Subaru Impreza WRX STi

04yellowmach1 · April 2005

i have a 2004 mustang mach1 that is bone stock except for SLP loud mouth exhaust from the H back. i have a friend with an mitsubishi evo, a friend with subaru sti stock, and a friend with an sti with an upgraded turbo. i paid just under 26,000 for my mach1 and i kick the [non-permissible content removed] out of all three at the track, the evo runs 13.5s, the sti runs 13.7s and the sti with the turbo upgrades runs 13.1 coming in just behind my 13 flat 1/4 mile time. as far a handling, i may have a muscle car, but the tree of them can rarely keep up with me on those twisty back roads. now im sure no one will beleive me, and no one usually does untill we show them our track slips. but if you want to know more cars that have a better bang for your buck than an evo or sti, check out the new dodge neon srt-4 that are beating the sti and evos stock, at around 24,000 and the new mustang GT that will easily keep up with both at about the same price i paid for my mach1 (about 26,000) also, if you know a little about workin on cars, i just finishes a 93 mustang cobra that runs high nines and ive put 9grand into (including the car). keep in mind, the STI and EVO are pop cars, just because they are running 10s in movies doesnt mean they are nice in real life.

qbrozen · April 2005

congrats to you. But guys on the mach1registry and the folks at several of the bigger-name magazines can't touch 13 (13.7 and 13.8 seems to be the most common numbers I spotted). I was just looking at this one gentleman's Mach 1 with a whole list of intake and exhaust mods who managed to pull a 13.5, and only after upgrading wheels and tires got a 13.1. Not all cars (even those that are the same make and model) are created equal.

but, hey, this is all just bench racing. You got real results with yours that you are proud of, so, like i said, congrats.

and at least you have all those friends who can give you a lift when the weather is rough.

ateixeira · April 2005

Only if that is the slowest STi on the planet.

C&D got a Forester XT to finish the 1/4 mile in 13.8s. The STi is a lot faster with 90 more HP and less weight to boot.

Stock Mach 1s can match a Forester XT, but not an STi, no way no how.

-juice

stim3 · April 2005

If you managed to beat an sti with an upgraded turbo, then id have to say that whoever was driving the sti sucked. Sti's are very fast off the line, and with AWD its not like they sit there and burn rubber. I suggest you find someone who can really drive that car and you may find yourself in a different situation.

cinosweive · April 2005

I'm sure it has been asked before, but I was wondering what kind of miles per gallon STI owners are getting?

francophile · April 2005

If you have to ask... ah well, maybe you're just curious. Just to be clear though: don't even *think* about buying an STi if you are genuinely concerned with gas mileage. It isn't that kind of car. Get a WRX instead! They're great cars too.

My STi still quite new, just over 3k miles. I was immediately getting 22MPG on my 'commute' to work, which is 82 miles long and divided about 35% rural/secondary roads and 65% freeways. Since the car is packed with a bunch of stuff I need for work I don't 'play' on the rural stretches, but neither do I dawdle. In fact I can't imagine how anyone could ever dawdle in one of these things :-)

Most of my non-commuting tanks tend to come in somewhere under 20MPG. When I see that I'm not going to break 20MPG I don't actually bother calculating any further, so I can't give you more specific figures. But I don't go very far under 20, probably somewhere around 18. That's worst case -- or best case, depending on how you look at it, because I get those low numbers when I'm extracting the most pleasure from this wonderful, radical, unbelievable piece of machinery.

Cheers,
-wdb

cinosweive · April 2005

Near 20 doesn't sound too bad. I have a 2002 WRX wagon and have started thinking about my next car. I'm a one car family so I would hate to part with the utilty of the wagon, but sometimes I wish for a little more oomph. I get about 22 to 25 now, depending upon how and where I am driving. I guess you are getting about what I would have expected for the STI. I can't ever imagine leaving the WRX family totally though. I would have to wait for a redesigned WRX or an STI. Just pondering now though. I'm still pretty happy w/ the WRX.

hatred · May 2005

Ok my problem is money. I want the STi beyond belief but i cannot afford. I even had to settle for a 2000 Toyota Camry. If anyone could help me with my problem reply please.

pat · May 2005

You want someone to give you money? So do I!! Let me know how you do!

ateixeira · May 2005

Get a used WRX, then modify it gradually, as you can afford to.

