A Better Daily: Introduction

As a car enthusiast I would love to have a track toy, say a 2ZZ swapped MR-2 Spyder with KW V3s and some RPF1s.  A ride with no compromises, dedicated to weekends at Summit Point or a local autocross.  However, having two little ones this won't be a reality for, well a while.  When the time came for me to find a new family friendly ride almost a year ago I really only had two main criteria, it had to be fun and my family had to fit.  My list was pretty short, I tried out all of the usual family sedan suspects but the Legacy GT was the only real contender out of that group.  I have wanted a Legacy GT since the BL9/4th gen, but with my daughter on the way it was just too small.  The BM9/5th gen addressed my space concerns and offered all of the performance on the previous generation.  This wasn't without compromise though, as it's very difficult to argue that the new 5th gen looks better than the car it replaced.  Other than the B8 A4 there wasn't a single offering from any other brand that offered space for the fam, a manual transmission, AWD, and turbocharged performance for similar money.  Though I would have thoroughly enjoyed Audi's excellent fit and finish plus the amenities, the BM9 offers better performance and ultimately more potential. 

Modifying my Legacy has always been part of the plan, but it wasn't until recently that I was able to get this ball rolling.  I only have a few goals in mind, to improve on the handling (it's a bit floaty stock) and some more go all while retaining all the aspects that make the Legacy a nice daily driver and great car for my family.  Being an all new platform I can't say there was much inspiration to draw from initially.  However, the JDM only Legacy GT tS was released and I found what I was looking for.  I started slowly with some aesthetic modifications, tinted the windows 40% and partially smoked tail lamps (I have some other small things planned as well).  Those things being done it was time to turn my attention to the suspension, specifically better rolling stock and firmer suspension components.  I've decided to go with a plus 1 wheel fitment, specifically a set of Enkei GTC-01s in 19x8 wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S-04s (245/40-19).  Thanks to Sonny at the Tire Rack for the going the extra mile with this special order.  Ruling out a set of KW coilovers, the next logical selection was a set of Swift springs.  These will provide a modest lowering while firming up the handling nicely.  Since the stock dampers aren't up the task, I have pre-ordered a set of Racecomp Engineering's Bilsteins for the BM9 Legacy GT.  These have been a work in progress for about two years so this is an exercise in patience.  After everything arrives (it seems like most of these parts are months away) it's time for a trip to IAG in Westminster where they will put everything together with some Whiteline swaybars (26mm front/24mm rear) and bushings, plus a STI flexible strut brace topping things off.  Well Rome wasn't built in a day, but it certainly feels good to be one the way.

Taking delivery last March