Subaru Impreza WRX

ateixeira · May 2002

Yeah, the NJT is good, I can usually cruise at 75 and still get passed often.

Just avoid holiday weekends.

-juice

fxs · May 2002

It usually cruises at 70mph until you encounter an accident or bridge/tunnel toll. I take the Baltimore-Wash Expressway to avoid all those NY-Florida vacationers then get on 295 again after the Delaware Mem Bridge. I pick up the NJTP briefly to exit 10 and take the outerbridge into Staten Island. Fortunately there is no toll into Brooklyn so traffic is not that bad on 278 unless folks are coming back from Jersey on the weekend or rush hour. I've gotten stuck on I95 VA/MD/DE and on the NJTP too many times because of accidents and tolls up to 2 hours. I live in NM now: 2hours=160-180miles.

hypov · May 2002

spyder1965 May 16, 2002 9:55am
"On a different note, I noticed under the dash and the steering wheel on the left hand side, there are 2 wires with green plugs that are disconnected"
I was told that those wires are only mated when a diagnostic is to be performed. I have two unconnected wire under the dash/steering of my '98 OB too.

-Dave

spyder1965 · May 2002

Thanks for the info Dave, I just talked to my Dealer's service department and they confirmed that those wires with green plugs are indeed for diagnostic purposes only. He said DO NOT plug them together, they are only used for plugging into a diagnostic machine when performing service/maintainence.

paisan · May 2002

Well unfortunately the traffic on the SIE has grown out of control. Now there is traffic there basically anytime of the day til about 10pm. I live near the Outerbridge and find it's actually quicker to take Hylan Blvd from the Outterbridge to VN.

-mike

cinosweive · May 2002

fxs: 130 mph on a motorcycle! :-o Well, I guess if you didn't drive that fast you'd never get to see your neighbors.

How many miles have folks been getting out of their Potenzas?

fxs · May 2002

Thanks for the tip Mike. Can you recommend any food joints on Hylan that I should stop at? I only eat pizza when I get back to NYC. I used to be stationed at McGuire AFB and only eat Cheese Steaks in the Philly area. After the U. of Rochester, I took a Aerospace job in LA and found the best burger in the country is an In-N-Out. And the best sedan/wagon for $25K or less is our WRX. Although I like my LT1 1994 Caprice as well.

Frank

paisan · May 2002

Hylan has tons of places, it's kinda like sunrise highwayish. There is a place about 3/4 of the way down across from a mobil and Mcdonalds @ Midland Ave called Nunzios Pizza, one of the oldest on the island. A good italian rest would be Pasta Cafe a little further down toward the VN with pink neon signs after an Amco Station.

-mike

lilbluewgn02 · May 2002

New York Pizza..that's what we miss most down here in Florida (along with nice people and real culture!)
All we have is "New York STYLE Pizza" ...style being the operative word...ain't nuttin like it.
-a Missing NY Serge

crikey · May 2002

There are a couple of good "New York STYLE Pizza" places here in Orlando. But I know what you mean about the real culture...there are nice people around my area, just not nice drivers.

paisan · May 2002

Funny thing is that apparently the NY Pizza taste is due to the water in the dough! A local place on Hylan also Goodfellas Pizza won a Pizza contest out in Las Vegas a few years ago. They won because they shipped out 55gal drums of NY water to use in the dough. Intersting eah?

-mike

lilbluewgn02 · May 2002

I've heard that also...coffee was better up there
Crikey, I'm in the Ft. Lauderdale area...there are some decent pizza places, but not close to real NY pizza.
To bring this back on topic, I carry the pizza home in my WRX!.

fxs · May 2002

I dumped my RE92s after 1000 miles and gave them to a poor female friend who drives an Acura CL2.3. I replaced them with BF Goodrich gForce KDWS. I put 235/60 16" Nitto 460s on my 1994 Caprice and Michelin LTXs on my 1999 Tahoe 2door Sport. If you can afford to I would dump the RE92s ASAP regardless of the mileage.

paisan · May 2002

2-door yukon/tahoe! Nice truck

Wish they still made em.

pizza for FLA: Want me to fedex you guys some?

