Car Of The Month: Jul '08 - CarbonIS

[Vypurr]

Car Of The Month: Jul '08
CarbonIS's 2006 Subaru STI

Interview – Andrew
Pics – Barry and Bob

TST: First of all, thank you Bill and congrats on being Car of the Month.*When did you start this project?
Bill: Thanks! I started the project about a month or two after I bought the car, so let's say October of 06. I had been thinking of what I wanted to do to it since before I even bought the car though.

TST: The mod bug always bites early. As most people that are reading this interview know, when you decide to modify a car you start out with a vision of what you want, and then you change your mind about it a thousand times before you get to the finished product, if it ever does finish. Was your plan any different in the beginning?
Bill: Totally different. I had been planning to mod the car from an OEM perspective, basically turning the car into an S204. But then as time went by and I saw how ridiculously expensive JDM OEM parts are and how little performance gain you get for what you pay, I decided to go a different route and onto aftermarket modifications. It wasn't until probably about 7 or 8 months ago that I decided to run with the JDM theme. I decided to go with the red and black theme in about February of 07, when I purchased the Time Attack style gramlights.

TST: It’s certainly working out well for you. Is it daily driven, or just a weekend/show car?
Bill: It was daily driven until August of 07. Then I got my Cherokee, which I DD. Now the car is basically a meet/show/track/weekend car

TST: It’s always good to see people that actually drive their cars on the track. As of now, what kind of power is she making? Have you run it in the quarter mile?
Bill: I was really planning to wait until the end of this show season to really track the car, due to the fact that I really enjoy promoting Shades of gray, LPC and my other friends/sponsors at shows. I have yet to take the car to a dyno or track with the current turbo set-up, but I would imagine the car is around 350-375 awhp and would do the 1/4 in the mid to high 12's.

TST: Speaking of sponsors, ambitious tuners are always trying to figure out how to get their ride sponsored, but sponsorship can be bittersweet because sometimes sponsors want you to build your car their way. How supportive have your big sponsors like Mishimoto and EDO Performance been with letting you do what you want?
Bill: I was very apprehensive about taking sponsorship offers due to the fact that I want to build my car for me, not for anyone else. EDO basically just asked that I sport the vinyl for a few months. The guys at Mishimoto are really great and supportive. They asked for 2 spots for vinyl on the car. I also offered to hand out business cards and brochures for them at shows and events. Ryan and Damon at SOG have been a HUGE support, and I gladly hand out their cards and talk about them at every show and event. Same thing with Martin at LPC; I hand out LPC business cards and direct any powdercoating opportunities to him. Ray at TurboTekTuning is another great guy to work with and is very laid back about letting me do what I want to do with the car. You're right about sponsorship being bittersweet though, I've taken sponsorship offers very seriously and have cordially declined a few based on what I had mentioned earlier.

TST: Do you have advice for anyone that is trying to get his or her car sponsored?
Bill: Make sure you have a detailed proposal ready. Sponsors are looking for a car and owner that will be beneficial to them. If you're just looking for free parts, it's not going to fly. You need to be willing to go to shows, hand out cards, talk about the business, strive for media coverage, etc.

TST: Good advice, most people just think that they can ride it for the free parts. We all know your STi is wild, but what did you own before this?
Bill: My first car was a 1989 Pontiac 6000SE that I got for $25. Great first car! Then I had a 1996 Nissan Maxima, which I completely riced out, hahaha. Then I had my 2002 Lexus IS300 for about 5 years. I loved that car and it's what I really started modding seriously.

TST: The rice happens to the best of us. Was the Lexus modified as extensively as your STi?
Bill: Definitely not. The Lexus was all appearance and suspension (other than a catback exhaust and an intake). At that time, I was a full-time student, and serious performance modifications to make an N/A car as fast as I wanted it to be were wayyyyy out of my budget.

TST: So it was speed that made you switch platforms from the IS to the STi? What drew you to the STi over the competitors in that price and horsepower range? (coughEVOcough)
Bill: It was overall performance that drew me to the STI, not just speed but also AWD (as opposed to the RWD in the IS). I test drove an EVO MR before I bought the STi, and the overall quality of the EVO just seemed to lack when compared with the STi. Plus, all of my friends drove Subarus, so I had a great knowledge base to pull from when it would come time to mod.

TST: That's a smart plan, nothing better than having friends that already know what they're doing. I remember hearing you started building cars with your dad back in the day. What kind of cars did you guys work on?
Bill: My dad's been in the body/mechanical business for over 35 years and owns his own body shop. We built an off-road truck, restored an MG, and built two street rods.

TST: So modifying cars is in your blood. Which was your favorite one?
Bill: I'd have to say the 1935 Ford Pick-up that we have now is my favorite. It's fun to drive, reliable, a head-turner and a show-winner.

TST: With a car as heavily modified as yours, there are a lot of headaches that come along before reaching your goal. Was it worth it? What was the worst hiccup that you have had to deal with?
Bill: It's always a headache. I think I stress out more about modding the car than anything else in my life, haha. The worst part is that you're never done. You get a part or upgrade something you've wanted to do for a while and that's all you've been thinking about, but as soon as that's done, there's always something else that you want to do. It's frustrating, really. I feel sometimes that I just want the car to be done, but it's never actually done.

