What I drive-
My car is a 2005 Subaru Outback XT Limited 5 speed in Champaign Gold. It’s a good little car and I’ve put a fair amount of time and money into it. It has an Ej255 mated to a 5 speed transmission. From the factory it comes with 250 crank horsepower and a tiny turbo.
Performance-
In the time that I’ve had it, Ive modified this car substantially. I replaced the sad vf40 turbo with a BNR 16g consisting of an EVO 3 16g compressor wheel with an 8cm turbine housing and a 27mm wastegate port. I have also replaced the factory intercooler with a much more satisfying FMS top mount intercooler, and it is massive. My entire modification list consists of: Cobb 3 port Electronic Boost Controller, AEM true Cold Air Intake, the turbo and intercooler, some Tomei Equal Length Headers and a matching catless up pipe, a Tsudo catless divorced downpipe leading to a 3″ straight-pipe running out to a muffler with twin titanium tips, GoFastBits Hybrid recirc valve, an E-tune from Torqued Performance, an Aeromotive 325 liter per hour fuel pump, Torque Solutions Pitch stop, and a Southbend Stage 2 Endurance clutch with a conversion to a single mass flywheel. My car should make just south of 350 wheel horsepower when the tuning is fully completed. My suspension modifications are pretty limited. I have a Whiteline strut tower bar, Bilstein struts and Tein “S Tech” lowering springs, lowering it a total of about five inches. The car sits on some Rota Grid v2s and some trash Falken tires I was able to find second hand when my other ones blew out. My brakes are upgraded to the fourth generation Legacy GT calipers with StopTech pads and slotted rotors. These calipers had the biggest piston of any Subaru brake caliper, and with some DOT 4 fluid, they stop like Brembos.
Aesthetic Modification-
Aesthetically, I have tried to make the car appear more aggressive while maintaining a functional ride. In the front, most notably are the brake ducts that are functional. On the passenger side, the vent not only allows cooler air to move to my brakes, but also it feeds my Cold Air Intake. Looking down I have mounted a very inexpensive garage door liner as a bit of a lip. It serves to protect my bumper from being scraped and it felt needless to spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive lip that will just get ripped off by a snow chunk later in the Colorado winter, or on our horribly damaged roads. My grille was custom made by myself and my girlfriend, using some black metal mesh, glue, a dremel, and some black paint. I used a laser cutter to draft the Batman emblem, then I painted it to match the burnt orange accents elsewhere. This Orange can also be found on my brake calipers as I completely refinished them from used condition. Moving into the headlights, I smoked the lenses using VHT NightIZE paint and polished them to give a clear polished, but dark look. For the actual lighting, I am currently using XKGLOW LED lights with multi-color functionality, as well as very bright white capability. Moving to the rear, many people notice the custom “diffuser” I made. I really just took the vortex generator off of an EVO X, and flipped it upside down. It gives a nice subtle look that I really appreciate, it’s not too much, but it is noticeable in the right lights/angles.
I’ve had this car for just about a year and a half, and it is almost where I have wanted it to be since day one. I have poured thousands of dollars, and hours all in the pursuit of an image I’ve had in my head since the day I bought it. I have done everything to this car myself (minus the fuel pump since I didn’t have time on the day I replaced it) and I can honestly say this is the best car I’ve owned. It is now the fastest, it is very comfortable, plenty capable both on a straight road or in the twisty mountains of my hometown in Boulder, and it has a certain charm as a wagon, it feels fun to be driving hard, and look back and notice you have enough space for a single mattress and a nap to go with it. It isn’t the fastest car in the world, nor is it the prettiest ever, but it is one of my favorites.
Gallery of Photos
