Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon

cinosweive · March 2003

I wasn't surprised to see the WRX showing very slightly below average reliability. W/in CR's margin of error, that could have been average or slightly above. The regular imprezzas do better and that should be the better indicator. I think the few people that push their rexs too hard are skewing the stats. Drive any car to its limits too often and you'll have problems. Ya gotta admit, this is a fun car to push to its limits.

I wouldn't call them negatively biased either. CR has raved about the WRX. It has been one of their favorites since they first tested it. It was their cover car on last years annual auto issue and selected as "most fun to drive".

kevin111 · March 2003

This is where I go into great detail as to why the Impressa would be ranked just average.

It is almost the same reason the Civic was downgraded last year to average, and is back to above average this year.

BTW: The WRX was selected again this year as "Most fun to drive" by CR.

keithllb1 · March 2003

I have a WRX wagon, I run it hard alot and change the oil every 3-4000 miles, and have 18,000 miles on the car, went to two auto-crosses, abused the clutch like the novice I am, but I must say the car is being broken in like nice cowhide leather of a favorite baseball glove.

I have to temper my enthusiasm when driving my car,but after a wicked east coast winter and a cool summer of auto cross, I must say that the car handles like a dream still. The Stock Tires are a little worn but thats all the better, now I have to step up and buy some nice_______"s from Tirerack.com or does anyone have some nice suggestions????? I have the stock 16" rims.

ateixeira · March 2003

WRX still is CR's most fun to drive recommendation.

Also keep in mind it's normal for version 1.0 of any car to dip a little - it happened to the Civic, the Altima, even the Camry. I bet next year it climbs back up above average.

For one, they put that force-limiting valve on the clutch, and one thread on NASIOC about tranny failures were limited to just 2002 models, no 2003s at least in that thread.

-juice

gottawrx · March 2003

gottawrx · March 2003

keithllb1 how well did you fare in the auto-x? How does the wagon handle in those situations? I bet there weren't any other wagons. Larger wheels and tires would greatly improve the handling. I am in Nor. Calif. and would like to get into the auto-x scene rather than the drag strip for sure.Does anyone know of some contacts for CA. I will try SCCA for starters. I know there is also Solo II races i think.

keithllb1 · March 2003

My wagon handled okay, I went in completely in a stock class, and was overwhelmed trying to navigate the course. My car understeered a bit, as I took a practice run in my experienced friends BMW 3 series sport coupe with very nice tires, I noticed his car gripped the road very well. I want to start out with no upgrades whatsover, just so I can get a routine down, with my car's characteristics. I like the pick up in my car, and noticed the car was a bit like a rabid animal when the turbo spooled all the way up. I liked it alot. I would prefer to try the rally cross. All in all I had alot of fun, and will start to look into the sport more closely this year.

narenji · March 2003

Hello, I've auto-x'd my wagon many times, and it handles great. there's a good bit of understeer dialed in from the factory for safety. you can make the handling more neutral by adding a sedan sway bar in the back (20mm), and a strut tower brace. the car is a lot more neutral now, and while the tail may come out, it's still hard to lose control on most auto-x courses which are usually an flat surfaces anyway. once you introduce hills and undulating surfaces, the tail is a bit more prone to stepping out. i also changed to 17x7.5 rota subzeros with cheap kumhos and the improvement was very pronouced. the only problem with the kumhos is that they're aren't extremely predictable at the limit. i want to do rally x also, but this is my only car, and i don't want to damage it. i might do a rally x if they had one on like a dry lake bed or something.

paisan · March 2003

Hypov will be auto-xing his wagon this year, and I'll probably co-drive it for at least a few events. I'm sure it will do well :)Are those Kumhos the Kumho 711 or 712s? If so they are one of the worst tires out there IMHO.

