Subaru Impreza WRX

dop50

That's the way mine fits. Actually the finned portion of the intercooler is lower than the perimeter of the housing, so the screen should be cut so it fits inside that area, or slightly smaller. (right on top of the fins) When you close the hood, the boot holds it down in that area.
In my opinion, if you were to use clips or something else to hold it in place, there would be an even greater chance of them coming loose and possibly causing problems. If your fingers are long enough, you can "feel" the fit through the scoop opening. I don't know if this type of screen (alum window screen) is strong enough to keep rocks and such from causing damage, but it should work for bugs and birds. I figure, if you get damage from rocks or other large objects, then you would probably have more to worry about than just the intercooler.

I suggest that anyone who wants to try this, check it often to make sure there are no problems.
I've had mine in place for about a week, and it seems to be working great. It already has several bugs on it, which means they aren't in the cooler. Plus, the screen is sitting flatter now than when I installed it. (Probably from the heat).

Ken

Ken

sonya4

Back to the ABS discussion... I've had 3 different cars with ABS and did not experience problems with them. Each felt slightly different when they went off, but I've never had the no-brakes/slippage feel.

Are you all recommending the 17" wheels in general then for the WRX, instead of the 16"?

--Sonya4

cinosweive

So what mesh screen are we talking about here? Is this the regular home window screen kind of stuff or something closer to hardware cloth?

epp1

General question: What does the wheel size have to do with the posted ABS issues? Not trying to be controversial, but I fail to recognize how wheel diameter plays into the operation and/or effectiveness of the ABS system. Assuming 17" wheel users are running 45s (vs. 55s on the 16") the total wheel/tire diameter doesn't change materially.

I'm certain my ignorance will not be ignored on this board.

Techies help me out here.

Thanks in advance,

Sean, MN

8u6hfd

It only matters if you're changing the overall diameter of the wheels. The ABS speed sensors depend on the diameter of the wheels. Smaller diameter, it thinks it's spinning faster, and vice-versa.

As long as you're running correct Plus One or so upgrades (such as 225/45 r17) you should be fine.

sensei1

There's been a lot of discussions about the ABS and tire/wheel combinations etc. which seems to be alarming a lot of people. They should be alarmed because it relates to safety and they shouldn't if ABS is understood a little better and how it correlates to tire/wheel combinations. 8u6hfd is on the money here.

ABS - just by the name prevents wheels from locking up; enables braking safely on curves and slippery surfaces, all electronically controlled. When you slam on the brakes, the ABS mechanism applies the brakes in a pulsing motion to prevent skidding so stopping distance could be longer. On conventional brakes, your pedal pressure is directly transformed into brake pressure, so the decision is yours whether to lock or not lock your brakes. Hence, the old pump-the-brake habit of us old-timers. So we go straight on curves when our wheels lock. ABS takes control of this decision for us. So when there are road irregularities (pothole, railroad tracks, wet spots) and we apply the brakes, ABS is doing it's job - preventing wheel lock. Potholes, road bumps, etc. causes the tires to go airborne for a fraction of a second and if this coincides with braking, ABS will let go because the wheels will lock. Make sense? Same effect with slippery surfaces.

Tires/wheels and ABS - definitely correlate. When you switch to +one (225/45 17) tire sidewall is decreased meaning less leaning=better handling ability. Factor in rubber compound, tread design, contact area, etc. and you have a better handling car. ABS will still work the same way except the environment it has to work with has changed.

When I was younger, I swear that whenever I washed my car or changed the oil, the car ran better and faster. So I think it's back to driver training from discussions a while back. My humble opinion folks. Have a good Subie Rex day.

****************
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Charles Mingus (1922-1979)
Jazz musician
****************

cptplt

there was a post IIRC at iclub which seemed to explain it best, its more a combination of a problem of the ABS sensitivity and the shocks in the WRX, the shocks doesn't bring the tire back down and into contact with the ground quickly enough for the ABS so it cuts out as it thinks it will lock as the tire is still airborne. Changing tires/wheels changes weight of the tire/wheel sufficiently to reduce this likelihood.I wonder if people who have gotten 17in combos with close to stock weight or less still have the problem? My 17in wheels are heavier by about 4-5 lbs than the stock 16in and I understand my tires are "heavy" ones too so maybe my wheels are coming back down quicker.Though if they are heavier maybe they bounce higher too! Dunno, physics was never my strong point! Of course then you get into different handling characteristics of the rubber which may affect things too.Having 16in wheels on N America WRXs may account for why Subaru haven't seen this in other markets as they all have 17 in ones stock elsewhere.But that assumes suspension is the same which I'm not sure about.

dop50

I used, just regular aluminum home window screen for mine. It has a mesh of 12x18 and a wire size of approx. .016. Works well and is easy to cut with scissors or tin snips.
And it's CHEAP!

