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Subaru Impreza WRX
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Comments
-mike
Did you check your tire pressure? Often, cars right out of the dealer's lot will be pressurized to the limit. Mine was at 42 psi out of the ldealer's lot. I now have them at 36 psi front, 33 psi rear.
Finally, if you're taking a turn quickly, just rev up a bit any apply some power at the apex of the turn. The car turns in very crisply.
Frankly, after 2,000 miles you're probably just starting to learn how to really drive it. This is my first turbocharged AWD car, and unless you traded in an S4, it must be your first too.
Where's the Legacy Blitzen when you need it?
Forester actually won lots of awards: comparos at C&D, top ratings from CR, quality awards from Strategic Vision, APEAL awards from JD Power, plus it just won a best owner loyalty award for small SUVs. And that's just in the USA.
Thanks for those models sites, but still no Forester. I've now searched four such sites.
-juice
The Forester did win some consumer awards, but only C&D gave it any real recognition of the top 4 road mags. You won't find a full road test in back issues of Road & Track or Automobile, and Motor Trend unbelievably had a, IMO, trumped-up comparo with a Honda CR-V and the Honda won--really lost a lot of respect for MT after that one. The Honda cost less and had a picnic table but that's about all you could say for it--the Forester S creamed it in the other categories.
--RA
Can you imagine 250hp in a Forester?
My crystal ball says the 2004 Forester will get a 2.5l light pressure turbo, for good torque that can still tow and off-road.
-juice
Sure would be a good time before they carted me off though.
Any spy shots or artist pics of the new Forester on the web? Can't wait to see it.
--RA
Patti
-juice
Our Forester doesn't really have any problems either. The pancake boxer engine means you have a lower center of gravity and my feeling is Subies actually do better than most vehicles in this regard.
-mike
-mike
Stephen
I totally agree!
Stephen
Though there will be no towing, I need to carry bikes and boards. Anybody put a hitch on their WRX sedan? How about cost, bought from whom, how'd the install go, how it looks when done....Thanks.
Lastly - OK, so these things redline at 7000. As a matter of course, do you wind these things out (post break-in, of course) or shift well below redline? Any philosophies regarding shift point out there?
- Bob
Welcome and call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 if you need any assistance in the future!
Patti
Though there will be no towing, I need to carry bikes and boards. Anybody put a hitch on their WRX sedan? How about cost, bought from whom, how'd the install go, how it looks when done....Thanks.
Lastly - OK, so these things redline at 7000. As a matter of course, do you wind these things out (post break-in, of course) or shift well below redline? Any philosophies regarding shift point out there?
- Bob
Bob, the answer to your question is .. yes. When you wanna go like a bat .. you wind it, if you're just crusing no. In normal traffic I typically shift at around 3.5k. The important thing with a small displacement engine is not to "lug" it. You'll do more harm below 2k than above 6k. (mho)
Oh yeah, Jiffyhitch makes a trailer hitch for the WRX.
- Hutch
Good luck,
-wdb
TWRX
- Hutch
Personally, I think that's insane.
I think the "LUG" comment applies to any 4 cyl engine, to some extent. The 2.5 is a rather large 4 cyl and has pretty good low end torque so at low RPM's it is capable of acceleration. The same can't be said for the 2.0 in the WRX. At low RPM's the 2.0 has very little torque and struggles to move the car along under a load such as up a hill. This is not to say that simply maintaining a constant speed on a flat surface (or downhill) at low RPM's is bad. However, when you step on the gas and the car seems unwilling to comply, it's a good sign that you need to downshift. When leaving my driveway I am confronted with a hill for the 1st 1/2 mile. Because the speed limit is 40mph, I never get out of 3rd gear until I crest the hill.
- Hutch
I'm taking delivery on my Silver WRX tomorrow.
Now all I have to do is 'learn' how to drive a 5-speed - only REAL experience I have with a standard is with my motorcycle, and a few brief drives I have taken in friends' cars (ofcourse that was years ago), oh, and ofcourse with testdriving a few new cars in the past 6 months.
