Should I get this WRX

To buy or not to buy


  • Total voters
    8

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Originally posted by dohcvtec_accord+Sep 13 2005, 11:33 AM-->
Originally posted by Celerity@Sep 13 2005, 09:24 AM
I kicked it down to 2nd gear and ripped through a corner without power (The only way to fool the ass end out)
[post=553686]Quoted post[/post]​

Huh? :blink: I think you need to drive the car some more. :) I break the back end loose on an almost-daily basis, and THE way to do it is with lots of throttle.


You're going to tell me, that by simply giving it more gas through a turn the ass end will kick out? So the decades of preparation from Subaru, combined with the Skip barber training and routine practice from my hands, is no match for "Give it some more gas, paw"? If you give it more gas, it will dive. The drivetrain will absolutely NOT allow the car to slide, only the dynamics of it being a Wagon will come close to tossing the inertial forces around enough to break traction. Also, this isn't an STi with the controllable coupling.

Originally posted by dohcvtec_accord@Sep 13 2005, 11:33 AM
Celerity
@Sep 13 2005, 09:24 AM
The trans mount had actually hit the steel on the mount.  Feh.  I remember from my Bug that when the motor was tight to the frame, the ride was brutal - So I'm sure that Subaru had to soften it up to make them sell.
[post=553686]Quoted post[/post]​

The stock mounts are indeed crap, especially the pitch stop mount (holds the top of the tranny to the chassis) and the tranny mount (bottom of the tranny to the subframe). I replaced both of those, for a grand total of $60, and noted a distinct improvement.
[post=553695]Quoted post[/post]​


Yeah, this is just another of the 20 things I have to change to make it worth while. If the clutch chatter continues through this winter, then my next mod will be a FOR SALE sign.
 
Originally posted by CoreyR+Sep 12 2005, 11:02 PM-->
ripperbone
@Sep 12 2005, 09:05 PM
I thought srt-4 were cool .
a buddy of mine and his wife both have one and he let me drive his and I wasnt impressed with it at all. redline is 6000, doesnt seem powerful at all and he had the stage 2 kit put on his.

I bet when i get my turbo done, i will be able to beat him. just my two cents.  but if your a neon fan then you will like the car

plus 18g's for that neon is 3 grand to much, you can get it for less, plus youll want a 05 over a 04, better tranny (lsd), bigger injectors.
[post=553407]Quoted post[/post]​


04's and 05's are identical they both have the LSD and injectors. 03's are the ones that are diff.

18K for an 04 SRT is WAYYY too much. you can have one for around 13-14K.
[post=553526]Quoted post[/post]​

:doh: your right my buddy's wife has the 03 and he has the 05.
 
Originally posted by Celerity@Sep 13 2005, 10:48 AM
You're going to tell me, that by simply giving it more gas through a turn the ass end will kick out? So the decades of preparation from Subaru, combined with the Skip barber training and routine practice from my hands, is no match for "Give it some more gas, paw"? If you give it more gas, it will dive. The drivetrain will absolutely NOT allow the car to slide, only the dynamics of it being a Wagon will come close to tossing the inertial forces around enough to break traction. Also, this isn't an STi with the controllable coupling.

I guess it all depends on how much you want the back end to break lose. :) I've found that, giving the engine more throttle whilst in the midst of screaming around a corner, combined with the rotational intertial of the car during said cornering, I can indeed get that bitch sideways. :lol: Not *completely* sideways, of course, but the back end of the car howls a good deal more than the front.
 
It's funny, but if an AWD DSM owner were to read that, they would say "Yeah, that's how you get the car to launch". The WRX's geometry doesn't throw it's weight over the rear driveline like the earlier DSM AWDs did. But, at any point in a skid (And again, through all my efforts, I'm talking about a +5 degree skid) the driveline comes in and takes over.

As far as making the back "howl" I can do that at almost any point. To get the ass end to truly come out, you have to enter into a turn so goddam hot that your tires and suspension give way for the lumbering wagon ass end to come around - Enjoy the skid while it's there, because hitting any pedal is going to align the car instantly after that.

The dynamic was found at Limerock when that poor kid tried to drift the EVO. They dont' drift. They aren't supposed to.

-> Steve
 
Originally posted by Celerity@Sep 13 2005, 12:24 PM
It's funny, but if an AWD DSM owner were to read that, they would say "Yeah, that's how you get the car to launch". The WRX's geometry doesn't throw it's weight over the rear driveline like the earlier DSM AWDs did. But, at any point in a skid (And again, through all my efforts, I'm talking about a +5 degree skid) the driveline comes in and takes over.

As far as making the back "howl" I can do that at almost any point. To get the ass end to truly come out, you have to enter into a turn so goddam hot that your tires and suspension give way for the lumbering wagon ass end to come around - Enjoy the skid while it's there, because hitting any pedal is going to align the car instantly after that.

The dynamic was found at Limerock when that poor kid tried to drift the EVO. They dont' drift. They aren't supposed to.

-> Steve
[post=553778]Quoted post[/post]​

Maybe you're driving a different car than I am. :lol:
 
God, I hope not I prolly am. My girlfriend has the 02 WRX wagon, with the BBS wheels and momo interior goodies. It's bone stock, with 55k on it.

So allow me to touch on what the car NEEDS to make it the car it should have been :

Underdrive pulley. Mine, and one more that I've seen has a BAD shake or unbalance on the main pulley.

Starved #3 cylinder. Runs hot. Welcome to Boxerville.