-mike

protege_fan · May 2002

Has anybody had their WRX dynoed or know of a place where they have a graph of dyno measurements?

crikey · May 2002

Funny thing is that apparently the NY Pizza taste is due to the water in the dough! A local place on Hylan also Goodfellas Pizza won a Pizza contest out in Las Vegas a few years ago. They won because they shipped out 55gal drums of NY water to use in the dough. Intersting eah?

Must be something in that Hudson River, either that or Kramer put something in there when he was swimming it.. Thanks for the pizza offer...I think I can live with what I have.

But yeah, gotta love that WRX.

qualityguy · May 2002

As per Autoexpess - http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/front_index.php?cp=1&page=news%2Fae_news_story.php%3Fid%3D26677 - the bug eyes on Impreza are no more. And also there will be a Legacy with obviously H-6 bi-turbo engine - if they keep the output of engine in proportion with current blown 2-liter - then it should be 360 horses/torque, I guess. Who gonna buy a M-3 then?

paisan · May 2002

Isn't from the Hudson River, it's actually from the catskill mts. upstate NY. And it's rated #1 of all city drinking water in the country.

-mike

lilbluewgn02 · May 2002

NYC water...best tap water around. Here, we run all our water thru brita filters...

bluesubie · May 2002

Try doing a search on i-club.com or get the June issue of Sport Compact Car magazine.

-Dennis

stoner420 · May 2002

I just posted this on the wagon board too (I'm buying one monday!!!), but I thought it might be worthwhile of general interest.

So I was surfing the NHTSA website a few minutes ago looking for various safety issues on 2002 impreza vs honda accord (I have a 2000), and I came across this customer complaint report for the honda accord:

ODI ID: 8009243 Make: HONDA Model: ACCORD Year: 2002

Incident: No
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Date of Failure: 04/26/2002
Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:ANTI-SKID SYSTEM
Summary: BRAKE WAS APPLIED AT 35 MPH, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, NO BRAKING ACTION. ON SECOND ATTEMPT BRAKE GRABBED. DEALER REPLACED ABS MODULATOR.*AK

sounds pretty familiar huh? I think it pretty much answers any questions I had about this! (ps, the brakes in the sedan I test drove yesterday were much stronger than my honda accord!)

Hillel

lilbluewgn02 · May 2002

Ther have been complaints on the i-club re: the WRX ABS system...go check there under the Warranty board
Noticed you are in Norwalk..we used to live ther befor coming down to FL...we lived an Anson Rd. which is off of New Canaan Avenue a 1/2 mile north of Uncle Joe's Pizza (great place btw). Our son was born in Norwalk Hospital!

http://www.i-club.com/

stoner420 · May 2002

Hey do you have any info about Wilton or Stamford subaru dealers, esp. re their service departments -- both have given me pretty much really nice quotes (stamford might do slightly better, but wilton actually has the car I want (red 5spd wagon), both about 10 miles from me in either direction)

We live just off Ponus behind Uncle Joe's, can't get into their pizza though, way too greasy for me *shrug*

lilbluewgn02 · May 2002

No clue about either...we've been down here in FL for 7 years already..just became Subie owners in 2001. We test drove a Legacy at Wilton and they samed OK. How long have you been in NorwalK; do you work near there...I used to work at Norden Systems

nschulman3 · May 2002

I own a sedona red wrx sedan with a 5 speed. There is someone on my block with a blue wrx sedan. A few days ago, I noticed he has new wheels and tires, an upgrade to a 17" rim. The wheels are fantastic looking, sort of a polished smoked gray. I looked at the wheels and the only thing i can see on the wheel is BEF RSK. Has anyone ever heard of this brand or style? It doesn't ring any bells for me, but it is IMO, a better looking wheel than the other 17" rims I have seen for the wrx.

