Flatirons Syndicate Motorsports Podcast

The Loam Ranger, aka Ryan Kelly, is our guest on this episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast.Ryan fell in love with Rally Racing at almost the same time as he found Mountain Biking. Because Mountain Biking was much easier to get involved with, that is where he started, but he always dreamed of trying his hand at Rally... Now that Dream is turning into a RealityRyan had already started down the road of building a top tier Rally Driving sim rig when he stumbled across a Barn Find Rally car that he couldn't pass up. He went through his Turbo Impreza L Rally car to get it competition ready, and has already completed 2 full Stage Rallys!We talk about this process, and what it was like going from racing Mountain Bikes to a Rally Car, and what some of his next steps might be to find more speed and handling in this chassis.Be sure to check out Ryan's Road to Rally on Youtube!Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!In this episode:00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest01:46 Transition from Mountain Biking to Rally Racing04:42 Experiences in Rally Racing and Car Modifications07:32 The Canadian Rally Community and Its Growth10:17 Rally Car Performance and Challenges13:06 Future Plans and Engine Modifications15:49 Standalone ECUs and Tuning Options19:00 Understanding Engine Monitoring and Safety Features21:54 Tuning and Performance Enhancements for Rally Cars25:46 The Importance of Drivetrain and Differential Upgrades33:59 Evaluating Transmission Options for Rally Performance40:41 Rally Car Evolution and Decision Making43:16 Building a Rally Car from Scratch44:50 Driving Dynamics: All-Wheel Drive vs. Front-Wheel Drive46:37 The Importance of Reliability in Rally49:32 Learning and Adapting in Rally51:44 Measuring Success in Rally and Content Creation55:22 The Role of Sim Racing in Rally Training

We love our 2024 WRX shop car. The more that we live with this car, it is clear that this is the best WRX that we have ever had on offer, but could this be the end for the WRX?No one is buying WRX's now after Subaru had to adjust pricing due to Tariffs...With sales numbers sinking to BRZ levels, can Subaru continue to make the WRX? Can they make a small change to get enthusiasts excited about it again?Or should Subaru just bring back the STI?We dive into what is going on with the WRX and give Subaru our suggestions about what they need to do to save it in this video.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

Now that we have the WRX TR Brembo brakes and Cusco Zero 3-G Gravel suspension on our VB WRX, we needed to get our Subaru out onto its natural habitat... A dirt road. Carter and Jon take the car out to shake it down, and talk about first impressions of the car with these parts installed. If you would like more information about the brakes, here is a link to them on the Flatirons Tuning web site. https://www.flatironstuning.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=flatirons%20tuning%20wrx%20tr%206-pot Once we are ready to release the Cusco Zero 3-G suspension we will put a link here as well. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

When it was announced that the WRX TR would be getting 6-Piston Brembo brakes, it sparked two questions. First was how easy it would be to put these on a standard WRX? Second, are these Brembos the same as what came on the 2019 - 2021 STI? We were curious too, and we decided to make this the first modification to our 2024 WRX project car. The install went very smoothly, and the performance upgrade that this offers for the price really can't be beat! Here is a link to the kits up on www.FlatironsTuning.com to do this same swap as well! https://www.flatironstuning.com/flatirons-tuning-wrx-tr-6-pot-2-pot-brake-upgrade-kit-2022-wrx We go into all the details about what it takes to fit these brakes to the VB WRX, what parts you need, and what wheels fit these brakes as well. This install was really easy, and we can't wait to take the car out to test out the new Brembos! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

If you have a WRX or and STI, and you have taken it to the track a few times, or have tuned it up to make more power, you may be at the point where you want or need to upgrade your brakes. There are a number of common upgrades, such as the Subaru 4-Pot and 2-Pot calipers from the 06-07 WRX, or the STI Brembos. And ever since the STI got the larger Brembo 6-piston calipers, those are becoming a more common upgrade as well for both WRXs and STIs. So when would you want to go with a set of OEM Plus calipers, and when would you want to look at a motorsport brake option from AP Racing or Alcon? We go through all of these options in this video and talk about the pros and cons of each. If you are interested in any of these kits, or would like to get more information about them, here are links to all of the brake kits discussed on our site: Subaru 4-Pot and 2-Pots https://www.flatironstuning.com/subaru-4-pot-2-pot-brake-upgrade STI Black Brembo Calipers https://www.flatironstuning.com/subaru-oem-black-brembo-calipers-front-pair-08-17-sti https://www.flatironstuning.com/brembo-rr-bk AP Racing 325mm Brake Kit https://www.flatironstuning.com/essex-designed-ap-racing-comp-big-brake-kit-04-17-sti AP Racing Rally Brake Kit https://www.flatironstuning.com/ap-racing-by-essex-rally-comp-brake-kit-front-cp8350-299mm-93-21-sti-wrx-2-5rs WRX TR Brembo 6-Piston Brake Kits https://www.flatironstuning.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Flatirons%20Tunign%20WRX%20TR Roger Clark Alcon Brake Kits https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2836 https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2960 https://www.flatironstuning.com/rcm2837 AP Racing Radi-Cal Brake Kit for the STI https://www.flatironstuning.com/13-01-10067 Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

