userjack6880's 3 Phase Raven Build

[userjack6880]

Not actually 3 phase anymore - kinda abandoned that idea a few years ago. It has a general direction and parts will be upgraded as they wear out or no longer fit the build.

Current Goal: keep mods within the SCCA STX class, we're gonna go AutoX'ing again while preserving the "Backroads Runner" ideals.

Suspension Specs
(Goal / Left Actual / Right Actual)
Front
Camber: -3.0° / -3.0° / -2.8°
Caster: OEM / 5.4° / 5.9°
Toe: 0.00° / -0.03° / 0.01° (Total -0.02°)

Rear
Camber: -2.5° / -2.2° / -2.2°
Toe: Minimal / 0.03° / 0.04° (Total 0.07°)

Current Mods (Installed in No Particular Order)
DIY Catch-Can
Tomei Catless UEL Headers
Invidia Q300 Cat-Back
OFT Stage 2+ Tune w/tweaks
Perrin Lightweight Crank Pully
Verus Forged Clutch Fork and Pivot
Whiteline Transmission Mount Insert
Whiteline Front Camber Bolts
Tien Flex Z Coilovers
Rota Grid Classic 17x9 +42 Wheels
245/40R17 Federal Evoluzion ST-1
SmartTap CF18 Flasher Relay
Sealight High and Low Beam LED Headlights
Winjet Clear Fog Light Kit
DIY Weighted Steel Shift Knob
CB Radio w Bumper Mounted Antenna
RallyArmor Mud Flaps
De-chromed Stock Headlights, Tail Lights, and Turn Signals
LED Floor Accent Lighting
DIY Sub Box

Parts Ordered/Ready To Install
Replacement Fog Light Bezel

Stuff Being Considered
New Tires When The ST-1s Wear Out
- Bridgestone Potenza RE71R

[userjack6880]

2013 - 2019 - The first 113k miles
I don't have much documentation from this period, but basically not much happened during this period - minor cosmetic things, window tint, etc. Also a lovely collection of dents and dings, so the car isn't a pristine one. Doesn't matter, makes the care more enjoyable as something I can fling around and not worry about the paint. Things of note: did not suffer through all the woes many other '13 owners did. Motor didn't blow up, fuel pump chirp never bothered me enough, did get the ECU re-flashed, but never solved the idle fluctuations with the AC, and the OEM throw-out-bearing went out around 40k. At this point, we're way out of any warranties and maintenance plans. All in all, she's been a good steed.

7-9 Feb 2020 - 113k Miles

The Porsche and the other Subaru in the picture aren't mine, but very good scenery to work around.

Started off as maintenance to address noises from the pilot bearing. Figured I'd do some other upgrades while I have to pull parts. Replaced brake pads and rotors with OEM equivalent rotors and StopTech pads. During bedding process, realized one of the front brakes has stuck. Pulled the caliper and discovered the chirper on the pads were stuck between caliper carrier and the pad shim, causing the pad to not let go. Had to resurface one new rotor, but fortunately it was caught early enough.

Pulled the exhaust and driveshaft to get to the transmission. Clutch looked good, as expected. Pilot bearing was shot, as expected. Glad I got the kit that included the TOB, because the OEM replacement was failing as well. Guess they didn't really update the part all that well. Hopefully Exedy sells better bearings in their kits. Threw in the Verus Clutch Fork and Pivot while I was at it.

Wrapped and installed the Tomei Catless UEL headers. Sound is glorious, if a bit loud without a proper muffler. Tuned with OFT and all is happy.

13 Feb 2020
Cat-back finally came in. Toss it on. Definitely an improvement - much quieter than with just the muffler delete, but still a good amount of sound vs stock. Quiet at idle and low RPMs, but loud when you get into it. It's what I was looking for.

15 Feb 2020



What started off as just a fog light install ended up with a crank pulley as well. During the course of the install, dropped a bolt onto the exhaust pan, it was easier to remove the intake, and at that point, I thought to myself "the crank pulley is right there...", and next thing I knew I was pulling out the long-handles.

The pulley was a simple install, and went smoothly all things considered. Not much of a change, but revs do seem to change a bit quicker - shifting feels so much smoother as well, somehow. Beats me.

