Unique Motorsports

Pretty much any car designed for the masses is going to be somewhat neutral in many aspects. Suspension is a great example of this as the average person doesn’t want a firm ride or the worry of breaking the front bumper cover off when getting just a little to snug to a curb. Automotive enthusiasts however, are a slightly different breed. We notice that split second gab between turning the wheel and the car following along. We are ok with a little more noise, we want the car to be firm and responsive.

Springs vs Coilovers – The debate will continue. Personally I say springs. You can get a nice firm responsive whip without being overly jaring. Coilovers really limit the amount of suspension travel you have. For example, you might need to jack up your car 4 inches before the tire leaves the ground. With coilovers, it’s only going to be about an inch. The nice thing about coilovers such as installed here, are the advantages of setting ride height, spring rate and shock firmness.

This install is about coilovers. The install is pretty much the same as a regular spring install with a few key differences.

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In a nutshell – not much. I don’t think this is all too fair though as I consciously drive in a way which keeps the inside of my engine clean. Here is a list of steps I have developed over the years to keep my engine running as clean as possible.

- Change oil every 5000-6000 miles (mostly highway)

- Redline (shift just below RPM cutoff) at least a few times a week. *This is great for the engine; however, make sure the engine is fully warmed up, not just the water, but the oil as well to avoid a blown head gasket or excessive engine wear.

- I run name brand gas exclusively. If there is a filler truck at the station, I’ll not fill up that day.

- Lucas fuel injector cleaner every 40k or so.

- Change the spark plugs every 40k. Check them every 10k or so.

- Let it cool a few minutes to turn it off to keep the oil from coking with hot spots. Coking is common in turbos when the turbo is glowing hot, the oil gets shut off and the oil remains on a glowing red hot surface. This will steam the oil causing a thick film to build inside the turbo. The Aveo doesn’t have a turbo; however, driving gently a minute or more before shutting it down will help avoid hot spots in the engine where the oil can burn.

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Another spring install on a WRX along with a Downpipe install. This time its a 2009 Impreza WRX Hatchback. Not only do these Epic Lowering Springs give the car a much nicer stance, it’s also a great suspension modification to improve the handling of the WRX without sacrificing ride quality.

Scroll through and click on the images for descriptions of the install.

Installing a pulley on an Subaru with an EJ engine such as the Impreza or Legacy is pretty straight forward. Basically just lock the engine either by putting the car in gear or using something such as my pulley removal tool to lock the engine as you loosen the crank pulley. Once the bolt is loose, work the pulley off and replace with your new lightweight pulley.