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WRX TOTAL
TUNING TECH - continued
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The stock springs and struts
were replaced with a DMS Gold 40 coil-over setup, providing
much stiffer springing and damping as well as allowing
adjustment of the car's ride height. After some tinkering,
Miller decided to drop the car's ride height 1.6 inches
providing a lower center of gravity as well as a more
menacing stance. Subaru STi front and rear strut tower
braces were bolted in to further enhance the WRX's
already stiff chassis.
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Finally, Whiteline 22mm front and rear sway bars and anti-lift kit (this increases positive castor at the front for improved turn-in) rounded out the chassis mods. Of course, a car with such a serious chassis setup requires brakes to match, so StopTech's 13.1-inch big brake kit was called upon to provide the needed stopping power.
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Since
the chassis' capabilities were suitably raised, attention
could now be turned to the engine. After all serious
power upgrades on the stock suspension would create
a seriously unbalanced beast, but with the chassis
now dialed-in, the car was ready for more power -much
more.
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As
Subaru enthusiasts know, the EJ20 flat-4 is an extremely
robust unit from the factory, with internals designed
to handle far more than the stock car's 227 hp. Japanese
versions of the motor are rated up to 280 hp (and that's "advertised" horse-power,
due to the Japanese motor industry's agreement to not
advertise more than 280 horses), so the engine in North
American tune is capable of handling significant power
increases. As such, Miller left the engine's guts alone
and elected to make power strictly with bolt-on mods.
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Miller
enthusiastically struck a deal with MRT to become an
authorized u.s. distributor. Naturally, Miller's newly
acquired WRX went through a whirlwind eight--week transformation
to become a showcase for MRT upgrades and illustrate
how. easy it is to make a tuning impact on all aspects
of the Scoobie's performance.
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The
first volley of mods were fairly predictable -MRT's cold-air intake and top--mount intercooler were installed to minimize intake air temperatures, and a Go Fast Bits blow-off valve effectively purged excess boost. MRT's
cat-back exhaust really helped the car wake up, allowing
the engine to make meaningful boost lower in the rev
range.
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But
the real centerpiece is the MRT TMS 3 turbo management
system. More than just a boost controller, this is
a complete and integrated system of components that
work together to create safe and reliable horsepower.
The system consists of a boost controller, boost gauge,
turbo timer, voltmeter, air/fuel gauge, and rally-style
water spray controller.
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