spyder1965 · May 2002

Sometimes I can feel the idle is a little "lumpy" on my 5speed WRX sedan at a stop light with transmission in neutral. The RPM on the Tach is steady yet I can feel it thru the "seat of my pants" thru the bucket seat. I know this is a 2litre 4 cylinder engine and smaller 4 cylinder engines tend to vibrate a little more than 6 and 8 cylinders, but is this a typical characteristic of Subaru's boxer 4 engine? I have never owned a Subaru before so I cannot make any comparisons. This lumpiness doesn't happen all the time, it feels like it comes and goes from time to time, sometimes it is smooth at idle and sometimes it shakes a little from side to side, so I'm kinda confuse. Are your WRX's doing the same thing, or should I have this checked?

ateixeira · May 2002

Boxers do have a bit more of a characteristic sound to them vs. balance shafted fours.

Can you sit in a similar car, for reference?

-juice

bluesubie · May 2002

Those wheels are now a dealer option on the WRX. They are from the Japanese market Legacy twin-turbo B4 RSK. You can see them under WRX accessories at subaru.com

-Dennis

thecat · May 2002

"4 cylinder engines tend to vibrate a little more than 6 and 8 cylinders, but is this a typical characteristic"

In a word .. yes. I've driven 4 different WRX's and they all do it to some degree. The "Tumble Generator Valves", which are directly above the injectors, reduce this effect so you can imagine what it would be like without them. There's a whole lotta power coming out of that little 2 liter motor, some minor vib's at idle are a small price to pay. There is a cure .. Step on the gas !
- Hutch

crikey · May 2002

Thanks for correcting me...that water sure runs far to get to NYC.

brekke · May 2002

I've heard that's why bagels are so good there, too.

huibregtse · May 2002

We've been having (relatively) cool nights in Austin, and our cat has learned that he can stay nice and warm by curling up behind the hood scoop, which stays nice and warm for hours after a good hard drive. I'm a little worried about cat hair getting sucked in, but I guess it should be combusted to completion pretty quickly. Maybe I'll order some WRC decals for the cat and post a picture.

sensei1 · May 2002

Finally over the 1k hump. Had my WRX now close to a month and still loving it!!! Have a great Memorial weekend drive everyone.....

rmerkel · May 2002

I've seen a couple of posts here asking about a "sport-luxury" version of the WRX.

In the land of Oz (Australia) the Legacy (well, called the Liberty here) comes in a 255-hp twin-turbo version called the Liberty B4. It sells for 55,000 AUD or so here (about 28,000 USD), and will blow the doors off anything from BMW, Audi, or Mercedes short of an M3 or and AMG Benz.

If enough of you tell your Subaru dealer you want one it might make it to the States in, oh, eight years or so

traveler714 · May 2002

I currently own a '95 VW PAssat.
I am "this close" to buying a WRX sedan.
I'd like to know how this car is to live with on a day to day basis.
I have an hr. long commute and take alot of road trips.
How does this car feel at a steady 80-90mph?
HAs someone driver the car with both 16 and 17" wheels. WHich was preferred?
Thank you for your help

hypov · May 2002

Carl-
Hop over to the WRX Wagon thread... gary32 "Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon (Experiences/Info.)" May 22, 2002 8:26pm
you'll find responses to the same asked by Gary. :-)

-Dave

bluesubie · May 2002

Robert, stop torturing us! :-p

Yes, we've been bugging Subaru for several years to give us a turbo Legacy. The rumour is we may get one within a year or so.

-Dennis

narenji · May 2002

Well, I don't know if you have the vr6 or 4cyl version of the passat, but in any case, the WRX will do long commutes without a problem. I have a wagon, and long trips are a breeze, the seats are great, and the car's quiet on the freeway. The car feels pretty solid at 100 mph, and will travel at that speed without a fuss. Fuel economy will suffer though. I'd say that if you drive faster than 80 mph, you'll probably only get about 24-25 mpg.

