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Comments
Bob
Not to mention americans complain more loudly about little things like squeeky brakes. Euros gladly accpet that as a characteristic of semi-metallic brake pads.
So, in that sense, it was a version 1.0.
-juice
-juice
Of course, this included a highway haul home from the dealer and a ~150 mile round trip into the Poconos.
I'd set the "A" trip-meter after that fill-up, but accidentally reset it again mid-week while on a business trip (good thing I get to expense miles & fuel), so when I filled up this afternoon (12 gallons, almost $22! Yeesh! Let's get the Iraqi crisis solved, one way or t'other!) the trip-meter only said 285 miles.
Like all of you, I anticipate a noticeable drop after I pass the 1000 mile mark and am cleared to explore the upper half of the "Spinning Needle Gauge o' Fun!" Not too much, as I'm not a speed-freak and most of my regular driving is highway-heavy. But I'm still glad I'm young, single, and can easily control my spending on things like food (more meals at home with less steak, more pork, chicken, & veggies) entertainment (my local library has a good DVD selection available for FREE!) and Friday beers to compensate for the rise in go-juice-budget.
Speaking of Friday beers......
IT'S 5:00!!! WAHOO!!!
Don't worry, though. I do not drink & drive. I either have friends over, ride with somebody else, or play the DD myself (they pay for my bar munchies so it balances out)
My home PC is NFG, so I'll be MIA until Monday AM. You all have a great weekend!!
DjB
You're right Juice, too many little stuff. The WRX is still a no-nonsense driver's car, MO. Mine still gets me pumped up, that's my rating...counts in my book.
This is the main problem I have with them. If they say that a particular car is below average, they are not telling you that this is because 4 people who both purchased the car and read and respond to CR had problems with the car. If the wrx got below average (even slightly) ratings, I highly doubt that it is because of people modding their cars had problems with them. Again, that would suggest that these people modding their cars also read and respond to CR polls, something I just can't see.
John
I saw a post awhile back where somebody was claiming 30 mpg. With gas pushing $2/gal I'd like to know how that is done. Any high mileage folks like to share their techniques?
Driven with restraint, mileage isn't bad - drive with a heavy foot and you'll see 20 mpg at best.
do the lower profile tires mean a much harsher ride? how about noise? (I know these will both be somewhat dependent on the particular tire, but generally?)
what other handling upgrades can you recommend? sway bars?
BTW, my wagon has been perfect in the reliability dept. except for a glitch in the alarm system, which I haven't put much effort into, so I can't really complain.
Only around 21 MPG average but I can't resist using the boost every chance I get.
What a great car!
I just installed 215/45/17 Firehawk SZ50 EP's on P1 rims over the weekend. The SZ50 is an Ultra High Performance tire that uses a similiar technology to Bridgestone SO3's (a much loved Max Performance tire). I chose the SZ50 for it's long treadwear rating and good ride. It's slightly harsher than the stock tires, but my wife didn't mind it even on bumpy NJ roads. I haven't really pushed the tire yet since I want to put on some break-in miles. Check out tirerack.com for some great tire info.
A rear sedan sway bar is a good upgrade for the wagon.
-Dennis
Go throught the slide-show and see what you think of the Subaru concept.
DjB
Did you install a sedan rear sway bar yet?
Ed
The weather forecast is mild over the next several days. I only drive to the bus stop during the week and I can take my wife's OB on the weekends if Mother Nature decides to throw a curve ball.
No sedan sway bar yet, but I want to install one eventually.
-Dennis
Like to hear 'bout your impression inre stock ~16+23lbs =39lbs wheel/tire combo vs ~19.7+22lbs=~42lbs P1/Firehawk combo. Any take aways the extra ~3lbs might from handling/performance? I'm veering to the UK 17s and Firehawk route.
-Dave
In short, I was stiff as a board this AM. Glad the Forester has the AWP - hope all WRXes get it soon!
Ed
Well, speed isn't my primary concern as far as wheel/tire weight. Just looking to see if you noticed or felt any difference with extra wheel/tire weight against the WRX stock spring/suspension set up to stay on the ground. When I switched to the RS wheels/MXV4 215/60-16 on the OB [~39lbs], the wheels stayed in the air noticeably longer vs OEM 15/MXV4 205/70-15 [~37lbs] going over bumps - felt especially during turns.
Mudflaps... I'm ahead of you on that. It's due to arrive Wednesday.
My HID auxillary lamps should arrive next week.