-mike

gottawrx · March 2003

Who is sponsering the races? and did you get your MPH yet and what line of work do u use it for? I am in the Env. Health field.

ponm · March 2003

I autocrossed my wagon, I should say my ex-wagon considering I no longer own one( but that is a different story) I enjoyed it very much, but I learned many things. First, turbos are not the ideal set-up for auto-X courses, along with weight and the wrx suffers a little bit with that. I had a 20mm sway bar in the back and running rota attacks with Kumho 712s and changed the wagon's handling a great deal. I always figured I wasn't the fastest out on the course, but at any givin' time, I could carry the most stuff the fastest.
-scott

narenji · March 2003

yeah i have kumho 712s but that was what i could afford at the time. they're decent for what they cost, there are better tires to be had. their grip is pretty good, it's just hard to predict when they'll let loose.

Gottawrx, i've put my MPH plans on hold for a while. I'm probably going to wait till my wife finishes her Physician Assistant program. I'm doing well with AFLAC right now, so we'll see what the future holds.

dill6 · March 2003

I'm not racing my wagon but I do drive frisky - I'm wondering if I should change out the rear bar for the 20mm one for street use? I DO feel the car understeers a bit strongly, but maybe I should wait until I get my new wheels/tires (17" with 225/45s), doing 1 thing at a time?

Another thing - does the aligment need to be adjusted for the tire change?

prayerfor · March 2003

dill6 --

I switched to the 20mm sedan swaybar on my wagon and I would definitely recommend it. The car understeers less and corners more flatly. I think it's a great low-cost upgrade. The only caution is that in adverse weather the tail end has a greater tendency to get loose. Even with winter tires, I have to be pretty cautious taking turns when there's snow on the road.

BTW I'm ordering some 225/17s today to put on a set of Rota rims. I'm anticipating another big improvement in handling.

dill6 · March 2003

I'm looking forward to my new rubber as well.

Where did you get the bar, how much, and did you install it yourself?

ateixeira · March 2003

I've installed a rear sway on 2 Foresters, it's a peice of cake. 4 bolts, that's it. Bring lithium grease and a ratchet set, that's all you need.

-juice

bluesubie · March 2003

is about $85 from Subaruparts.com

-Dennis

narenji · March 2003

you could ask a sedan owner who might have upgraded their sway bar, the sedan has a 20mm bar standard, so if they upgraded, chances are the bar is lying around the house/garage somewhere. People usually sell them for $25-40...

dill6 · March 2003

ordred the rims and tires from tirerack on Weds. they e-mailed me they'd been shipped on Thurs., Fri. when I got home from work they were on my front porch. That was standard shipping - guess I won't bad mouth UPS anymore!
Put them on Sat. morning - I'm totally pleased with the appearance (ASA FR1s, S-03s) and performance. And tire rack sent me 17x7.5 rims instead of 7.0 for the same price - I'm pleased about that since the tires are 225s. All in all, VERY pleased, very smooth deal - I also discovered that the S-03s from tirerack cost about the same as RE-730s at Costco. Couldn't be happier (well, OK, if it was FREE, i'd be happier...)
Now awaiting the rear sway bar from sooby-parts, any day now.

xcskier · March 2003

I switched from winter snow tires back to the RE92s this weekend. While doing so, I noticed some discrepancies in tire air pressure that I don't fully understand.

The tires themselves list a max pressure as 44 psi on the sidewall. The Subaru sticker inside the driver's door says to inflate front tires to 32psi and rear to 29psi. This seems like quite a difference to me. I also don't know why the front and rear require different pressures.

My theory is that higher pressure will give better performance in terms or cornering and handling, at a sacrifice of ride comfort. I was thinking of running somewhere between 35 and 40 psi, still well below the 44 max.

Any advice for best air pressure?

Thanks.

paisan · March 2003

Max psi is for the tire. It varies from vehicle to vehicle.

Higher pressure will yield more control, better milage, and a stiffer ride.

-mike

xcskier · March 2003

Do Subaru (and other manufacturers) recommend lower pressure to give a more comfortable ride?

Can you safely inflate to the max pressure as indicated on the tire, no matter what the vehicle maker recommends?

