Q In your article titled "'07 Subaru STI - Super Lap Dance", you mention using a carbing rear crossbar and rear strut bar. I have a '06 STI and I can't seem to find a dealer in the US that offers these products. Can you give me any possible dealers I can contact concerning these parts?
Charles Philastre
H-Town, TX
A Carbing is so bling. Like most JDM manufacturers that have already established overseas channels, TEIN USA is now bringing us hot brands such as Carbing. Give the distributor TEIN a call or check www.carbing.co.jp for a list of US wholesalers.
Q Hello. I have a question concerning my 2001 Nissan Altima GXE. I have recently installed Stillen headers/downpipe, an Injen short ram intake and a HKS Hi Power exhaust on my car. I have no illusions of taking any Time Attack/Super Lap titles with it, just want to make it a bit more fun to drive - we all know how much fun the stock KA24DE is right? The "service engine soon" light came on immediately after the install. I had it checked at a local auto parts store and the error codes were PO420 (catalytic efficiency) and PO135 (oxygen heater). The wrench at the Nissan dealership said that the O2 error was the one to be concerned about. He said it had the potential to fry my OE ECU board. So, my question is, should I find a shop that can reflash the factory ECU? Or is an aftermarket EMS (the HKS F-Con iS) the way to go? Thanks for your time.
Clemente Melendez
Augusta, GA
A After installing a header, exhaust, or test pipe on cars, oxygen sensors tend to give off readings that the ECU doesn't really like. If your oxygen sensor is good, you can do a couple of things. One solution is using an O2 simulator in between your header and oxygen sensor. The part is about $40 and works most of the time. An alternative is to reflash the ECU like you said, so the ECU doesn't look for readings from particular sensors. Using a EMS system on a car with little to few modifications isn't really beneficial.
Q It's the first time in five years that I have ever sent you guys an email, so let's hope the question gets answered. I have a 2007 Scion tC, and I'm looking for a balanced car in terms of power and suspension. I just recently installed TEIN H-tech springs, which gave it a mild drop. But to compliment the springs, I have been thinking about investing in sport sway bars made by Hotchkis. I'm not looking for an autocross car, just something that would handle better than stock. Should I install both the front and rear sway bar? According to a few sources, adding a rear sway bar will be better than adding both. Their reasoning behind that is because adding the front sway bar will stiffen the front, which will induce understeer during cornering. Will this understeer be visible during normal driving or under extreme circumstances? Any help would be appreciated before I make my decision on purchasing the entire kit or just the rear sway bar.
Naod Markos
Sumter, SC
A True, on a FWD car, adding a larger front sway bar will increase understeer, although it will stiffen up the front. By nature, most all FWD cars will understeer. Adding a rear sway bar will tighten up the rear and cause it to come around more in turns, reducing understeer. Adding a front sway bar will sometimes bring some of the understeer back, but not a great amount. It really depends on how neutral you want the car to feel. Some drivers want a bit of understeer to be safe. The differences between the two setups will increase in feel as the driving gets more intense. We'd suggest buying the rear one first, and trying that out. If it's too aggressive buy the front one later.