Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon

ponm

I know I should keep it below 4ooo rpms, but should I also stick to the old rule of 55mph and under or is that and old superstition. I have been driving 55 on the highways and its killing me driving that slow

djasonw

I don't think the manual even suggests a speed of 55. That translates to a low RPM in top gear. I am in the middle of my breakin (around 600 miles now) and I just make sure to avoid anything over 5,000 on the tach. It's tough to do since this is such a free revving engine.

WarpDrive

That's an old and now irrelevant rule. The manual suggests varying engine and road speed with a light touch on the gas and brakes. That's all you have to worry about.

mrk610

Take it to the dealer and let them start it 1st thing in the morning . My my02 outback wagon was just diagnosed with not timing belt tensioner noise but piston slap . Yep it still happens .

mike k

barkasy1

Hi All,
Can anyone measure what maximum cube size would fit in the back of a 2002 with the seats folded? These cars look fun a heck but I need to be able to fit (2) 16"W x 32"L x 30"H boxes AND (2) 16"W x 16"L x 30"H boxes in it.
Trying to stay away from the Highlander(over-priced), the Forester (can't wait for the 2003 improvements), and the Passat (problems finding the bigger engine in the less expensive wagon model).
Thanks Bunches, Dave

rsholland

Hard to say. Best thing to do is to take those boxes to a dealer, and see if they fit.

Frankly, I have my doubts. While there, see if they fit in a Forester or Outback wagon too.

Bob

ateixeira

16.2 lbs is remarkably light for a 17" rim, though. Did you weight the stock rim? I bet it's heavier even at 16".

Dave: it may be a little harder to stay away from the Forester when the turbo arrives next year. Then you can have your cake (the boxes) and eat it (turbo power), too.

Tell you what, though. You MUST buy a Subaru, because your name is Dave, and most Subie owners are named Dave. It's a demographic certainty! ;-)

-juice

ltcolumbo

So Mike, what did they tell you about it? "Normal" or what? I also have noisier valves on the left hand side of the engine when fully warmed up. Since the adjustment interval is 105,000 miles, is it covered under the power train warranty if they need adjustment before then? I think it should be the same as the timing belt breaking before it's scheduled to be replaced.....it should be covered 100%. The real problem is "knowing" the job was done properly since the warranty rate is probably low and the job is a PITA! I live in So. Ca. and don't know of a "trustworthy dealer" (oxymoron?)

barresa62

I haven't weighed the stock rim but I remember reading somewhere that it was under 17 lbs or pretty close.

Stephen

tlutz

After reading ARTGECKO's post on his stumbling/hesitation (common problem, here is the solution (found on I-Club.com)called the 'grounding mod':

Add multiple grounds from the negative battery terminal to several points around the engine bay - strut tower, manifold, firewall behind intercooler, etc. Use 8-10 gauge wire with THHN insulation. This inexpensive mod ($7-10) serves to improve the poor factory ground and improve the operation of the ECU. I was experiencing the same problem (inconsistent throttle response at lower RPMs) and this mod cured it while improving engine smoothness over the entire RPM range.

locke2c

if you do the single point grounding mod, please search on the iClub for the thread with pictures and also do yourself a huge favor and use a distribution block.

it's insane to tie in 5+ 8-10 gauge wires into your negative post. just use distribution and put ONE 4 gauge!

-Colin

barkasy1

Hi all,
I test drove a Silver Sedan today. The dealer let me gun it a few times which was really fun. I haven't drove a stick in years and noticed shifting at 3,000 rpms took some finesse to accomplish smoothly. Shifting at 4,000 rpms had a much better response. I probably need more than 15 minutes of practice to get used to the clutch feel.
Yes, I agree with some of the critics about the center console and some of the dash components looking "Cheapish". But check out the flimsy air vents, and paper thin leather on the new Toyota Highlander. Jeez, if it looked like a Mercedes inside it wouldn't be only 25K!
Bob-I'm bringing boxes to the dealer tomorrow to see if they fit in an Impreza Wagon. I took measurements and it looks close.
Juice-LOL on the Dave theory, is the Forester going turbo in '03 or '04?
Barresa62-Your ride looks HOT with the 17" rims. Is the outer diameter of the tires the same as the 16"s? If not, does it throw your speedometer reading off much? I think if you added dark tint to the silver car that would make it look awesome too.
I have a minor problem though, my wife seems kind off afraid of a manual tranny. Anyone ever drive an auto WRX?

