Welcome to Mayday Garage’s new website! We hope you like our new look and format, and enjoy what you see and read! We wanted to kick off our website right, and we are proud to present to you our first full car feature for 2014 (we sorta slacked off for the last year or two). The new format allows us to show you photos that are larger than our previous site did, and will now properly display the photos on mobile devices and tablets without any distortion.
Back in early summer 2013, we wanted to make a trip out to the Pacific Northwest, aka the PNW. Having never been to this region of the United States, the only things we were expecting was it would be cold and rainy. Much to our pleasant surprise, it wasn’t too bad. Traveling throughout the US, we find it interesting that the climate typically dictates what types of cars are driven and modified. For example, here in the south, more particularly Houston, we have long flat freeways and LOTS of space, so you’ll see many gigantic trucks but also super fast RWD cars such as turbocharged Corvettes, Vipers and exotics. In SoCal, where it’s always sunny, you’ll find lots of S2000’s, cars with immaculate paint jobs, and vintage Japanese cars everywhere. In the PNW where it’s raining here and there every other day, some people choose to modify Subarus.
Choosing to modify a Subaru has it’s pros and cons. One obvious advantage is the vast selection of parts available because the WRX platform is hugely popular throughout the world which makes making your Suby go fast a no brainer. On the other hand, it being so popular also means to stand out, you’ll need to be ahead of the game. We’ve seen many many attempts at this. From the bagged, stanced and super clean show cars to the Global Time Attack, giant wing equipped 500AWHP race cars, there are plenty of ways to modify your WRX/STi. One very overlooked style of tuning a WRX is the fine line of balancing both aspects, or as some call it, ‘Show and Go’.
Katie Smith of Bothell, WA (Pretty much Seattle to everyone that doesn’t live in the PNW) reminisces, “As a little kid I always loved cars. I had a large collection of hotwheels. I have always had a passion for cars, which I gained on my own, not from friends or boyfriends. I purchased my Subaru WRX Wagon, which would eventually be known as the ‘Rumble Wagon’ on November 23rd 2007. By chance, I stopped at the local Subaru dealer during my long search for a WRX Wagon and in their used lot was a 2004 with only 28k miles, nice wheels and modest tint job.
Despite the fact that it was bright red, I was instantly in love and took him home the next day. It started out as a desire for a fun daily and soon progressed into more. I have a ridiculous amount of passion and love into this car.
In 2008 I began with upgrading my exhaust: Fully catless, Perrin up pipe, Helix 3” down pipe to a Blitz Nur-Spec. A Cobb AccessPort v2 , sway bars/endlinks and “stage 2” brakes were installed shortly after. My car stayed like that for a couple years and did a great job as a fun daily. From 2007 to 2010 it got me up and down the mountain passes and back and forth from Seattle every day.
In January of 2011, I decided to take the car in a whole new direction and do a complete overhaul. I loved the car way too much to keep it as a commuter car. I started collecting the parts that would eventually change the whole look. Over the course of 2.5 months it was taken apart and the front end was swapped, repainted, new suspension installed and various other parts. It has been steadily progressing the last couple years with much more to come.
All work performed on my car has been done in my garage, with the exception of the alignment and dyno tune. It’s never been a shop built car. I do my own research and spend a lot of time learning about what goes into my car. My goal with this car has always been to make it the epitome of a clean and well put together street car that can be taken to the track. I’ve always kept performance in mind with everything I’ve done despite the “stance” and so it’s also set up for spirited driving and performs beautifully on the track.
These days I go back and forth between car shows and autox days, sometimes one right after another. Almost every weekend during the summer I have something car related going on, but I love it and it keeps me busy. This year (2013) in general has been an amazing one for my car and me. Aside from starting to race, which had always been a goal, I was chosen to participate in a local competition call the Import Meet Street Car Challenge. Putting my little WRX against 9 other cars, some of which were total monsters, really made me realize how much I love and enjoy my build. Going up against Supras and GTR’s was nerve wracking, but being able to come out of the competition with a 4th place finish was amazing. I enjoyed the whole event so much.”
