Well, the ship still has to make it down here from Bremerton where it's picking up civilians for Tiger Cruise... but since my wife is going to POP any days now with our second kid, I got to come home from there.

Anyways 8 months is a long damn time if you've ever kept track. First thing I did this morning was go test drive a new Forester and drop into Best Buy and check out new TV's. As soon as the wife get's home, it's off to Lolita's for lunch, then go pick up the kid, then see if I can't install the TMIC I bought for her MS6.

Now the bad news... the wife say's I'm smoking some good **** if I think I'm getting another Miata anytime soon, so expect a decent little partout of all the **** I've been hoarding over the years. I've gotta get organized and take some pics. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, especially since I'm about to add another turbo4-cyl AWD vehicle the garage.

Anyways, I'm back. I just found out I made the Navy Times photo-of-the-day a few weeks ago... check out my good side!
Navy News Service - Eye on the Fleet

 

Woot, congrats on a safe trip. Welcome back. Boo on no more miata, I always enjoyed your posts/build threads/etc..

 

OMG Joe Swanson can walk!

 

Welcome back. 8 months is a long time.

 

Welcome back, know the feeling, have fun!

 

welcome home mr navy.

but why camo pants on the water?

 

Wait I seem to be missing something on your to do list. Banging your wife who you have not seen in 8 months is not there. Or is that the part about being married?

 

he's going to have a third kid....just wait.

 

lars must have forgotten the **** thread.

 

Welcome home brother! And Thanks!

You really got to talk to the wife WTF its Miata time!

 

Welcome more sir. So the MS6 gets a new intercooler and you're getting her a Forester while you drive the MS6?

 

At least I'm not coming home to a wife that's only 3 months preggo after being gone for 8 months. She's literally ready to pop... any second now.

I'll have tons more pics to post... basically just shots of me being awesome in one manner or another.

For the cars... undecided yet. If it was up to me, I'd get an '05 Forester and do a full STi conversion at about 300whp. But she's sure she like the '09+ bodystyle. I'm still not convinced that one is big enough. I went back to the dealership this afternoon and took out a non-turbo Outback with a 6-spd... felt exactly like I thought it would, and that's a good thing. I've gotta do a bit more homework and drive a couple used ones to make up the mind. She refuses to drive a wagon though, so if it's an Outback, it's mine. And if it's mine, it'll be an older turbo... we'll see.

 

DO IT! This will be my next vehicle, or at least the Forester part, only a standard XT. I've been lusting over it for 6 months or more now. Leave it pretty simple, just do a few little upgrades, up the boost just a little, and pretty much leave it alone. Of course I always say that and it never happens that way. At the same time, the newer body style REALLY gives me wood, so I will have to see when the time eventually comes.

 

I've done the homework. An '04-'05 Forester is a direct and complete part for part match for the entire engine/drivetrain/tranny/dif/axle/brakes from an STi. Everything is a direct bolt-in. You leave the motor alone because starting in '04, USDM Foresters use the 2.5litre JDM STi block.

Most guys say they can find the ECU, intake/IC setup, and complete header-back turbo setup with VF39 from a wrecked STi for under $1k. Take that and your Cobb Accessport ($400 used) and have a bone stock reliable 300whp setup in a vehicle 75lbs lighter than a stock USDM STi. Pretty amazing. Not to mention that used STi aftermarket parts fall off trees on CL and NASOIC.

Starting in '06, the ECU is different but superior, and everything else still is PnP. In '09, there was a restyle and emissions upgrades and now there are some proprietary Forester parts... and only an auto. Guys have just started figuring out how to properly modify the '09+ ones.

 

Seems like I do recall reading that, but I guess I forgot. I guess maybe I will be getting some STi parts afterall. Damn the new ones are so sexy! Not that I don't like the old ones. The Forester for me is just perfect. It does everything I like at the same time. I think mine would be set up sort of semi off road capable (more so than stock) with tires that would work decently on the road and off, I'd have to have a bar up front for fogs, wheels, suspension, whatever little engine stuff I do, and be done. Which I guess is decently major work overall. They are quick AWD, plenty of room, decent handling on road and off, maybe even pull a small boat with it, or a utility trailer.

 

Welcome back.
GL with the baby.
THANKs for your service.
Do the forreser that would be badass

 

There is absolutely no need for an STI ecu or the stupid *** accessport.
You buy a tactrix cable for 130, and can tune the Forrester stock ecu to WHATEVER the hell you want with opensource tuning, which is ONLY the coolest **** around nowadays.

If you want more info or any questions hit me up, I'd be happy to share as much info with you as I can, I've been tinkering with subaru's for the past 3 years.

To make a forrester run low 12's (with a pathetic launch I might add) at 117 (that's right, not a typo, that's corvette z06 territory) here's what you do:

hta68 (roughly same size as a vf but is GODLY in comparison) - 800
dw750's - 200 (after you send them back your stockers)
wally250 - 100
ebay tbe - 300
oversized tmic - 200
tactrix cable for tuning - 130

That's it
I know cause I tuned one a few weeks back. I can show you the slips from the quarter mile times I claimed earlier

Welcome back mr samnavy

 

How reliable would that be at that level? How do they do at the track in terms of not blowing the transmission or other drivetrain parts. I know some of the early WRX's have the "glass transmissions".

What is this mythical opensource tuning you speaketh of?

 

Quoted for emphasis. Along with....

50 LBs lighter?! I figured it would be heavier.

That is sweet! **** the STi.

 

Had (have actually, they are sitting in my living room ) some BFG all seasons on my DSM that were atually pretty darn good at everything. Cheap too.