Dyno Comp STI..... Mines GTR better watch the hell out
10-29-09, 03:40 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Dyno Comp STI..... Mines GTR better watch the hell out
Give a typical guy a high performance shop and you might end up with a few well-built cars, or you might not. Mixing and matching parts from extensive catalogs at random occasionally works well, but it is knowledge that pays the biggest dividends. Give that same shop to someone with 23 years of racing experience in everything from shifter karts to Indy Light machines, like Richard Garcia, and you end up with Dyno-Comp. Located in Scottsdale, Ariz., they specialize in building performance cars to meet specific needs. Just like the 2006 Subaru WRX STI time attack bruiser you see here. After two successful seasons with a 2004 STI, Richard decided it was high time to step the game up a notch.
“When time attack was introduced in early 2005, most people could show up with a well-prepared street car and win the modified class and even in some cases win or place in the unlimited class. That is no longer the case,” said Garcia. But for him, just competing is not enough. He feels that to really compete is to dominate and win in the unlimited class. Essentially, his approach is win big or go home. To achieve this, Dyno-Comp had to have both chassis balance and power. What they didn’t want was a lot of weight.
They attacked the power problem with the addition of a healthy number of Cosworth components. Specifically, there is a Cosworth crank with a 79mm stroke, Cosworth H-beam connecting rods, Cosworth-built CNC-ported and blueprinted heads stuffed with high-flow Cosworth cams and Cosworth stainless steel intake valves. The exhaust valves are made of Inconel, a material made to withstand the extreme temperatures high-rpm use induces. Suffice it to say that Cosworth applies more effort to a single head than most people put into their entire engines, but their work pays off with 22 percent more peak intake flow and 41 percent more exhaust flow, which the large twin-scroll TSR70 turbo from Air Power Systems (APS) uses to produce 26 pounds of boost. Combined with an APS 80mm cold air intake and an Extrude-Honed intake manifold, the turbo is capable of spinning the EJ257 to the tune of 700 horsepower if Richard needs it. That’s the definition of stout.
An Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump and billet pump controller feed billet Aeromotive fuel rails and Power Enterprises 850cc fuel injectors. With an APEXi AVCR boost controller, factory coils, and EcuTek software, Dyno-Comp has utilized the factory ECU for seamless performance. An APS equal-length header was matched to the TRS70 turbo, which is controlled by a Tial 44mm external waste-gate. From there the flow exits through an APS 3.5-inch downpipe and an 85mm JIC Magic titanium exhaust. On the intake side, they used an APS twin-vent blow-off valve and a very large front mount. For extra cooling Dyno-Comp added a custom 14x10-inch oil cooler; fast parts for fast laps.
Rather than simply installing a roll bar, Richard ordered a complete kit from Custom Cages in Daventry, England. Built of chromoly steel and nicknamed “the Lunar Lander,” it required three full weeks to install and is World Rally FIA-certified. Was it overkill? Richard doesn’t think so. “The installation of the cage was not only a solution for safety, but also a solution for chassis rigidity, resulting in improved handling and response.” Additional chassis reinforcements come from Cusco in the forms of a front upper strut tower brace and rear 4-point sub-frame brace. JRZ 5-way adjustable external reservoir front and rear struts with 2.25-inch Eibach coil-over springs with 900 lb/in front and 600 lb/in rear spring rates work in concert with Hotchkis 25mm front and rear anti-roll bars and endlinks work well keeping the chassis level for proper camber curve control. A Whiteline anti-lift kit and JIC adjustable rear lateral links complete the underpinnings. One subtle trick Richard used which goes unnoticed is the stretched rear track, pushing the 18x9.5-inch Volk RE30 wheels to the trimmed wheel arch edges. Maximizing lateral grip is the name of his game, and since he’s got enough power to lift the nose and bring the rear around, he can use the additional width as leverage to keep the rear tires planted.