TST: What is next in the forecast for the STi?
Bill: A custom rotated turbo set-up. I already have in line everything that I want to do; now the only thing that's left is saving up the money to do it. It's difficult because I have to balance all of my monetary priorities. Rent and utilities, as well as everyday things like food, groceries and gas take up a lot of my budget.

TST: Very true, but it's good that you aren't going in to debt over it, nor are you setting your main priorities aside. For those who don't know, what's the benefit of a rotated turbo setup?
Bill: well, the rotated set-up I'm going with will have stock-like spool (quick, around 3500rpms for full boost) but have the potential for 500awhp and 25-26lbs of boost. The main benefits of a rotated turbo set-up would be the ease of working on the turbo due to its rotated placement, the ability to use a larger turbo because of the placement, as well as having shorter Intercooler piping. For those that don't know Subarus, there is about 6 feet of intercooler piping when you switch to a FMIC. A rotated turbo set-up can help shorten that.

TST: What is your next car going to be? Are you going to go crazy with it, or keep it stock?
Bill: I haven't really decided. I'd love to do a 240sx convertible with an LS1 powering it, but I don't know. That may change as I grow up a little, haha. I've always loved the 67-69 Camaro, so I will definitely be doing one of those in the future too.

TST: Both would be great projects.*Here’s a fun one- let’s say you had a million dollars to buy/build your dream car. What would it be and what would you do with it?
Bill: That's a tough one haha. I've never really been all about exotics or anything, so I doubt I'd buy one. I'd probably buy myself a 1967 RS/SS Convertible Camaro with a 396 big block.

TST: Nothing wrong with that. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, any people you would like to thank?
Bill: Thanks for choosing me! I have a laundry list of “thank you”’s, so here it goes... Martin at Liquid Powder Coats, Ryan and Damon at Shades of Gray, Ray at Turbo Tek Tuning, Drew at T3HClap.com, Danny at EDO Performance, Everyone at Mishimoto, Laura for being supportive and always taking pictures even though she hates taking pictures of cars, Spock and Chaz for their awesome photography, Chris at CVR Motorsports, Fred for always being willing to help me on short notice without a complaint and for his electronic genius, Vitale Collision and my father for always being there to help me when I bite off more than I can chew when trying to do something myself, Ryan at Area1320 for everything, Dimitri for helping me decide on things and lending me his Takatas, and anyone else I'm forgetting.

TST: Thanks again for showing us your car, Bill. Good luck with the new turbo set-up, we’ll all stay tuned to see what’s coming next!


User Information:
Full Name: Bill Vitale
User Name: CarbonIS
Location: Langhorne, PA
Age: 24
Occupation: Consultant

Suspension:
Tein Flex Coilovers
TIC Fender Braces
Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings (to be installed)
Perrin 25mm Adjustable Front Sway Bar
Perrin 25mm Adjustable Rear Sway Bar
Perrin Front Endlinks
Perrin Rear Endlinks
Perrin Front Strut Tower Brace
DBA 4000XS Front Rotors
DBA 4000XS Rear Rotors
Hawk HPS Brake Pads
Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Exterior:
Custom Oxblood Red Kandy Powdercoated Stock BBS'
ADVAN RS 18x9 +29 GTR face in Dark Gunmetallic
Falken AZENIS RT-615 235/40/18
Zero/Sports Front Bumper
Zero/Sports Rear Bumper
Zero/Sports Sideskirts
Zero/Sports Roof Vane
Zero/Sports CF Wing Garnish
Autospeed STI License Plate Delete
04-05 Tail Light Swap
JDM Tail Light Mod
HKS Oil Filler Cap
Hella SuperTones
Tein Bonnet Dampers
Cusco Turbo Heat Shield
Nukabe JDM Tow Hook
Red Lined Impreza Badge
JDM STi Radiator Cap x2
Perrin Black Radiator Shroud*
JDM Subaru Rain Guards
ARC Titanium Pulley Cover
Time Attack Themed Painted Headlights by Vitale Collision
Custom Red/Black STi Stickers by GraphicSTI
30% Tint by Ryan @ Shades of Gray

Interior:
JDM Red Hazard Button
Bride Stradias in Hyper Red Gradation (2)
Bride upholstered rear WRX seat
Black STi Limited Carpet
JDM STi Type RA-R Shift Knob
ATI Gauge Pod
Defi Imperial BF Amber Boost Gauge
Defi Imperial BF Amber EGT Gauge
Defi Imperial BF Amber Oil Pressure Gauge
Painted Dash Trim
Powdercoated STI Shifter Trim
Pioneer AVIC-D3

Performance:
HKS Catless Downpipe
Custom 3" exhaust
Perrin Short Ram Intake
Greddy Type RS Blow-off Valve
Perrin Signature Series FMIC
Blouch VF-39/18G hybrid ported and welded IWG
Turbo XS Up-Pipe w/ Dump Tube
Tial 44mm EWG
Hallman Pro Manual Boost Controller
KartBoy Short Shifter
KartBoy Shifter Bushings (not yet installed)
OpenECU Stage 3 Tuned by Ray @ TurboTekTuning

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