My 05 White WRX sedan was delivered today. I handed in the keys for my 00 RS sedan and drove off in the WRX. I had the RS for about 2 years and it was great (except for the o2 sensors). Had 30k miles on it when I traded it in.

Thanks to those of you who answered the couple questions I posted before getting the car.

I drove the WRX around the back roads of Cecil County MD to get a good feel for the car. Of course the break in period sort of kills some of the fun but I was really trying to get a feeling for the handling anyway.

I was expecting the car to handle like my old RS but with more power....I was wrong it seems. The WRX seems more floaty to me. I'm sure some of that comes from the crazy skinny tires and wheels but it also just seems sort of softer than I expected. I will say the car does seem to want to rotate better than the RS did though.

I really can't stand the tires on this car. When sort of weaving to get a feel for how the car transitions, you can really feel the car move around on top of the softish tires. Maybe I need to check the pressure of the tires....

All of that being said, the car is a lot of fun to drive. On the street and back roads, the car is perfect. My impressions above are taken more from the perspective of getting out of a track prepped car and into a street car I think. For day to day driving, I think I would be happy with a set of real tires on the stock rims. Maybe some Azenis or something like that would stiffen things up a bit.

I do a lot of track days and the car I currently use is a 15 year old mazda miata that is pretty much a dedicated car. I instruct at HPDE days for a couple clubs and recently got to play with another instructor who was driving a WRX wagon.

www.cardomain.com/id/rnorma1

The suspension on the car consists of koni's and GC coilovers. 550lb springs up front and 325s in the rear. Kirkey Alum. seats and stripped down to a little more than 2000lbs overall weight. The turn in on this car is rediculous and the grip with race tires is insane...........maybe this is why I feel the WRX is a little soft riding.

I can't wait to start playing with the WRX. I will leave the motor alone and fix up the suspension ....and wheels of course. I'm still sifting through all the stuff available as far as coilovers and what not.

Having a kid means four doors..........there is no question that a WRX is the best all around bang for the buck in this area. Need a kick a$$ car that happily carries a toddler in a car seat?..........WRX it is!!

Well, sorry for just rambling. I'm just stoked about finally getting the car and driving it around. I can not wait to get past the break in period to feel that turbo surge!!

 

Congrats on your new purchase, Richard.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Wheels and suspension mods were the first things I did. Those squirly little 16's with Bridgestones stink! Ended up with what everyone calls UK17s, which are what the WRX's everywhere else in the world gets but us. The wheels they give us here (on MY04) are the RS25 wheels everywhere else. I don't know about what comes stock on MY05 cars...if you have 17's then you need better rubber. I also installed better sway bars, stress bars, and frame brace. Huge improvement in handling.

Your reasons for getting the WRX were mine too. Needing to satisfy my sports car itch while having something practical for starting a family.

Congrats on your new toy!

 

get a re-flash dude, then it'll run like the original designers intended..best $700 you'll spend.

my 0.2 cents!!!

 

While I agree that a reflash is a great first mod...I think how it came from the factory IS how the original designers intended it.

 

more like it was ECU restricted to keep the law and insurance companies happy...and to give the motor a longer shelf life.

 

Longer shelf-life and reliability I can understand, but what do the law and insurance companies care if the motor is tuned to make more power or not. There are plenty of stronger motors out their in similar displacements (EVO) which are US emissions legal and insurance companies would just charge you a higher premium for the increased power. Not sure what that has do with Subaru's ECU design.

All car companies tune their cars with longevity and reliability in mind, that's why there is always a little more on tap with mild tuning. It's all a compromise.

 

Well, I don't want to mess with the warrenty on the drive train and it is my daily driver............although I have to admit that the down pipe and up pipes look very appealing considering how easy they look to swap out.

I'm sure at some point I will want to play with the reflashes and what not but for now, I just want to get the car handling how I want it.

One thing I will say about the car is that it is better than my initial post might seem to indicate. I wrote that the day I got the car. I went and drove it around right off the dealer lot. LIke I said, it felt floaty and vague.

I checked the tire pressure the next morning and found 51psi in the rr, and high 40s on all the other tires. I lowered the tire pressure to 34 front and 30 rear and the car handles a whole lot better now!!

 

See my original post for suggestions on that. Sway bars and strut braces will do wonders for handling, not to mention better wheel/tire combos. Suspension was my first mods. It's best you learn the stock power first anyway and decide which improvements are right for your driving style.

Good luck!

 

I did read your post and thanks. I will probably start with a rear bar since it's so cheap and probably effects the handling a good bit. Then maybe wheels. I just can't stop staring at the big flared fenders with those little wheels inside them. This car just screams out for bigger wheels.