Member Profile - nay's MY14 Liberty GT

[nay]

previously asked for Quote and it's about $900 ish shipped.

That's actually not too bad! I'm tempted

[nay]

Few little updates to the rig,

HKS SSQV4 BOV
Replaced the GFB BOV with an HKS Super SQV4 BOV. This HKS Kit for Gen 5 Liberty/Legacy(P/N 71008-AF014) relocates the BOV next to the intake.
Definitely pricey, but worth it for that iconic HKS sound!


STI Replica Side Skirts
After many months the STI side skirts have arrived... The original parcel was lost in transit (no clue how, the parcel is huge) and I waited many months hoping that it would eventually arrive. Eventually the seller sent out a replacement and it arrive in about a week.

Bit of satin black spray paint and they look pretty good. Fitment is near perfect.


New wheels - Rays Gram light 57Xtreme
Decided to change it up a bit and got some Rays Gram lights 57Xtreme wheels in semi-gloss black(19x8.5 +44 5x100).

Paired with the 57Transcend centre caps, I'm pretty happy with how they look. Now I'm thinking that STI Brembos would be a fine addition

[satogixxer]

Nice update Nathan, looking great!

Now I'm thinking that STI Brembos would be a fine addition

Agreed

[nay]

Here's some more updates!

Major Service
Timing belt, water pump, thermostat and coolant replaced using all OEM parts. No real complications besides the strange water-pump part number and design.
Note: OEM Gen 5 6MT water pump is a bit of a hassle to source in Australia. Zero stock nationwide, had to source from overseas.

Design is slightly different to the normal EJ20/25 water pump. This one has a 90-degree bend to accommodate the factory low-mount turbo.



Also, the turbo J-pipe has to be removed to replace the water pump and thermostat.



2015+ WRX Shifter Upgrade
Swapped out the stock shifter with a 2019 WRX shifter assembly. Seems like Subaru has slightly refined the cable shifter with the WRX platform, as this one feels more direct and smoother. Definitely helps with the roughness and notchiness after installing a short-shifter.

Installation is very simple – the shifter assembly is essentially held in by four bolts in the centre console and four nuts underneath the vehicle. Once the stock shifter is removed the WRX one will fit right in and is a direct swap. The only tricky bit is managing the limited space with the tailshaft still on the car. However, it’s still very easy and took me about an hour from start to finish.

The only downside is that the shifter now sits slightly off-centre (to the left) as it’s designed for the WRX centre console. Didn’t find this to be an issue though.



MSR Engineering Retune - 206.4KW 595NM
Decided to book a retune with Michael from MSR Engineering after noticing some boost-cut/stuttering during high-RPMs. I initially thought it may have been a vacuum leak somewhere, however the issue was relating to boost-creep.

Car is now retuned with peak power, 206.4KW/595NM ATW. Michael and his team @ MSR Engineering doing a fantastic job as per usual.



STI Brembos
Little sneak peak at what’s coming next



STI Brembo’s off VA WRX STI. DBA T3 rotors, Goodridge SS lines, Intima SR pads and Motul RBF 600 fluid. Calipers will be sand-blasted and resprayed a different colour.

[Yowie]

Might need to change the pic hosting settings to "sharing" or something for that latest post.

EDIT - yep sorted. Same thing happened to me and it was handy to be told.

[nay]

Might need to change the pic hosting settings to "sharing" or something for that latest post.

Thanks .

Tried to use Google Photos for the images, but it looks like it doesn't work very well!!! Should be fixed now

[nay]

New Wheels (again)
After doing a bit of research, I've discovered that my set of Rays gramlights do not clear the 4pot STI brembos without a 10mm spacer.

As I've never been fond of running spacers or going through the whole ordeal of running extended wheel studs to suit spacers, I decided to order new wheels to prepare for the upcoming STI brembo upgrade.

Here they are, Koya SF03 18x9.0 +42 5x100, painted in Satin Bronze Chrome.



Wheels were custom drilled/painted to order, and only took around 3 weeks to arrive after placing the order. Very similar design to my set of Gramlights 57Xtreme.

I did consider staying with 19inch wheels, however I went back down to 18inch wheels in favour of better ride quality and overall comfort.

For tyres, I went with the recently released Pilot Sport 5 in 245/40/R18. Fits nice and square on a 9" wide wheel, with only the slightest bit of stretch.

STI Brembo Upgrade

STI Brembo upgrade complete!

Calipers painted Fluro yellow, similar to the factory 6pot brembos on 2017+ STI's. No major modifications required besides trimming the rear brake dust shields to suit the larger discs. Fronts dust shields were okay and didn't require any trimming.



With the new wheels, upgraded brakes and 10mm lower (to reduce the wheel gap from going back down to 18s), here's the updated look




Brakes have great stopping power with a nice solid pedal feel. Noticeable improvement over the stock brakes, and look absolutely amazing in my opinion

[Yowie]

Looks pretty sweet with that wheel/brake combo.

[nay]

Looks pretty sweet with that wheel/brake combo.

Thanks

I'm definitely very happy with how it turned out.

[SYM]

Looks bloody awesome Nathan, both wheel choice and BBK upgrade

Time for another photo-shoot methinks!

[aySKE]

the SR pads are great, even on track. Though get dusty v quick!
nice upgrades!

[nay]

Time for another photo-shoot methinks!

YES! Maybe once this torrential rain decides to stop!

the SR pads are great, even on track. Though get dusty v quick!
nice upgrades!

Yup, the SR pads are fantastic. Pairs well with the DBA rotors.

Even with the stock calipers the SR pads were a huge improvement

[LibertyTragic]

Looking good mate.

Can’t believe MSR pushing 21psi out of the stock turbo! Although clearly runs out of huff at the top end. Shows the gen5 is a neat package though with an easy 200kw atw without touching the fuel system or turbo.

[nay]

Looking good mate.

Can’t believe MSR pushing 21psi out of the stock turbo! Although clearly runs out of huff at the top end. Shows the gen5 is a neat package though with an easy 200kw atw without touching the fuel system or turbo.

Yeh Michael from MSR was also surprised the VF54 could push out 21psi. Usually the limit is around 19psi.

Although, he does believe the turbo isn't stock and could potentially have an upgraded core from a VF38 STI turbo. I definitely didn't do this myself, so it could've been the previous owner.

Regardless, 200kw is fairly attainable with a downpipe + the right tuner.

[nay]

Installed STI Seats from a VA WRX STI!

Direct bolt on and the airbag plug/connector is identical. No airbag warning lights on the dash. These specific STI seats are manual adjustment(non-powered), so I didn't have to bother with any power seat connectors.

There is a powered version, but I'm unsure if the connector is the same and potentially may require some rewiring.

These seats are great and are very comfy. Offers more side bolstering compared to the stock ones. I also feel like the seating position is much better with these seats, which is probably due to the better "hug" fit from the increased side bolstering.

Definitely very pleased with the upgrade