I currently drive a 2003 evo and am very interested in buying a new STI. However none of the dealerships will let me take one out for a test drive.

Would anyone be interested in trading test drives sometime? I live in Concord (east bay area).

I don't like the turbo lag of the evo and I'm hoping the STI's won't be so bad. Also, when I'm pushing the car around a corner it tends to understeer when I get off the throttle, presumably due to the viscous center differential. I really want to see if the STI has these issues.

Thanks!
-joshua

 

Hear what?

 

Hahah... yeah, I'm surprised I'm saying it too, given what all the reviews have said about the Evo.

Appreciation of driving cars is a very subjective thing. That's why I need to really drive one instead of just going from what the magazines say, as the dealers would have me do.

It's pretty silly that dealers like Lotus, selling the new Elise--a far more exclusive car than the STI, at least stateside--have demo cars, yet Subaru doesn't.

 

I'd really like to leave the car stock. I'm not really a power freak... more of a cornering junkie, and the only way the warranty will be active is if I leave the car stock.

As for the handling...
1. I don't want aftermarket suspension that is stiffer than the stock suspension. I think the stock suspension is, if anything, a bit on the stiff side for soaking up bumps while cornering through backroads.
2. I don't think things like alignment and sway bar adjustments will help the problem I'm describing. The corner entry of the car is great... very neutral. The problem lies when I'm really pushing the car. Now, on the street as we know, every now and then we'll come up on a road hazard of some sort. I'm used to driving rwd cars. If, while cornering, I suddenly needed to tighten up my line, I just let off the gas a bit and the back end would come around. To really get the most speed out of an AWD car like the Evo however, I have to be on the throttle through the corner so the AWD system can do its work. If I need to tighten the line in the evo, however, lift-throttle has the opposite effect--understeer. I suspect this is due to the viscous center differential not letting the back end come around. The STI's active center differential, from what I understand, would unlock in that circumstance and (hopefully) make the car respond as would a rwd car.
3. When I let off the gas just a little bit under what feels like only partial boost, the car "bucks", or "surges". I've driven many cars before, boosted and not, and have very sensitive throttle application--this isn't driver error. It's enough to disrupt the balance of the car at a bad time.

I understand the Evo MR has an active center differential as well, but I doubt it'll be less laggy than the STI with its larger engine. Additionally, there's other things I like better about the STI. I really need to take the STI for a drive and see if these issues are present.

 

And that has more to do with the wheel base than the center-diff. The 02-05 Normal WRX has a viscious center diff and rear diff just like the EVO. The 05 EVO and the 05 STi both have helical center diffs

The STi/WRX has a shorter wheel base which can make the car more "twitchy" in those types of situations.

 

Yes all of the above will help. Also, tire pressures play a role as well.

More front negative camber will add more bite to the front of the car in the situation you are describing and will make the back feel "looser"

A bigger rear sway bar will "decrease" traction in the rear and make the back feel "looser"

Messing with different tire pressures front and back will either tighten or loosen each end.

IMHO, I would experiment a little bit more with your current car first. Start with tire pressures, it's free, and you will be amazed and how much the car dynamics can change with tire pressure tweaking.

Next, get some more negative camber out of the front of your car, its cheap (under $100) at an alignment place that can max out your front negative camber and give you a proper alignment (evo's have been known to have off-alignments from the factory). I believe the most negative camber you can get out of stock-suspension EVO's is around -1.7 or so. This will greatly increase front bite and cornering stability and will not sacrifice tire wear if you keep your toe settings at zero or close to.

After that, if your car is still not rotating enough for you needs, although I think it will be, try a larger rear anti-rollbar. You can pick one up for under $300.

 

Did you hear that on the inturdnet somewhere?

One of my track buddies has an 03 EVO with the stock clutch still at 30k miles. He has done over 10+ track events with me and about 30 drag strip launches at actual drag strips. No sign of damage or slip yet.

Some people just do not know how to properly drive their cars.