Subaru Impreza WRX

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Comments

  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    Craig, those are really nice looking rims! What kind are those?

    Someone pointed out in an earlier post that 225/45/17 would be a bit of a stretch for 17x8 rims. I just noticed on the Subaru website that the 2005 STi is running w/ that setup. So does that mean it's okay?

    JB
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    The way the tires are set on the rims of the STi, there is no way those rims can be 17x8s. The sidewalls are verticle from the rims.
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    The 2004 STi came w/ 17 x 7.5. The 2005 STi comes w/ 17 x 8 based on the SOA website. Could it be a misprint or did they actually increase the rim width for the new model?
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Wow!
    From the Subi website:

    2005 WRX STi
    Wheels 17x8.0-inch 10-spoke BBS lightweight aluminum-alloy. Silver or Gold finish.
    Tires 225/45 R17 90W ultra high-performance.1
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    So does that confirm that running 225/45/17 on 17x8's is an OK setup? I'm really more inclined to get the 17x8 vs. the 17x7.5, but I don't want to regret it in the end because I don't have much choices when it comes to tires. The only 235/40/17 all-seasons that I have on my list is the Kumho ASX. My two other preferred choices (Pirelli PZero Nero & Falken Ziex ZE-512) don't come in that size, but can be had in the 225/45/17. If I can run the 225/45 on the 17x8 and not have problems, then I'll be one happy WRX driver.

    JB
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    a new bolt pattern. It's no longer 5x100.

    -Dennis
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I have Mille Miglia Avia wheels. I don't think they make them anymore. They were $200 on clearance for $120 at the TireRack, so I grabbed them. They look really good on the WRX and are unique. My next choice was a set of Rota SDRs.

    Craig

    p.s. I think you're right about the 05 STi, they did go with wider wheels. But I think they also went with wider tires, so maybe there is a typo somewhere. I can't see much benefit to wider wheels if you don't go with wider tires too (since the STi was already riding on rails).
  • subarusti22bsubarusti22b Member Posts: 3
    Ok since im only 16 and i graduate high school in 2 years i would like to get a 06 STI as a graduation present,does anyone know when the redesined WRX STI supposed to come out? any word on it yet? and my friend who isnt even 16 had a Blue EVO 8 and he traded it in for a 05 STI.
  • cyberdynecyberdyne Member Posts: 36
    Does anybody know how to remove the trim pieces around the radio and AC controls without destroying the dash? I want to deactivate the switch that turns on the AC to defrost the windshield.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    If you have an 02-04 model, then first loosen the screws that hold the cupholder assembly in. Pull it out gently. This exposes the upper-right corner of the trim panel. Pop that out gently, then move over to the upper left and pop that fastener out. There are 4 remaining fasteners, if I remember right, down on the sides and bottom of the HVAC controls. You should be able to pop those loose once the top end is out. Just do it gingerly, so you don't stress the plastic panel.

    Craig
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Not until MY07. It won't be an 06 model.

    Bob
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    You should buy a used Toyota Corolla with 75,000 miles on it like the rest of us did when we were your age. ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Just 75k miles on yours? ;-)

    -juice
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    Well, it was actually a Plymouth Fire Arrow with 102,000 miles on it, but nobody would know what that was.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I had a beater Rustang. I would have preferred the Corolla! LOL

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
  • f1julesf1jules Member Posts: 288
    Yeah, my first car was a 1973 Saab 99 with 92k miles on it. At least it was a stick though. God bless my Mom for making me get a stick as my first car.

    My wife can't drive a stick...

    BTW-I just bought an '05 STi.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats you lucky duck!

    -juice
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    Nice,
    I'm not sure I'd be here now if my first car had been something like that.
  • yogi29035yogi29035 Member Posts: 16
    First car: 1970 Plymouth Fury III 300 hp, 8 cyl, and lots of room in the back seat ;)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I got an 18yo Oldsmobile 98 Hardtop. 455 Rocket, but it was a good learning car.

    -mike
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    Way back in '65 I bought my first car, a '49 Ford Club Coupe, with a flathead V8 for $40. Had a 3 speed on the column, remember those????

