TAV Racing's 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX

In the Spotlight: TAV Racing's 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX

Pictures by: Mike Alonso | Article by: Jason Siu
Courtesy of: ImportSpeed-South.com

Everybody loves turbo. Hell, even Hollywood likes faking a non-turbo car to be turbo'ed. So who's to disagree that the Subaru WRX's aren't to be loved? Nothing can beat factory turbocharged tuned performance...or is there something that can? TAV Racing wanted to take the WRX to another level, above and beyond factory tuned. But where would they begin? The WRX is known for many things ... turbocharged power, AWD performance, handling capabilities nearing the edge of a cliff...where to start? With none other than some influence from Rally-tuned Subaru's, TAV Racing's WRX focuses on suspension components as its vital point.

To those genuine suspension fanatics, the name Cusco exemplifies finesse in suspension components. TAV Racing's WRX fills every sharp corner with Cusco famed products. Starting with your normal strut tower bars, Cusco shines under the hood and trunk with a front and rear applications. To balance off over and understeer, Cusco also equips this WRX with front and rear sway bars. To stiffen up the rest of the frame, TAV Racing equipped the WRX with a Cusco V-Brace in the rear, along with new Cusco trailing arms in the rear. Perrin rear endlinks reinforce the rear sway bar along with a White Line rear sway bar support. H&R Sport Springs lower the vehicle, while Cusco front and rear camber pillow ball bushings fine tunes the camber alignment. STI Aluminum front control arms lighten the load, while an MRT anti lift kit and Bozz Speed front sub frame completes the reinforcements on the body.

Now that the body was as stiff and tight as can be, handling was checked off the list...however, no car would look beautiful lowered without a new set of shoes. Lightweight 18x8 SSR Competitions round off each corner of this finely tuned car with 225/40/18 Michelin Sports rubber protecting the gold. Gripping corners and tight handling isn't complete without sharp braking. Stop Tech equips the WRX in the front with its big brake kit, while TAV installs their own brake upgrade kit in the rear. Hawk brake pads squeeze in between the calipers while Goodridge brake lines ensure accuracy when braking. An MRT brake support kit along with a custom TAV ABS shut off kit rounds off the custom braking modifications.

Steeping back from underneath the wheel wells, we'll start inspecting the outside of the car now. Easily noted is the MRT rear wing, model 22b which simply accents the Subaru OE body kit. An STI hood scoop lets the engine bay breathe, while an STI front grille and STI fog lamp covers cleans up the front. Zero Sports side air ducts add spice to the side while Ganador Mirrors offer that little, but complete look. Hella Prodrive headlights brighten up the street.

Shall we go to performance? Or observe the interior first...let's take a peek inside before we go and pop the hood. Enthusiasts abroad will quickly be overwhelmed with the Sparco name adorning the inside of this WRX. Sparco seats, seat belts, and a Sparco steering wheel are only the simple mods. An HKB hub adapter makes the steering wheel look flush while a GReddy shift knob allows for comfortable grip while shifting through the gears. Last but not least, a Speedware harness bar secures the interior.

All this boost with no electronics? Hardly. A GReddy Turbo Timer and boost controller assures the life of the car while a GReddy remote control gives high boost on the fly. A Vishnu EMI adapter fine tunes the electronics of the vehicle. An abundance of gauges offers specs at glance. GReddy again was chosen with an Air Fuel gauge, Boost gauge and Fuel Pressure gauge. All these gauges fit snug in a Defi' gauge pod. Sound comes from a Sony CDX CA400 while TAV Racing keeps video on tab with a Sony video camera with a custom mount from Speedware.

OK OK we'll go to the engine mods. Is this WRX stock? Quicker than stock? Has the power to back up the rest of the car? Definitely. Starting with the intake side of the car, a Blitz SUS type air filter along with a TAV aluminum pipe elbow helps the car breathe. Enter in, exhaust out; an AVO turbo back 3" exhaust runs through the car, but before that it escapes through a Cusco Header and M2 up pipe. So your typical mods are listed, what more? The turbo? TAV upgraded the WRX with its own turbo stage 1 kit, along with a GReddy blowoff valve. An AVO Solid response wastegate along with an M2 intercooler finishes off the turbo mods. Keeping everything cool is a custom TAV water spray kit. Wait, cool? Samco silicon hoses keep things cool...so does the TAV oil cooler kit. Oh yeah, GReddy again - an oil catch can. The little amenities also include a GReddy radiator cap, oil cap, Zero Sports cooling radiator cover, and a K&N breather filter. All this boost with no other attachments to the engine? Hardly. TAV didn't want to miss any corners, so they installed their throttle body along with their TVG modification. NGK cold spark plugs keep the spark alive, while STI engine mounts keep the motor where it is during hard shifts. Last but not least, an Unorthodox pulley kit replaces the stock set.

More? Just a little. Any performance know-it-all is aware that all this boost with no fuel upgrades can prove disastrous. TAV equipped their WRX ready for the heavy power and boost. A Power enterprise fuel pump along with their custom damper valve modification feeds the heavy flow of fuel through a Perrin HiFlow fuel rail. Are we done? Almost...this car is geared for strictly tuned performance. Speaking of gearing, a Kartboy short shifter was installed along with a STI gearbox mount. Shifting is made with ease with the help of a Cusco bushing kit and a White Line rear differential mount lock kit.

To close? A picture is worth a thousand words right? So why read all this, just look! :)