After I get more experience with a 5-speed, the modifications will start.
I think the WRX is not a reallly 'beautyiful' car - so, I figure the way to go with this car is to 'pimp it out'. In other words: Large, wild wing; Skirt (painted a dark grey to offset the silver of the rest of the car); possibly dual-exhaust (not too loud, just a nice rumble); some interior mods (such as possibly a sunroof, and new 'indiglo'-gauge cluster - I really do no like the 'carbon-fiber' trim that the dealer was trying to sell me).
I also do have to mention that I am disapointed in the shade of yellow that Subaru decided to used - WAY to pale. Should have gone with a nice taxi-car or school-bus yellow, then I would definitely bought a yellow one.
Anyways, those are my thoughts.
Any specific comments on my plans to modding the car or tips on learning a 5-speed would be apprectiated.
-HAZDAZ
Seriously, though - I test drove a 5-speed WRX the other day. The salesperson encouraged me to rev it up past 3500 to get the boost on. I've seen some discussion of shifting patterns lately, and some mention of not shifting too early so as to not lug the engine.
Driving around town, with fuel economy in mind, I'd be tempted to shift before 3500 rpm - besides, old habits die hard. I'm wondering if this would drop the rpms too low, thus lugging the engine. The sales person insisted I rev it up, so I just had to. Bummer :-). So I never got a chance to see how it drives with a more relaxed attitude. Any thoughts on the matter from owners?
dsm6... Who did the test driving? You or the salesman? I thought that's why you test drive a vehicle, to find out if it does what you want. Hehe! If you want to find out how it does at low rpm's, let the wife drive it, then when it's your turn, give it hell!
Man! these cars are fun!!!
Ed
Depending upon gear ratios, power bands, intent of the powertrain designers, etc., shifting at relatively low rpm can be no big deal - with others, it drops the rpms too low for the car to have any power - perhaps not literally "lugging" the engine, but with similar results - with still others, you can even skip gears in order to save fuel. As I said, it depends upon the details of the powertrain. Just thought I'd check with the experts.
You're right though - the best way is to take another test drive - poor me, having to drive it again.
-mike
The WRX is similar to the Civic in having a fairly bland exterior and interior, but differs with the Civic in ACTUALLY being fast (oh, yeah, and the AWD is cool too). I personally can't wait to take delivery of mine tomorrow, and definitly plan on "pimpin'" it out some in the springtime. Nothing too tacky or outrageous - but definitly something to seperate it from the 50 other silver/grey cars out in the parking lot, and also to seperate it from all the other weak-engined small cars out there (like the Civic). If you are not into customizing your car, then DON'T - a stock WRX is still a sweet little car (atleast i HOPE it is - won't REALLY know until after I get it into my own hands). I just don't see how me putting a wing and maybe a ground-effects kit on my car affects your decision to buy a car if you like the stock car.
That said, I prefer go to show, if I'm to have one or the other. Both show and go would be ideal. The WRX has enough go for me to ignore the show factor - It's looks are growing on me though.
How can you say in the same paragraph that it's too much fun to rev it up, and then say if you owned it, you wouldn't rev it up all the time?? I guess now you're gonna say, "all the time" is the key part of the statement. Hehe! Let me tell you, if you buy it, you WILL rev it up, every chance you get. Like you said first, "it's too much fun to rev it up"!
corkfish,
Who cares if some of the young'uns want to dress up their rides, it's good for the economy!
If they can afford it, and the wife & kids don't go hungry, go for it!!!
Oh, and I think there is a HUGE difference between customizing a car WITH TASTE, versus throwing whatever you have on a car and making it look TACKY.
Just one man's opinion...
