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Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon
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I spoke with the shop foreman at my dealer about synthetics. He said the boxers don't develop a problem with sludge like other engines (this was pre-WRX, (harder driving, etc.) ;-)).
He also said that he has seen the inside of an engine that used Mobil 1 and it "was spotless". They have several customers that bring in their own synthetic for the dealer to put in.
Dennis
http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=120462&referrerid=767
The two Rex wagons were 5-speeds and I was driving my wife's auto OB. I was really wondering how an auto WRX would've handled in the hills. A few times I dropped it down into 3 to keep the power up. I'm assuming you'd do the same in a Rex to keep the boost on. A lot of the time, I was wishing I had my 5-speed OBS (in for clutch repair). At other times (hours of driving and the smell of burning clutches :-)), I was kind of glad we had the auto OB.
Any auto Rexers drive in the twisties yet?
Just curious and I'm not trying to start a debate.
Serge- there aren't any twisties in FL, are there? :-D
-Dennis
Later...AH
Ed
-mike
The wagon has more utility (obviously) but it also has about .7 in more legroom in the back seat. The wagon also doesn't get the blister fenders found in the sedan. I was more than happy with the wagon's performance. With the money saved over a sedan, I can do some performance enhancements in the future.
Paisan:
But when one considers mountainous terrain, a turbo-charged car, is way better than a NA car, due to the thinness of the air. While the 2.5L is gasping for air, the turbo is in its elements. Just a counter-thought. The WRX just zooms through these twisty roads - I can certainly certify to that !!
Later...AH
-mike
Later...AH
-mike
There were some curves where the WRX's just took off. Since they were 5-speeds, they were able to keep the boost up by downshifting. I was actually taking it kind of easy since I was in my wife's car and the OB's sidewalls are still in perfect condition at 54,000 miles.
When the car is cruising at about , the 2.5L is below 2500 rpms. If the turbo is even close to that, it would be off-boost. I would assume though, dropping it to "3" would keep it on-boost. Correct?
Ed, you even dropped it to "2" in VA.? Afraid of ruining the tranny?
AH and paisan - We're going to try to meet at least monthly to go on these drives. Both of you should try to make it out there. AH I know you're far, but it might be worth it show you can show mike what your car can do.
Serge - Twist ties! ROFL! :-)
-Dennis
-mike
I meant to say "when the car is cruising at about 35 mph, the 2.5 is below 2500 rpms"
Ed - do you think mike's XT6 would've bottomed out on that roller coaster drop at the R/R track? :-)
-Dennis
-juice
The spare tire weighs 26 lbs., so you could take that out and replace it with a can of Fix-a-Flat. (hey, some new Ferraris used to have a can of the stuff in place of a spare as standard equip.
All: Try VA Route 56 when you get off of Skyline Drive. I've seen roads with as many curves, but none with that combo of curves and camber changes in such short distances.
XT6 across RR tracks? Bottom out at the least, maybe worse. Hopefully we'll get to see.
WRXes in rear view mirror: The big-eyed look actually reminded me of pictures I've seen of 1980's-era Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary.
Ed
-mike
-Brian
Subaru Crew resident Bear Fan
The power peaks as stated by Subaru are:
2.5L
165@5600rpm
166@4000rpm
2.0LTurbo
227@6000rpm
217@4000rpm
Basically, the peaks are pretty close to each other, but the way it maintains it or drops off, may be different and can be explained only by looking at a power graph. The Subaru graph shows the Turbo to have a linear power curve, but I really doubt it, since when the Turbo kicks in, it is certainly not linear...it is exponential.
Also, the 2.5L TS, felt like it had no guts on the highway. Why not ? With a broad power band, it should not only have power down low, it should also have good mid-range and peak power. Even cars like the base Integra (140hp), pulls all the way till redline, and are superb on the highways, while the 2.5TS (with more torque/power than the Integra) is gutless above 60mph....does not indicate a "broad power band". I think it would be dropping off pretty steeply, once it hits its peak.
