Start-up yielded a very quiet exhaust note; it was clearly different and throatier than the stock tone, but still very quiet. The stock clutch felt light, precise and familiar and take up was without drama. Aside from the increased ride stiffness from the springs and Cobb Tuning's front and rear sway bars, the car felt almost completely stock. Once pushed through corners, the grip of the Dunlops was overmatched by the stiffened suspension, and the Subie exhibited a moderate to severe understeer. Actually, the handling balance was probably fine for the street. Really, even a safe scenario in the scheme of things on the road. However, the stock dampers could probably have used an upgrade, and the alignment could possibly have been more aggressive to achieve a better package for the track.
That's just it, though. Ultimately, this particular car was never meant for racetrack use. Even though we happened to shake the car down in that environment, the car was built for reliable street use, and looking at the machine in that light allowed me to forgive a bit of handling imbalance.
It was the motor that we all came to really sample, and from the seat-of-the-pants feel, the car seemed to make good on a horsepower number in the 400s at the crank. Considering parasitic loss in the drivetrain, something to which both Jon and Joe could speak with more authority, it felt as though the car was in the mid-300hp range to the wheels. Stronger than stock, to be sure, but also different in its delivery and the noise it made getting the job done.
Power was largely flat below 4500 rpm, but once the needle climbed past that magic number, boost developed with some solid authority. I only had about 2000 rpm to play with before shifting at a conservative 6500 rpm, just as the Subie-installed red shift light urged that another gear be grabbed. With that in mind, the power came on in short frantic bursts and the car made me work to ensure I was in the proper gear.
Almost better than the acceleration were the sounds from under the hood. I actually enjoyed driving the car at part throttle with the characteristic and charismatic (at least to me) Subaru flat-four loping accompanied by the sound of air under pressure being pushed and directed at the whim of my right foot. The exhaust, which produced a low growl under load at lower rpm, became more of a vicious rip in tone if not volume as boost and power built. The engine made itself known with some great sounds, and it was absolutely one of the best parts of driving the silver Subaru hatch.
There is no doubt in my mind that the car would develop boost quicker, a trait that I have come to associate with the GT35R turbo charger, had the cats been deleted. However, the ultimate owner was clear in wanting a legal car that would pass emissions. And so now you have some tough confines in which to deal-make more power, do it on 91 pump fuel and make sure it can be run in the considerable Phoenix heat. Competing with those criteria is the true measure of success or failure in this equation, and as far as I'm concerned Jon and Joe did their homework and built something worth driving.