Car people - recommended oil for summer driving

[tnf]

And my car has a borla cat-back on it. What's that do besides make it loud? (practical answer please, don't tell me 'its an inverted coupling plasma interconnected exchanger between the exhaust and the cat for optimal neutrino mobilizatio or something to that effect - I've never taken the time to learn much about car upgrades and the small amount of research I've done still hasn't given me a solid answer about how this thing actually affects the car.)

What him above said. An after-market cat-back usually reduces pressure in the end section of the exhaust by opening up the gas flow out of the end of the exhaust in the section after the muffler. Reducing this pressure results in a higher power output from the engine.

Check what kind of muffler you have, cause a fresh cat-back exhaust usually comes with a glasspack muffler which increases sound but reduces pressure = more power again (This is from a quick google, I'd guess you already have a glasspack on that car as stock... no idea).

This is why 'performance' vehicles have fucking noisy exhausts. The exhaust train is always a tradeoff between reduced noise and increased power... and performance vehicles are aiming for the second option.

A cat-back on a car that has a turbo doesn't give any serious gains since the exhaust gasses are still very restricted by the catalyst, it will probably be less than 5hp on the WRX. Therefore people put cat-backs for sound.

If someone wants their turbocharged car to make more power, they would rather use a turbo-back, for example a 3" exhaust pipe that bolts on directly on exhaust part of the turbine, thus completely eliminating the catalyst (this part is called a downpipe and is usually pretty expensive). These give a much more serious increase in power, and are one of the first mods that people do on turbo cars, at least around here, since there are no emission tests.

I have a receipt for a new downpipe/uppipe that he had put on as well.

[Nightshade]

I'm sure he is right. Just as I'd be right if I read a paper on the best practices in ark building and then quoted it here. I may have a smattering of knowledge about arks in my head, but it doesn't mean I've built one, nor does it make me an authority on them.

Its true that I haven't actually modified any cars myself, but some of my friends have, and I gain experience about modifying cars just from talking to them and reading the articles and/or books that they suggest to me.

I know, but I get no end of joy out of breaking your balls.

[Underpants?]

Don't switch between Synthetic and Dino oil. Pick one and stick with it.

I agree with this gentleman

Can't be emphasized enough, especially if you've passed over 20,000 miles on the car.

Gaskets sort of snuggle up to the oil they are broken in with, and don't take kindly to strangers past that.

[Kills On Site]

My friend has a Blitz Turbo Timer. I am fairly certain this is what he has. It just sits above the steering wheel and has a minimum time, 40 seconds is what the Evo's was, and if you drive hard it will increase as it sees fit. It is engaged by the handbrake, so when you engage the handbrake and remove the key it starts counting down. I would definately get one if I were you.

[+JuggerNaut+]

really though, unless you're racing around then immediately shutting off the motor, there's no need. iirc, even after racing around, idling for about 3 minutes is perfectly fine before turning off the engine.

and when i say "racing around", i'm not talking about the track.

[Grandpa Stu]

tnf, from what you're describing it sounds like you have a full turbo back exhaust. this is bad on the WRX unless you get it tuned for the additional parts. also do you know what brands he used for the up and down pipes? there's some pretty cheap and generic brands out there that will get holes in them reletively fast due to crappy manufacturing practices.

the intake is also concerning. from my understanding only two aftermarket intakes are good for the WRX; they don't screw up the airflow. either COBBs intake or a K&N typhoon are the way to go. i've been running the K&N typhoon on my WRX for over a year now without any problems.

i would try and find out if the previous owner did any sort of tuning for the additional parts he put on. you're pretty much driving a ticking time bomb otherwise. in fact it could already be running poorly but you just dont realize it having not driven it prior to the modifications.

as for the turbo timer, don't worry about it. the turbo that the WRX comes equiped with is bulletproof. unless the previous owner upgraded that too, which i doubt he did, then forget about the turbo timer. they're more for if you've been railing on your car hard and then just want to stop and get out. that would be stupid anyways seeing as your brakes would most likely be hot and then warp due to no rotation to help them evenly cool. as mentioned previously just drive casually for the last bit of your trip and you'll be fine.

i run synthetic in my WRX and havn't had any problems. it runs great.

btw, most of your WRX questions can be answered here:
http://forums.nasioc.com/

you'll find better WRX specific answers there than here

[Nightshade]

really though, unless you're racing around then immediately shutting off the motor, there's no need. iirc, even after racing around, idling for about 3 minutes is perfectly fine before turning off the engine.

and when i say "racing around", i'm not talking about the track.

I wouldn't put this to too rigorous a test. Yeah, idling after hard driving isn't necessarily a bad thing, but with no airflow over the oil cooler you're still looking at a pretty good risk of coking over time.

And Stu, no car part is "bulletproof". Well, unless you're talking about the Audi R8 motor.

[tnf]

Wish I knew someone around here who knew cars and could work on this with me.

Stu this guy went with Borla for most everything that he could. He wasn't skimping - he was the classic case of the guy who had the money to just go to the shop, ask what the best was, and have them put it on there.

He had everything done professionally.

I'd still like to take it to a garage and have them give it another full going over, but I don't have any clue who to trust that knows WRX's and won't just fucking rip me off because I'm ignorant. Are the dealership mechanics worth going to once the car has had new, non-stock parts put on it? Or are dealerships always a rip-off?

Stu you could drive up here over the summer and point out what all the shit does in this car and maybe we could have a race or two at the time. Well maybe not. I'll probably have lost interest in cars again by that point.

I'm teaching myself what I can from forums, but there is no substitute for real experience obviously. I hate not knowing if I am getting all the power I really should be...I feel like my dad must have when he didn't have his HDTV hooked up right and was watchign standard defintion stretched to widescreen for two weeks before I stopped by the house and noticed the problem. He thought it was HD, but also thought it looked underwhelming for HD...but he had nothing to compare it to. That's how I feel with the car...it feels fast as hell and seems to run great, but a neurotic detail freak like myself can go nuts second guessing myself until I'm sure of everything.

[Grandpa Stu]

haha yeah that'd be a fun day trip. if i did do that though i'd bring along my friend and fellow WRX owner who actually works on cars for a living as he can actually spot and pinpoint potential and actual problems better than i.

we actually wouldn't mind coming up there since it would give is something to do out of the normal routine. we don't even have to wait until summer; pretty much any weekend would work.

[Nightshade]

tnf, surely there's an aftermarket tuner in your neck of the woods, no?