There is no question that car prices are the highest that they have ever been. This was the topic of our latest Podcast in fact. But that got us wondering what would happen if we looked at current Subaru prices another way. What if we looked at a 2024 WRX but with 2002 dollars? What if we took inflation out of the equation to compare the 2002 WRX with the 2024 WRX? Would the current car be a better or worse value? And how does the STI factor into that? We ran some comparisons and the results weren't what we were expecting. We go through all of these pricing comparisons in this video, and talk about what this means for the performance value of the 2024 WRX, and why this may well be part of the reason that Subaru stopped making the STI. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned! If you want to play with the calculator we were using for this video, here is a link to what we were using: https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator

On this episode of Hey, What's your Problem, Jon and DP do their best to answer more of your questions about: - Transmission grinds - P0270 and P0267 Injector Low Voltage after an Engine Swap - A 2011 WRX Not running right after a transmission swap - A 2004 Forester XT with a weird vibration from its 4EAT transmission - Boost Pressure falling off on a 2005 Legacy GT - And a weird rich idle issue on a 2004 WRX Automatic If you have any questions or problems that you want us to talk about, make sure that you submit them in the comments below. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

Jon and DP try to help with swaybar fitment on a turbo swapped GC, a P0420 code on an aftermarket catted downpipe, pad knockback on a 2019 STI 6 piston caliper and possible relay issues on an Air Pump P2443 code.     If you have any problems you would like us to tackle please let us know in the comments. Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!

The 2022 WRX is out now, and we are starting to get a pretty good sense about the performance potential that the new WRX platform has.  With the GR Corolla starting to turn up now too, the question is, how do these two cars stack up against each other?  We got the whole shop together to share our thoughts on the 2022 Subaru WRX vs the new GR Corolla. We talk about performance, modifications, every day use and which one we would all rather have. Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!

Jon, DP and Dylan attempt to help a 03 Subaru WRX owner with some low boost issues and then find an unusual answer to the problem. Dylan then shares the recent issues with his 2011 Subaru STI and the strange issue with a coil pack we had not seen before. 00:00 Intro  00:44 Matt's 03 WRX Boost Issues 01:23 Diagnosing with no CEL   02:30 Issue with engine refresh?   03:40 Issue is found and not what we expected   04:30 Mouse Air Flow  06:50 Start with the simple stuff first   08:55 Dylan's 2011 STI issues   09:25 Rich idle   10:00 Smoke test and vacuum leaks   10:10 Stutter at WOT, backfiring, no CEL   11:20 Logging with Accessport   12:42 Finally a CEL   14:10 Delaminating coil pack 17:00 Computer thought everything is OK

DP and Jon tackle a 2010 Subaru WRX STI with a strange oil pressure issue and Donut Media's Engine failure in their HiLow WRX.  What might have gone wrong?  And are Subaru engines really that fragile?

The guys try to help out a fellow gearhead trying to balance family and cars, a 13 Subaru WRX with ethanol sensor problems on a Flex Fuel Build, a 04 Subaru WRX with boost control problems, a 04 Subaru Forester XT with engine swap questions, and finally a 2013 Subaru WRX with a wandering idle.  Jon and Mike aka Drifting Platypus aka DP got to talking and found that they both were regular listeners to the Car Talk radio show with Tom and Ray Magliozzi.  That inspired us to get a list of problems or issues that you all are having, and that is what we talk about here! In this episode, we talk about: A guy trying to balance family life with his car hobby  A 2013 Subaru WRX with a malfunctioning Ethanol sensor on a Flex-Fuel build  A 2004 Subaru WRX with boost control issues  A 2004 Subaru Forester XT with some engine swap questions  A 2013 Subaru WRX with a idling issues  If you have a problem or issue you would like us to discuss, be sure to leave it in the comments, or to send it to us through the Contact Us Link on the Flatirons Tuning web site. Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!

This is the first episode of something new that we are calling "Hey, what's your problem?" Jon and Mike aka Drifting Platypus aka DP got to talking and found that they both were regular listeners to the Car Talk radio show with Tom and Ray Magliozzi.  That inspired us to get a list of problems or issues that you all are having, and that is what we talk about here! In this first episode, we talk about: A 2016 Subaru WRX with a P0420 Check Engine Light Code after putting in a built engine  A Subaru WRX with Tuning Issues  A Subaru WRX Hesitation and popping from the exhaust under partial throttle A Subaru Legacy with a JDM Swap that is having hesitation issues  A Subaru Forester with an Evap Leak, P0457 Check Engine Light Code Thanks very much for watching, and if you have a problem or issue you would like us to talk about, be sure to reach out to us through the Contact Us link on the Flatirons Tuning web site. Stay Tuned!