Thx All! Dave ;^)

barresa62

No, the tires I went with are 225/45x17 instead of the 215's. They are a virtual speedometer match, plus I like the way they contact the pavement and fill the wheelwell. I also wanted 7.5" rims instead of 7". The tires I have would work on 7" rims but fit better w/the 7.5". Oh yeah...the tint will be forthcoming. In the meantime I ordered the Vishnu Stage 0 pkg and a turbo gauge. I also may lower w/the Tein coilovers that are designed specifically for the wagon. This modding thing is a sickness I tell ya'! :-) Thanks for the compliment on the wagon.

Stephen

lilbluewgn02

I have an Auto wagon...some turbo lag of course, but the wagon is fast, fun and smoooth. Tranny preference is personal...either one works well

bluesubie

Oh no, someone said auto.

I've test driven an auto several times and it wasn't that bad, IMHO. I recently took a co-worker from the UK on a test drive. He never drives autos and confessed the the auto WRX was a real blast. His last car was an Audi S3 chipped to ~240 h.p.
Actually, there's a review of the auto wagon here on Edmunds.
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/spin/48462/article.html

-Dennis

ateixeira

Yes, Dave, turbo for the Forester next year. It might get the 2.0l turbo from Japan, with 217hp and less lag than the current WRX engine (which I felt wasn't bad).

-juice

jimmyp1

the iClub thread where somebody in the graphics business made a long sticker that goes on you rear hatch just above your rear bumper that says something to the effect of "You just got beat by a wagon"? (grammatically incorrect, I know) I saw it last week, and am searching for it now (picture was included).

Jim

rsholland

I can see a whole lot of street race challenges cropping up.

Bob

jimmyp1

http://i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=163228&highlight=grocery

Have a look at the other stickers that people mention later in the thread, very funny.

Jim

kens

LOL! That sticker is hilarious! The OCD in me would prefer to have it on a license plate holder instead.

Ken

barresa62

Actually, I'm kind of funny about things like that. I tend to feel the way Bob responded about that sticker. It's bad enough that my vanity plate says "1KWKWGN". If I did have something like that sticker I would go the route that Ken mentioned and have it on the license plate holder. Actually, my fav sticker is the one from Subiegal (Jamie) that says "Any Fool Can Go Fast In A Straight Line". I'd like to figure out how to get all that around a license plate frame. :-)

Stephen

barresa62

I have a saying I've been mulling around in my head, trying to figure out how to fit it, legibly on a license plate frame. Here it goes:

"You take the high road, I'll take the low and twisted" It kind of has a double meaning, I mean for some....not me, of course! :-)

Stephen

cptplt

anyone know what the weight of the Subaru 16in stock wheels are (or the 17in used in other markets)?

barresa62

The 16" WRX wheel is about 16 lbs. The 17"UK OEM wheel has been listed between 17 and 17.5 lbs. I believe it's closer to 17 lbs. The stock wheel weights are quite low and that's whey it took me a long time to find the right aftermarket 17" wheel as I wanted to keep the weight as close to the 16 - 17 lb weight of the stockers. My new wheels are 16.2 lbs. Oh yeah... and I like the looks too. :-)

Hope the info helps.

Stephen

fern88

Hi all,
I've been looking at a few cars this month...... Matrix, Protege5, Focus ZX5, Elantra GT, Lexus IS 300 SportsCross and today the WRX wagon. I must say that the subaru was the best performing and most fun to drive. The auto took a few seconds to pick up but once it did..... wow.