The turbo in the regular WRX won't come on until a certain RPM. The lag for launches is so bad that it's useless in a race. Rev up and drop the clutch ? Try it. You'll never do that again.

Weak transmission. It's ok, for daily driving purposes, but again - go ahead and try to beat on it.

It needs the Vishnu intake and vishnu ECU tune. Pretty much if you want to do something to the car, as I understand it, it's best that "Vishnu" be printed somewhere on the reciept.

Motor mount goodness. They all suck. Trans, motor, and rear bushings while you're at it.

The clutch needs a heavier plate. It chatters worse than my 73 Formula 400, and that chatter will lead to damage.

Other than that, it's exactly like my 87 Supra NA - But it gets worse gas mileage has too many doors. On the plus side, it's harder to trick in a corner than my Supra was.
 
well, vishnu is good stuff :)

uppipe, downpipe, and the ecu reflash is awesome.

personally, id prefer cobbs stuff.
 
Originally posted by Celerity@Sep 13 2005, 08:16 PM
The turbo in the regular WRX won't come on until a certain RPM. The lag for launches is so bad that it's useless in a race. Rev up and drop the clutch ? Try it. You'll never do that again.
[post=553818]Quoted post[/post]​



I've heard that a lot but have never seen or experienced it for myself...what exactly happens?

And given the choices I'd offer 2k less for the the Neon and go that route if that's what you're into. Me? RSX-S baby wooooooohooooooooo.
 
Clutch dropping the WRX typically results in the transmission exploding into several pieces. When I did it, from 3500 rpm, it made noises, and hit with such a thud that I thought I got rearended.

It fucken moved though, don't get me wrong. That thing could out-grip the Supra on a launch like nobodies business.

After driving it tonight, I've come to the conclusion that it's really not a bad car - It's just no where near as forgiving as any given Honda. Imagine a B20 swapped accord, with a JR charger, and top it off with a multi-disc (either on or off) type of clutch. Then install a bunch of safety systems to make sure you couldn't shred the transmission (Like the built-in turbo lag, hydraulic clutch valving etc..)
 
Originally posted by Celerity@Sep 13 2005, 01:16 PM
God, I hope not I prolly am. My girlfriend has the 02 WRX wagon, with the BBS wheels and momo interior goodies. It's bone stock, with 55k on it.

So allow me to touch on what the car NEEDS to make it the car it should have been :

Underdrive pulley. Mine, and one more that I've seen has a BAD shake or unbalance on the main pulley.

Starved #3 cylinder. Runs hot. Welcome to Boxerville.

The turbo in the regular WRX won't come on until a certain RPM. The lag for launches is so bad that it's useless in a race. Rev up and drop the clutch ? Try it. You'll never do that again.

Weak transmission. It's ok, for daily driving purposes, but again - go ahead and try to beat on it.

It needs the Vishnu intake and vishnu ECU tune. Pretty much if you want to do something to the car, as I understand it, it's best that "Vishnu" be printed somewhere on the reciept.

Motor mount goodness. They all suck. Trans, motor, and rear bushings while you're at it.

The clutch needs a heavier plate. It chatters worse than my 73 Formula 400, and that chatter will lead to damage.

Other than that, it's exactly like my 87 Supra NA - But it gets worse gas mileage has too many doors. On the plus side, it's harder to trick in a corner than my Supra was.
[post=553818]Quoted post[/post]​

I'll try to hit on some of those. :)

The underdrive pulley definitely helps throttle response. Sorry to hear about your stocker. I never had that problem.

Turbo lag is VERY evident until removing the stock catted uppipe and getting an appropriate reflash. There's a reason the uppipe is listed as one of the first must-do mods. I'm at full boost a few hundred RPM before 3000, as opposed to the mid-to-upper 3k range while stock.

Yep, weak transmission. But, if you're nice to it, you can still perform the hard launches if you just feather the clutch a tad to pre-load the tranny. After that, enjoy the AWD goodness. :)

Vishnu = teh win. Trust me, I've seen the dyno numbers. Most tuners will tell you to stay away from an aftermarket intake on a WRX, unless you're getting a specific dyno-tune for one. They usually make you run lean, and Vishnu won't even sell you one of their off-the-shelf reflashes if they know you're running an intake. Cobb makes good stuff, but I think they're slightly outdone by Vishnu.

Motor mounts are a bitch to do and generally don't get too much hype in the Subaru community, but as I mentioned before, tranny and pitch stop mounts are easy to do and are very worthwhile.

A heavier clutch plate would be sooooooooo nice if that tranny could hold up to the added strain.
 
Good points on all. I'll make some more loan payments on it, then get to it.


So Vishnu says "No intake mods" ?
 
MOST tuners say "no intake mods", unless a dyno tune reflash with wideband O2 sensor is performed in conjunction with it. It's been proven over and over that just installing an intake on a WRX (not STi, which can benefit) will usually cause overly-lean conditions, will hinder performance and will lead to detonation and premature engine failure. It's mostly due to incorrect MAF sensor sizing (i.e. using the stocker with an aftermarket intake). Some aftermarket companies have had better results by coupling an intake with a new MAF, but that usually has to then be accounted for in a reflash as well.

In short, the small gains that might be realized by an aftermarket intake are not worth it, unless you're running a turbo big enough to suck in a small child.

And yes...Vishnu in particular says "no" to intakes, as do several other reputable tuning companies. As mentioned, though, Vishnu WILL do a custom tune with an intake if a wideband sensor is present.
 
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