Beatrush Forged Aluminum Pitch Stop Mount

This is the first installment of our "Next Stage" selection of modification installs. If you haven't seen the big reveal video, sponsored by Apex Performance, check out that video first to see what you can expect in future episodes!
This is the Beatrush Forged Aluminum Pitching Stopper Mount. Quite a mouthful; believe me, I've had my tongue tied more than once when I was recording the voice over for this episode. If you do your research online, this particular pitch stop mount is more expensive than any other pitch stop mount. Why the expensive price tag? Well, to be honest, they claim it's a much lighter product than its competitors, but we clearly debunked that in the video. To be honest, if you are looking at a pitch stop mount option, I would spend my money on a cheaper Kartboy one, or something similar. This Beatrush one is JDM, and is very nice looking; then again, this part is under your top mount intercooler, so aesthetics have no real play in this matter.
Any STI owner should buy a pitch stop mount as one of their first mods. It is extremely easy to install, and takes no more than a couple of minutes to install the actual mount. However, removing and installing the intercooler will leech the majority of your time for this install; we have a completely different episode for that process.
There was an immediate difference when I drove the car with the new pitch stop mount installed. The in cabin noise was slightly louder, but not to an annoying extreme. Most people will probably not even notice the increase in cabin noise depending on their current car modifications. There is slightly more vibration in the car, and in the gas pedal itself, but this was a good thing to me. Feedback! I love driver feedback. The pedal and throttle response seemed to have improved ever so slightly. There is noticeably less pitching when on and off the throttle as well. All in all, it made the driving experience much less 'sluggish'.
I'm sure some new engine mounts, transmission mounts, shifter bushings, and steering rack bushings will really change the feedback of the car. I'm really looking forward to the further changes on the car in the near future!
As always, we thank Apex Performance for their partnership on our show. They are real gentlemen, so please check them out for your modifying needs! They carry over 150 of the most popular aftermarket brands, and will match or beat the competition in price! Please check out their Facebook Page, or e-mail them.
Stay tuned to Machine Zealots for more information, updates, videos, and fun ;) See you guys next time!

Custom O2 Bung

In our most recent package of STI mods, we received the Nvidia V2 bell mouth catless downpipe. Although they sell it with a two bung version, I had bought the version with just one. However, the more I looked into upgrades, the more I realized that I wanted some new gauges; including a good old AFR gauge which needed another bung on the downpipe for the wideband sensor. I had a local shop weld on another bung, but unlike the two bung Nvidia downpipe, I chose to get my bung welded in a similar position to Cobb's two bung downpipe.

I also got a nice bung plug off eBay and installed it onto the downpipe, temporarily. I'll need to find the time to wrap up this downpipe with the DEI Titanium Heatwrap, which will be another episode, and then this downpipe will be ready for the big install! ;)

That's it for now! Be sure to stay tuned for more updates and news!

Top Mount Intercooler Removal

Most of Machine Zealots Season 3 has been a whole lot of videos that had nothing to do with our Project Impulse, the 2006 Subaru WRX STI. I know what you must have been thinking, "Hey! Where are the STI how-to videos?"
Well, I'm pleased to tell you guys that the rest of Season 3 will consist of more STI episodes! If you have seen our "Next Stage" video, sponsored by Apex Performance, you will know that the STI will have many more episodes to come. To start off this mini series, we remove the top mount intercooler. (TMIC)
Why?
Simple. Many of the modifications to come require the removal of the TMIC. In fact, we'll be doing our best to gear up for Season 4 from this point on. Some of the episodes you will see in Season 4 may consist of many things that require the removal of the TMIC: Clutch fluid change, transmission fluid change, wrapping the TMIC with Reflect-A-Gold tape, downpipe install, turbo blanket wrapping, turbo heat shield install, and installing the Crawford AOS. If all goes according to plan, Season 4 will be based heavily on modification.
Okay, let's get into the removal of the TMIC. It's pretty straight forward. The only pain is getting the intercooler back onto the car. I highly recommend removing the black support bracket for more clearance; an extra helping hand wouldn't hurt either to be honest.
Puyang is gearing up in his modding game as well. We are currently waiting for a particular upgrade in the mail, proudly sponsored by Apex Performance of course. We'll have more information on that later.
Stay tuned!

AWD drifting, a work of art

We are thinking of a new line of t-shirt designs; hoping you guys will like our designs, and wear them. Of course, part of the proceeds come to us when you purchase any t-shirt or hoodie in our store with our designs. This helps support us as Machine Zealots is paid for from our own pockets, so anything helps! These designs will not be implemented just yet, they are merely a work in progress.