Soba noodle's '06 JDM 3.0R

[CaleDeRoo]

Love all the gold bits under the hood.

[soba noodle]

New spark plugs today. So glad I've got skinny long fingers - took a touch over an hour. Not too bad I reckon, considering I've never done the plugs before.

NGK Premium RX

My boot is full, now I just need to find some spare time to chuck all that on the car. More updates to come.

[soba noodle]

Slowly getting through some goodies in the boot. Today's quota fulfilled:

• 686 477 A Lower Arm Bar Version II Front
• 680 318 B — BH/BE Sway Bar Links Rear

Got some BH/BE rear links to go at the front - fit perfectly with the Tribeca bar.

Then was the lower arm bar. 3.0R specific and doesn't go across like K-bar did on my old BH.

Quality Cusco stuff as always, much beefier triangle bit than stock, 5-point bar on each side instead of a flimsy little bracket.

Didn't have a chance to give it a decent test-drive but definitely felt more solid on a motorway and in a few sharp turns. I shouls really borrow a stock 3.0R to remind myself what stock feels like

[soba noodle]

Big day today - it's Brembo day!
I am slowly improving my skills: suspension jobs - tick, ICE - tick, plugs - tick, full brake swap - tick.
Took me a bit of time to do the whole swap, including the lines.

The kit I got includes:

1. Brembo 4 pot front calipers
2. Brembo 2 pot rear calipers
3. Adapters for the rear calipers
4. Brembo front and rear rotors
5. 170mm insert drums for the rear rotors (don't have to modify anything and can run 190mm drum STI rotors )
6. Dixcel M type pads front/rear

Decided to upgrade to braided brake lines and after a bit of research got myself a 6pc set from Safebrake (Australia) - awesome quality and OEM fitment without any mods required, came with retainers, banjo bolts and copper washers. Most importantly these are LVVTA ok so no issues with warrant of fitness inspections and no certification required (wouldn't say the same about two pot rear adapters though :/)

Brake fluid: Motul 600

I knew Prodrives were Brembo friendly, no suprises there. Cleared the front calipers by a few mills only - looks like they were specifically designed to clear Brembos judging by the inner curves of the spokes, follow the contours of the calipers.

Crappy pics as it was getting dark (it's winter here in Aotearoa).

Fronts + Rears with adapters + Braided brake lines:

Rear rotors with 170mm adapter drums:

Did rears first, read that many needed to grind the knuckles a bit for the adapters to clear - didn't have to do that at all, straight bolt-on. Not sure who manufactured the adapters but thank you for that!

The fronts are much easier and faster to get done:

All done!

[soba noodle]

This should've been done a while ago (stock nuts on aftermarket wheels just do not go well together, 60 degree taper seat).
Anyway, got a set of steel Rays lug nuts + valve caps (only because they were like $5/set, cheaper than fake STI stuff a lot of people put on )

Volk Racing Rays 17HEX Lock&Nut Set

Before:

After:

[98legwag]

Looking even better. As hard as that is to believe.

[soba noodle]

More gold, not just under the hood

[CaleDeRoo]

Brembos look incredible peeking out there.

[soba noodle]

Some mufflers arrived today. Had a few spare minutes today and chucked them on the car.

Trust/Greddy RS (Racing Sport)

Surprised how perfect the fitment is, probably one of the best I've seen, well done Greddy! The quality is there too, very neat welding. Shame the style is not something I am fond of, the sound is pretty awesome however - deep and loud, noticeably louder than HKS. I wonder if the wife will notice any extra dB

[98legwag]

The things I would do to have my mufflers sit like that and to have those wheels and brakes and dampeners/springs.

[soba noodle]

UPD: the mufflers are Power Extreme II, not Racing Sport as I initially thought. Found someone with the same mufflers on their B4

[soba noodle]

Rear suspension upgrades:

• Lower Arm Bar Version II Rear 684 478 A
• STI Pillowball Rear Lateral Arms ST2029021000

Before:

684 478 A and ST2029021000 (correct for facelift models with auto headlight leveling)

The actual arms are the same as stock, the bushings are different

Install in progress

Done!

