Being a kid again: A WRX, and the moding/tuning culture.

[TheGreekPhysique]

STiguy

Sorry for the late reply, I am a big subaru guy and have owned tons. You are spot on with your analysis. I have had 3 STis and a ONE WRX

I ordered a 2016 STi new in what was (back then) considered the purest spec. Zero options except for the performance exhaust upgrade. I passed on the short shift kit because the standard STI trans was great and I didn't trust the port to correctly install it after seeing a friend who had a WRX months prior have port installed options fail.

That was my first. I only had driven old (stock) Mitsubishi Evo's prior so during my time with the STi......well let's just say I was disappointed being I waited my whole life to get the STi....and I knew something was off

Fast Forward a few years later I got an 05 All stock besides a day 1 installed HKS catalogue exhaust (Catback) and my 2016 STi I bought new was gone. I got the 05 dropped off on a Sunday evening and by Friday at 9am the 2016 was traded in. Not even kidding...it's that big of a difference. Additionally Data readings a track rat friend took for me out of my own curiosity (I don't beat my cars) found the 05 to be substantially faster in all high way and low gear acceleration testing.

I could write a book, but I am one of the more knowledgeable people regarding these STis - to the point where some of the newer US Subaru corp management contact me with questions and inquiries on my thoughts - on a fairly regular basis. We have met at some of the big Subaru shows and remained friendly since.

In Late 2007 Subaru gave the contract to a new piston supplier....so the reliability and ringland punching bag jokes the car world throws on Subaru's is near 100% due to that. Most 08s to 09s had seriously defective engines. Emissions required changes that started in late 06 and where very bad by 08 MYs caused the engines to become ticking time bombs when modified....anyways

04-07s are the best , and the 05-06s are the pick of the bunch from a performance perspective. They just are true rally cars for the road that do everything you expect them to and are more of a raw drivers car.

Don't ever drive a 03-06 Evo that is stock or well sorted. It will ruin you! They are unbelievable cars.

I have a feeling me and you are going to be talking quite a bit over the next couple of weeks/months. I just recently picked something up and my 2015 is going to go bye bye.

 

[impalla62ss]

TheGreekPhysique

I got my first car during the second semester of my junior year of highschool. It was an eagle talon. I believe a 5 speed manual transmission. It wasn't the Subaru WRX STI that all the cool kids had but it was my car and it was fun to drive. My uncle and dad took me to my high schools parking lot on that saturday evening and I spent a couple of hours learning how to drive stick shift. It felt and came pretty natural. The next day I took the car out by myself and drove it all over town.
Since that first car everything that came after was dull. More practical. Automatic, good fuel economy, monotonous. Than something happened. In the summer of 22' I drove that same uncles porsche 911 996 aerokit. I was hooked. It reminded me just how much I actually love to drive manual transmission cars. It gave me the itch. So I set off on a journey. A 911 was and quite possibly might always be out of reach for me. After countless hours looking at different cars online I initially fell in love with the BMW E30. It seemed to tick the right boxes: manual transmission, something good for cornering, lightweight, LSD and RWD. But I ran into a couple of problems. Because I didnt have the financial means for just a fun toy the car needed to be a daily driver and I had some reservations about driving a 30yr old car daily. That and maintenance can obviously be very expensive. So while I absolutely love the way those cars look and the history behind them I had to move on. I then started looking at various coupes, boxters, zr3, miatas etc. After some back and forth with the ol' ball and chain those also were all out. She added more boxes to the list. It needed to be a sedan so we could install car seats for the kiddos. So on the search went. Than one night I remembered something. Those beautiful rally racing blue that all those cool kids use to drive back in highschool. It was a ureka moment. 4 doors, AWD so good in snow, 6sp manual transmission, good fuel economy if driven responsibly but enough under the hood to still have fun with. I searched for about 2 weeks and finally found the one. They gave me 8800 for my 95k mile honda civic (insane I know, I have no idea what is going on in the car market) and there car was very fairly priced with some AM improvements. So 17 years later that highschool kid finally got his WRX and let me tell ya I have been having a blast. My only regret? I didn't do this 5 years ago.
As I have been driving around on these back country roads I have now gained an appreciation for those individuals who like to tinker with engines. While I don't see myself necessarily taking that step due to time constraints it finally does make sense to me. There is something to be said about taking a car out and driving it around, going back home and making some modifications and taking back out to see if you can notice any improvements. I bought mine used and it came with some AM improvements already installed. I am still green, very new to cars but do have an interest. I'd appreciate reading other peoples stories or any advice on my own journey going forward.

I have a '22 do you have any experience or knowledge of the short shift mod?

 

[Vercingetorix]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...2-point-9-million-dollar-fine-defeat-devices/

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

impalla62ss

I have a '22 do you have any experience or knowledge of the short shift mod?

I don't. The mods on my 15' are a Gsport high flow cat, Gsport stainless exhaust, grimspeed wastegate, mishimoto intake and all were done prior to my acquisition. The only thing I proceeded with was a protune and maintenance items like IAG air/oil separator. The way it stands now it's definitely a faster car than the 01' that I drove but it's just a different experience. It takes a while to get going, feels heavier and while more refined was much less raw. I was able to find an 03" in Sonic yellow that I bought from a little old lady in Oregon via a dealer. 73k miles. Never modded, completely stock. It's out at the shop getting some much needed maintenance items done. Can't wait till it's all done but it will be a while.