    Funny story... Not being dry behind the ears yet, I drove this car back and forth in the back yard, after walking to the gas station to get a gallon of gas for about .28. It was a rainy year and I got it stuck in the mud (axel deep). Well, I had no way to get it out, so I came up with the brilliant idea to wait till winter, (I figured the ground would freeze and I could just drive it out.) The ground did freeze, but it wouldn't drive out, it was really stuck now! I thought, rev it up, pop the clutch, it will come loose.
    Rrrrrrrr BAM!!! Busted the axel! Sold the car for a whopping $7 the following spring. :)

    Man, wish I still had that one!

    Leaned a lot since then. :)

    Ken
  • riposteriposte Member Posts: 160
    Car Owner Loses Case Must Pay Subaru $75K in WRX Warranty Dispute

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--June 18, 2004--On Monday, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge awarded $75,000 in attorney's fees to Subaru of America, Inc. under California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act. In awarding the attorney's fees the court found the evidence was overwhelming the plaintiff had attempted to defraud Subaru in bringing the action, and plaintiff's attorneys had an obligation to and should have determined that either when they filed the suit or during investigation and discovery.

    The case involving an allegation of a defective transmission in a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX was brought under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and the CLRA. The court further found that because of their conduct in litigating the case, the plaintiff's attorneys had caused Subaru of America, Inc. to incur unnecessary attorney's fees of at least double the amount defense of the breach of warranty case should have cost. The court's award of the $75,000 represented the amount over what the court estimated were reasonable attorney's fees for defending the case.

    Mendez v. Subaru of America, Inc. (Case No. 1-02-CV808407).

    Plaintiff was represented by the Kinsey Consumer Law Center, Soquel, California;

    Subaru of America, Inc was represented by Barbara J. Frischholz, Bowman and Brooke LLP, San Jose California.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Could you please post a link to that story, riposte? Because of copyright issues, I'll have to remove that message if you aren't able to do that. Email me if you have questions - thanks.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Prolly some punk street racer kid that fried his tranny and wanted to get a free lunch. Pathetic.

    -juice
  • andmoonandmoon Member Posts: 320
    Went to dealer and saw an 05 STi parked right next to an 05 wrx and noticed that the mufflers looked identical. Has anyone heard an 05 wrx? I wonder if Subaru has added a little noise to the wrx.
    Don
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Haven't heard them, but it's possible that the WRX had the SPT muffler.

    http://www.spt.subaru.com/microsites/spt/main.jsp

    -Dennis
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Yes, the 05 WRX went to a single tip muffler. When I looked at an 05 STi and 05 WRX, the only difference in the mufflers I could see is that there is an "STi" stamped on the STi tail pipe. Otherwise, they look identical. I don't know if the sound or perform different. It could be that the STi version has larger inlet piping (because the stock muffler on my WRX had small piping).

    Believe it or not, the OEM STi muffler is not particularly loud. Any of the typical options for the WRX, such as the Prodrive axleback, sound great on an STi and will give a smidge less backpressure. So that leads me to believe that the stock STi muffler is nothing special.

    Craig
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We have a Prodrive muffler sitting in the shop right next to a stock WRX muffler. Guess what? The can looks exactly the same on both of them...

    Go figure that one.

    -mike
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    You must have them mixed up. The Prodrive is a nearly-circular cylinder can with 3" pipe and a single large oval tip. Shiny stainless steel (may cook to a brownish color).

    The WRX muffler is an ellipsoid cylinder, dull gray in color, with a 2.5" pipe and dual round (02-04) or single round (05) tip with a fake chrome tailpipe shroud.

    I think all the seams on the Prodrive are welded, while the seams on the WRX muffler are crimped.

    Craig
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Prodrive is straight through, while the WRX muffler has baffles.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I didn't look at them that closely. I was refering to the CAN itself, not the tip or inlet. I'll check next time I'm at the shop and look at the Cans more specifically but they both appeared to be very similar on the outside.

    -mike
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    The other thing I remember is that the stock muffler weighs a ton. The Prodrive feels like a tin can in comparison....

    Craig
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    I finally got new wheels and tires mounted on my '04 WRX sedan last Saturday, and I'm really happy w/ them. I got the silver Rota Torques (17x7.5) and mounted them w/ 225/45/17 Toyo Proxes 4. Can't stop smiling every time I look at the car. :)

    James B.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet - time to post pix!