Ken

hunter001

Also, with a good grippy tire, ABS activation is reduced by quite a bit. Basically, the brakes do not reach the "lock-up" point, because the tire is grippy enough to aid the brakes in the braking effort.

With a less grippy tire (like the RE92s), the brakes reach lockup quickly (brakes doing a superb job !!) and ABS pulsing begins almost immediately, resulting in too much ABS action in environments that really do not merit it. The tires that should have aided the braking effort, do not have the grip to do any significant help.

Later...AH

barresa62

close to stock 16"wheel weight at 16.2 lbs each. This combined w/the grippier, larger Toyo T1-S tire has pretty much eliminated the ABS snafu except when I'm really pushing the car over bad surfaces and brake in the middle of it. Even so, I've only been able to duplicate this once.

Stephen

ponm

Aren't you running 225s on your wagon. I just ordered a wheel and tire package and decided on the 215s. DO you have any rubbing using the 225s.
-scott

barresa62

w/stock suspension setup. I've had 5 people in my wagon up and down the Seattle streets (our version of San Francisco..just for reference). Rubbing comes into play w/225s and 7.5"rim when one lowers pretty much more than an inch. I'm looking at possibly going w/the new Prodrive springs designed for the wagon and to work w/stock struts. I think they are currently available through Tirerack. I'm also interested in the STI/SPT (not the pink springs) setup offered through the Subaru dealers. This only lowers the car less than an inch.

Stephen :-)

cptplt

could the different brakes on US WRXs also be a factor in the ABS "problem". My understanding is that WRxs outside N America have 4 pot brakes front and 2 in the back while its 2 and 1 in N America. Could the actual efficacy of the brakes affect ABS performance??

barresa62

Good point...I had forgotten about that.

Stephen

rexaroo

now to fix the problem we have to do a brake upgrade besides a wheel/tire upgrade! ;-)

It would be interesting to hear if anyone has seen better behavior from the ABS with just a simple tire upgrade. I like the 16 inchers and don't want to give them up, not to mention the extra cost of going to 17" wheels.

barresa62

Remember the WRX was designed for 17" wheels/tires. The 16" combo is a poor subsitute for the N.American market. Let's keep things in perspective, :-)

Stephen

beanboy

With less sidewall deflection and greater grip, there's less chance for a 17" tire to bounce across uneven pavement versus the stock 16" tires.

I wonder if Subaru reprogrammed the ABS to work optimally with the 16" tires in North American market versus the 17" standard everywhere else. Would be interesting to look into...

-B

epp1

Hmmm. Still don't really buy in as to why a different wheel size would make a tangible difference in ABS performance if the same overall tire/wheel diameter was maintained.

I understand better adhesion, less lean and wider footprint of most 17"s but that is also what make can for a "choppier" ride on many high performance wheel/tire combos.

Don't get me wrong - I'm picking up my new Rex wagon today. Ordered the Prodrive P1s (17"x7") with Sumi's and will have Nokian Hakka's put on the OE wheels for wintertime here in MN.

Since I never induced the issue during test drives and will never run the factory rubber I can't comment on the RE92s vis a vis the ABS.

Seems to me that the 4/2 pot vs. 2/1 pot or the ABS system itself is a more like culprit than one wheel size vs. another. Not that that makes me any more comfortable.

I'm just a caveman so ignore me if you are technically superior.

Regards,

Sean

BTW - Any clever personalized plates out there? Not a big a fan, but I feel a Rex almost deserves them. If I get the one I want (won't disclose till I do) I'll post it here.

hypov

Mine reads Z 88 Z which would be carried over to the WRX I'm still itching to get.

-Dave

barresa62

1KWKWGN (one quick wagon) or, as one Subie salesman said to me not too long ago, $1000 a week wagon (probably closer to the truth factoring in my mods) :-)

Stephen

rexaroo

My hunch is the reason we got 16" wheels and 2-pot brakes was because SOA wanted to keep the price down to get the WRX off to a good start here in the States. In Britain, the car costs the equivalent of $32,000 as opposed to $24K over here, so we're really getting a pretty good deal
even with the 16 inchers.

