May 31, 2012

BME Radio: 05/31/12

Song of the Day

I thought this song was pretty cool, drumming with scratching/mixing. RIP DJ AM.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Ring of Fire" by DJ AM/Travis Barker



May 30, 2012

D*mn girl, got some junk in the trunk!

BME STI Build Update

I thought that many of you may be interested in seeing the latest progress made on our STI. Pat has been feverishly working on the car to get it ready for once the engine is complete. The engine is ready for assembly at the Turn In Concepts shop and the turbo system is being finalized at Nameless Performance. Pat got to work on the fuel system this past weekend, installing his custom BME false floor along with mounting up many fuel goodies and the Braille Battery Kit.

Additional pictures and information on the fuel system progress can be found here.



BME Radio: 05/30/12

Song of the Day

Well I guess the internet guy was asleep yesterday, sorry for missing a day. We will try our best to not miss again, Monday was a holiday for us by the way. I will post two today to make up for it. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the long weekend if you had one.

I though we would change it up a bit from the last few posts. The STI is finally making progress towards completion so I am a better mood now.

First up, some Mt. Eden Dubstep ... classic song. After that I picked Avicii, another classic track of his. This kind of stuff helps to get through the day job sometimes lol!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Sierra Leone" by Mt. Eden Dubstep


"Levels" by Avicii

May 25, 2012

BME Radio: 05/25/12

Song of the Day


In honor of our pending and hopeful move from Cincinnati I though I would post something from a band I like that is from the city we are considering relocating to. We hope to be able finalize the plans soon so that we can get things with he company off the ground and running at full speed.

In the mean time we have a long weekend and work will continue on the STI. The goal is to have the car ready to accept the engine and be ready to run wiring and fuel lines by the end of the weekend.

 The band for today's song is Chevelle, the video is of their performance in they home town at the Metro in Chicago.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Sleep Apnea" by Chevelle

May 24, 2012

BME Radio: 05/24/12

Song of the Day


So... It has been a busy couple of days! I have been traveling for the day job, and am now back at the airport. Got to hang out with Pat for a few hours last night, and discuss more about BME which is always good. I'm not headed back to Greenville, SC for the long weekend. The fiance is flying out tonight from Chicago, it's always nice to get to spend time with her.

The band for today's song is a side project of Daryl Palumbo; better known for Head Automatica and Glassjaw. While the project never really materialized into its full potential, I think that this song is really cool. It mixes the hardness of Glassjaw with the smooth beats of a club mix, or style of Head Automatica. I hope you enjoy!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Afghani Black" by House of Blow

May 23, 2012

A Long 6 Months

It has been a long 6 months but a large step in completing the STI build has occurred. Exactly 6 months to the day (not even planned) from when the STI first went up in the air and the project began the car was finally put back on the ground. The suspension setup that we will be running for this phase of the build is finally completed and fully installed. The full list of suspension and drivetrain components we are using can be found on the "Team Cars" page.

We would like to thank the following sponsors who helped us with the suspension and drivetrain package:





Sorry about the mess and dont mind the old wheels, they are temporary, but here it is back on dry land where it belongs.Obviously the final ride height will be set once the engine is in and it will be taken to TiC for the corner balance and alignment.



Today we picked up some parts from the water jet that we will be installing soon. We can now move forward with the fuel setup and interior of the car. The engine is waiting on the crank to come in from Subaru and once it does it should go together quickly. The turbo has also finally arrived and is at Nameless Performance being used to fabricate our intercooler and exhaust.

We think that progress will pick up quickly and we can get moving now that we have worked out all the problems that we ran into so please check back regularly for updates!

BME Radio: 05/23/12

Song of the Day

Sorry about the late post today, but it has been a busy day getting caught up on some work on the STI now that we have parts finally coming off back order. Mark was also traveling for the day job so he has not had computer access. We couldn't miss a day though so here is a little taste of what we have playing as were working on the cars ... classic Killswitch.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"The End of Heartache" by Killswitch Engage


May 22, 2012

BME Radio: 05/22/12

Song of the Day

This one made me LOL. It's from a Saturday Night Live skit. Enjoy!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Natalie's Rap" by Natalie Portman


And here is the unedited version, for some reason it wouldn't let me embed it...