    -juice
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Nice setup. Yeah, lets see some pics!
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    How do I post pics that I have saved on my hard drive? Not sure how to post photos here. Please help.

    Thanks!

    JB
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You have to host them first, on the internet. Sony's ImageStation offers a free service. I think places like Yahoo do as well, or your ISP might (Comcast does).

    -juice
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    How do I post pics that I have saved on my hard drive? Not sure how to post photos here. Please help.

    Thanks!

    JB
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    As juice noted, you've got to find a place on the web that will store your pictures. Here is a post that explains what to do after that: KarenS "Subaru Crew: Photo Gallery" Jan 31, 2001 11:53am

    The instructions are right, but I think the hosting site she references is no longer available.
  • barriostkdbarriostkd Member Posts: 71
    I posted the pictures on Subydude.com. Here's the link:

    http://www.subydude.com/gallery/_detail.php?pic=533&PHPSESSID- =ebb745cac5c43fbf588d253993741288
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    The rims look like a very good match with your car. Now you have me thinking......
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sharp. Plenty of air to help cool the brakes, too.

    -juice
  • wrc555stiwrc555sti Member Posts: 12
    Took car in for the first time CEL. After clearing the light, dealer sent the ECU to NJ. It now shifts butter smooth. Acceleration and deceleration have also lost the jerkiness it always had since March 2001. Only downside was I had to wait 3 days for the dealer to mail ECU to NJ to do the reflash. I think the new factory engine mapping has eliminated the rough spots for daily driving. Car is unmodded. Anyone else had their 02/03 WRX reflashed by the factory?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    I have only had my '04 WRX for about a month, but I still haven't figured out the right comination of gas, clutch, and shifting to get the 1-2 shift smooth under hard acceleration. I always cringe when I see my passenger's head bob forward when I shift. All other shifts seem fine. Any suggestions (besides "learn how to drive"!)?

    Separate question: Do detailed specs for the speaker/subwoofer upgrades exist anywhere (i.e. frequency response, RMS power, etc.)?
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    James - Looks sharp!

    Aaron - I seem to recall a few '02 ECU's needing a reflash back in '01. Nothing much since then.

    BRC - It can be tough. Try easing off the gas just a little before shifting. My wife has gotten used to the head bobbing. I even managed to nearly give her whiplash trying out the Sportshift during a test drive on the Outback XT!

    -Dennis
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Aaron - I assume you mean the jerkiness of the engine when accelerating and shifting vs. just shifting-action? The BMW is much more linear when accelerating vs. the WRX, but it does not have the thrust at the top (unless it is an M-series or a Z4) that the WRX has.
    Cobb tuning has been getting rave reviews for its ECU reflash (ask Don - andmoon here). Just wondering what an ECU reflash would do for emissions, specifically here in SoCal.
       
    The BMW stick is very smooth, it is just that the clutch is extremely touchy.

    brcochran - try shifting around 2700-3300 or earlier. This way you are not all the way at peak power when shifting, which will reduce jerking. Another option is start off in 2nd from a rolling start or a stoplight, when you would like the shifts to be smooth, it works for me.

    finally, the shifting will get better as the car ages, including 1st to 2nd.
  • prayerforprayerfor Member Posts: 161
    Like Dennis said, try rolling off the throttle a bit before engaging the clutch to smooth out your 1-2 shift. It's the sudden drop from full throttle to no throttle that is the culprit here.
  • ozman62ozman62 Member Posts: 229
    Mike Sheilds at the spdusa site has some excellent tips and notes about shifting on Subaru vehicles, some of which has been re-iterated above ;-) It definitely helped me. One trait of (true)AWD vehicles is increased driveline 'lash', making them inherently more difficult to be smooth with. Just think, you've got about twice as many CV joints, U joints, etc than a 2 wheel drive vehicle. Anyone have a direct link to Mike's site?
    HTH, Owen
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Kevin - I think Aaron was referring to an re-flash by SoA concerning a specific driveability (is that a word?) problem, instead of a performance re-flash.

    Oh yeah, Mike Shields has great shifting tips!
    http://www.spdusa.com/shifting.htm

    -Dennis
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