Next on the list, wheels and tires.
-Dave
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?article_id=3464
-Dave
Good article Dave, I'm thinking SuperLeggs with 225/45 17's for mine. Maybe Sumi HTR's. Thoughts/comments?
I don't think mpg and WRX go together. Wrong car to think of saving gas. Driving a WRX under 3K rpm or around 65mph would be torture. Life's too short.
mpg = $2.25+ (premium)
adrenaline rush = priceless ;-)
-mike
Thanks,
Ed
sensei - Yes, mike said it. The primary reason I chose 215's is the concern over rubbing. Although I might eventually lower it, I have a Thule Excursion cargo box that I will load up a couple of times a year for vacation. The other reason is that SoA recommends 215's so I figure I would get less hassle in the event of problems down the road.
-Dennis
You have to consider the change in weight when you change wheels. Adding two pounds in the wheel and then another two pounds in the tire may not be noticeable (say 10% overall increase). But adding 30% to everything will be. The difference in acceleration might be not noticeable, but the ride difference is.
I went to wheels that were 40% heavier. Did I notice the difference. Heck YES! There was a real penalty in the ride, and even my wife could notice it.
I strive to not lose any performance for the sake of looks, and I chose a great light wheel that didn't break the bank. I wanted a margin of safety because once you buy them you are stuck with them.
One other question - since I'm lazy and don't love the idea of changing wheels twice a year, how do the best handling all-season tires stack up these days? It does snow where I live so I need winter tires that have at least decent snow performance, even with AWD.
Ed
-mike
Tire weights are harder to come by....you'll have search or ask the manufacturer directly.
Re: all-season tires. The best all-season tires still have poor snow performance compared to winter tires. The high performance all-seasons have the worst snow traction of the all-seasons. That's not likely to change since the requirements for designing performance tires are completely opposite to designing tires good for snow.
Nokian NRW and WR are the only all-seasons I know of that passed the snow tire testing standard (snowflake symbol branded).
TY Mike, Dennis, trying to get the biggest bang for the buck like everybody else. More and more sounds like All-Seasons are out of the equation based on general opinion.
I can surely see one's appreciation for heated seats. I have them in my VW (first time I ever had them), and I will never be without them again!
-mike
http://wac.addr.com/auto/obs/wheels.html
Another good all-season is the Sumitomo HTR+. IIRC, the SP5000 is not available in 215/45/17. The ultimate UHP A/S is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for a bargain price of about $200 ea.
All-seasons have definitely improved in snow over the years. There were quite a few folks on the SP5000's on the Tri-State drive paisan is referring to.
Do a search on the Tire forum of nasioc.com for reviews.
-Dennis
-mike
RE92's will be bald if I keep waiting for the stocks to go up. ;-)
-Dennis
Obviously, the SP5000 is not an auto-x tire, but it does great in the wet (better than the S-03) and dry, and is far more capable in the snow than the RE-92.
I also ran 2 sets of the Dunlops on my GS-R, and they rocked there, too. If they were available in the correct size for my 'lude, I'd have bought them instead of the S-03's.
What's the deal with the guy that gets the Prodrive mudflaps? Who is he and how does he get them? Is that a case similar to vsigma? Just wondering if they'll eventually be cheaper if Irvine Subaru starts selling them.
-Dennis
1.) Sport 5000
2.) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (best in class but expensive)
3.) HTR+ (really good ride quality and low cost)
4.) BFG G-Force KDWS
5.) AVS DB
Standard Performance All-Season:
1.) RE950 ( great steering response for this level )
2.) SP Sport A2
3.) SH30
4.) Pilot XGT H4 (harsh feeling)
5.) Srixon 4
The SP5000s aren't available in either 225/45/17 or 215/45/17, and to me the Michelins are too expensive, so that leads me to the Sumitomo HTR+s. The owner surveys and reviews available at tirerack.com suggest this is an outstanding tire:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tir- - eModel=HTR%2B
Follow Survey and/or Reviews.
I was pretty surprised to see how much some of the aftermarket wheels weigh. I wound up spending more for the ASAs than I had planned, but out of the wheels whose looks I liked they were the most "reasonable" and weigh the same as stock (16.5#) so at least I'm not increasing the unsprung weight.
The S-03 may be overkill for me since I don't race, but I'll give at least one set of max. perf. tires a shot, what the hey.
The tirerack guy assured me there would be no fitment probs with 225s - hope he's right!
-Dennis