Flatirons Syndicate Motorsports Podcast

By Flatirons TuningLeisure Automotive

Flatirons Syndicate Motorsports Podcast episodes

December 31, 2024 Shaking down our VB WRX with TR Brembo's and Cusco Gravel Suspension
Now that we have the WRX TR Brembo brakes and Cusco Zero 3-G Gravel suspension on our VB WRX, we needed to get our Subaru out onto its natural habitat... A dirt road.
Carter and Jon take the car out to shake it down, and talk about first impressions of the car with these parts installed.
If you would like more information about the brakes, here is a link to them on the Flatirons Tuning web site.

https://www.flatironstuning.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=flatirons%20tuning%20wrx%20tr%206-pot
Once we are ready to release the Cusco Zero 3-G suspension we will put a link here as well.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
12 min
December 27, 2024 Why Car Control is Important
Is drifting around a corner faster or slower?
Why do Rally Cars drift around corners?
A couple of episodes ago, Tasso mentioned in the wrap-up that drifting was slower. For this episode we tackle that question and talk about drifting, sliding, and car control.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
1 hr 4 min
December 20, 2024 We talk about the future with Brian from iWire
A couple of weeks ago now iWire made the somewhat surprising announcement that they were going to stop offering harness merging services for people that were doing engine swaps in their Subaru's.
Helping with harnesses seemed like it was fundamental to iWire's business, so why would they move away from it?
On this episode, Jon and Jeremy chat with Brian about what went into the decision to make this change, and what exciting things are on the horizon from iWire.
Where CAN Bus was a point of frustration in terms of making swaps work, iWire has now found a way to do some pretty cool things with it.
Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!
1 hr 23 min
December 13, 2024 What if the Auto WRX is actually good? + Ridge Rally 2024 recap
For episode #163 of the Flatirons Syndicate podcast, Jon is in the shop with Mike Pettiford of Go 4 It Services, and Jeremy of Money Shift Rally.
Jeremy just got back from Ridge Rally in California, so we start with his recap of the event.
While he was there, he needed to rent a car, so he got an Automatic VB WRX. Yes, the one with the CVT (aka Subaru Performance Transmission).
What if the Auto WRX was good? What if it was fun to drive? Jeremy put almost 600 miles on one, so we had to discuss his impressions.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
1 hr 1 min
December 05, 2024 We talk about iWire, VB Suspension, CHCA Rules, and more in this episode
For episode #162 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast, Jon sits down to talk with Tasso and Jeremy about what has been on their minds.
We start off talking about what it means now that iWire is phasing out their harness merge service. Are standalone ECU's now going to be the best solution?
From there, we go over our plans to change the suspension on our 2024 VB WRX shop car. Should we build for Tarmac? Dirt?
We talk about how important it is to try things out so that you can experience them and learn.
And finally, we talk about some of the changes that are being voted on for the Colorado Hill Climb Association in the Rally class. There has been a lot of discussion about the need for Co-Drivers, and how it relates to minimum weight in the class.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
In this Episode:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - iWire is ending their harness merges
07:55 - Are Standalones the answer?
14:00 - Our plans for the 2024 WRX Suspension
33:00 - Why it is important to try out parts, settings, etc.
45:00 - Best budget RallyX car?
50:00 - First race of the 2025 ARA Rally Season - Ridge Rally
55:00 - CHCA Rule Changes for the Rally class for 2025
1:02:00 - Minimum weight Vs. Restrictors
1:20:00 - Final thoughts
1 hr 24 min
November 29, 2024 WRX TR Brembo Brake upgrade for our 2024 WRX
When it was announced that the WRX TR would be getting 6-Piston Brembo brakes, it sparked two questions.
First was how easy it would be to put these on a standard WRX?
Second, are these Brembos the same as what came on the 2019 - 2021 STI?
We were curious too, and we decided to make this the first modification to our 2024 WRX project car. The install went very smoothly, and the performance upgrade that this offers for the price really can't be beat!
Here is a link to the kits up on www.FlatironsTuning.com to do this same swap as well!
https://www.flatironstuning.com/flatirons-tuning-wrx-tr-6-pot-2-pot-brake-upgrade-kit-2022-wrx
We go into all the details about what it takes to fit these brakes to the VB WRX, what parts you need, and what wheels fit these brakes as well.
This install was really easy, and we can't wait to take the car out to test out the new Brembos!
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
12 min
November 28, 2024 All about Subaru Brake upgrades from Brembo, Alcon, and AP Racing
If you have a WRX or and STI, and you have taken it to the track a few times, or have tuned it up to make more power, you may be at the point where you want or need to upgrade your brakes.

