S.T.A.R. Tuning

08/16/2013

Hello, It has been awhile since I have posted last...Its been pretty busy at the shop. Had a chance to work on some nice cars lately, and installed and tested some different parts. First off and probably most surprising would be the composite TGVs from FastWRX/Turn in Concepts, these cost only $220. The largest benefit from these TGVs is the heat barrier they create between the Intake manifold and engine block. Another bonus to going with these TGVs is that they come pre-deleted and ported much larger than the stock setup. They also save you almost 4 pounds in your engine bay!

Next cool part is the new Accessport V3, which has many more options and a larger screen. They are being introduced at $650 for the Subaru platforms. Also Cobb is giving a nice rebate for anyone looking to trade-in their V2 AP for a new V3.

Something else helpful for the Subaru platform would be the PTP Lava Turbo blankets. I was skeptical that these turbo wraps provided as much cooling as they claim but the results are really surprising. Without the blanket the Top mount intercoolers can become so heat soaked that the car starts pulling timing and in some cases even causes misfires. These blankets keep temps so low that you can touch the outside of the blanket with your bare hands. This simple to install mod only costs around $150 and greatly improves reliability.

Lastly Id like to introduce a custom 38mm External Wastegate Up-pipe. Tyler R allowed us to test the up-pipe on his 2002 WRX wagon and the kit comes with the option of going with a vent to atmosphere or recirculated dump tube. I will post pictures of the part very soon!

07/22/2013

I would like to Thank everyone for coming to our Dyno Day this past weekend...Everything went great and we got to run some really nice cars!! Id say the biggest surprise was the Dodge RT Nitro that put down over 370whp/460wtq and it had 4 piston Brembos on all corners!! If anyone has pictures from the event please post them up! Also I will get all the dyno runs from the different cars onto printouts and post them up here.

The next event at STAR Tuning will be the second weekend in August for the ALMS Race at Road America! I will post an event on Facebook very soon, so please sign up if you plan to attend. We will be meeting at 9am on Sunday the 11th at STAR Tuning (Donuts and other breakfast foods will be provided) and cruising up to the Race. Tickets for Sundays race are $50 until 7/31, then they go up to $70 so jump on them now.

Lastly this week Hawk Brakes and ARP fasteners are all on sale!! So if you need any bolts for your motor or brake components let me know, the discounts are around 10% off MSRP!!

07/19/2013

Hope everyone is making it through this heatwave Milwaukee is in the midst of. *Everyone one with a turbo car needs to be extra cautious of the heat generated by the exhaust gases on the turbine* High intake air temps can bring on knock because the air/fuel mixture is being ignited before the piston reaches the proper compression.

!!DYNO DAY is Tomorrow, SATURDAY JULY 20th.... Come by, have some food and run your car on the dyno! The event officially starts at noon, but we are asking people who are going to be showing their vehicle they would get to the shop a little early so we can get things organized. Also if people attending the event could bring chairs, we could use any extras you have also.

07/13/2013

07/13/2013

Hello Everyone! Hope all ur weekends are starting off well!!

**Wanted to remind everyone of the upcoming dyno day at S.T.A.R. Tuning next Saturday the 20th of July!! from 12-4pm**
I hope the weather is great so we can have a big turnout! Please spread the word, all cars are welcome to be displayed and the only limitations for running on the dyno is less than a 83in vehicle width! We will be having a grill out and planning on serving food around 1:30!

Also I wanted to bring to everyone's attention about another event to plan on attending...August 9-11 is the American Le Mans Series race and American Grand-Am series at Road America in Elkhart Lake!! The main ALMS event is on Sunday 'The Road Race Showcase Orion Energy Systems 245' starting @ 2pm. This is a truly bad ass race and very fan friendly atmosphere. The pits and tech areas are open prior to the race start and the venue is pretty much free to roam. The track is also sponsoring a Subaru Car Coral, for all owners to park in. We are going to organize a cruise up to the event on Sunday morning, so post up if your interested in going.

07/11/2013

This was sent to me in response to the bad brake job we did the other day!!

07/11/2013

Hey I wanted to let everyone know that the Dyno day is being pushed back a week to Saturday July 20th from 12pm-4pm! This is due because of a double scheduling on the cars we will have on display from Sommers Subaru. Please 'Join' the event or send a email if you are planning to display your car so we can be sure to have enough room for all cars!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend and made it down to Summer Fest.
The shop has been busy since getting back from the long weekend. I wanted to include a picture of a brake job we did the other day. The customer was complaining of a loud noise every time they hit the brake pedal...We figured it was just the contact clips doing their job, signaling the pads needed changing. Well we were half right, the brakes sure needed to be swapped out but it was the rivets scrapping on the rotors that was making all the noise...Glad they really didnt need to make any sudden stops within the last few thousand miles.

07/03/2013

Everyone Please have a safe and fun Fourth of July!!
We will be closed all day on the 4th but reopen on Friday!'


I just wanted to post a picture of an HKS Carbon Ti Full Turbo Back exhaust on an 2006 WRX, we did today... I haven't seen a better put together system, all hand made! Fitment was great and the sound is very nice, doesnt drone but still gets loud with more throttle.

06/26/2013

06/26/2013

We are doing a GT3582R install on an EVOX with the SST...so we are making a little build thread as we progress with the install, testing and tuning.

The car currently has...
AMS Front Mount Kit with Upper Hard pipe
AMS Intake /w 50/50 recirc BOV
3" catless Dual Tip Exhaust
AMS 3" catless downpipe
Deatschwerks 265lph fuel pump
Grimmspeed EBCS

We will be testing the thresholds of the stock EVOX injectors and quickly ordering something much larger...

Also this car is on a STOCK BLOCK, but people do make impressive power on stock 4B11T setups....

However, the biggest question we have with the car is the strength of the Twin Clutch SST system. The ECU provides extensive tuning options for the electronic trans, there isnt an overwhelming amount of positive test data about what kind of torque it can handle.

Currently the car was making around 350whp on the stock turbo. The owner is hoping for 550+ on E85.

I will postt up pictures, dyno videos, and graphs....please discuss!

06/20/2013

We have been busy doing on motor builds this past week! First we did a K-swap on a new Honda Accord that had the timing chain come off one of the cams...it was really crazy since the car actually drove just fine without the use of the intake cams

Next we replaced pistons on a 2007 STi motor and reinstalled the engine without the secondary air-pump and other unnecessary parts like the dust covers to save on engine bay weight. So if anyone is interested in doing a motor build, now is the time to act...we just got word from are main parts supplier that they are over-stocked on Manley; pistons, rods, cranks, and bearings which means nice discounts on packages!! Also Deatschwerks injectors are discounted for all Subaru and Mitsubishi applications.

**Mark your calendars for Saturday July 13th!!**
STAR Tuning is having a Cookout Dyno Day!! Everyone is welcome!
We will be having a few vendors in attendance, showing off the latest and greatest products and Sommer's Subaru is bringing a BRZ (and hopefully a STi) for people to check out and test drive!!
We will be putting on a multiple class dyno competition, with COOL PRIZES!! I will be making a formal Facebook event with much more information this week. So please spread the word and we encourage anyone who wants to put their cars on display to come by!

06/05/2013

This is from a 2002 WRX Wagon with just a 3" Bellmouth downpipe and catless up-pipe...The owner wanted a very conservative tune with getting good gas mileage as the main focus