Greetings,

 

     I read Mr. Kojima's and Mr. Hsu's views on the EJ257 engine and respect their observations opinions. That said I still want one, as I've been attracted to them since I tried selling Subarus 10 years ago. I believe that my requirements for the vehicle are low enough that I won't have a problem with it, especially if I take a few well calculated precautions.

     I drive 30k miles a year in a 4 season environment. I don't race and don't intend on adding more than basic suspension mods and a tune to reduce the problems with the ringlands if that can be done. This will be my first sporty car and I  want to enjoy driving more than modding (at least until I can afford one of those Coswroth longblocks ).

 

My first question is if I got the AccessPORT and had the car properly tuned with it  immediately after purchase would that change the parameters enough that I would not have to worry about the car screwing up? If not what is necessary to avoid the downtime a catastrophic engine failure would cause?

My second question is what are useful adjustments to the chassis/suspension for a daily driven highway car?

 

Thanks,
Jason

 

does not answer your specific questions, but i think a WRX is a better suit for you than an STI. especially with the miles you drive and the planned useage. you'll get better gas mileage, more comfort driving, and spend less $$. and you can still mod it just the same.

as far as suspension, the 11's had some upgrades so i'm not sure what to recommend. historically subaru's have suffered from weak bushings

I've heard tales of the WRX having a weak transmission. I don't know what is meant by weak, and I don't want to find out. Also, while the WRX looks nice i like the seats in the STI better. I may regret it later, but right now I don't care about gas mileage.

The STI's trans is stronger, sure. But you have to determine what the definition of "weak" is. Are you going to spend every weekend at the drag strip or try to put, what, 500hp to the ground? I had that concern too way back when I bought my first WRX (back in late 2003) so I did a lot of research first. Here's what I determined: Back in 2001 the WRX first came to our market (as an 02 model year) and people flocked to it in huge numbers. Over the next year or so several people blew their transmissions. Additionally in early 2002 Subaru released a TSB for a clutch shudder issue. No one wanted to acknowledge it as being related to blown trannys, neither OEM nor the market, but it seemed a no-brainer to me.

I think that a combination of newbie to 4WD owners launching their cars hard, possibly coupled with legitimate problems due to clutch shudder or even design issues, contributed to the mass of transmission failures. What I had noticed on the message boards was that nearly every complainer owned an '02 model and the incident occurred in '01 or '02. Additionally the trans has been upgraded continuously over the years; stronger case, wider gears, etc. I've got 58K on my current and had 40K on my first when I sold it, never had a single part fail on either (trans or otherwise). So do your own research and see what you determine; be forewarned that boards like NASIOC are filled with loud-mouthed armchair engineers

Can't help with the seats, but I were you I'd still go for the WRX. Cheaper maintenance, better mileage, more comfortable, and the new cars are just a step off the STI in performance. Driving 30K/year, no-brainer!

Apparently the WRX is in a different SCCA class than the STi. The WRX is allegedly more competitive in its class than the STi is. I know a guy that bought a WRX over an STi for that reason.

Just throwin' it out there.

I think the WRX transmission is still "weak" for track use or high power but for daily use, I think it's perfectly fine. The place I've read about WRX tranny problems the most is on various auto-x forums (http://forums.solo2.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4345&start=50#p64845), where you'll read about guys going through two or three tranmissions on WRXs. Then again, they're also shifting at high rpms and stressing the syncro's and such to the max. I imagine even daily spirited street driving would require many years to equal a season of autox.

As far as the seats, I've always heard they were the same in the WRX and STI...but in different color/stitching combos. That might have changed recently, but it's definitely worth checking out at a dealer if that's a major concern.

Subaru 5-speeds (in general) don't like shifting in to first when in motion, hence why a bunch of solo 2 guys nade their trannies.

Jason,

I second the suggestion of really looking at the WRX and convincing yourself you need the STi.

The STi 6-speed is great when driving sporty but I hate it for daily driving. I lived in Germany when I had my US-spec '05 STi and the only time I liked that tranny (for commuting) was when I was in 6th gear on the autobahn. Other than that, surface street driving sucked because of sporadic village speed limits.

Plus, it a lot cheaper when considering the performance it has stock and is capable of making with a vast aftermarket.

That could be true Tim, though I've driven a few cars in my time and honestly I don't think I've ever driven a manual trans that likes going into 1st while in motion... also I'd have to think if they're downshifting into 1st on an autox course, either they aren't driving the car right or the course is way to damn tight!

My daily commute is ~45 miles of light expressway traffic (in 6th gear 90% of the time). I am rarely in any traffic in the city as I do most stuff off ramps on the way home. The seats felt and looked better in the STI than the WRX. That said I will take into consideration the WRX.

If you chose to go the WRX route, I bet it wouldn't be too hard to find a set of STI seats out of a wreck...

Let Tommi help you with your decision...

(Full Video w/ commentary)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...P3d7mQWoCs

My buddy is considering one now...the tweaks to the suspension w/ the pillow ball joint on the control arm is one of the nice improvements they made on the 2011...

so.... did you get one?

Posted By speedball3 on 02-28-2011 06:32 PM
so.... did you get one?

yeh we actually both got one...