There are a number of common upgrades, such as the Subaru 4-Pot and 2-Pot calipers from the 06-07 WRX, or the STI Brembos. And ever since the STI got the larger Brembo 6-piston calipers, those are becoming a more common upgrade as well for both WRXs and STIs.

So when would you want to go with a set of OEM Plus calipers, and when would you want to look at a motorsport brake option from AP Racing or Alcon?

We go through all of these options in this video and talk about the pros and cons of each. If you are interested in any of these kits, or would like to get more information about them, here are links to all of the brake kits discussed on our site:

Subaru 4-Pot and 2-Pots
https://www.flatironstuning.com/subaru-4-pot-2-pot-brake-upgrade

STI Black Brembo Calipers
https://www.flatironstuning.com/subaru-oem-black-brembo-calipers-front-pair-08-17-sti

https://www.flatironstuning.com/brembo-rr-bk

AP Racing 325mm Brake Kit
https://www.flatironstuning.com/essex-designed-ap-racing-comp-big-brake-kit-04-17-sti

AP Racing Rally Brake Kit
https://www.flatironstuning.com/ap-racing-by-essex-rally-comp-brake-kit-front-cp8350-299mm-93-21-sti-wrx-2-5rs

WRX TR Brembo 6-Piston Brake Kits
https://www.flatironstuning.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Flatirons%20Tunign%20WRX%20TR

Roger Clark Alcon Brake Kits
https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2836

https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2960

https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2837

AP Racing Radi-Cal Brake Kit for the STI
https://www.flatironstuning.com/13-01-10067

Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
13 min
November 27, 2024 Is the 2024 WRX a good value compared to previous WRXs?
There is no question that car prices are the highest that they have ever been. This was the topic of our latest Podcast in fact. But that got us wondering what would happen if we looked at current Subaru prices another way.

What if we looked at a 2024 WRX but with 2002 dollars?

What if we took inflation out of the equation to compare the 2002 WRX with the 2024 WRX? Would the current car be a better or worse value?

And how does the STI factor into that?

We ran some comparisons and the results weren't what we were expecting. We go through all of these pricing comparisons in this video, and talk about what this means for the performance value of the 2024 WRX, and why this may well be part of the reason that Subaru stopped making the STI.

Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

If you want to play with the calculator we were using for this video, here is a link to what we were using:

https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator
9 min
November 22, 2024 Should Subaru "STI" Everything?
Here in the US, we have only ever had the WRX STI, but in other parts of the world, there have been STI versions of other Subaru models like the Legacy and Forester.
In the Legacy STI and Forester STI, the power and performance of the car was tweaked by the STI, which is why they got the "STI" badge.
So we got to thinking, since Subaru sells the most Outbacks, Foresters, and Crosstreks of all of their models, why haven't they made "STI" versions of them for the US market?
Considering the success of tuned versions of cars like the Porsche Cayenne and BMX X5, it seems like there could easily be a market for this type of vehicle. This would be perfect for those of us that had a WRX or STI, and then needed something bigger for daily use as well.
This is out topic for episode #161 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast.
Give this a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!
1 hr 6 min
November 14, 2024 Are all the fun cars getting too expensive?
For episode #160 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast, Jon, Tasso, and Jeremy sit down to try to figure out why cars are so expensive.
I'd make the argument that cars that cost more than $60,000 are irrelevant to most of us, but most of the fun cars are sitting just above or well above that mark now.
So what happened?
And how do cup holders fit in?
Thanks for watching and make sure you are following OTC Racing and Money Shift Rally to stay up on what Tasso and Jeremy are up to as well.
Stay Tuned!
1 hr 6 min

About Flatirons Syndicate Motorsports Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The team at Flatirons Tuning in Boulder, CO talks about motorsports, Subaru, rally racing, time attack, wheel to wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, current events in the car world, and sometimes…