So performance is great but it falls in the middle regarding interior size. Back seat was a little tight and it was slightly hard for me to get out with the steering wheel a little low. I many times carry computer items like monitors and cables so I think the cargo space in the back would be fine. It also had a few less gadgets and features than some of the other cars like a sunroof, trip computer, 12 volt plug in the back, back cup holder. I didn't get a chance to drive it on the freeway so how high revving is it?

I'm in southern cal and the dealer had 1 auto silver wrx wagon. He says that they're really hard to find out here in an auto wagon. Is this true? Are these in high demand? I'm new to the subaru world I'll read some more to get a better picture.

Also, can a sunroof be added by a third party or is there not enough room for it? The space looked pretty small.

thanks

barresa62

the steering wheel adjusts up and down. :-)

Despite what some folks insist, the auto WRX is not in high demand throughout the country. If you are interested in the automatic you should be able to strike up a good deal. Either way, the WRX is one fun, jack of all trade vehicles that you won't regret owing. Of course, I'm objective....just because I own a silver WRX wagon...means nothing. :-)

Stephen

paisan

It's an allout sports car on the cheap.

If luxury and cup holders are what you are after, I'd pass on the WRX, it will probably disappoint you. As for the moonroof you can put in a custom 3-6" roof but any more than that and you'll be cutting right into the structural member that runs through the roof.

-mike

cptplt

Thnaks for the info Stephen. Reason I asked is that looking around for some 17inchers I found out that the Prodrive ones are 20-21 lbs. I understand the concerns about trying to keep the weight close to the stock wheels but after finding out about the Prodrive weights I thought since they are specifically for the WRX and Prodrive obviously know about the car being the brains behind the WRC Subarus, maybe the weight issue was not going to be as big a deal as I had first thought. The price is a big deal though!!

gotwrx

I just bought a WRX about a week ago. It was kind of an impulse buy. My other car died on the frwy which was a bit annoying. It was an 84 civic 5sp sedan with just under 300k on it. Had it from new. Showing its age a bit, not helped by the custom body work administered by some pick up truck a few years back but it still got 30 miles to the gallon. Was thinking of getting a new car this year but I wanted to see it over 300k, just because. Wife's been hoping it would die for about 3 years now but I've always managed to make it run for not much bucks and the only detailing it needed was a new piece of string to tie up the trunk every year or so. Anyway, this time she insisted and was all for just going out an buying a WRX so I'd have it when I got home. I talked her out of it since we hadn't driven the car and the mechanic hadn't told us what was wrong with the civic yet. I thought it might be the timing belt in which case RIP. She researched financing, got us pre approved and priced insurance. However, the civic turned out to be fixable for about $250. Decisions, decision! Well I took a deep breath and agreed to hold off on the repair and go for a test drive. Turns out the dealer had a silver 5sp WRX wagon on the lot. Got there early, did the test drive, bought the car, trashed the civic - even the salvation army wouldn't take it! Turns out I've been holding out for a WRX all this time and it was worth the wait as those of you that have one can no doubt attest.

barresa62

Tim: Congrats on the new addition! Same color, same tranny wagon as mine. I know you'll enjoy it!

Dennis: The Prodrives are nice and strong wheels but there are a lot more choices out there. You just have to be diligent w/your searching. I suggest you start with www.i-club.com

The P7 17" Prodrives are 21 lbs. The 17" P1s are 19 lbs. Another good choice is the OZ Superleggras. I think they are closer to 16 lbs in the 17" size and look very similiar to the P1s. Check them out on www.tirerack.com

Stephen

cptplt

Stephen

How important is the offset, seems like a lot of the aftermarket wheels will "fit" but the offset is different - stock tires are 53mm. I have read that in terms of tracking etc, the closer to stock , the better in terms of handling. I have no clue how different something has to be to make a difference though.

