "lack of" power in these cars, and how it needs more, or how Subaru has been left behind by the competition and all that nonsense. I've felt no real need to increase the power though. The car is plenty quick and the power level is not holding me back by any means. My driving skills are definitely the limiting factor, as I know the car in its current configuration is damn quick. With the right driver, I'm sure it could put down respectable times on track. Instead of focusing on power, I chose to stick with simple brake and suspension/chassis upgrades to improve the car just a little bit in each aspe...

After taking a hiatus for a few years, I decided to get back into drifting. Being active duty and having some long days at work, I didn't want something that I would have to spend all of my spare time working on just to keep running. I also didn't care to have multiple cars, seeing as how my wife and I had a fairly small house with a small garage and driveway. That being said, I opted to go with something new. Having already driven the FRS, I knew exactly what to expect going into it. It was like a modern day 240sx. A perfect blank canvas to really make your own. We traded in my 2012 WRX and got the FRS and starting purchasing items the next day in preparation for a drift event at Mineral Wells. Started off with some STANCE coilovers, an axleback exhaust, and some shitty XXRs to hold me over until I decided what wheels I really wanted. Installed everything and had a blast. I was definitely rusty though. Fast forward a couple years and the car had seen a lot of hard us...