At a decade old, finding a clean build for a Subaru would normally mean you’d have to go to a few car shows, to find a tracked WRX you would have to regularly visit a few autocrosses in the summer, and to find a nice street machine, you would find yourself at the local car meets. Imagine if you will, that you would see the same exact car at all three different venues. Katie’s Rumblewagon, to us, represents the best of all worlds, show, street, track, anytime, anywhere- a rare sight these days. She, like many of us tuners, already has plans for future mods including a new rear end, diffuser, and other bits.
One day, when we go back to the PNW, we’d like to check out more builds like Katie’s and other unique rides, so if you know anyone, hit us up! Until then, enjoy the new Mayday Garage site and look forward to seeing more features like Katie’s WRX Wagon!
Keep Tuning,
Ricer X
Katie’s Mod List:
Engine:
Cobb AP v2 – Maxwell Power – Pro Tune by Dom (339.6 WHP on MPS Dyno)
VF39 Turbo- Ceramic Coated hot-side
Cobb Heat-Shield
Turbo Inlet
CAI
Intake Manifold Powdercoated Red
TGV Delete
8mm Phenolic Spacers
2008 Sti TMIC
IAT Sensor Relocate
Perrin Y-Pipe
Perrin Boost Controllers
565cc Injectors
Walbro Fuel Pump
Ceramic Coated Exhaust Manifold
Perrin Up-Pipe ceramic coated – catless
Helix Downpipe ceramic coated – catless
Blitz Nur-Spec 3” Exhaust – catless
NGK BKR7EIX Iridium plugs – one step cooler
Mishimoto Red Silicone Radiator Hoses
Mishimoto Carbon Fiber Radiator Cap
Beatrush Pully Cover
Beatrush Radiator Cooling Panel
IAG Billet Radiator Stays
IAG Billet Washer fluid cap
IAG Billet Brake Fluid cap
IAG Billet Radiator reservoir cap
IAG Billet Oil cap
IAG Billet fuel rails
IAG TGV Deletes
Prosport Hood Dampers
Optima Redtop battery w/SPT Battery tie down
Handling:
BC Racing BR Coilovers with Variable Ride Height system by Umbrella Auto Design
Swift Springs 8k/6k
Sti Lower Control Arms
Whiteline control arm bushings
Whiteline steering bushings
Whiteline Rear Sway Bar 25mm
AD Motorsports Front Sway Bar 25mm
Cusco Front Strut Bar
Kartboy Front and Rear Endlinks
StopTech Big Brake kit w/ 332mm Front and 328mm Rear Zinc Plated Slotted Rotors
Steel Braided Lines
Motul RBF600 Fluid
ARP Extended Studs
Muteki Lug Nuts
Street set: 18×9.5 +38 WORK XT7 in Limited Gold
225/40/18 Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
Track set: 17×8 +45 Enkei RPF1 in gold
245/40/17 Dunlop Direzza Z2
Interior:
Custom Welded ¾ Cage – 1.5” .095w Tube with 1.75” .120w Main Hoop – Gold with Clear UV protection film
Recaro SRD Seats
Speedware Seat Brackets
Willans 4 point Harnesses in custom British Racing Green
Pioneer touch screen iPod/DVD Player
Polk speakers & Rockford Fosgate Sub
Black Suede Headliner and custom dyed rear carpeting
Dynamat lined Trunk, Hatch & Quarter Panels
Red “JDM” hazard button
STI Ti Shift Knob
Subaru All Weather Floormats
Exterior:
Sedan Front Bumper, Fenders and liners – OEM
Sti Hood Scoop – OEM
Sti Splitters – OEM
JDM Multi Coat Fog Lights
JDM Fog Light Surrounds
Front lip
Full Front-end Clear Bra by Guardline
Painted OEM side skirts
Roof-Rail Deletes
Rally Armor UR mud flaps
Blacked out & cleared headlights
6000k HIDs
Hella Supertones painted gold
Rear Windshield Wiper Delete
Debadged Trunk
Sponsors:
IAG Performance
Whiteline USA