Forget the STi, there is no way the cost of ownership will be low. The speeding tickets alone will bankrupt you.

-juice

krzyss · May 2005

one has to insure STi.
As far as I can tell it is not cheap.

Krzys

francophile · May 2005

Insurance doesn't have to cost a lot for an STi. All you have to do is be an old geezer like me!

Cheers,
-wd "was that *another* birthday?" b

stim3 · May 2005

Insurance isn't that bad, at least its a four door with awd.

stim3 · May 2005

I heard that the after market blow offs offered for the sti arent working out all that well, and that they set off the check engine light. Does anybody know how truthful that is, because i was just about to put on some hks ssqv's.

francophile · May 2005

Aftermarket BOV's do zero, zilch, nada for performance on the STi. Apparently the big draw is that instead of being a recirculating BOV like the stock piece, they vent to the atmosphere which causes a rather odd f*rt sound some people find attractive, can you imagine. BOV mods tend to run towards porting the stock piece after fitting a freer flowing exhaust system so as to prevent the dreaded 'boost creep' (turbo boost going higher than the designed-for maximum because the BOV can't bleed off enough pressure).

The STi is pretty highly tuned from the factory. If you want to do a performance mod to your STi the recommended stuff tends to start in a more expensive realm such as exhaust downpipe/TBE and ECU addons such as Cobb. Less expensive but still noticeable improvement can be had by running the highest octane fuel you can lay your hands on.

rgds,
-wdb

stim3 · May 2005

Judging by your response you seem to know a fair amoun t about the sti. I do not think i will be buying the blow offs but i do intend to uy a new exhuast for the car. Most likely its gonna be the apexi gt spec, i was wondering what you or anyone else thinks of that and if there is another exhuast out there that would be even better

francophile · May 2005

Check out some of the other Subaru boards on the Internet. The topic of exhausts is covered very, very thoroughly on several of them.

Cheers,
-wdb

z28rut · May 2005

I got to help change the first blown up STI motor in the US while I worked a subaru in Portland then a couple week later had to change out the turbo because it was damaged also. The subaru turbo cars are awsome but are very sensitive to mods. Be carefull on certain exhaust changes because alot of them end up setting off the ck eng light. I saw 1 STI all new exhaust and 41/2 inch custom pipe. It was sweet but you had to custom order all the gaskets, and the ck eng light was on all the time. Make sure when you do modifications the car is out of warranty, or the mods you do don't void it. It is not fun to have to pay for new parts for an STI or WRX. Plus if you start having alot of problems whith your car after you do alot of mods alot of dealers will not fix it under warranty or if they do you might have to pay half.

garyc4 · May 2005

i just got a sti what exhaust should i put on it?

markpl16 · May 2005

Sorry guys, im kinda new to this but i was wondering what i should do... Today i went to go test drive a 2005 STI and i loved it... I want to buy a car up to 30,000$ and im not sure of what i should get or what i should not get for sure.. The STI was awesome i loved it, threw me back into the seat by a tap on the gas, i bet ill smoke my car (03 accord V6) with the STI in 3rd gear! :P

jpauk · May 2005

Well how old ia a geezer? I am 60 and you are right insurance isn't to bad(with a good record). Good post
John

jpauk · May 2005

Well now, I have a 05 STI that just destroys svt mustangs! The one you menchened must not be runing good or the driver hasen't too much experience. Any way the SVT is an ausom car.
one old STI driver

jpauk · May 2005

I have a 05 STI and get 23-25 in town, only 550 miles on it so far. I get on it some and keep it at the speed limit. Haven't been on the highway yet. Hope this helps.

one senior citizen with a STI

markpl16 · May 2005

When i test drove the STI, and i was in the parking lot and i turned the wheel all the way to the left (to turn around), i heard some kind of noise, like a bang, coming from the wheel area in the front, did you guys ever hear that from yours?

fonzomonzo · May 2005

Thinking about tuning the STi, hp is kinda addictive, anyways,...wanted to know if anyone had any experiences w/:
-k&n drop in air filters
-Vishnu stage one
I know they are two very dissimilar mods, but are they worth it?

exalteddragon1 · June 2005

Edmunds compared the RWD GTO to an AWD subaru in a recent comparo and held that the subie was better.