With all this power and handling, they learned that it is possible to run out of brakes, even with the Brembo F50 4-piston calipers and 13-inch two-piece rotors they started with. “As the track speeds increased and track times dropped, adequate braking became an issue.” They contacted Race Technologies (the distributor for Brembo in all of North America) and stepped all the way up to their ultimate “GTR Le Mans race system,” Monoblock 8-piston calipers and 355mm full-floating rotors on aluminum hats with ceramic pads. This $10,000 commitment is truly a big-league investment, and points to the direction future time attack teams will need to go. The rears are equally exotic with 4-piston Monoblock GTR Le Mans calipers and 328mm full-floating rotors.
A quick glance at the spec sheet lets you know that Richard is playing for keeps. Items like the Excedy twin-plate ceramic clutch and chromoly flywheel and ACPT carbon fiber driveshaft point to his take-no-prisoners attitude. The APR GTC 300 carbon fiber rear wing and APR rear diffuser combine to create usable down force, paired with the front snowplow-low Dyno-Comp-made carbon fiber and Kevlar-reinforced honeycomb front splitter. A Seibon CW-style hood helps to vent engine and turbo heat in the front while saving weight. A hand-formed aluminum inner door panel was shaped to fit the additional driver’s-side impact protection bars, and was attached with quick-disconnect fasteners. Actually, all of the interior panels are mounted this same way. Though he has pared the STI down to 2,780 pounds, he’s kept the center console (cup holders and all) and the stock, blue carpeting. His reason? He likes the carpet, and cup holders are just plain useful sometimes.
Now completed and tearing up the track, Richard has posted some murderously fast times in his STI. In 2007, he garnered a second-place Unlimited Class finish at the GTLive Tour time attack event at the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. A month later he scalded the field at the Super Street Magazine time attack held in their backyard at the Phoenix International Raceway, coming away with a first-place trophy and a one minute, 5.3-second lap around a hot track. By comparison, an E46 M3 can only manage a lap time 10 full seconds slower.
Obviously, the guys at Dyno-Comp are on the right track. Of course there’s the new WRX to contend with now, and some hot examples are popping up at this year’s time attack events too. With less weight and a revised chassis, the new version looks to be a mean competitor. Despite being last year’s model, the Dyno-Comp STI has proven that it has the firepower to stand on the top step of the podium. With the time attack season in full swing, we are sure that Richard and his crew will need to make some room in the trophy cabinet.
“When time attack was introduced in early 2005, most people could show up with a well-prepared street car and win the modified class and even in some cases win or place in the unlimited class. That is no longer the case,” said Garcia. But for him, just competing is not enough. He feels that to really compete is to dominate and win in the unlimited class. Essentially, his approach is win big or go home. To achieve this, Dyno-Comp had to have both chassis balance and power. What they didn’t want was a lot of weight.
They attacked the power problem with the addition of a healthy number of Cosworth components. Specifically, there is a Cosworth crank with a 79mm stroke, Cosworth H-beam connecting rods, Cosworth-built CNC-ported and blueprinted heads stuffed with high-flow Cosworth cams and Cosworth stainless steel intake valves. The exhaust valves are made of Inconel, a material made to withstand the extreme temperatures high-rpm use induces. Suffice it to say that Cosworth applies more effort to a single head than most people put into their entire engines, but their work pays off with 22 percent more peak intake flow and 41 percent more exhaust flow, which the large twin-scroll TSR70 turbo from Air Power Systems (APS) uses to produce 26 pounds of boost. Combined with an APS 80mm cold air intake and an Extrude-Honed intake manifold, the turbo is capable of spinning the EJ257 to the tune of 700 horsepower if Richard needs it. That’s the definition of stout.
An Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump and billet pump controller feed billet Aeromotive fuel rails and Power Enterprises 850cc fuel injectors. With an APEXi AVCR boost controller, factory coils, and EcuTek software, Dyno-Comp has utilized the factory ECU for seamless performance. An APS equal-length header was matched to the TRS70 turbo, which is controlled by a Tial 44mm external waste-gate. From there the flow exits through an APS 3.5-inch downpipe and an 85mm JIC Magic titanium exhaust. On the intake side, they used an APS twin-vent blow-off valve and a very large front mount. For extra cooling Dyno-Comp added a custom 14x10-inch oil cooler; fast parts for fast laps.