Also saw this last weekend.



GC8 version 3 or 4 I believe. Just sitting out in the wild.

 

[chichi]

was always jealous of the WRXs

we peons back in the day had the Mazda 323 AWD

 

[STiguy]

chichi

was always jealous of the WRXs

we peons back in the day had the Mazda 323 AWD

323 GTX was a legend

 

[Watch my Whisky]

MotoIQ has a great set of project Imprezas. I’ve always wanted to get a GC8 Type RA.

Good taste you fellas have!

 

[Bruce235]

TheGreekPhysique

Also saw this last weekend.



GC8 version 3 or 4 I believe. Just sitting out in the wild.

Version 3/4 bumper with version 1/2 hood and grill.

 

[gbesq]

I was unlucky when I purchased my 2013 Legacy new. It was one of the models with a new engine variant that had defective piston rings which resulted in serious excessive oil consumption (mine was going through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles and the problem manifested itself less than a month after I purchased it). It was a known issue, but Subaru steadfastly maintained that the oil consumption was within normal operating specifications (ridiculous!) and refused to do anything. After a class action lawsuit was filed and the federal government got involved, Subaru finally started acknowledging the problem and began replacing the short block on the affected engines. Unfortunately, I had already had enough of their corporate nonsense by that time and had traded my Legacy in on a new Mazda 6 (a spectacularly good sports sedan, by the way). My experience with Subaru really soured me on the brand.

 

[Larry S]

Back in 2014 … went in to drive an STI .. drove away in a 3.6 Outback which I still own and love. I felt way too old for the STI … wish I’d bought one longer ago when I lived in NW NJ with lots of great roads.

 

[Bruce235]

Subaru ownership makes BMW look reliable.

Impreza swap to JDM engine, blew headgasket, bent valves after it rolled backwards in my driveway, rebuild went 100 miles before the rod bearings spun, next rebuild still going 10+ years later.

Legacy 2.5l blew headgasket, then spun bearings, then replacement engine burned oil by the gallon right away until I traded it.
Still have the Impreza, but no new Subarus for me.

 

[impalla62ss]

I so wish we could get the long-roof in the states.

 

[impalla62ss]

Here's my '22. Installing a European brake light, foot well lighting, amber behind grill light bar, and pulling the dash apart to pull the wire on the seat-belt alarm speaker. It gradually get very loud and goes off even when parked. Very annoying.

 

[Larry S]

gbesq

I was unlucky when I purchased my 2013 Legacy new. It was one of the models with a new engine variant that had defective piston rings which resulted in serious excessive oil consumption (mine was going through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles and the problem manifested itself less than a month after I purchased it). It was a known issue, but Subaru steadfastly maintained that the oil consumption was within normal operating specifications (ridiculous!) and refused to do anything. After a class action lawsuit was filed and the federal government got involved, Subaru finally started acknowledging the problem and began replacing the short block on the affected engines. Unfortunately, I had already had enough of their corporate nonsense by that time and had traded my Legacy in on a new Mazda 6 (a spectacularly good sports sedan, by the way). My experience with Subaru really soured me on the brand.

I am on my third … Legacy Gt Wagon, LL Bean 3.6 Outback and my Current 2014 3.6 Outback. I’ve never had any issues outside of normal maintenance. The flat engines do use oil however. Not sure what’s next when I move on. I do tow, so I need a real car. Mazda is intriguing.

 

[Flatfoot]

Way late to this party… but here goes.
I bought an ‘04 STI new in late 2003 when they first arrived at the dealer’s showrooms. I finally found a deal at MSRP, whereas many dealers were asking for a significant premium over MSRP, which I simply wouldn’t accept. The car was blue with silver wheels, and I was blown away by them being delivered with what effectively was R compound tires.

First track day with the STI was at Lime Rock in March of ‘04, and it was a day with both dry and wet sessions. My STI was the only one there. I quickly took to its driving dynamics and had a blast on the circuit, which was just about ideal for the STI. By ideal I mean that Lime Rock is fairly tight and somewhat technical, and with only one long-ish front straight where the higher HP cars could get by. In the wet, there weren’t many faster cars at that early date.

The stock STI’s secret weapon was its cornering ability. You could dial out any 4WD corner entry understeer by entering the corner fast and trail braking right down to the apex. The car reacted so well to that. Then its ability to slingshot from the apex out with all four corners scratching and growling for traction was a revelation for me. Still makes me smile today.

Niko, I took my STI in a very different direction from what you are planning. I made no mods to the car aside from better brake pads, tire changes and frequent fluid changes. Nothing. Instead I decided to devote any upgrade dollars being considered to doing more track days. I guess you could say I was developing the nut that holds the wheel (smile).

A set of dedicated Blizzack tires/ wheels for winter driving made the car nearly unstoppable in anything up to bumper height snow. Truly a rally car for the street.

I drove 30 odd track days at numerous circuits in the 3 years I owned the car. Fond memories of the STI, for sure. I then traded it in on an ‘06 Evo IX MR, the Subie’s arch rival. I got a great residual value on the Evo deal, with the STI being unmodified, even after disclosing it was track driven.

Below a photo of me and my oldest son in the STI at Pocono East in July of 2005. I was giving him all my speed secrets id learned. In my mind’s eye, I can still see that hood scoop wiggling about as it was driven hard.