I have a question: are these cars comparable?

You cannot compare them! First of all, the Subari is a FOUR DOOR and the GTO is a COUPE,
Secondly, the Subaru is AWD and the GTO is RWD!

I don't understand, do the folks at edmunds just want to apologise for glorifying the GTO (2004) when it turned out to be a sales flop, or they just wanted to show bias for foreign cars?

These two are not even on the same hemesphere, the only thing they have in common is price. Of course AWD is gonna handle better than RWD, i think NASCAR tried that in the 80's or 90's, its just wrong IMO.

Also, i don't think anyone would cross shop the two cars. And BTW, how many Percocet does it take to wake up in the morning and say the Subaru has a better interrior than the GTO, a car that in Austrailia competes with BMW's?

pat · June 2005

Drop by editor Karl Brauer's discussion Karl's Daily Log Book and ask him!!

m_driver · June 2005

Hey folks,
Just hit the 1500 mile mark on my '05 and so far so good. The best part of ownership is that the purchase of this car was my wife's idea. She's from England and loves the rally heritage of the car. Gotta love 'em! My question is to owners with a few miles building up. Who has replaced the stock tires and what did you purchase? Did you simply plug another set of the sticky short lived units on or did you downgrade a bit for a more realistic "normal" z rated tire? Just wondering what to do in the future when the need arises. Thanks to all for the knowledge and entertainment this site provides.

Mike in Tampa, FL

ateixeira · June 2005

Pics of the new face are in the Subaru Crew - Future Models thread:

rsholland, "Subaru Crew - Future Models II" #16756, 31 May 2005 7:00 pm

-juice

bluesubie · June 2005

A K&N, or any aftermarket filter, will give you slightly better throttle response but also let in a lot more dirt. After running an Amsoil for the past 5 years or so, I'm switching back to OEM. I've had three used oil analysis' done (one on a WRX and one on a Forester XT) and the filters let in a little too much dirt.

My silicon numbers were 2-3 times higher than guys that run OEM. I guess it depends if your priority is the best filtration or a modest boost in performance.

-Dennis

rob999 · July 2005

Ugh - I really don't like the large center opening in the grille (a la Tribeca) on the new WRX. (Today's WSJ calls the Tribeca the "strangest-looking car since the Edsel"). I'm hoping this styling trait doesn't carry over into a redesigned Legacy/Outback.

ateixeira · July 2005

How much technical merit do they really have? I mean, c'mon, they overlooked the Aztek!

I'd trust a stock tip from them, not a review of an automobile.

I'm sure 80% of the members on Edmunds know more about cars than they do.

-juice

njswamplands · July 2005

they are talking about??? i find the reviews in the wsj to be very accurate to my auto experiences.

ateixeira · July 2005

My comment is targeted at the fact that they overlooked the Aztek completely. Besides, it was not styling that killed the Edsel.

Any how, back to the STi...rumor has it the 06 may make its US debut in NJ next Thursday. If so I might be going...

-juice

sl1288 · July 2005

I read your message from 3/17/05 about your (then) new STi. I am now in the market for the same car and I was interested in your opinion of the car now. In particular, how is the interior noise in the car on the highway?

caballero1 · July 2005

Well I have a G35 coupe and wondering if I should go ahead and trade it in for an STI, first yes the G is a nice car with decent performance and all the goodie's too (sunroof, stereo, leather seats and brembo's) but Infiniti seems to be one of the more expensive vehicle's to repair (one rotor = 600.00) and the performance is good but I love too drive ( I drive Highway 17 here in central calif thats 20 miles of winding highway too and from work) and the miles are starting to take a toll. So I'm wondering if it might be time for a trade in, I love the performance of the STI and having owned a WRX the handling is alot better than the G35. My main concern is that everyone thinks the car looks ....well juvenile with the scoop and wing plus too the interior quailty kinda of rates low and the fact that I am 45 but I still LOVE TO DRIVE and would love to take this car out and just drive some winding roads. I have read quite a few reviews and all I have to say to those who dont understand ......the car is a rally inspired vehicle not a funny car thats only meant to go 1/4 mile. So how is the interior holding up on your car and maint cost so far, let me know thanks

qbrozen · July 2005

$600 for one rotor?? Where are you shopping?