[userjack6880]

23 Feb 2020 - 113k Miles
Figured it might be a good idea to start posting updates as individual posts. I know this thread really isn't all that visible, considering it shows up as one from 2014.



Installed the Tien Flex Z coilovers and Whiteline camber bolts.. Measurements show about an inch drop from stock, and I still have the taller tires on the car. Camber looks good front and rear, estimating about 2 degrees based on the drop, geometry, and mods - will get final numbers once the wheels come in, are mounted, and the car goes on the alignment rack.

Also took the time to install a proper Rally Armor mudflap kit. Looks, fits, and are a bit less aggressive than the universal flaps.

[userjack6880]

25 Feb 2020


It's a doo-doo photo and the car really needs a bath...

Got the new wheels and tires mounted, balanced, and installed to the car. Makes a big difference to the car. Unfortunately, it won't go on the alignment rack just yet. I need to lift the car up again and adjust one of the front coilover mounts - I didn't check the work my buddy did while helping me, and going to adjust the dampening, I realized he had installed it rotated in the wrong direction. Easy to do on these cars. I'll get that rotated in the correct orientation, dial in the camber on the two fronts, and check the preload on all the springs while I'm at it again. Then it goes to the alignment shop. Everything looks right otherwise - pleased with the level of drop (I need to measure what the height is now),

Almost ready for AutoX this weekend. It'll be a learning experience getting used to a new setup.

Update: Since it's not really a new thing done to it, but an addendum to this - the top was corrected last night (26 Feb). Camber was also adjusted all the way out - rears measured at around 2 degrees, and the front measured on both sides of 3. The setup is close enough for the alignment shop to flesh out for me.

[userjack6880]

28 Feb 2020

Got the alignment done. The numbers before they started to dork around were actually good - the driver rear toe was too far out of spec, but that was expected since a bent component was replaced, and the previous alignment was done with the bent piece. Otherwise, almost everything was already dialed in before I went in. That makes me feel better.

Specs ended up as following:

(Goal / Left Actual / Right Actual)
Front
Camber: -3.0° / -3.0° / -2.8°
Caster: OEM / 5.4° / 5.9°
Toe: 0.00° / -0.03° / 0.01° (Total -0.02°)

Rear
Camber: -2.5° / -2.2° / -2.2°
Toe: Minimal / 0.03° / 0.04° (Total 0.07°)

[userjack6880]

29 Feb - 1 Mar 2020

Over the weekend, went to my second AutoX event (first one was waaaay back in April 2014). I had an absolute blast, and over the entire weekend, and got about 7-8 seconds between my slowest and fastest time. Mostly took getting used to the new setup, breaking in the tires, finding the limits, and being confident about driving at the limit.

I've still got some I can pull out of it - had a more experienced driver run the car during a fun-run and he managed to get a decent time (that by the end of the weekend, I was able to match), and it's clear there's a bit more we can squeeze out of her. More importantly though, even if it's not incredibly fast, it's a hella fun car. The driver who drove my car compared it against a WRX, and while the WRX was far faster and easier to control, the FR-S was gobs more fun, and you felt faster.

My only takeaway regarding the setup is that I might could get a little bit more by dialing in the suspension (I didn't really touch it still getting a feel of it) and going with better tires, not that what I had was bad - they performed way better than you'd expect for the price they were.

Ordered a new set of fog light bezels, as I managed to lose one eating a cone or two. I've also gotta track down what the piece of plastic at the front of the wheel-well is, as cone damage managed to tear half of it off.

I'm pleased in the change of direction the car has gone in. Booty shot for fun.

[userjack6880]

The Pandemic Times - 18 September 2020

Long time no post. Not much happened. No AutoX, various other projects took my time.

At some point, one of my friends pointed out that we have a station that actually sells E85, so I burned out the last of the 93, pulled the E85 OTS tune for the OFT, and let the ECU learn. No knocking, so that's all good.

Since we don't have any dyno shops nearby that are willing to do anything that isn't an old American muscle car, I'm a bit limited to doing Virtual Dyno for the time being. I've only done two runs so far, but the numbers it's generating are about what I'm expecting. Will do a few more runs to get a consistent number, and then tweak the tune a bit to try and get the AFR under control around 3-4k. Still, I'm pleased.