Not MadCat360's WRX

I was gonna say, congrats on buying the first car with the new wife, but it's apparently your dad instead. Congrats to him at least ;) Don't worry, someday you'll get yours.

Regarding handling, stock WRX suspension has always been a little too tall and spongy out of the factory, especially compared to the Sti versions, convince your dad to invest in still eibachs or Sti pink springs if he's into spirited sporty driving and handling. Otherwise, just enjoy it best you can.

Just curious, do subaru still put those awful Potenza RE-92s on the car as their tire of choice, or do they come with decent rubber now? Because in the past the first and best performance/handling mods was to put half decent tires on the car as replacements.

Dunlop SP Sport 01s came with the car. I love Michelin tires so I've made my case for a set of Pilot Super Sports. The Dunlops lack feel but they have alright grip.

If we do suspension it'll probably be after we have the horsepower we want. The stock suspension is pretty acceptable. I'm more about how it feels than how it performs.
 
The Potenzas were the tires that were on the one I test-drove last week. Obviously I didn't drive it long enough for a serious understanding of what the issue was with them but I was really looking for a more planted feel. I expected I'd get that once they really warmed up, but it never really came.
 
Dunlop SP Sport 01s came with the car. I love Michelin tires so I've made my case for a set of Pilot Super Sports. The Dunlops lack feel but they have alright grip.

If we do suspension it'll probably be after we have the horsepower we want. The stock suspension is pretty acceptable. I'm more about how it feels than how it performs.

It's your car so i won't tell you what to do, but 270 hp is pretty good stock, aside from a stg 1 tune and AP reflash, you should really spend the money on suspension/handling first. More hp will just exaggerate the shortcomings of the stock suspension especially when you start taking the car in faster bends and corners.
 
It's your car so i won't tell you what to do, but 270 hp is pretty good stock, aside from a stg 1 tune and AP reflash, you should really spend the money on suspension/handling first. More hp will just exaggerate the shortcomings of the stock suspension especially when you start taking the car in faster bends and corners.

The stock 5 speed can't even reliably handle enough horsepower to do what you're talking about, and we're not going to put a new gearbox in it. As far as what to do first, no decisions will be made on that until we both get it out on the track or the skid pad for a day of handling exploration.
 
The stock 5 speed can't even reliably handle enough horsepower to do what you're talking about, and we're not going to put a new gearbox in it. As far as what to do first, no decisions will be made on that until we both get it out on the track or the skid pad for a day of handling exploration.

Yeah exactly, hence priority of ride handling mods over power mods, glad we agree :)
 
Yeah exactly, hence priority of ride handling mods over power mods, glad we agree :)

Well I didn't really say that. It might get the COBB filter first or it might get a tower strut brace first, but whatever mods we do to the engine it won't go over 330 horsepower at the maximum. Probably more like 300-310.

The immediate problem for me is the slack steering and the sleepy feel when going in a straight line. It's disconcerting and I want to figure out what's causing it. I suspect tires will affect it but I don't think they would cure it.
 
Well I didn't really say that. It might get the COBB filter first or it might get a tower strut brace first, but whatever mods we do to the engine it won't go over 330 horsepower at the maximum. Probably more like 300-310.

The immediate problem for me is the slack steering and the sleepy feel when going in a straight line. It's disconcerting and I want to figure out what's causing it. I suspect tires will affect it but I don't think they would cure it.

1. slack steering - not sure how many Imprezas you've driven in the past, but the Sti version has always used a tighter ratio steering rack than the standard Impreza or WRX, making it feel like a truck in comparison. The JDM version Sti uses an even tighter ratio steering rack, but I guess they deemed it too twitchy for the US market so the USDM Sti steering rack is something in between. If you have driven previous imprezas and this feels worse, then, I don't know what to tell you, maybe there's something wrong with the steering rack in your dad's car, maybe not.

2. sleepy feel - is this another way to describe the same problem in steering or a slightly different issue that adds to unsatisfying steering feel?

New tires may make a difference, but like you implied, I don't think tire choice is directly related to steering feel, only with grip feedback during cornering of course.

Also I don't know, there are other current WRX owners on this subforum who can chime in, but I don't think Subaru has incorporated some variable power steering mode in the newer cars like some manufacturers have. Have they?
 