May 21, 2012

BME Radio: 05/21/12

Song of the Day

This is a song by one of the bands that played at the Thrice concert on Saturday (yes, it was effing awesome!). The band is made up of two 8-string guitarists and a drummer. The level of complexity is unreal, and it was really cool to see them play live. Their execution was flawless, and the amount of notes that are played in each song is insane.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"CAFO" by Animals as Leaders


May 18, 2012

BME Radio: 05/18/12

Song of the Day

I'm not sure if I like this or not. This chick is intense, though! Enjoy your weekend!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"You know that ain't them dogs' real voices" by Iwrestledabearonce



May 17, 2012

BME Radio: 05/17/12

Song of the Day

It's been a busy day... I'm sorry that I am late to post this but I have been jumping around between too many different things... This song popped up on my Pandora just now, so I figured that I'd post it up.

Pat is at Turn In Concepts today, beginning the build on the new STI block. He reported back and said that all tolerances were well within spec and that everything looks great! Updates to come soon!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Animus Vox" by Glitch Mob



May 16, 2012

BME Radio: 05/16/12

Song of the Day

This song kicked off one of my favorite albums ever. I first heard it back in 2007 driving to work in my 1999 Honda Prelude. I worked as a groundskeeper at a golf course, so it was a great way to start my day at 4:45am. This was really one of my first true exposures to the band, and I instantly fell in love. It's too bad, though, that this would be their last album before they split up. So in the spirit of bringing back memories, I'd like to share this one with you.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Deth Kult Social Club" by From Autumn to Ashes


May 15, 2012

BME Radio: 05/15/12

Song of the Day

*Some parts of the video may be considered NSFW*

So we thought that it would be fun to play a little something that we all have listened to at one time or another. I remember back when Limp Bizkit was in their prime, and EVERYONE listened to their music (or at least it seemed to be that way). This is one of their harder singles from the Chocolate Starfish album. So have some fun enjoying a little music from your past.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Boiler" by Limp Bizkit



May 14, 2012

BME Radio: 05/14/12

Song of the Day

It has been a hectic day... Taking a long weekend for a trip back to Chicago tends to make your Monday busier than usual... This is a little something with some energy to wake you all up this afternoon. Sometimes it takes a little metal with your coffee to give you that afternoon kick!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"The Struggle" by As I Lay Dying


May 11, 2012

BME Radio: 05/11/12

Song of the Day

Since I am in charge of the selection today and I feel that I need to make up for Mark's choice of music yesterday I decided to post up something good lol.

This song is off of Korn's new album, "Path of Totality" the video was released only a few days ago. I dont think there is a more fitting song or video we can post ... fast cars, guns and tattoos. The song also features some electronic influance by 12th Planet, Flinch and Downlink which goes along with the theme of Korn's new album. The combination of Korn's sound and the Dubstep influence is perfict in my opinion.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Way Too Far" by Korn


May 10, 2012

1000 Views Reached

In less than 3 weeks from when we anounced this site to a very limited number of friends we have already surpassed 1000 views. We are excited to fully announce our company on all the forums and on facebook once our first products are out of the prototype stage, things look very promising.

Please continue to check back often, we have a few new product announcements and partnership announcements to post very soon and we have prototypes in development so it is only a matter of time before we are ready to start releasing everything for sale.

The build on the STI is starting to pick up, the turbo is finally out of back order and scheduled to ship this week. Once it does our sponsor Nameless Performance can complete their exhaust and intercooler fabrication. The engine build is scheduled for next week as well so hopefully over the next month we can wrap the build up and get the car fired up and down to Spec Ops Motorsports for tuning.

Thanks again to everyone who has shown support so far, and we look forward to growing in the future.

BME Radio: 05/10/2012

Song of the Day

In order to commemorate the purchase of my ticket to see Thrice, O'Brother, and Animals as Leaders play on May 19, I felt this was a fitting video. Since I posted a Thrice song the other day, I decided to post my favorite from O'Brother (from Atlanta). This is an awesome live version of this track. I am pumped to be seeing them play again; this time in Charlotte, NC! Although it is a little bitter sweet since it's Thrice's farewell tour...

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Ascension" by O'Brother
 

May 9, 2012

BME's TT STI: Your dishwasher's true calling

Engine Build Progress Update

Prepping the new block for the final hone.

There has been a little bit of work done since our last update on the STI, so we thought that we'd share with you. Pat has been hard at work ;) ;) smoothing out our new engine block and polishing it out. The engine has now been sent out for its final hone and should be getting put back together in the next week or so.

Additional pictures and information from the block receipt can be found here.




