Posts in cars
Keep your address out of your GPS
I still don’t have a GPS but this is a good tip for anyone that does…
Dyno
had my wagon tuned by dominic acia on kito’s mustang dyno this afternoon. did several pulls and though some were higher this was the smoothest.
weather corrected, best run results:
254.9 whp at 5906rpm
286.0 wtq at 3089rpm
for comparison a stock sti makes 229 on this dyno. it’s known to report really low numbers.
for fun, using the ratio (stock sti sae ratings/stock sti dyno results) on my dyno numbers puts my car at approx. 329hp / 366ft lbs.
Rally bred
hopefully this one will last a bit longer than the si. after much research and deliberation I settled on a new subaru wrx wagon. for a long time i was daydreaming about the 2001 audi s4 avant. with a twin-turbo v6 that car is a lot of fun and quite comfy to boot. but after considering all the permutations, practicality won out this go around. all wheel drive and 5 doors make it a substantial improvement over my old car. don’t be fooled by the wagon part though… by the time i’m done with her she’ll run toe to toe with any sti!
Full synthetic
The fg2’s trusty maintenance minder indicated it was time for my second oil change so I stopped by a Mobil 1 Lube Express to get it done. I decided to go full synthetic since I drive the car pretty hard and I might end up keeping the car for a long time. I waited until the second oil change to ensure the engine would be pretty well broken in.
I almost got the oil from Wal-Mart ($37 for 6 quarts) but it turns out to be a slightly better deal to just get it from the garage because they charge a flat $20 extra (the Si needs about 4.5 quarts.) I also decided to replace the transmission fluid with the new Honda one that just came out (p/n 08798-9031) and the guy was nice enough to do it for free.
Overall I was happy with the Mobil 1 Lube Express and I will be going back. The tech was really friendly, the whole thing took less than 30 minutes and I really liked how I could stand in the garage and watch him work. They also have these $10 off coupons on the web so with full synthetic it came out to $44. Considering I paid $32 at the dealership for the last one this is a much better deal. Some remarks:
ALWAYS make sure you check your oil level before you leave the shop! The mechanic consulted his computer system and said my car needed 4.2 quarts of oil even though I repeatedly told him my manual says 4.6. At the end when he checked the dipstick it was on the low mark and only because I was hovering over his shoulder did he top it off with another third of a quart. I suspect the numbers they use are purposely on the low side to save them money because most people will never notice. Especially since the same thing happened after my first oil change at the stealership, except that time I didn’t check the oil level until the next day and had to top it off myself.
I forgot to ask so I got stuck with a cheap oil filter! For an extra $5 they can use a Mobil 1 but you have to ask for one. Next time I’m going to either buy a HAMP filter online and bring it in or just get a Mobil 1. I think I remember reading the Mobil 1 was one of the better filters available.
The new transmission fluid is silky smooth! Third still has a little bit of notchiness sometimes but it definitely feels better and is well worth the $12.
My first tank after this oil change was my best ever! I averaged 27.8 mpg over 335 miles, including about 75% highway and 25% city driving. Of course part of it was due to the fresh oil but considering my previous best was 26.6 mpg the synthetic oil must be partially responsible. So while the oil changes are going to cost more, it’s looking like I’ll definitely be saving on fuel.
Fog lights
Consider having fog lights installed at the stealership. The install is kind of a pain in the ass. If you decide to DIY, expect it to take at least 3 hours and leave you with a few cut fingers. Now can someone tell me how we’re supposed to level them when they only turn on if the headlights are on as well?
DC5 dead pedal
Last week I ordered the dc5 dead pedal to fit over the ugly black stock foot rest. Once it arrived I started by pulling out the plastic foot rest and drilling/boring two holes to match the mounting points of the dc5 dead pedal. I test fit it into the car and liked the size and shape. I decided the hard part was going to be cutting off most of the stock dead rest without affecting its mounting position and stability. But once I saw the dc5 pedal in daylight I noticed it had a brushed aluminum finish while the pedals in the si have a polished finish. It was too bad because I found it quite noticeable. So I’m going to return it and wait for the civic type r dead pedal. I kind of think it looks weird because it’s so huge but it should be easier to retrofit and will probably look better overall, as it’s a direct match to the accelerator pedal.