8u6hfd

And also...have some ride quality (Americans like cushy rides). Likewise using the soft rubber shifter bushings to reduce the vibrations, from the solid linkage.

sensei1

Just enjoy your ride. The toughest part of having a WRX is the first 1k and monitoring your tacho.

Don't sweat the details. Under normal driving conditions you'll be just fine. But then again normal driving conditions will never be the same.

Good choice on the P1's. That's what I'd get if I had the $$. I'd be interested in how they behave after you've racked up some miles on them.

cinosweive

I think the difference in wheels and brakes for the American market is more arrogance and a misunderstanding of American culture than anything else. For the most part, speed limits in the US are 55 mph. There is very little difference in braking performance between the US brakes and the overseas brakes at that speed. The better brakes really come into play at higher speeds. What the Japanese cost-cutting engineers don't understand is that in the US speed limits are largely ignored.

On the "cushy" ride side of things, Detroit has been pushing cushy rides for generations. That is one of the reasons car enthusiasts don't by American cars. Importers see the ride Detroit sells us and believe that is what we want. So we get dumbed down cars. Detroit has been doing this so long that even they believe that.

That's my guess anyway.

stoner420

As of this morning's drive to work, I'm at 976 on the odometer... We will definitely hit 1000 by tonight :-) ohhhh but now I'm like a worried father, should I really just start running her all out at 1000, or maybe wait another couple hundred, should I get the oil changed now or wait for the 3750 or maybe at 1500 or 2000 (ask 5 people, get 7 opinions on this)... what to do what to do...

sensei1

I'm with you cinosweive, if you've been overseas and driven elsewhere in Europe or Asia for example, you'll appreciate the environment we drive in here...well engineered roads, layout, safety, road conditions, etc. Roads here are safe, smooth, well layed-out, extra wide and in other words boring in comparison to driving conditions overseas. So on the average, driving demands put on a car are less strenuous. I've driven overseas quite a bit and yes, you need strong brakes, a loud horn, good suspension and enough low end umph to claim your space or get out of somebody's way. On ramps and off ramps here are so tame you don't need to stomp on your brakes in a short off camber off ramp or prepare for a turn where there was no sign. I know it's still pretty early but to me the WRX is perfectly equipped for the US market. I'm more worried about driver skills. This car in the wrong hands would be dangerous.

And yes stoner420 I think we've all been like worried fathers with our new baby. I just broke 2k and the honeymoon's not over. My problem now is I can't stand driving my other cars. Have a safe Rex weekend everyone!!

epp1

...picked up my new blue Rex wagon last night. Got the P1s rolled into the deal but Tirerack forgot two center caps. Oh well, will be getting new pair overnighted. They had also not yet rec'd the sub so that will be installed at my first oil change.

Car is a blast. Real test of self-discipline to monitor the RPMs.

Pulled the Yakima racks off my ExploDer. Only issue there is that my bike tray impedes the hatch opening all the way. Will try adjusting that tonite. Also need narrower "fairing". Rails are more solid than those on my Ford (guess I shouldn't be surprised).

With only 100 miles on the car I have to admit that the 17" P1/Sumi HTR+ combo is quite nice. Probably not as cush as the OE rims and rubber, but still a very compliant, grip laden ride. The wheels themselves look great - fill the wells nicely. 18ers might almost be too big IMHO but I have yet to see a WRX set up with them.

BTW, my dealer here in MN told me that you need not wait till 1K to get jiggy (terrible phrase). After 300 miles he said you can't start to get more aggressive and that per Subaru Tech(nica) in Japan (he's a navigator with Prodrive) breaking it in sooner will help "loosen" the engine up more yielding better power gains (dyno tested to yield +10-15HP at the wheels).

Have a good weekend,

Sean

sensei1

May you have many safe, fast, high g, trouble-free miles on your new baby.

sonya4

epp1--Congratulations on the new Rex wagon!

As for stoner420's worries at the 1K mark--you can let her out, no problems. I pushed my Rex a couple of times to 6000 rpms before the car reached the 1K mark, and I'm now over 5K, and the Rex still responds beautifully. I had the oil changed at 2800 miles, so I'm due again soon.