When Subaru revealed two different STI concepts at the Japan Mobility show at the end of October, one Electric, and one Combustion, it started a lot of discussions.A few of which you have likely seen here on our channel and on the Podcast.The majority of Subaru Enthusiasts are very excited about getting an STI back in the lineup that has a traditional combustion engine for power delivery, even though there haven't been any details about price, power, or performance.For this episode, I wanted to bring together people that have a lot of experience with Subaru's, but also experience with EV's as well to make sure that we were giving the potential EV path of the STI a fair amount of consideration as well.Tony from Turn in Concepts competed in Gridlife for 2 years in a Tesla Model 3 Performance, Brian from iWire daily drives a Rivian R1T Quad motor truck, and Steve (aka. Kostamojen) has had and built a number of Subaru's, but currently drives and tracks a Hyundai Ioniq 5N.There was a lot to discuss here, and if nothing else, this makes it clear that this question is not as simple as it would seem from the initial reactions to the STI concepts.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

Robb Holland has had a long and diverse racing career thus far. 2025 has been a great year for Robb with his win of the Time Attack 1 class at Pikes Peak, and a GT4 Class win in the SRO GT America class as well.Robb started out competing as a professional cyclist, and then found his way to racing on 4 wheels in many different classes, including competing in the British Touring Car Championship from 2012 through 2015, and various other tracks across Europe, including multiple class wins at the Nürburgring.He also was one of the founders of Rotek Racing which was based at the Nürburgring and helped build a bridge for American drivers that wanted to compete in Europe.In this conversation, we find out about his path into motorsport, and we get a great perspective on what the differences are between racing at Pikes Peak, and the Nürburgring.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

With the new STI Concept cars, and their new focus on Performance and Adventure, it seems clear that Subaru is changing their direction to some degree.It is easy to say that bringing back the STI is a huge step in the right direction, but is it as simple as just bring the car back?What does Subaru need to do to really connect with their Performance Enthusiasts?To talk about this, we brought on Dewey from IAG, Smeedia, and Art from Overtake to discuss.We hope you enjoy this episode, and let us know what you think in the comments!Stay Tuned!

Damien Bradley has been running in the UK Hill Climb and UK Time Attack series for a while now.But this year, he decided to take on the challenge of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb!Now that some time has passed, we had to reach out to Damien to talk about his experience on Pikes Peak, and what it was like to Race to the Clouds.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

Subaru just revealed the STI Performance B and STI Performance E concepts at that Japan Mobility show.The BIG news is that the Combustion STI Hatchback seems to be a hit.This could mark the return of the STI drivetrain with DCCD, and even though Subaru didn't give any specifics, many enthusiasts are excited.Even the STI EV concept is getting a fair amount of attention.So what does this mean for the future of Subaru? And will we see the return of the STI here in the US soon?Jon and Art from Overtake USA take a deep dive into the concepts and what this could all mean.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

There has been a flurry of Subaru news the last couple of days, the most noteworthy being about the 2 STI Concept cars that are going to debut in a few days at the Japan Mobility Show. The Performance-B STI that has a combustion engine, and the Performance-E STI which is fully electric.But there has been some big news about the BRZ as well, which is that Toyota looks to be switching to Mazda for their next generation GT86. So what does this mean for the Subaru BRZ? Will it stick around? Or are the BRZ's model years numbered?And Subaru is now doing the Press Launch for the Subaru Uncharted in Europe, and the way that they are showcasing that car may be the biggest hint of all about the direction that Subaru is going in the future.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!Here are links to the articles that we reference in this episode:Motor 1 2025 japan Mobility Displayhttps://www.motor1.com/news/775825/subaru-sti-concept-duo-teaser/Subaru moving away from EJ20 in GT300 BRZ:https://sportscar365.com/other-series/super-gt/subaru-announces-retirement-for-brzs-ej20-engine/Article w/ clips:https://www.dailysportscar.com/2025/10/14/subaru-to-replace-ej20-engine-in-brz-gt300.htmlUncharted Test Drive Article:https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/subaru/uncharted-suv/Toyota and Mazda team up for GT86:https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/toyota-mazda-shared-sports-cars/https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2025/09/28/toyota-and-mazda-team-up-to-develop-new-mx-5-and-gr86/

Our guest for Episode #179 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast is Devin Hofmann of Devine Force Racing.Devin always had a passion for cars, and a curiosity about how they work. That passion has not only lead her into the field of engineering, but has also inspired her to not only track her STI, but compete in Grid Life Time Attack since 2020.Devin is also using her engineering background to inspire kids that are interested in STEM and Engineering through a couple of different programs and camps, and teach them how science and engineering relate to Real World things like Race Cars.We also talk about how Devin has seen Time Attack change in the last few years, and what her future plans are, including a shift to Wheel-to-Wheel racing.If you want more information on any of the programs that Devin mentioned in the podcast, here are links to them:https://www.nextengineers.org/https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/peer-wise/outreach/https://drivecrs.com/Be sure to follow Devin on her Instagram page and website for all the latest info about what she is up to:https://www.youtube.com/@devineforceracing/https://www.devineforceracing.com/https://www.instagram.com/devineforceracing/Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!