Anyone have experience with sumitomo tires, the reviews in tirerack and the reps I spoke with are very gungho on them. Their prices seem incredibly good too, to the point, I worry that they seem too cheap for what people are saying or maybe they are a secret bargain

paisan

I thought that the improper offset will cause excessive wheel bearing wear due to the weight not being distributed over the bearings @ the center, also rubbing can occur if the offset is improper too. Another issue is to make sure to get hub-centric wheels since subaru uses hub-centric wheels on the vehicles.

-mike

revka

and congrats on your new Impreza WRX! We look forward to hearing more about your ownership experience.... Happy motoring!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

WarpDrive

Here are the weights of the wheels I was looking at.

OZ Superleggera 17x7 48mm: 15.1 lbs
OZ Prodrive P1 17x7 53mm: 19.5 lbs
Subaru UK OEM 17x7 53mm: 17.5 lbs
Enkei Bortex RPM2 17x7 48mm: 16 lbs
BBS RK 17x7 48mm: 17 lbs

All of these wheels are under $300 USD except for the P1.

and for reference: stock 16x6.5 wheel: 16.5 lbs

As for offset, the lowest you should go for a 17x7 is 48mm. Somewhere in the 52mm range is ideal. For a 17x7.5, 48mm is pretty much ideal.

In practical terms, anything less than 5mm difference from stock is nitpicking and inconsequential. Too much of an offset difference and you might find poorer vehicle tracking and increased bearing wear to be issues.

I settled for the Superleggera and put mine on a scale. It was definitely in the low 15 lb range with my bathroom scale. The other benefit of the SuperL's, unlike a lot of other aftermarket wheels, is that they come in the correct bore so you don't have to use those easy-to-lose hub rings for a correct fit. P1's and Subaru wheels don't need rings either of course.

As for picking a wheel, it's definitely a nice thing to keep the wheel/tire combo close to stock as possible. If you go with a lightweight tire like the Toyo T1-S combined with a P1, you will only be a measely few pounds more than stock which won't be noticeable. If you choose a heavy tire like a Bridgestone S-03, when combined with a heavy wheel like the P1, then you might notice that the wheel tends to bounce more over bumps, which in the end has a detrimental effect on handling. It's just a matter of degree, but I'm choosing a Superleggera and T1-S tire, and my 17 inch wheel/tire combo will be almost 5 lbs lighter than stock.

barresa62

Exactly what he said. I can also vouch for the effectiveness of the Toyo Proxes T1-S tire. They are quiet on the freeway and excellent in the rain. The have a longer wear rating than some other performance tires and are competively priced. I have 225/45x17" size.

As far as wheels go, I was actually thinking of Warpdrive when I was mentioning the Superleggras. As for my wheels, they are Volks Rays Gram Lites, 17"x7.5" in a 48mm offset and 16.2 lbs each. Here's a pic of the wheels taken last weekend in Seattle:



Stephen

bkaiser1

Every time I see that picture posted, I want to sell my car and buy a WRX! Stop!

hunter001

Auto-WRXs do not remain on the lot in these parts, for over a day or two at most. Subaru does not make too many of them, I would suppose.

When I bought mine, there were 2 Auto-WRX wagons that came in on that day and when I went to pick mine up the next day, the other Auto-wagon was sold, dealer prepped and gone.

Later...AH

paisan

Auto-WRX sell quick in NYC. The MTs are the ones sitting on my dealer's lot.

-mike

ateixeira

Keep in mind more manuals are produced, I think it was 80/20? That's with US customers that drive 93% automatics, though I'm sure more WRX buyers want stick.

-juice

lark6

It doesn't surprise me that WRXes (wagon and sedan) with automatics sell better in NYC and big cities. Think about the typical driving situations encountered. Frankly if I ever bought a WRX of either persuasion (and I'm 95% sure I'd buy the wagon) it'd be with an automatic.

While I still have yet to drive a WRX, I was a passenger in one - a silver wagon w/MT - this past weekend. Wow.

BTW, why do you guys persist in referring to WRXes w/automatics as "Auto-WRX"es, like they're a different car? Just curious - I know about the differences in drivetrain and acceleration.

Ed

lilbluewgn02

it was 80% sedans/20% wagons, not mt vs at

esqknight

The lack of availability of autos was the reason why I ended up ordering mine. Additionally, almost all of those that I saw came with a spoiler, and that was the one option I absolutely did NOT want. It took longer then I would have liked for delivery, but it was well worth the wait.

Eric

ateixeira

Anyone know the production spread, auto vs. manual?

Early on 5 speeds were hard to find around here. I'm sure it's regional and seasonal.

-juice

barresa62

Because, for a lot of folks the automatic transforms the WRX into something a tad less sporty. :-)

Stephen

subaru_team

on here, I keep hearing that folks want manual tranny's - on the dealer's side, they say automatic's are selling. I think that the "real" purchase numbers guide production and future product planning which leads to all of your frustration. Since we are such a small company, we don't have a lot of flexibility. Just commenting.

Patti

kens

juice -- I would imagine that the early adopters of WRXs were skewed torwards enthusiasts, thereby explaining the run on manual trannies.

Patti -- Actually, any company is going to base their decsion on what's actually selling. I guess it just comes down to the fact that US customers do like their ATs, even with sports cars. Do you know what the split is now between the two? How about in other parts of the world? It would be kind of an interesting tidbit of data to know.

Well, if we there are lots of ATs selling, does that mean Subaru will come out with a 5-speed version sooner than later? :-)

Ken

hypov

"Well, if we there are lots of ATs selling, does that mean Subaru will come out with a 5-speed version sooner than later? :-)"

Don't go there Ken. :-) If sooner meant MY2004, it will mean MY2005 for me :-( unless the 5EAT shows up in the MY2003 (I'm forgoing MY2004).

-Dave

twrx

My wife Susan and I are in the market for a pickup. We want a Japanese one so we went to tbe local Toyota and Nissan dealers. As I have the WRX wagon and she the '98 RS we aren't that thrilled with pickups but we do now need one. At the Nissan dealer we had wanted to drive a King Cab but the only one on the lot was the supercharged v6 model. I regret driving it because my thoughts of a practical 4cyl 5 speed truck are now spinning. What an engine! This thing was not like any other I'd driven. Super tight steering, perforated leather wheel,nice ride and wow 240 lb/ft of torque at 2800 rpm. Whoosh. Anyway the salesman was a 20 something and when we got done test driving he asked me if he could test drive my car (we arrived in the WRX). He had seen the commercials but had never seen one locally. When he asked me a second time I realized he was serious! This guy wants to drive what I came onto the lot with! So out we went in my car and after taking most of the same course we had taken with the Nissan he asked me sheepishly if he could gun it once. I said yes and he stood on it once and could not believe it. When we got back to the lot he told me he wanted to tease a fellow saleman who didn't care for anything other than Honda (it's a Honda dealer too). He rolled down the window and said, "look what I'm driving, no Honda can beat this!" The other salesman said, "yea right, that Mazda?" I refrained from jumping out and strangling him on the spot.

Any way we had a fun time and I think sometime in the future we will get some sort of Nissan truck.

TWRX

barkasy1

Hi all,

I have heard that many Subaru owners have touted longevity from their vehicles (200,000 to 300,000 miles). But those figures came from owners of regular non-turbo boxer engines.

What do you think the life expectancy of the WRX 2.0L turbo will be? All that added compression, the high rpms, the heat, the massive torque from fast starts...

What do you all think? I need a car that will last. $ 25,000 isn't cheap if if only lasts for 100,000 miles. I am seriously considering this car (my wife even gave me the ok for the manny tranny ;^) ) but I have concerns that this engine is just too high performance for long life.

Thanks Bunches, Dave ;^)

armac13

There is a way around the 4 thing if you are a bit flexible. If you buy a MY2004 early, it is really a 2003 so no bad luck attaches to it.
;~)

Ross (Dave) Mc