[soba noodle]

Last bit of the rear suspension puzzle.

A few months back when I was compiling my Cusco orders I pretty much ordered a Cusco 684 492 R lower power brace, pretty much because I went online to double check the numbers/fitment and found a few posts saying that the brace is not 100% perfect for facelift models - two centre points have nothing to bolt on. I know at least some pre-facelift JDM models had a thin brace there from factory with appropriate holes in the space saver well. Nothing like that under my facelift BLE.

So I changed my mind and gave up on that idea. Until someone told about one specific UltraRacing brace, exactly the type that should fit perfectly with only two mounting points: part number UR-RL2-1431. Found a NZ supplier - pretty much half of what I was prepared to pay for Cusco (new vs new). Ordered, recieved next morning, installed a few hours later. To be honest I was a bit sceptical about UR products. Never seen one in person, just heard a few silly things about.

Quality is definitely there, very well done. Really like the metal plate with a serial number on it.

Install is easy, in fact it took much longer to remove the plastic wrap and the (bloody) sticker than install the whole thing.

I reckon I'm done with the rear set-up, a few ideas for the front.
Said good bye to Trust/Greddy mufflers and welcomed controversial Liberal Albero squares back - I actually missed the sound (and a bit of the look, let's be honest here) of them.

[soba noodle]

Chucked the Z/S carbon grille back on the car - feeling a bit sporty

[98legwag]

You are making me want to buy stuff.

[fwa2500]

Same here....especially in the exhaust category. I do wish I could find a set of the clear JDM headlights too, they look so much cleaner.

[geckoboy86]

I want to buy stuff as well. Luckily I have no extra money....

[soba noodle]

Once again you make me feel guilty

[98legwag]

Once again you make me feel guilty

Until you get in and drive it. Then you feel happy. In all honesty, I love my car the way it is. I just have a few more things planned.

[geckoboy86]

I think I'll be happy once I get around to putting my car on Spec B struts and springs. This is such an epic build.

[peugoby]

Wow, beautiful shots. Your car looks awesome! All those nice colors underneath the car too. You make me want a 4th Gen. You're definitely doing it right. I was going to ask what kind of camera you're using and where you're hosting your shots?

[fwa2500]

You make me want a 4th Gen.

Come to the dark side, we have cookies!

[98legwag]

Come to the dark side, we have cookies!

This.

[geckoboy86]

Come to the dark side, we have cookies!

We have all the cookies and share as long as its 4th gen 3.0R (BLE)....

[soba noodle]

Wow, beautiful shots. Your car looks awesome! All those nice colors underneath the car too. You make me want a 4th Gen. You're definitely doing it right. I was going to ask what kind of camera you're using and where you're hosting your shots?

Thank you!

I use Canon 7D with mostly Canon 10-18 (awesome wide angle for what it costs, another Canon's "plastic fantastic"!) mounted on it, then a bit of Lightroom. I used to use Imageshack until they decided to switch to paid only memberships, now I use Flickr.

[soba noodle]

We have all the cookies and share as long as its 4th gen 3.0R (BLE)....

+1 for that!

[soba noodle]

DeatschWerks DW65C 9-652-1008 installed.

[98legwag]

I have two Deatschwekrs t-thirts and a sticker, does that count?

[soba noodle]

I have two Deatschwekrs t-thirts and a sticker, does that count?

Yeah I'd say so

[peugoby]

+1 for that!

It's the only 4th gen or new(ish) Subaru that I'd buy. I love the motor and the power delivery. My Dad use to have an '09 3.0R that he bought new. I loved everything about that car except for the automatic transmission. I feel like if you punched it off the line that every so often there would be this small delay before the car really took off, even in Sport or Sports sharp modes. I'd get a limited if I were to get one for the Bilsteins, nicer wheels, steering wheel shift "paddles" etc. I'd like to get one someday.