Rather than simply installing a roll bar, Richard ordered a complete kit from Custom Cages in Daventry, England. Built of chromoly steel and nicknamed “the Lunar Lander,” it required three full weeks to install and is World Rally FIA-certified. Was it overkill? Richard doesn’t think so. “The installation of the cage was not only a solution for safety, but also a solution for chassis rigidity, resulting in improved handling and response.” Additional chassis reinforcements come from Cusco in the forms of a front upper strut tower brace and rear 4-point sub-frame brace. JRZ 5-way adjustable external reservoir front and rear struts with 2.25-inch Eibach coil-over springs with 900 lb/in front and 600 lb/in rear spring rates work in concert with Hotchkis 25mm front and rear anti-roll bars and endlinks work well keeping the chassis level for proper camber curve control. A Whiteline anti-lift kit and JIC adjustable rear lateral links complete the underpinnings. One subtle trick Richard used which goes unnoticed is the stretched rear track, pushing the 18x9.5-inch Volk RE30 wheels to the trimmed wheel arch edges. Maximizing lateral grip is the name of his game, and since he’s got enough power to lift the nose and bring the rear around, he can use the additional width as leverage to keep the rear tires planted.
With all this power and handling, they learned that it is possible to run out of brakes, even with the Brembo F50 4-piston calipers and 13-inch two-piece rotors they started with. “As the track speeds increased and track times dropped, adequate braking became an issue.” They contacted Race Technologies (the distributor for Brembo in all of North America) and stepped all the way up to their ultimate “GTR Le Mans race system,” Monoblock 8-piston calipers and 355mm full-floating rotors on aluminum hats with ceramic pads. This $10,000 commitment is truly a big-league investment, and points to the direction future time attack teams will need to go. The rears are equally exotic with 4-piston Monoblock GTR Le Mans calipers and 328mm full-floating rotors.
A quick glance at the spec sheet lets you know that Richard is playing for keeps. Items like the Excedy twin-plate ceramic clutch and chromoly flywheel and ACPT carbon fiber driveshaft point to his take-no-prisoners attitude. The APR GTC 300 carbon fiber rear wing and APR rear diffuser combine to create usable down force, paired with the front snowplow-low Dyno-Comp-made carbon fiber and Kevlar-reinforced honeycomb front splitter. A Seibon CW-style hood helps to vent engine and turbo heat in the front while saving weight. A hand-formed aluminum inner door panel was shaped to fit the additional driver’s-side impact protection bars, and was attached with quick-disconnect fasteners. Actually, all of the interior panels are mounted this same way. Though he has pared the STI down to 2,780 pounds, he’s kept the center console (cup holders and all) and the stock, blue carpeting. His reason? He likes the carpet, and cup holders are just plain useful sometimes.
Now completed and tearing up the track, Richard has posted some murderously fast times in his STI. In 2007, he garnered a second-place Unlimited Class finish at the GTLive Tour time attack event at the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. A month later he scalded the field at the Super Street Magazine time attack held in their backyard at the Phoenix International Raceway, coming away with a first-place trophy and a one minute, 5.3-second lap around a hot track. By comparison, an E46 M3 can only manage a lap time 10 full seconds slower.
Obviously, the guys at Dyno-Comp are on the right track. Of course there’s the new WRX to contend with now, and some hot examples are popping up at this year’s time attack events too. With less weight and a revised chassis, the new version looks to be a mean competitor. Despite being last year’s model, the Dyno-Comp STI has proven that it has the firepower to stand on the top step of the podium. With the time attack season in full swing, we are sure that Richard and his crew will need to make some room in the trophy cabinet.
10-30-09, 12:18 AM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
They have it at the shop. I always drool over the thing while they work on my car. It was pitted against Mines GTR and barely lost because of very poor corner entry. Since then they added 200 hp and took out 700 lb.. It will destroy the old R34 Mines GTR
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