Why the front/rear 3psi difference?

How would Ford and Firestone answer these questions?

paisan · March 2003

I run usually 5psi over manufacturer specs. THe reason for higher PSI in the rear is for the additional load you might put in a wagon in the rear. My Trooper specs 3-5psi higher in the rear.

-mike

ugly1 · March 2003

Does anyone know if the TS will get the same changes as the WRX, i.e. optional winter pac, moonroof, etc.

nschulman3 · March 2003

I have so-3s on my rex and find they follow the imperfections in the road too much. Are you experiencing this also?

locke2c · March 2003

nearly all summer tires will do that, compared to the gripless all-season stock tires.

-Colin

paisan · March 2003

The TS will not get those items, almost positive. The TS gets the front end, and perhaps rear disc brakes.

-mike

beanboy · March 2003

Inflating to max psi is a bad idea. Once the tires heat up, you'll be over the max psi rating by a few psi at least. Only time I run at or near the max specs is while autocrossing.

-B

paisan · March 2003

Sorry, but max psi on the sidewall is max psi @ cold tires. If it increases after that it's still within spec.

-mike

bluesubie · March 2003

"How would Ford and Firestone answer these questions?

"
Ford's recommended tire pressure on the previous gen. Exlpoder was around 26 or 28 psi's, IIRC. Factor in that most people rarely check their tires and you have a recipe for disaster. Americans love a cushy ride.

Anyway, back to Subes.
Even going up as little as 3-4 psi's cold (over SoA recommedation) will improve handling. Just do a little sampling. Don't forget that different pressures for 17's are also listed on the door.

Check out the Tire forum on nasioc.com. Tire Rack has a "Tire Tech" post there with some excellent info.

-Dennis

dill6 · March 2003

I had read that the S-03s really follow rain grooves but have not experienced it myself, though I'll admit we don't have a lot of rain grooving in the roads here (hi-desert, doesn't rain much!), they are a bit jumpy on patched spots, etc. I think you just have to live with that if you want the tire to be responsive and grippy!
I'm running 32 lbs. front and rear, handling is superb, ride is "firm" - but hey, it ain't a Town Car, thankfully. I'm finding them acceptable from a comfort/noise stanpoint.

dill6 · March 2003

will the stock rear sway bar off my WRX fit a '98 base model Impreza wagon?

paisan · March 2003

The GC8 body style won't take the WRX suspension stuff.

-mike

prayerfor · March 2003

dill --

I bought the 20mm swaybar used through the nasioc.com private for sale section for $50 shipped. I had read that the install is easy but has one bolt that's a PITA to get at, and that some have disconnected the fuel filler pipe to access it. I just had my Subaru dealer handle it -- 1/2 hour, $37.50.

kens · March 2003

Most manufacturers list tire pressures that offer a balance of ride and handling. Many owners go above the manufacturer's recommendation for an improvement in handling and, to some extent, gas milage.

The difference in the front and rear pressures (32/29) is mainly due to weight distribution. The 29psi is probably for a light/empty load. There should be a second number (around 36psi) for a full load.

Tire pressure differences can also impact understeer and oversteer. Fronts greater than rear tend towards oversteer and the reverse for understeer.

Ken

beanboy · March 2003

Look at that, I was wrong. Big surprise there! Tehehe...

-B

once_for_all · March 2003

difference between front and rears are to make the tire diameters front and rear identical. The Forester manual recommends rears at 29 unloaded, rears at 36 fully loaded. Fronts stay at 32 all the time. Reason for different pressures is that the front weight is higher in the car unloaded, but when the car is loaded, more weight ends up on the back.

The concern for AWD is that the tire diameters stay identical front and rear, otherwise the center differential is under stress. Subbie owners that let their tire pressures go off specs soon find that their MPG drops off also. Also note this is the reason for the full size spare tire too.

John

paisan · March 2003

No offense but the difference in diameter would not be that great. And on top of it all, most subies sold don't come with a full-size spare.