I agree with sensei1 that driving around in other countries (in Latin America and Asia, in my case) is a bit more exciting than here. And the drivers there, in my opinion, are somewhat more alert than many of the drivers here, too!

--Sonya4

thedude3

Does anyone know when the 2003 WRX models come out and what is going to be different between the 2003 and the 2002?

xcskier

Sorry if this is supposed to be posted somewhere else on the site; I'm not totally familiar with all the "rules". Anyway, does anyone have a recommendation for good brand of radar detector? The research and questions I've asked seem to point to Passport/Escort 8500 as a top model, but it's pretty pricey at $300.

Seems like this would be a good accessory for us Rexers... self-control is sometimes in short supply when you just want to have a little fun!

rexaroo

is the best according to Car and Driver, but it's even pricier at $399.

Personally, I have never owned a RD and find there is an extra adrenaline thrill from "flying naked." It also forces you to pay more attention to traffic flow and only drop the hammer when conditions look right. That's just me, though, and I'm sure some of you Rexers out there would be horrified at the idea. So far, my sixth-sense antennae have worked pretty well--no tickets in 7K mi. with our silver WRX wagon
(knock-on-wood!) (:P

--rexaroo

mikenk

Most of the reviews I have seen rank the Valentine One as best(~$400) with the Passport 8500 (~$300) and the Bel 980 (~$230)right behind. However, I have seen some reviews that rank them in different order. I bought the Bel because of the price (and ratings) and have been very pleased, particularly for its performance on the critical K and Ka bands.

Mike

twrx

Yup, It is about $50 locally and here in Indiana most St. Police only use X band so need for laser, Ka, wideband etc. is non-existant!

TWRX

rsholland

<< here in Indiana most St. Police only use X band so need for laser, Ka, wideband etc. is non-existant! >>

Police use all the above. I think(?) Ka band is the most popular.

BTW, I have a Valentine One. What I like about it is that it can tell you the radar is in front of you, or behind you. No other radar detector can do that. You still have to be careful of police using the "instant on" technique, however.

Bob

dop50

I had a cobra detector years ago that worked pretty well. But nowdays with the lasers, and the intant on technics and such I don't think any of them are worth their salt. It's my understanding, that if you have one and get stopped for some reason, it's gone, anyway. Also, I've heard that most truckers are now using scanners instead, simply more reliable. The way I see it, if you use something that requires line of site to work, then your eyes are probably your best asset. Unless you can find out before hand where they are. That just my 2 cents.
BTW, I'm 52 and never had a ticket yet. (Except for an expired inspection sticker about 20 years ago.) That's not to say I haven't deserved a few.
Knock on Wood!!! (Now I'll probably get one this week.) Whe I bought the REX, I told the wife, "Won't be long now!" Hehe!

Ken

rsholland

Only in Washington DC, Virginia, and Canada are radar detectors illegal. They are also illegal on big trucks in every state.

I do agree that the instant-on is a real problem. Most (good) radar detectors can also spot laser, I know my Valentine One can.

Bottom line: anybody who thinks they can speed and never get caught, by having a radar detector, is in for a big surprise. I use mine primarily as insurance. I really don't drive any faster when I'm in a car equipped with a radar detector, than when I'm in one without the device, and I've been using one ever since 1986. BTW, I'm 57.

Bob

declansdad

RADAR detectors are also prohibited in the state of Conneticut. I've noticed that the Howard County police, as well as the MSP are using the K band radar guns.

Mine, an old Bel 850(?) saved me from a ticket the other night. MSP had a trap on southbound 95 between 100 & 175. That sneaky trooper pulled over a Lexus/Toyota suv instead of me!

To keep this OT, I've noticed 2 new WRXs (1 sedan, 1 wagon) in my neighborhood recently. It's so nice to see so many subarus!

