Kyle's pursuit of perfection has lead him to chasing the dream of having the ultimate Forester.
Kyle's Car: 2007 Subaru Forester XT Sports
Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/SRTKR
Engine and Drive-train: STI TMIC, Cobb SF Intake, Cobb Post MAF Intake Hose, Cobb Access Port, SYMS Catted Down Pipe (V-band), Invidia G200 Cat Back Exhaust (V-band), SPT Heat Shield, Port and Polished VF39, Perrin up-pipe, Torque Solutions Pitch Mount, Subtle Solutions Radiator Shroud, Subtle Solutions Hood Struts, Dressupbolts.com Dress up Kit, Perrin Radiator Stays, ACT HD Clutch, ACT Lightweight Flywheel, Kart Boy Short Throw Shifter, Kart Boy Polyurethane Mounts.
Wheels/Tires/Suspension: DPE ST7 (19x11.5 +15) wheels, Hankook Ventus v12 evo2 tires, Gold Plated Lugs, STI Brembos (powdercoated white), Hardware (powdercoated 24k gold), PMU Brakes (2 piece front, 1 piece rear), Airlift Suspension, Autopilot V2 Air Management, Cusco Power Brace, STI Spec C Strut Bar, STI Aluminum Front Control Arms, Subtle Solutions Fender Bracing, Whiteline Adjustable Lateral Links, Perrin End Links.
Exterior: Retro Fit Headlights, OEM STI Hood Scoop (02-03), OEM Tail Lights (03-05), OEM STI Door Vinyl (04), OEM Forester STI Front Lip, OEM Forester STI Side Spats, OEM Forester STI Rear Spats, Screate LED Tail Lights, 3m Matte Black Trunk Trim, AutoCity Vinal Badge Overlays, Suby Flares Remolded To Fit The Forester.
Interior: Recaro Sportster CS Seats, Oem Black Leather Rear Seats, STI Cluster Swap, JDM STI Push Button Start, Advance Keys Push Button Start System, Clarion NX603 Headunit, Ortiz Clock Gauge Pod (Designed by Kyle), AEM Digital Boost Gauge, AEM Digital Wideband, Blox 490 Shift Knob, LED Conversion Interior Lights (Natural White), LED Conversion Dash Lights (Red), DAMD “D” Shaped Steering Wheel, 3m Brushed Black Vinyl Wrapped HVAC, STI Shift Surround (06-07).
Tell us a little about yourself: Radiation Protection Technician, and I travel for work. I go to any nuclear power plant in the nation, but stay mainly in the Midwest. We are so lucky to have 5 nuclear power plants in our state which helps me out. What I do is go into a room and measure the radiation and contamination levels, test the air levels, write up a survey map for fellow worker to understand and know the conditions in the area, protect workers and protect the environment. Its kinda close to being a police officer but in the nuclear aspect. Outside of work, I enjoy music, Marvel, Game of Thrones, and now Stranger things (I’m a huge movie/TV show fan). I also enjoy cars, cooking, cars, late night hangs, and did i say cars?
What is your dream car? A midnight purple R34 GT-R. The color is incredible, especially being that its a factory option. Another reason would be that we never got them in the United States, so to see one in person is truly rare.
What are your future plans for the car, and what do you like to do with it? More motor work with some minor interior mods. Things like delete/tuck some unneeded wiring and components, switch to a FMIC, install a custom trunk bracing with a new air tank set up, vinyl wrap the back of the Recaros, and do some secret exterior mods.
Do you go by any nicknames? If so, how did you get your nickname? Not really, but some people call me “Striker” thinking that's how you pronounce my IG name, but its SRT meaning Dodge’s performance brand, and KR being my initials (srt-kr).
What's your favorite thing about your car? That's a tough call, but have to say the one off flares. I knew I wanted to run flares on the Forester, as no one really did it, or if they have, they never did it right. There is a lot of different companies that make flares now a days since they are hot item, but only 1 flare stuck to me and that is Karlton Flares. Now I have been a huge fan of a certain flared STi owned by Keith Hentges for years, (Car has a couple popular Youtube videos). Through the power of the internet, I got a hold of Keith and quickly we became internet buddies. With my search of Karlton flares thinning due to Karlton becoming sick and stopping production, I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task. Then i got a message from Keith saying he bought the original molds from Karlton and was to start a new company re-releasing the flares to the Subaru community. Luckily, I was able to buy a set of out the first production run, and sent the car to Leo at Great Lakes Auto body for the custom work. It took 3 months to complete, with lots of reshaping, cutting and swearing to get the 295’s to tuck into the flares. From then on out, the bromance has been real.
What is something that you don't like about your car? Brake dust, lots and lots of brakes dust.
What is your car like to drive? The car feels very similar to an Evo X in my option. The car has fantastic grip, but you can feel the baby weight in the corners. I feel its a vary easy car to get comfortable in very fast. It just has a great power to weight ratio.
What was your inspiration or objective with this build? Always loved Foresters, and I wanted to be an inspiration in the scene itself.
Why did you choose a Subaru? My good friend's dad bought an STi in 2005, After school, we would go to his house to hang out, and his take was always working on it, or would give us rides to the Chicagoland area. His dad loved to really “drive” the car, so the way it handled cutting through traffic and embarrassing most things on the highway had me hooked.
What was your first car? 2000 Eclipse GT. I originally wanted an Evo 8 since they just hit the us market, but what 16yo wouldn’t want that? I went to the dealership to look at one with my dad just to tease me, but when we hit the lot I saw the Eclipse and knew it had to be mine. Luckily, it was in the right price range and we made the deal. My dad told me when the time came to buy a car he would match whatever I saved up and that would be my price range. At the time I acquired $3,000 from selling Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh cards and holding tournaments which gave me a grand total of $6,000. The car was Tampa Blue Pearl, and came with an AEM intake, Autobahn 12 channel amp, and some Pioneer subs. It was a 16 year-old's wet dream. Over the years I did minor things like projectors, lowering springs and some shift knobs, but I ultimately sold it my senior year to get an 04 SRT-4, to which i still own to this day.
What makes your car special to you? I flew to San Jose, CA to pick up this unicorn, and it took me 30 hours and 2095 miles to get the car home. It was an incredible experience, and I would highly recommend it to everyone. The entire drive across country was incredibly memorable. I took the car through snowy mountains, and to the slat flats in Bonneville in one trip.
What is something about you (or your car) that no one else would know about? Some people know, but I am a perfectionist. I won’t drive the car unless the paint is flawless, and the wheels are clean. You never know who you will run into on your travels, so you always want to look the best.
Any shout-outs to anyone who helped you along the way? Nick at Touge Factory for all the help through out the years, Keith from Suby Flares for taking the chance on a guy from a small country town, DPE wheels, Dressupbolts.com, and Pavel at Kustom54 Lighting.