The reason is due to the weight carrying abilities as a specific pressure for that axle, higher pressure yields a higher carrying capacity.

-mike

hypov · March 2003

mike-
add that to the FAQ thread.

-Dave

jthorsen · March 2003

FYI, Edmunds has pricing listed for the 04 WRX and does not show the AWP and moonroof as available on the wagon as we feared...bummer!

paisan · March 2003

Spoke to my dealer last night, he said official word from SOA is no AWP on the wagons, only the sedans.

-mike

once_for_all · March 2003

but I don't agree that tire diameters aren't one of the issues here. Why not just set the front and rear at a high enough pressure so that the max load is always possible? Why does SOA recommend rotating the tires in a specific way and purchasing 4 tires as a set rather than one axle?

Center differential binding is an important issue and tire diameter is one of the factors.

John

p0926 · March 2003

Well how stupid is that? Somebody needs to remove their head from their @#%$!

-Frank P.

paisan · March 2003

You are right, diameters do matter, but the inflation difference of 3psi doesn't make that >1/4 of an inch circumference which is the DOCUMENTED difference needed to effect the center diffy.

Why not set them at max pressure? Because at full PSI the tires would be rock hard. Also the tire psi is for max weight carrying of the tire. For instance that tire might be used on a larger vehicle which would require a higher PSI to hold a higher weight.

SOA recommends F->R tire rotations, same as 95% of other vehicles out there. Not sure where you are going with that. Replacing all 4 tires at the same time is due to the circumference difference that would be created by a worn v. new tire.

You can believe whatever you want however...

-mike

once_for_all · March 2003

good scoop on the 1/4" for 3 psi, which makes sense. But what would an additional 7 psi do to rear tire diameter for fully loaded conditions (29 unloaded, 36 psi maximum load)?

On the rotation angle, I wasn't going anywhere, just bringing in important SOA recommendations for keeping tire diameters uniform.

John

cinosweive · March 2003

Recommended tire pressures also ensure even contact pressure, and even wear across the tread. If pressure is too high or low you can expect uneven tread wear. Too high and the center tread wears more quickly. Too low and the outer tread wears more quickly. Way too low and overheating can really eat up your tire.

I don't know exactly what too high or low is. I have always gone a few psi above recommended and have experienced pretty even tread wear.

Also, higher pressure does make handling a bit more agile, reduces rolling resistance and improves fuel economy, but it also reduces traction.

once_for_all · March 2003

this weekend the '03 Forester gets the tire diameter test: 29 front unloaded/loaded, 28 rear unloaded/loaded, 36 rear unloaded/loaded. The load will be 900 lbs maximum capacity distributed 350 lbs front seats and 550 lbs in the rear, all per Subaru specs. This will be with the stock Geolanders, 1700 miles of wear. Full report to come.

John

paisan · March 2003

It a circumference test, not a diameter test, just so you know. Mark down a spot and then roll the car forward 1 or 2 revs and then re-test. Make sure all pressures are at cold temps (ie: no driving on em)

-mike

kens · March 2003

That would be an interesting experiment. I've always wondered about the impact of psi on circumference.

A bit on a tangent, but I believe the reason why the owner's manual calls for a front-to-back rotation of tires (no crossing) is that this pattern works with all types of tires (ie. direction and non-directional).

Ken

once_for_all · March 2003

to measure by rolling the car. I don't think it can be done precise enough, and it wouldn't be accurate either just wrapping a tape measure around the wheel. I could use the 2 x pi x r and calculate it though, the "r" would be from the compressed portion plumb to the center of the axle.

Using some algebra, 1/4" circumference divided by 2 divided by pi is equal to 0.0397" change in radius. That is nothing, a 300 lb weight can easily squat the tire down that far. But I don't think I can measure 0.04" change in tire deflection without a high level measuring device.

Mike, you are sure the 1/4" is for circumference? That is very little, I would guess even minor changes in psi would have that affect.

John

Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles