40,000 Miles!
Still going strong...
A New Winter Setup (and Snow Adventures!)
This being the first "major" snow storm of the season, I figured it was time to go out and take some photos of the new winter setup. I've sold the 16" steelies. I had grown to like the "winter beater" look that they gave to the car, but my plan had always been to use the stock STi wheels for the winter. So this year, I made a trip down to TireRack, and picked [...]
Fujitsubo Authorize R Catback
Well I've finally gotten around to it. I know, I know, it's long overdue. A new exhaust seems to be pretty much the first thing that everyone does these days, but autocross necessitated some other modifications first. Also, to be perfectly honest, I was a bit hesitant. I feel like the odd-one-out in the car scene, because unlike most folks, I don't want a super loud exhaust on my car. If it was a [...]
Chicago SCCA: Autocross Event #9 (2016)
Autocross #9 is in the books! This marks the last autocross event for the Chicago Region, and likely the last autocross I will attend this year. Ended things on a good note with another 1st place win! More importantly, this was THE most exciting course I've raced on thus far. I was shifting into 3rd gear in not one, but TWO sections of the course! It was a relatively wide and open course with [...]
Exterior Detailing
When I brought my car in to have the throw-out bearing replaced a few months ago, I completely forgot to inform them that I did not want the complimentary car wash that comes with all dealership service visits. As a result, my car was washed, and two years of careful avoidance of brushes was lost in an instant. I do not fault the dealership for this, as this is just an "industry standard" these days, [...]
Chicago SCCA: Autocross Event #7 (2016)
Autocross #7 has come and gone, and I don't think I've ever been more pleased with how an event turned out. The car handled beautifully, and I drove a little bit more aggressively, and I was able to really put down a good time today. 1st place was had in STX, by a healthy 1.5 second margin to 2nd place (a nicely-prepared BRZ). Of course there's another well-prepared BRZ that will gladly beat me by [...]
Then and Now
Decided to re-take an old photo with my new wheels and ride height. It's a subtle change, but the car sits much better now :) Evanston, IL
More Fluid Changes and Blackstone Labs Oil Analysis
I racked up just shy of 10,000 miles since my last oil change over 6 months ago, which meant it was time to do it all over again. The timing worked out perfectly to allow me to change all of my fluids before the weather got cold enough to make it an annoying task. For those who haven't been following along with my previous oil change posts, I use AMSOIL fluids in the engine, [...]
Chicago SCCA: Autocross Event #6 (2016)
Autocross #6 is in the books! What a fun course. I can't explain why it was so weird, but many folks agreed that it was a bit unusual. Something about the layout made it difficult to remember all of the elements offhand. This meant, at least for me, that I had to drive the course "in the moment," so to speak. It worked out fairly well in my case, though! Wound up taking 1st [...]
New Winter Tires (and Meeting the TireRack Guy!)
So I sold my steelies, along with the General Altimax Arctic winter tires that were mounted on them. I also sold the stock Michelin Primacys that were mounted on my stock STi wheels. Both of those sales netted me about what I needed to buy a new set of General Altimax Arctics for the STi wheels, so that I can look sharp during the winter months too! This means I'm running 215/45R17 winter tires, [...]