Just remember, trucks get granny gears. He'd definitely work over most cars in an all out pull off though.

Most people accept the 300whp area to be the upper reaches of the factory trans, primarily because you're getting into the high 200ft-lbs area in torque. Sooner or later, you'll have some gear snapping goodness. My main issue with the factory trans is difficult gear engagement (since new with the STi short shifter and urethane bushing) and poor feel overall. The thing is so notchy and inconsistent, it feels like I'm shifting a dump truck one minute, a nicely built sportscar the next, then a $10 Honda with shot linkage bushings. It really, really pisses me off. Let's not forget that the factory clutch is essentially a dead pedal you can move. I hate having no sense of where the bit point is beyond memorizing the amount of toe travel needed to engage. The trans and clutch have always been this car's biggest failings when you talk about driver satisfaction, if you ask me. I'll be very happy to see both go from my car forever later this year.

The synchros have suck too, but we already knew that. That Cusco clutch must have cost a pretty penny. Nice choice though!