To put all this finely-tuned power to the ground, Al dumped the JDM STI "pink" springs he originally installed for a KW Variant 3 full coilover setup, along with some RCE Camber plates up front, Cobb front and rear sway bars, and a bunch of Whiteline goodies and an assortement of braces. The driveline was also fortified with an Exedy twin disc clutch kit and a ACPT carbon fiber driveshaft, along with Cusco engine and tranny mounts and TiC Outrigger and tranny cross-member bushings.
Both the interior and exterior of Al’s black beauty of an STI are equally all-business. The lighting on this STI is particularly cool, thanks to the S2000 retrofit HID’s and angle eyes, and the carbon fiber on the Syms replica rear wing, front lip, Ureshi rear window spoiler and Varis rear bumper exhaust shield give the exterior a bit of subtle flare. The RAYS 57F Time Attack 18-inch rims and Falken RT-615 235/40-18 rubber are the perfect compliment to the blacked out exterior, the understated red lip being picked up in the clean vinyl Al’s dressed his STI up with. Inside it’s the Bride Gias Low Max seats that immediately draw you in, but the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, S204 blacked-out interior dash kit, DEFI BF gauges and Lathe Werks black Copolymer Sphere shift knob complete the look in a fittingly understated and mature way.
"My goal from the get-go was to build the perfect balance of weekend track car with enough balls to walk most anyone, and still put my son in his car seat on Monday morning and drive to work without an issue". With the help of Rich from Precision Tuning and Chris from XX Tuning, that’s exactly what he’s got. From a 1970 Road Runner to a 2005 Subaru Impreza STI, Al Castorino is a man who knows his cars and appreciates all the advantages of a modern day muscle car like his souped-up Subie.
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Vehicle: 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Engine: EJ25 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four
Engine Modifications: JE pistons, Manley rods, ARP head studs, Performance bearings, Stage 1 ported heads, Deadbolt SZ55 Fatboy ("limited edition" 18G compressor cover), JDM TGV deletes, APS turbo inlet, Power Enterprise timing belt and 850cc fuel injectors; Perrin V2 fuel rails, equal length header, Up-pipe, and radiator hoses; TiAL 44mm wastegate and BOV; TurboXS FMIC and SR intake; SMC Meth injection kit, NX EFI wet nitrous kit (50 shot), Invidia downpipe, Skunk2 cat-back exhaust, Cobb turbo heat shield and battery tie-down; Aeromotive FPR and CHM gauge; Walbro 255-lph fuel pump, Statix grounding kit, Element Tuning oil catch can and air/oil separator; AR Fab harmonic balancer, Samco ancillary hoses, Braille lightweight battery, custom aluminum rad cooling plate, Mocal oil cooler.
Engine Management: Cobb Street Tuner (tuned by XX Tuning), Blitz SBC ID3 boost controller, AEM AFR gauge, TurboXS knockLite, SMC Meth controller.
Drivetrain: Exedy Twin disc D-Core clutch kit, ACPT carbon fiber driveshaft, steel braided clutch line, Kartboy short-throw and bushings; Cusco engine and transmission mounts, solid aluminum pitch stop, TiC Outrigger & transmission crossmember bushings.
Wheels, Tires & Brakes: RAYS 57F Time Attack 18x8.5 wheels and Falken RT-615 235/40-18 tires (street), stock BBS wheels painted in Time Attack style with Kumho V710 245/45-17 tires (track), Ferrodo DS2500 pads (street) and Carbotech XP8 pads (track), Goodridge SS lines, ATE super blue fluid.
Suspension: KW Variant 3 coilovers, RCE camber plates, Cobb front and rear anti-sway bars, Whiteline Sport ALK kit, subframe locking bolts, adjustable front endlinks and balljoint extenders; Perrin rear endlinks, TheCarLabs X-Brace, Offensive Power front fender braces, JDM titanium front strut bar, Cusco Version 2 subframe brace, Project Sologear 1/8" aluminum skid plate.
Interior: Bride Gias Low Max front seats, Alacantra-wrapped steering wheel, S204 Blacked out interior dash kit, DEFI BF amber Boost, Oil Pressure, and EGT gauges, Control Unit II, and Triple Meter Hood; HVAC Redlight mod, Auto-dimming mirror/compass, Lathe Werks black Copolymer Sphere shift knob, polished STi shifter surround, JDM carbon shift pattern decal, Autospeed Dead Pedal, Kendwood DDX-7015 head unit, Passport 8500 X50.
Exterior: Syms Replica wing, S2000 Retrofit HID headlights with angels eyes custom painted (Lightwerks), WRX sideskirts, Black Spline lugs, rear 35% tinted windows, debadged rear, Black “I” front badge, Black STI billet aluminum front bumper trim, carbon fiber front lip, NRG polished hood dampers, Varis carbon fiber rear bumper exhaust shield, 06’ taillights and rear diffuser; Ureshi carbon fiber rear window spoiler.
Numbers: 455whp and 492wtq on XX Tuning’s Dyno Dynamics dyno.