BME Radio: 05/09/2012

Song of the Day

This is a track that we yanked from one of our good buddies on IWSTI. I don't know much about the guys that made the song, but the picture is pretty cool. I hope you enjoy!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"The MF Point of Perfection" by Headhunterz & Brennan Heart


May 8, 2012

BME Radio: 05/08/2012

Song of the Day

This song is off of The Devil Wears Prada's new album, Dead Throne. This album really shows the progression of their musical style, with a much more mature sound. This track is an instrumental with some awesome riffs and drumming. While I enjoy their album music, they're unfortunately not the best-sounding live band. Either way, I hope you like!

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Kansas" by The Devil Wears Prada



May 7, 2012

NON-FUNCTIONAL RANT

Ok...

So we are going to rant a little bit about the uselessness of stupid non-functional parts that we see the community drooling over. What has this world come to when everyone is "hella flush" with stretched tires, hanging stuffed animals from tow hooks, and covering their cars with LED bling?? What ever happened to running wide grippy tires for traction, or properly building your car to serve a function? It seems that people have become more concerned with looks than performance, which is something that BME hopes to change. Quoting our About page, "If it has no function, it has NO business being on your car"!!! At BME, we do not sell, endorse, or use non-functional parts like the ones pictured below.

We do not understand what has made crappy products like this become cool... Why would somebody waste $1,000 on something that serves no performance function, and frankly looks like $(*%^#$??

So that being said, BME customers, please throw this type of crap in the garbage and spend your $1,000 improving your suspension setup or helping unlock the true power potential of your vehicle. Products like this go against everything we stand for, and we hope you feel the same way...

If you're interested in adding REAL FUNCTION to your vehicle, get in touch with us.

/RANT

Are you kidding???




BME Radio: 05/07/2012

Song of the Day

I'm sorry that we weren't able to post up music for the weekend... But we surprisingly have lives outside of this blog. Exciting new BME products are almost complete, with Solidworks renderings to come! This song is Pat's personal pick to start off your week. I don't know a whole lot about techno or whatever this is, but it doesn't sound too bad. Enjoy fist pumping in your office, or wherever you choose to fist pump.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"The Island" by Pendulum (Avicii Mix)



May 4, 2012

BME's TT STI: Keys to a healthy diet

GR STI Weight Reduction

Reducing the weight of your vehicle is one of the most cost effective ways of improving performance. Reducing weight can impact everything from acceleration to handling. Depending on your goals, there are many areas of the car that are filled with "unnecessary" parts. Recently, Pat went through the trouble of removing about 80% of our STI's sounds deadening material in the interior of the car. In total, we were able to remove about 40lbs, with still more to go. Please note that doing something like this could greatly increase the NVH in the cabin, so evaluate your goals before undertaking something like this.

*In addition to sound deadening, our track STI has also seen removal of other parts such as AC/Heater system, rear seat belt assemblies, etc.

More details and DIY instruction can be found here.




BME Radio: 05/04/2012

Song of the Day

Thrice is one of my all time favorite bands. Unfortunately, 2012 marks the year that they will finally step away and do something else with their lives. Perhaps making quilts or some shit, i don't know... Every album that they have ever released has been better than the last. They are a band that has continuously grown over the years, and never disappoints.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Firebreather" by Thrice



May 3, 2012

DBA 4000 T3 Front Brake Rotors: 5x100

Product Spotlight

When it comes to one-piece brake rotors, DBA is definitely a standout in the industry. The DBA 4000 has been a favorite for autocrossers for years, and it's no mystery why. The patented kangaroo paw disk venting system is extremely efficient, and the slots do a great job of removing dust and releasing gases from the pads under extreme conditions. If you're looking for a competitive autocross rotor, definitely check out the DBA 4000. If you're looking for something a little more hardcore, DBA offers the 5000 series rotor which features a lightweight floating rotor design.

These are the same front rotors that we use on our AutoX WRX, and we haven't been disappointed.

Retail Price: $250/pair
Fit: Perfect, like OEM
Finish: We are a little disappointed with how the black paint holds up...
Function: Great rotors, they work exactly as we had hoped. Perfect for the weekend warrior.

Install Time: ~1.5 hours

More detailed unboxing and DIY instructions can be found here.