Michael

dettling

I just purchased a 2002 WRX today. (06/15/02) The car had 8 miles on it, and now has almost 100. I have been driving painfully slow and easy to break her in keeping the revs under 3500. The check engine light came on right as I was getting home from the dealership. It is after hours on a weekend, so I can't get any help from the dealership. As you all know I am dying to drive the car. Any ideas?

twrx

For some of the reasons listed above (like the fact that detecting laser or instant on is usually too late anyway) is one of the reasons I go with a cheap detector. Another reason I use a cheap one is getting ripped off by having an expensive one. When Ka came out, I bought a $200 BEL about 15 years ago. It constantly falsed Ka since few if any of the ISP were using it. It was a useless and anoying detector and I ignored it more than I paid attention to it. My cheapo Whistler 911 will find X up the road plenty far and I still insist that the majority of the police here in Indiana still just use X.

twrX

wrx_al

are a worthwhile accessory for the wrx. I installed mine (an inexpensive COBRA) using the auto-dimming rear view mirror's power source to avoid dangling cables. There have been specific cases where I think the detector saved me a ticket (the guys right in front of me got tickets on several occasions!). The down side is plenty of false signals in X band from automatic doors. I only respond, i. e. scrub off speed fast, when K band lights up since that's the band mainly used here in Calif. Beware of freeway exit/on ramps as I have seen the CHP hiding there doing speed checks by visual estimation. If anyone knows of a radar detector that is nearly immune to false signals I would like to hear about it.

barresa62

flashing then it's ok to drive the car per the dealership. It probably is the common "misfire 3rd cylinder" code # 0303. I got this just driving around normally at about 14k miles. It went out that evening. I pulled the code w/my Pocketlogger software and Palm Pilot. I also reset it.

Stephen

ppek

Hi dettling,

I also recommend you check your gas cap. WRX's (along with many other new cars) are very sensitive when it comes to gas pressure. The manual recommends you turn it until the cap clicks three times. Being a new car, the dealer may not have turned the cap fully enough, which could be resulting in your CEL.

I have never had this problem on my WRX, but this happened on my wife's Jimmy a few years back and I was the one who took it in to the dealership, just to have them tell me I need to make sure I tighten the gas cap.

If you try this and think that might be the problem, others have said it sometimes takes a while for the CEL to go out.

Just another thought. Good luck, and enjoy your car. They are FUN!

Paul

purduealum91

In todays paper. Liberty Subaru in Libertyville, IL is allowing orders at invoice. Hope this helps someone. Here in IL, the number of Subarus is pathetically small. I do on occasion see WRXs though. I personally would not pay more than invoice for it here.

Tom

yellowbikedon1

Try driving around the Evanston area if you want to see Subarus. Moved from there a year ago April (to Florida) and was always amazed how many Subies were around.

By the way, if you stop in at Liberty Subaru, please say "hello" for me to Elmer Hansen, Subaru Product Manager, as well as Elisha and Axel in the service department. These guys are great!

Don

rexaroo

We got this CEL misfire code a while back after filling up the tank with a local brand of gas rather than the usual Amoco Premium. The light finally went off after filling up twice more with the Amoco. (Finally got it into the dealer 2 days after the CEL turned off and they said the only code showing was a #3 cylinder misfire.) It's never gone back on since, so apparantly no more misfires. Could be just coicidence, but IMHO, using the Amoco Ultimate seems to be good anti-CEL insurance for our Rex, at least as far as misfires are concerned. (Phillips 66 Premium is another one that seems reliable too.)

subzero206

does anyone have an automatic WRX? how does it perform?

hunter001

I think there are quite a few Auto-WRXs around, including the sport-wagon I drive.

The car is plenty fast and is very satisfying. When compared to the manual version, it should be around 0.5 secs slower to 60mph, but that is good enough for most of us.

Also, unlike any other Subaru (either manual or automatic), the Auto-WRX drives - in non-slip conditions - with 55% of the power on the rear wheels. While accelerating or when conditions so demand, 85% of the power comes to the rear wheels, which promotes terrific handling.

Later...AH

rsholland

<< RADAR detectors are also prohibited in the state of Conneticut. >>

I don't think that's true anymore. Does anyone know for sure?

Bob

fxs

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We hope that you have been
enjoying your '02 WRX Sedan. We wish you the best with it!

The following are the production numbers for the '02 WRX models:

'02 WRX Sedan 5-speed - 20,577 units
'02 WRX Sedan automatic - 2,391 units
'02 WRX Wagon 5-speed - 9,940 units
'02 WRX Wagon automatic - 2,161 units

The last five digits do not directly relate to the number WRX that you
purchased; meaning that your VIN does not indicate that you have the 15,xxx
WRX Sedan produced. This VIN range also includes the '02 Impreza 2.5RS
Sedans.

Thanks for the opportunity to be of assistance. Best wishes!!

John J. Mergen
Subaru of America, Inc.