Later...AH
Later...AH
TWRX
-juice
-mike
Basically, below the turbo zone, the Turbo engine is a 2.0L DOHC pulling along a 3100+ lb car. Definitely feels a bit sluggish. After that, it behaves like a 4.0L V8 doing the same thing (pulling along a 3000+ lb load). The NA engine behaves always like a 2.5L 4-banger, tuned to deliver power down low and to the lower-end of the mid-ranges. Also, the Turbo reaches the turbo-zone pretty quickly, due to its quick revving nature.
twrx:
Basically, your experience mirrors my observations about the NA and the Turbo. I agree absolutely about everything you stated. I used to drive a base Integra (140hp DOHC), which would have proved to have the same "feel" as your delsol, and it used to pull freely, right upto redline, and the WRX is a mirror of its power characteristic, only much better.
Later...AH
-mike
Engine Power (HP):
1000rpm - 25hp
1800rpm - 50hp
2500rpm - 110hp
3000rpm - 140hp
4000rpm - 170hp
4500rpm - 200hp
5000rpm - 210hp
5500rpm - 217hp
6000rpm - 227hp
6600rpm - 217hp
Torque (lbs/ft):
1000rpm - 110
1500rpm - 140
2000rpm - 165
2500rpm - 180
2800rpm - 200
3000rpm - 205
3500rpm - 210
4000rpm - 217
4500rpm - 215
5000rpm - 205
5500rpm - 205
6000rpm - 200
6600rpm - 180
Basically as you can see, there is at least 200lbs/ft of torque from 2800rpm till 6000rpm, which is a broad torque band. By the time the turbo reaches 2000rpm, it has almost reached the peak torque of the NA engine. Also, by the time the turbo has hit the 4000rpm mark, it has already exceeded the peak horsepower of the NA engine.
From the seat-of-the-pants feel, I would think that the NA engine should be fizzling out, as soon as it hits its torque/power peaks, while the Turbo would have already over-whelmed it by then and would be entering the meat of its power zone. Need to watch the power-bands of the NA engine before we can say with certainity.
Later...AH
On the road, driving along at the same 2800rpm, if you hit the gas, there will be a slight delay before you get that same boost. You simply will not get 200 lb-ft at that instant.
About a second later, the turbo will spool up and you will zoom by any 2.5l car, but for that first second, there is no replacement for displacement.
-juice
-mike
-juice
My question was regarding how to keep the boost up on curvy roads with an auto. On the roads I was on last Sunday, my guess is that a good part of the driving an auto WRX would've been off-boost. Unless you floor it on every curve and then you'd take off to the moon. Or maybe keeping it in 3 or 2.
Patti - it would be easier if FHI sends us the sport-shifter. Jeez, even Hyundai offers it (hee hee).
mike - he's in S.E. VA, IIRC.
-Dennis
To answer your question, left foot braking, perhaps?
-juice
-mike
According to the owner's manual, "1" is good for upto 40mph and "2" is good for 73mph. "3" has no fixed speed limit. So if we leave it in "2", the lower gear ratios (numerically higher) should result in a tremendous kick. Of course, the mileage would plummet.
Later...AH
TWRX
Ed
-mike
Was driving it the other day and had to go into the redline a couple times to pass a couple of slower cars. The governor never cut in, but the engine was at 7300-7400 for a few seconds each time. The engine seems fine, but guess I'm surprised the rev limiter isn't set a little closer to the 7000 redline. But it's good to know the Subie can soak it up when we get a little carried away.
Later...AH
TWRX
-juice
-juice
Juice--hopefully the snow will start flying and conditions ideal for your skiing trip. It's been kind of a mild winter so far. I've had two gimpy knees since a kid, so even tho I'm a native, have always had to shy away from the slopes.
This just in: Just saw the new issue of Automobile and they did name it Car of the Year. Said it was the "best performance bargain in the land." The other nominees were BMW M3, Acura RSX, SVT Focus, Jaguar X-type, Ford Thunderbird (take that MT!), the new Nissan Altima and Camry.
-mike