Anyway, since I'm on an alloemautoparts.com kick today (just looked up a part for someone in the volvo discussion), I checked their G35 discs. For a PAIR of front Brembo rotors, its $418.

Tell your dealer to put down the pipe!

sl1288 · July 2005

I am in a similar situation as you. I am 43 and a professional with two small children who needs a year round car for Rhode Island winters as well as the nice weather. Most of my driving is a round the city, with longer drives during the weekend. I love the STi for the fun factor and the all wheel drive for the winter, but my concern is whether the interior and lack of amenities will wear on me. My other concern is the interior noise. How loud is it at highway speeds. When I test drove the car, I was paying more attention to the driving than anything else.

jeffmc · July 2005

For all you Jersey-area folks on this forum, you can meet Subaru's top rally driver, Petter Solberg, and see an '06 WRX STi today from 6-8pm at Miller Subaru in Lumberton, NJ.
http://www.subaru.net/rally/2005/miller/miller.htm

jeffmc · July 2005

As much as I hate to say it, have you considered the Saab version of the WRX, the 9-2X Aero (yes, I know it's not an STi)? Supposed to have more soundproofing than WRX, plus other refinements.

Another logical choice would be a Legacy GT Limited... tons of turbo speed, but smooth & quiet with sophisticated styling and much more lush interior appointments. Car & Driver took one from 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. To be even more sporting, you can add an STi Short Throw Shifter, STi metal pedal kit and Momo Shift Knob for around $500 and still end up a little cheaper than a WRX STi.

ateixeira · July 2005

06 gets a leather option if you want to wait for that. Also the 2nd rear spoiler and a diffuser under neath, plus the new grille. See if you like those before you decide.

-juice

sl1288 · July 2005

Are there pictures available? Please explain the the 2nd rear spoiler. Thanks.

jeffmc · July 2005

Photo gallery at the link below. The second spoiler is at the back of the roof, at the top of the rear window. The last photo on the page is a shot focused on that spoiler.

http://www.subdriven.com/gallery/gallery2.php?mode=album&album=/Automobiles/Impreza/Genera- tion%204/WRX%20STi%20-%20USA#

sl1288 · July 2005

Thanks for the info and photos. Now for another question, I can buy a 2005 STi for under invoice because the dealer is willing to split the holdback with me. Since Subaru isn't offering any deals for the STi except for 1.9 and 2.9 financing, should I wait a month for the 2006 and would Subaru offer the same financing as the 2005?

merrycynic · July 2005

From what I think I know, the hold back on Subarus is not a lot of money. The market might determine future financing. An '05 will have a years worth of unused depreciation built in when it comes time to sell.

merrycynic · July 2005

Seems like the ticket for consideration in the "performance" car category is now a minimum of 400 horse power. Will Subaru step up?

ateixeira · August 2005

Because I would include the Lotus Elise in the category and it has a whole bunch less HP.

-juice

qbrozen · August 2005

yeah, yer gonna definitely have to explain that category you speak of. I can't comprehend how a whole slew of cars, including Mustang GT, 350z, Sti, Evo, Volvo R, etc, are lacking very much in the performance arena.

merrycynic · August 2005

I was referring to the newer cars, such as the upcoming M3, S4, etc. The STi was always considered fair comparison to them, at least in performance.

qbrozen · August 2005

for 400+ hp, I assume you mean the RS4.
According to Audi, the '06 RS4 with 414 hp will hit 62 in 4.8 secs.
In Car&Driver's June '03 test of an STi, it scrambled to 60 in 4.6 secs.

Doesn't seem to me they need to do anything to up their power ... seems more like Audi is just catching up.

Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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