Kartboy Rear Endlinks: 02-07 WRX (non-STI)

Product Spotlight

Kartboy has been making some of the best parts for Subaru's for many years now. From short shift kits, to bushings, to endlinks, you can bet that you're getting your money's worth when you're using a Kartboy product. After about a year of dealing with horrible clunking old endlinks I finally took the plunge and picked up a set of these bad boys, and I couldn't be happier. The rear clunk is completely gone, and I can rest easy knowing that I have a solid product anchoring the suspension on our AutoX WRX.

BME is also running Kartboy endlinks on the STI, along with the short shifter, shift knob, and other various shifter bushings.

Retail Price: $115
Fit: Perfect, just make sure to unbolt the swaybar for easiest installation
Finish: High quality machined aluminum
Function: They will get the job done perfectly without the hassle and potential noise of a spherical bearing

Install Time: ~1.5 hours

More detailed unboxing and DIY instructions can be found here.






BME Radio: 05/03/2012

Song of the Day

Parkway Drive is a band that I've been a fan of for a few years now. This one is from 2008, but any fan of hardcore could agree that it is still current with the times. Great band, great sound, badass song.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

"Horizons" by Parkway Drive

May 2, 2012

Amsoil Series 600 Brake Fluid

Product Spotlight

As far as we're concerned, Amsoil makes some of the best automotive fluids in the industry. We have been running Amsoil in our AutoX WRX for nearly 4 years now, and have never been disappointed. Our newest product that we will be trying out is the Amsoil Series 600 Brake Fluid. We've heard nothing but great things about this stuff, and are excited to compare it side-by-side with the effectiveness of the Motul RBF600 (another excellent brake fluid). If you're interested in getting your hands on some, get in touch with us!

Review and Brake Fluid Flush DIY to come in the next week!

Retail Price: $13.60/12oz. bottle (2 needed)



BME Radio: 05/02/2012

Song of the Day

This is a song by one of my favorite bands ever. Two of the guys were in a band called From Autumn to Ashes, and when the band broke up they came back and made the album "Supply and Depend". This is the first song on the album, if you like this you should definitely check out the rest! I keep this cd in my car at all times, it never gets old. The whole thing is epic epicness.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

This is "Toil" by Warship


May 1, 2012

BME Radio: 05/01/2012

Song of the Day

Starting today, BME will be posting a "Song of the Day" to reward our frequent visitors. You will probably be able to guess our moods by the music that we upload, as I'm sure that they will vary depending on current events.

Name-calling, complaints about the song choice, internet wars, and spontaneous freestyle battles are highly encouraged.

Kicking it off with some TOOL (and a little twist). Enjoy!


BME's TT STI: Scalpel? Check. Sleeved block? Check.

Engine Build Progress Update

Well... After tolerance issues with our first block from Benson, we have finally received our new one.

The decks are perfect, and no step can be felt between the sleeves and aluminum. The line hone looks very nice, just like the last time and the block was deburred again, as well. As mentioned in the forum posting, this block is a 702 casting so there is a bunch of casting flash everywhere but Benson cleaned up most of it. Additional time cleaning and polishing the block will be spent.

Additional pictures and information from the block receipt can be found here.

 



BME's TT STI: Capture the Kraken!

Intake Manifold Selection & Modification

After extensive research, we've determined that the best bang for our buck for the BME TT STI is a ported short runner 2.5i intake manifold. It flows more than the Cosworth manifold at only about 20% of the cost. This part is a great value for the level of function that it provides. If you decide to take up this project, be aware that significant time and patience will be necessary for its success.

Price: ~100 for the IM + 150-250 for tools and extras (depending on what you own and your skill set)
Fit: Requires modification
Finish: Can be powdercoated, quality depends on how well you prep the part
Function: Great flow, here is a link to the performed testing and results

Install Time: 10+ hours of modification (time does not include removal or re-installation)

Additional pictures and details can be found below;
Progress Update #1
Progress Update #2



BME's AutoX WRX: Why the blank face?

Product Review & Installation

Centric Premium Rear Brake Rotors

This past weekend, we installed a set of Centric premium rear rotors on our AutoX WRX. The Centric rotors are a high quality rotor that will provide stock-like braking performance at a very reasonable price. For someone looking for a stock replacement rotor with similar levels of performance and durability these would be an excellent choice.

Retail Price: ~120 shipped
Fit: Perfect
Finish: Very clean, durable coating
Function: Initial feedback is that braking seems more balanced, we will report back after an autocross

Install Time: ~1 hour using jack stands

Below are a couple of pictures from the installation. More detailed DIY instructions can be found here.