Darryn

I am running a stock STI flywheel with a stage one HD Exedy STI clutch in my 2007 Spec B, which is my daily driver. I personally like it a lot, as there is great pedal feel and it is super easy to modulate. The clutch is somewhat heavy feeling, so you have to decide whether that is something you find desirable (many people don't like the heavy feel). A few observations after running this setup for some time: 1) The standard weight flywheel is really nice is you launch the car, but if you don't plan on launching at all, I would suggest a slightly lighter than stock flywheel. 2) Compared to a JDM STi transimission that I had on my previous 05 WRX, the long gearing is not quite as fun, but fuel economy is noticeably better 3) Compared to the JDM STi transmission, driving in parking lots is much smoother, due to the lack of front diff. If you really push the car to its limits in low traction environment (wet or snow), you will notice the front diff help out. However, I felt that the aftermarket DCCD helped even more in these situations, and I believe that the forester STi trans lacks DCCD (correct me if I am wrong). If I were to do this all again, I would have swapped my Spec B trans out when I change the clutch to get the USDM 05 trans, shorter low gear ratios, slightly shorter upper gear ratios vs. the spec B and DCCD. I would expect a less smooth ride with that setup, and slightly worse fuel economy, but that is what I would due since shorter gearing tends to feel more fun. Hope that this helps!

I weighed both the USDM and JDM beams (with an analog scale, I don't own a digital one) and the USDM beam weight something like 15 lbs, but the JDM one is 6 of so. So basically, on a JDM car, you would only save a couple of lbs with the Syms part, while on a USDM car it would probably be cheaper to buy the JDM bumper beam for less money unless you really need that extra air flow in front of the radiator. I was actually a bit disappointed to find that the bumper beam only saved me 9 lbs or so, since the Rallitek skidplate that I am about to add weights about 12 to 13 lbs more than the stock engine under-tray / splash-guard.

Just added a JDM Spec B bumper and half lip to my Spec B for a new look. It actually looks a bit higher than my USDM bumper with a Bayson R lip, a very subtle look for sure. http://i67.tinypic.com/2eebrcy.jpg

The cutoff is better than stock, and light scatter is better controlled than stock as well. I am guessing that the "illegal" part must come from either Osram not doing some certification in North America or just because of the increase in overall light output. From my experience so far, they don't seem to be bothering other drivers. Furthermore, to your point of being obviously illegal or not, I would think that you would need to take the light bulb out of the headlight, take down the model number and look up online to determine that it is not for street use.

I have both the CPI Gold H3 for the fogs and the Osram Rallye 65 watts for the low-beams and definitely found the complete setup to be an huge improvement over stock. To be honest about the fogs though, after upgrading the low-beams I get such good lighting that I turn on the fogs a lot less often then before. The yellow color does seems to make it easier to see the road markings, or at least make me feel a bit more comfortable, but I would say the difference is relatively minor. From aesthetic perspective the yellow color also looks nicer when looking at the car from outside. In terms of the low beam performance, the cutoff is much better than stock, scatter is better controlled, and light output ahead and to the sides is greatly improved. If you were to do only one mod to you cars lighting, this is the one I would suggest.