Eric
Here are a few tips from an old pro (me--and that's more old than pro, but experience has taught me a few things)
1) Make clean shifts--in other words, best not to use the shift knob as a hand rest because this sets up unwanted vibrations and is hard on the transmission. When you go to shift just make the change and then take your hand away--don't leave it on there unless you have to make another shift soon after.
2) Try not to use downshifting to brake the car--you see this in lots of racing movies but really is very hard on the tranny. Use the brake pedal to slow your speed and downshift when you know you are in easy range of the gear you want to change down to.
3) Try not to jam the tranny into first gear too fast from neutral when the light turns green at a stop--you might get the clutch grind others here have mentioned--just put it in easy. I have done this myself and still get a graunch once in a while if I'm not careful.
4) Don't shift into reverse when you are doing 80 on the freeway--ok, sorry about that one, I like to kid around.
These are just a few basics--I'm sure other guys have other ones and know a lot more tricks than I do--heel and toe shifts for one thing--never have tried that one but it's supposed to be fun.
Good luck and happy WRX-ing!
--RA
I want to make mine last the next 20 years, so have to drive like an old lady.
I suggest trying a local i Club meet, and going from there. Look at what other have done to get ideas, then be creative. Start at iclub.com and look for local chapters.
You could get looks and function by having your brake rotors drilled and slotted, plus coated to shine a certain color (silver or gold) and prevent rust. While they're at it, lots of folks also paint their calipers. Not my cup of tea, but always something you may want to do, and it costs almost nothing.
Wheels are the #1 way to change the looks. Headlights kits are popular, too, to match the Rally car's looks. The bi-plane spoiler gives it the replica look, too, but get ready to open the wallet - $500 plus the paint job, plus installation.
Stick shift tips? Always use 1st from a start. Use 2nd for a 90 degree turn, 3rd for highway on and off ramps. Those rules-of-thumb can be helpful when learning.
Let's keep an open mind folks. Not everyone is the same, and wouldn't it be boring if we were? Diversity is the spice of life.
Congrats on the purchase, please let us know when you pick it up.
-juice
Thanks...
Eric
I am very happy for the most part. I really do have to get used to driving a 5-speed - seems like I am going along beautifully, when -bang- all of a sudden I stall it out at a light (or more commonly, in reverse).
I Even had a strange experience this morning, I was at a store, and the engine wouldn't turn-over. I knwo that the clutch obviously has to be pushed-in, but even then it wouldn't start. It finally started, then OFCOURSE I stall it coming out of the parking spot - and then again, it won't start again (happened a total of 3 seperate times that it wouldn't start while trying to get back onto the street). Now, i know that starting an engine puts the most strain on a battery, is it possibly that since I had stalled it a few times before that I had almost drained the battery?? Seems kinda cheesy if the battery gets drained THAT fast. I noticed on the 2nd time that it wouldn't start that the foglights were on, I turned then off, and tried it again, and it started right up. Also, could it be that an engine can not start with the brake also depressed (ofcourse the parking IS on)? And whats up with the headlights comming on everytime the car is started (whether the lightswitch is on or not).
Sorry for asking so many questions, its just that that experience kinda freaked me out. And ofcourse since like 90-95% of the cars in the US are sold with automatics, its more than difficult to find someone that even knows how to drive a standard, let alone can expain it clearly. I'm trying to learn to keep the 'craft' alive
OK, well besides THAT experience, I like the car alot. While definitly NOT a 'sexy' car, I like the looks overall (the steeringwheel and seats are very sweet). The standard Subaru WRX floormats definitly have to go, and I am looking to get a nice mat for the trunk (you can tell they skimped out on the sound deadening materials in the trunk since roadnoise creaps in from there).
-HAZDAZ
Before turning the engine over while starting, turn the ignition key 3/4 ways for a while to let the fuel pump work into the engine. It really helps on cold days.
On top of the steering column is a "parking light". Apparently, it's there as a requirement for Euro-spec cars. I've no idea why. This is often left on, and it can drain the battery. It's happened to me before after it was switched on accidentally while cleaning the car.