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2. sleepy feel - is this another way to describe the same problem in steering or a slightly different issue that adds to unsatisfying steering feel?

The wheel goes slack, like turning it doesn't really affect the car much around the top 5 degrees of steering, and the sleepy feel is the lack of resistance through the top 30 degrees.

It doesn't really feel linear but that's something I've gotta test in a big parking lot.
 
The wheel goes slack, like turning it doesn't really affect the car much around the top 5 degrees of steering, and the sleepy feel is the lack of resistance through the top 30 degrees.

It doesn't really feel linear but that's something I've gotta test in a big parking lot.

I see, try to find another friend who owns a similar model WRX as well when you get the chance and do a comparative drive.
 
the brake is very light during the first bit of pressure where most around-town stopping is done, so it can bee a wee bit grabby if you're not thinking about it.
Oddly enough, I have the opposite impression of our 2012's brake pedal. While it's light at first, I don't find it grabby at all - in fact, between the light feel and the lack of grab, I'm concerned the brakes have failed in some way at first. Perhaps we're used to different cars (my NC has a lot of bite from the brakes) or perhaps I managed to glaze the brakes on our Scooby.

Clutch is pretty sharp feeling and takes getting used to.
It's sharp and so soft. That's an odd combination to me - the "sharp" clutches I've had in the past have all been very stiff. As a result, I have a harder time getting smooth shifts out of the car driving around town.

Ours has the SPT exhaust and shifter/bushing upgrade, too. Great color. ;)
 
Where does it say your car was made Equi? Ours says 100% Japan. Maybe the brake pad brand is different if you have one with more parts from US/Canada. The sales rep told me the tire brands change too - some have come in with Bridgestones apparently.

I absolutely love the SPT exhaust, I'm really glad dad ordered that. You can feel every pop and burble coming through the seat back. Mom's not too keen on it though, especially after alcohol. :lol:

The clutch feels like it's getting worn in a bit, and it's getting less sharp and a lot easier to manage.

One thing I found with the odd steering - it seems really responsive to "look where you want to go". If I look into the lane beside me, for example, the car goes exactly where I want it to. But if I just try to make a lane change using only my hands,the car feels vague. Interesting. Either this car's steering is brilliantly tuned for racing techniques, or it's bad and they just got lucky. Either way, it works really well if you don't think about it.
 
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Ours is made in Japan (with the Dunlop tires). I don't know where it would say "100% Japan", but the VIN says it was built in Japan (Fuji Heavy Industries).

Imprezas and Foresters are all built in Japan. Only the USDM Outback and Legacy are built in the USA. The fact there's a weirdness with the WRX for the US has been an issue with all hot Subarus since they started the WRX back in 01. Just like when they changed the 2.0L block for a 2.5 in the STi's , US customers want more displacement and softer settings it seems with suspension(they put a smaller diameter swaybar on Legacies).Hence why you have such a large tuner/aftermarket group for these cars.
 
Ours is made in Japan (with the Dunlop tires). I don't know where it would say "100% Japan", but the VIN says it was built in Japan (Fuji Heavy Industries).

It would only say it on the dealer window sticker. I saw a couple with 20% US/Canada, 80% Japan, etc. Evidently they build some components in the US or Canada then ship them to Japan for assembly.
 
It would only say it on the dealer window sticker. I saw a couple with 20% US/Canada, 80% Japan, etc. Evidently they build some components in the US or Canada then ship them to Japan for assembly.

the parts percentage majority and final assembly in japan is the most important thing IMHO
 
So, mom hates the exhaust so much we've decided to leave the car home and take the Honda to Thunderhill Raceway instead. I was looking forward to showing off the new car. :|
 
Good to see another Subaru on the streets, take care of that one.

I guess I've got a bit of a problem, being that I haven't had anything but STI's. I would like to take a '11-'12 WRX out to see the contrast in driving tendencies of the cars compared, stock to stock anyways.

With all of them though, nothing better than a solid cast of stiffening and drive-line mods.
 
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So I got an offer from a friend for a private track day at Thunderhill in February. 15-20 people, open pit lane so run as much as you want, and cost is around $300.

I would kill to get the WRX out there and see what it can do.
 
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