I had the factory 16 in wheels on the car, but the Bridgestone RE92 tires were a little too soft for me, so I upgraded to some 17x7.5 Rota Subzeros with Kumho Ecsta Supra 225-45-17s, and the ride is a little harsher, but nothing jarring. It's still smooth on most surfaces. With 17in tires, you'll probably wear them out quickly with your long commute, so maybe you could wear out the RE92s and then switch to a larger wheel/tire combo. The 17s give a lot better response in the corners, the RE92s will howl at even slightly spirited driving. The WRX is a great car, it's immensely more engaging than a Passat.

rexaroo · May 2002

To keep the good riding comfort of the 16 inch wheels but also get a significant performance upgrade over the RE92s, you might try going with BF Goodrich g-force KDWS in the 205/55-16 size.
They have gotten excellent marks in the reviews at Tirerack (also on sale right now w/$50 rebate.)
This combo is what the guys at Sport Compact Car magazine used to upgrade their project car.

barresa62 · May 2002

the WRX is decontented tire-wise in N.America. It was designed for 17"tire/wheels and comes this way in every other market outside of N.America. Just something to be aware of as you consider upgrading. The 17"tire/wheel combo is the single biggest upgrade you do right away. I've done so and there IS a solid, noticeable performance difference. With a careful selection of a 17"tire in regards to quietness and wet weather performance you'll do well.

Stephen

rexaroo · May 2002

Unfortunately, the $50 rebate offer on the KDWS ended last week.

I agree the 17" wheels and tires are the way to go if you are serious about getting the best grip and cornering out of your Rex, especially for track or club events. If your priorities are just getting to work and back with a little driving fun on the side (my situation), a good tire upgrade on the 16 inchers will give a noticeable improvement for not too much dough.

nschulman3 · May 2002

I replaced my re 92s with dunlop sp 5000s and they are a huge improvement. However, i am now looking at a 17" wheel and tire package to run during the other 3 seasons. Since i bought the car and will own it for 8-10 years, the added expense doesn't bother me. Does anyone know what a set of good tires and rota sub-zero rims (17") would run me. I am looking for a smoked gray wheel, not a silver rim. Also, am interested in the vishnu stage 0 kit. Anyone on this board actually done this, not just talk about doing it down the road?

kevin111 · May 2002

Went to the Subaru dealer and they had one on display with 18" rims. The car looks great with them! Many cars I see with this sized rims look like they are wearing rims too big for their own good. With the Subaru, they looked perfect!

sonya4 · May 2002

I have loved my '02 Subaru WRX 5-speed since I purchased it in Nov. '01. I have a problem today--I can't start the car! The motor doesn't turn over. Battery is fine, everything else we can think of checking is fine. Since it's a holiday weekend, I won't get service until 2 days from now. My Rex has only 5,000 miles on it and I had an oil change just before 3,000 miles. Has any other Subaru owner had this starter problem, or whatever it is?

ponm · May 2002

check out revolutionsmotorsport.com, their they have wheel and tire packages starting around 900.00 for 17 inchers. I'm thinking about buying a set myself.

hypov · May 2002

sonya4-
would you by any chance have a ignition/fuel kill with your security system?
Just a thought. Since you've checked out everything else to be OK. Try putting the security into valet and then see if works.

-Dave

nschulman3 · May 2002

My red wrx 5speed died on me at 5200 miles. It turns out the car was running with virtually no oil for about 6 weeks. Believe it or not, the local subaru dealer (not where i purchased the car) forgot to close or tighten something fter my last oil change. Therefore, the engine seized when the oil pump went. I got the car back a month later and it is fine, but that shows you that the car is better than the lousy dealers and service reps who are either incompetent or lazy.

nschulman3 · May 2002

That wesite does not exist. Perhaps you are spelling it wrong? Ther is no revolutionsmotorsport.com.

WarpDrive · May 2002

http://www.revolutionsmotorsports.com/

nschulman3 · May 2002

Thanks, I found the site. There are some good prices on the color wheels I'm looking at, but i have one question. How do the kumho and falken tires offered in the wheel/tire combo compare with a more popular tire offered at tirerack such as the bridgestone pole so3 or dunlops? I really want to get the tires and wheels from the same place, so this is important. Is the money saved on the kumho or falken tires worth it?

Subaru Impreza WRX

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy