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Subaru Impreza WRX

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  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    or should I say "attempted" to be stolen, as the cops caught the guy trying to put it (a 350+ pound bike!) into the trunk of his car!

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Glad they busted somebody. Never heard of any of mine after filing the police reports.

    I would never own another unless it drove from an enclosed garage to another.

    -juice
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    I'm not going to be able to make it Saturday --besides, I'm not even an official subaru owner until my car is delivered middle to end of January. (Counting down the days)

    have fun,
    Eric
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    Wow, that's a name that brings back memories. We used to live in Forest Hills and last summer, visited friends who live near the park...passing by Creedmore!!!, and always expecting some crazed patient to run onto the highway.
  • cabritocabrito Member Posts: 4
    My WRX sedan started having an intermittent click while undergoing body roll during driving; this was a few months back. It had been getting steadily more frequent, and I located it to the area of the floor near the pillar between the doors. Since it's under warranty I simply took it into the dealer rather than try to explore it any further. Interestingly, they got another WRX in today with the same problem and they'd never seen it before today. So far they haven't been able to figure it out on either car (I had assumed it was a bad bushing, but apparently not).

    Has anyone seen this before?

    Thanks
    Dan
  • cinosweivecinosweive Member Posts: 166
    Thanks for all of the input. I test drove both the short throw and stock today. I think that I have to agree that the stock is fine, and the short throw a bit more difficult to use - although I imagine that w/ practice one might come to prefer the ST.
  • cinosweivecinosweive Member Posts: 166
    Anybody mind explaining to me what heel toe shifting is? I see a lot of references to it wrt the WRX.
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    see here:


    http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_heeltoe.lasso


    The way I do it is more like pressing the brake pedal with the ball of my foot and then rolling the right side of my foot over the gas pedal to blip the throttle.

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Could be a bad weld in the floor pan? I knew a guy who had a similar problem in his roof, when they tore the car apart they found a bad weld.

    -mike
  • hpulley4hpulley4 Member Posts: 591
    With size 12 wide shoes, you don't need to heel and toe it, you can just put your foot on both pedals and rock it side to side. Works especially well with boots on, and best on cars with european or racing pedal setups.

    Such a close pedal spacing was the cause of the mysterious Audi acceleration problem which was really just american drivers expecting a 10"-wide inverted-T brake pedal like on old automatics with 4 wheel drum brakes which required you to stomp the brake with both feet while bracing yourself and pulling up with both hands on the steering while. We've come a long way, baby.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I find them to be too close together myself. And I only wear a 10.5

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I dunno if the Forester's pedals have the same spacing, by I agree with paisan that they are too close together. I wear a 10.5 or 11.

    One warning about the shifter - the SPT shifter is not rubber-insulated like the stock one (at least the stock shift lever on my Forester), so you will feel more vibes in the driveline through the shift lever. I certainly do, but IMO it's worth the trade off for the shorter throw and less rubbery feel.

    -juice
  • polanco55polanco55 Member Posts: 5
    Live in Dominican Republic, planing to buy a WRX sedan. Since I travel frequently to Miami, Is there a driving school in southern Florida to learn basic rally driving. ?
    Next week I will be in Las Vegas, is there one close to Vegas ?
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    IIRC, the press launch of the WRX included a crash course at Team O'Neil in Florida.
    Check this site for info on that and other schools: http://www.racingschools.com/rally.shtml

    Dennis
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    Given that the Dunlops don't come with a tread life warranty, anyone have any idea about how many miles can be expected out of these tires?

    Eric
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    This is a school in Starke Florida, near Tampa...Mastro used it as the site of their rally-cross held a couple of months ago.


    http://www.gorally.com/

  • dill6dill6 Member Posts: 120
    I disagree about the WRX brake pedal and throttle being too close. I have size 12 feet and its perfect for me. For heel/toe downshifting I can cover both pedals with my right foot in a normal vertical position- the key is you have to really rotate your foot so the big toe side presses down while the little toe side rotates up, or back toward your knee - this for braking without also pressing down on the throttle. Then to blip the throttle just relax and hit it with the little toe side of the foot. You don't have to shift your foot around at all, as you would have to if the pedals were any farther apart.

    Any good skier knows what this move with the foot feels like - its the same thing you do to tip the ski up on edge when initiating a turn. It uses the muscle that runs up the outside of the lower leg from the "ankle bone" to the little round bone that sticks out on the side just below the knee.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Some of you may be interested in reading this article that was posted on Edmunds.com a little while back: Heel and Toe Downshift. Editor Brent Romans wrote it, and it was enlightening to me - hope this is helpful.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    *theory* is almost always used by motorcyclists. When I used to ride a bike, I would do it all the time. The difference is on a bike:

    * The left handgrip lever is the clutch.

    • The right handgrip lever is the front brake, and the throttle is the right hand grip which you rotate backwards to give gas.

    • The gear shift is operated by your left foot (unless you own an early Harley or Brit bike [mid '60s or older], which uses the right foot).

    • The rear brake is operated by the right foot (again, just the opposite with early Harleys/Brit bikes).

    In any event, when downshifting, you pull in the clutch with your left hand, and using two fingers of your right hand and your right foot you brake, and at the same time you rotate the throttle slightly to *blip* the engine, and downshift with your left foot at the same time—thus syncronizing the the engine with the transmission.

    The next time you hear a motorcyclist downshifting, and you hear a blip between the shifts, that's exactly what he (or she) is doing.

    Bob
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    In one day in just one neighborhood! Within a four block radius of the Park Slope neighborhood, I drove past a parked blue WRX sedan with wing, a parked silver one with a wing, and drove past another silver sedan with wing tonight. And, of course, I was in my silver sedan. But ahhhhhhh, I have NO wing! So I'm still unique. Ha ha! It's odd, prior to today, I've only seen a handful in the entire city.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    A few weeks ago, I too saw several WRXs within a two-mile stretch of road. Highly unusual to say the least.

    Bob
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    . . . don't know about you but when I get mine, I fully intend to wear them out in a hurry   ;-)
    Of the eight tires listed on the Tirerack site in that category, none of them have any kind of mileage warranty--probably because the manufacturers might be a little suspicious of the kind of punishment guys like us are going to put them through.
    The survey results give the SP5000 a tread-wear rating of 7.4 which really isn't bad--the average for the eight tires is about 7.0, with 7.9 the best and a low of 6.4. My ball-park guess is you can probably count on at least 25k or so out of them-- unless your WRX doubles at night as the Batmobile :)
    --RA
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Wow you guys drive pretty conservatively! I usually get 25-30K max out of my tires with treadwear warranties of 50-60K! :)

    -mike
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    Always suspected your XT6 might have a black and yellow cape that deploys from the trunk :)
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    I'm still waiting for mine to land, but I think I can count on one hand the number of WRXs I've seen on the street. I opted not to get the spoiler and am happy with the choice. I think the lack of the wing gives the back more of a sleeper look and might even contribute to ticket avoidance.

    Also, on another note..I'm _not_ Batman, guess Mike is..(better for the role then Clooney, but who isn't?)..so I want to buy tires (after wearing out the RE92s somewhat) that will perform pretty well and go for at least 40-50K if I'm not using my car to fight crime and score points with pedestrians.

    Eric
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Ok, so I like to drive each and every day as if it were an auto-x. It's just that I am always late or don't leave enough time to get places so I need to rush! On a side note I also get rid of my tires at the first inkling that there is diminished wet traction. My firestones that are still on my rims that were my previous street tire probably has about 20K miles left on the treads according to looking at the tire, but I know it slips too easily (took it around 3x in one run on a wet auto-x track) and knew it was time to dump them.

    -mike
  • beanboybeanboy Member Posts: 442
    Where in the DR do you call home? I was in Dajabon for a while...

    -B
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    You can drive for a week at a time out here in Denver and not see a single Rex-- and then you'll run across 2 or 3 in one day. Mostly sedans--wagons are still a pretty rare sight here--although a WR blue wagon jumped out at me in traffic the other day and I had to laugh. What an eye catcher!
    It's nice having this kind of exclusiveness in a car that only costs 24k--especially one that's already made C&Ds 10 Best list. Maybe we'll be the only ones on the block for another year or two.

    When it comes to 3/4 worn tires, better safe than sorry is my motto too. Just pay the price and get 'em off of there! Flying off the road backwards into some hedges on a rainy day might be fun the first time around--but that gets expensive after a while.   :)
    --RA
  • wrxguywrxguy Member Posts: 51
    You read my mail ramiller. on new years day(raining)driving on some twisty road aways off the beaten path. My WRX was not going very fast and went swoosh, spun out and hit the side of the mountain. It is now in the shop. oh its not a nice feeling.:(
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    Hopefully your Rex will make a speedy recovery. But I know it feels like having a family member in the hospital until you get it back. Always count my blessings whenever I'm in a wreck and only the car is hurt. As pilots like to say, "Any landing your can walk away from is a good one . . ."
    --RA
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Wow! Glad you're ok.

    -Dennis
  • polanco55polanco55 Member Posts: 5
    I live in Sto. Dgo., I do rally driving in D.R., I won the last "Rally Frontera", all along the border, 2 days, it finish in Dajabon (Feb.2001).
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sound like fun, you get any photos?

    -juice
  • rezo00rezo00 Member Posts: 103
    gee looks like if you guys waited a year you could have the sti version, or better yet an evo IV.
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    $24 k 227 hp, I own it.
    $30 k 260 hp, couldn't afford it.
    Evo? Tommi M. traded his in on a WRX (HEH,HEH)
    I'm happy.

    twrx
  • rezo00rezo00 Member Posts: 103
    Dodge SRT 4...mopar available options to boost the hp.... weight 2800lbs pounds, WRX=3100
    hehe
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    SRT is FWD. You may as well compare a WRX to a motorcycle next.

    Oh yeah, you already did.
  • jdbtensaijdbtensai Member Posts: 122
    hard to beat 2005hp. TWO THOUSAND and FIVE is a LOT of horsepower, no?
    :)
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    Sure, it's got a good power/weight, but it's based on the Neon!! To compare it to the WRX is a joke, a powerful motor in the Neon doesn't make it a good car.

    The EVO looks sweet and even if it was out when I bought my WRX, I would have still chosen the WRX. Subarus are more reliable and the EVO is considerably more expensive (It looks like it will only come with 250HP...what's up with that?). Anyway, since Subaru is likely going to counter with the STi, I would rather have an STi if I wanted to spend that much anyway. That big wing on the EVO7 (although functional at insane speeds) has got to go...there are too many tasteless Civics running around here with similar looking wings.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    I already own a WRX wagon and more than happy. Sure the STI will have the 6spd and 260hp but a well engineered COBB Stage1 will net you 280hp and cost about $3000 installed. Stronger and flatter power across the board over a stock WRX. The sedan figures are 4.6 secs to 60mph and 13.2 for the 1/4 @ 102mph. I won't even describe what's available w/the Stage2 pkg. Sure warranty work may be compromised but I have a mod friendly dealer. My net investment will still be cheaper by a few thousand than the estimated price of a STI and my insurance will be lower. As I see it it's a win win for me. I'll still have my curiousity about the STI though. :-)

    Stephen
  • rex_ruthorrex_ruthor Member Posts: 140
    Well, the Neon was a poor comparison, but its not entirely without merits. The quickest FWD street modified drag car this year was a Neon.

    Although it hardly seems worth the trouble these 4-banger FWD folks spend to get their times, compared to cheap power like RWD muscle cars.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    The WRX has the same skidpad numbers as the Neon. As far as the Cobb stuff, the STI will have a stronger, heavy duty block and forged components, not to mention a warranty. See how long a regular WRX lasts with severe modifications like the Cobb stages.
  • polanco55polanco55 Member Posts: 5
    Where can I buy a bolt-on rollcage for a WRX sedan?
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    If I wanted STi performance, I'd fork out the dough for an STi. The STi has that awesome six-speed and tons of other worthwhile enhancements. By the time you emulate the STi in every significant way, you would have voided warranty on every part of your car and have something that is less reliable. I think the WRX is a fine car as is, and if the EVO7/STi comes out, then I will give my respect (and wish I had a larger bank account). If I wanted an EVO, I'd buy an EVO

    The SRT4 Neon looks like every boy racer's wet dream...outrageous body kit and screaming fast motor. Having actually driven a Neon for 5 months, you couldn't get me to go near one even if it ran 12 second quarters.
  • beanboybeanboy Member Posts: 442
    Hey, the Neon, (especially the first gen) is a great car for folks who want to actually race their cars (how many can say that?). Parts are cheap, you get get used ones for next to nothing, and NVH issues disappear at the track. Also 500-600 lighter than the WRX.

    Besides, not ready to stick a roll cage into a WRX yet. Cringing at the cost of 16" stickies versus 14"... Ugh
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I don't care if it's the cheapest Dodge (redundant, I know, sorry). If it has more than two thousand horsepower I'm buying one immediately! Heck, I'd settle for one thousand! :-)

    You can get an EVO clone now, no waiting. Rhys Millen, son of Rod Millen of Pike's Peak record fame, sells a Rhys edition Lancer with more (some) power.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    Do a little more research on the engineering of the WRX before you make a blind sided comment about COBB aftermarket pkgs. The WRX is quite over engineered. It has been demonstrated in other markets (i.e. Japanese home-market) that a stock WRX (nee STI) can safely handle more power, to about the 300hp w/o effects to the stock components. Additionally, COBB is probably one of the best aftermarket companies for maintaining the stock driveability of the WRX and not compromsing everyday reliability. They go to painstaking degrees to test their components to be sure they achieve these often sacrificed ideals. My point is that there are options out there that won't break one's WRX or their bank account and, most importantly, won't necessitate one purchasing a STI.

    Stephen
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    "Hey, the Neon, (especially the first gen) is a great car for folks who want to actually race their cars (how many can say that?). "

    Well, I suppose so, since many of the Neon autocrossers I talked to practically consider their car to be disposable. Replacing parts after every track even is "normal" for them. I guess the cheapness of the parts makes that less painful.

    However, as a car that I also rely on to get me to work and back, there is little to recommend. Anybody who thinks the WRX paint is thin hasn't lived with a Neon through the winter. Not to mention all the other problems I had (binding brakes, failed window mechanisms, engine defect). Sorry, this former owner's opinion of the (first gen) Neon is pretty low.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    If the STI sells for $27,000 or $28,000 ( as I expect that it will), you'd rather buy a WRX for $23,000, spend another $3000 on "upgrades" ( does that include labor?), void your warranty, and not only put your engine at risk, but also the transmission. The WRX engine does not have forged components. The clutch and gears of the transmission are not as heavy duty as the STI. I guess if I were selling or buying Cobb stuff, I'd say, "oh sure, these cars can handle it". Feel free to experiment on a new vehicle and save $1000 or $2000. I've seen to many guys monkey with their cars and the things never run well afterwards.
  • cinosweivecinosweive Member Posts: 166
    I was in the process of ordering a WRX and noticed a very hefty price for the gauge package. You know, the 3 little gauges that replace the clock? My dealer says his cost is over $600 not including his labor to install it. Why so high? Does anyone know a better way to go?
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