brainlock

Hello everyone,

I've been reading i-club off and on for the past 5 years. I finally have a WRX of my own.

What I Have:
2002 WRX Wagon Manual with 14,500mi when purchased. It's now 16,000mi after 3 weeks.

What's Been Done:
No mods by me and none by the previous owner (that I know of).

I purchased the car through Carmax (they have been great, btw).
Carmax performed a 125 point inspection, and this has been done twice.

I took it in to Tom Wood Subaru in Indy for a used car inspection.
They checked the transmission, AWD, and turbo specifically.

Everything has passed with flying colors. I did all of this, not because of a problem, but to be pro-active.

The Problem:
I've scoured the forums for general launching technique.
This is a daily driver and I don't want to burn the clutch.
So I'm not asking for any street racing info here.

I also don't want to be beat by a Chevy Corsica off the line with gramma in it.
I've tried dropping it at 3-4000rpms, but do I really need to do this every time to get a mediocre start off the line?

From my previous driving experience, I feel the need to shift around 3-4000rpms.
If I'm revving to 4500-5000rpms I feel like I'm burning gas/pushing it past normal driving.

I've been in love with the WRX for awhile and was always under the assumption that subie owners were the kings/queens of the line.
With the torque, AWD, 5.7sec 60mph time, and manual transmission, How could we not be?

Is this a technique problem on my part? I've been re-educating myself on shifting with any and all posts I can find.
I'm starting to feel that the WRX is not "all that" and that I had this assumption because of ego issues by other owners.
I sincerely hope this is not the case.

Please help me by directing me to a place to re-eductate myself, or put me in place somehow. But don't tell me that this is normal, please.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm a little on edge.

dugrant153

from the research I've done, the WRX is not as torquey in the low-range of the rpm's. But once you hit the turbo (3000rpm) then I think you pretty much rocket down the road.

What you may be experiencing is the turbo lag and the not-so torquey-ness of the WRX EJ20 (at low rpms). Once turbo is spooled and the rpms go up, I think it's a whole different story. It's just a matter of getting the turbo spooled.

Also, dropping the clutch is not recommended at higher rpms.

Honestly, I haven't driven one and I'm possibly looking at a used WRX of my own one day. So, hopefully others can fill in for the little gaps I missed out on. I'm just quoting my own research.

By the way, congrats on the new purchase I've only been a lurker for 2 years or so?

brainlock

I was in a bit of a bad mood this morning with the new med's I'm on... This probably all came off a little more disparaging than I intended it to be...

I love me subie and have a lengthy list of mods I'm contemplating.

I've only tried dropping from 3-4000 a couple of times and didn't really like doing it... especially with the burnt clutch smell immediately following.

Thanks for the reply. I have the performance gauge pack and can watch it hit. It does "take off" when the turbo is up...

mmboost

iTrader: (2)

- launch in boost, so that going to be at least at 4000rpm

- dont drop the clutch slip it. otherwise you bog and lose boost, etc

- dont drop the clutch or launch at all ... especially of you are this newb-ish at it. AWD is not the place to learn. Go to a road course if you want a thrill.

jason

Jumpman23

iTrader: (8)

^^^yup . . . dont try to launch, you gonna mess you car up if you dont do it right! and IF you still decide to launch it, SLIP IT!^^^

MonkeyAB

iTrader: (1)

agreed with the previous posts

3000 rpms won't really give you much action. I remember when my car was new and after breaking it in I brought the revs up to ~4000 to make a left turn in between a few cars. (nothing dangerous though) and I was shocked at how quickly it launched. I had never ever felt something like that before and i was so excited by what my car could do.

I think the greatest thing about the WRX is the ability to pull from a stop into traffic with much less space than most cars simply because the acceleration is so good. keep in mind those 5.7 0-60 numbers are achieved by dropping the clutch around 6000 rpms. Those numbers do represent what the car is capable of, but not how you should drive it on a daily basis. The wrx in stock form is faster than most cars you're likely to run into, and especially most cars under $30,000. give it time and you'll be very happy with your performance.

brainlock

I don't want to drag.
I get more excited taking a corner, than beating somebody off the line.

I just feel that in general day to day driving, without pushing the engine hard,
I shouldn't be getting beat from a stop light by a chevy corsica.

I am learning the clutch a little better. I still feather/slip it every once in awhile
versus "having the clutch either in or out; no in-between" as I read in other posts.

I'm trying not to over-rev and under-rev it, while still staying in gear 95% of the
time. And keeping the revs somewhat matched so i'm not shuddering when
downshifting or slamming the back end when upshifting.

Just from the research i've down since making this post, I'm able to drive the car
a little better. So I imagine all of this is user error.

At a half empty tank I was at 185mi, and now it's almost empty at 275mi.
I was thinking that 185mi at a half tank would give me 2x185mi/16gal=23.2 mpg.
But I'm assuming the half tank mark is not actually a half tank of gas... or maybe
I need to consider the 2 gallons of emergency gas after empty.

This is normal right? I don't feel I have been driving it hard. And most of those miles are highway driving....

Thanks for the replies btw.

icantdrive75

When I bought my car in september it had 300mi on it. Good find on the used car with so little miles on it. Now it has 10k. In the first two weeks I put 2500mi on it. Turning the car is fun, but if you really loved turning you would've bought a miata. You bought this car cause it's f'in quick, but not as fast as an LS1. It's somewhere in between a miata and a Camaro.

When you get off the line your car is actually slower than other cars untill 3000rpm. The turbo actually restricts your exhaust flow and effectively lowers your hp until it can start producing it. That's why these cars, in a drag race,(whether you want to drag or not the theory is the same) I launch at about 5-6k and slip the clutch.

Other people have said if you drop the clutch you'll bog down the motor...thats the least of your troubles. Don't wanna wear the clutch? How about breaking your tranny? A clutch is replacable....so is a tranny but you get my point. If you're gonna wear something out make it the clutch.

Second, if you wanna be quick off the line you can't be affraid to rev the engine. It's meant to be revved. This is one area it errs on the side of miata. Don't be scurrred. Rev it and slip it...that's all I can tell ya. And get NAAWZ. Or an SRT-4.

icantdrive75

Double Post