WRX

[Brent Ellzey]

> From: julianh@alchemysemi.com
-snip-
> The WRX sport is a little more understated, no fender flares and its a
wagon,
> they are also cheaper than the sedan and only weigh 70-80 lbs more.  With
> all the space and good power she makes a great city car.

Yeah, the 5-door is a definite sleeper with some real potential for fun.
Besides, _any_ car with a functional hood scoop has got to be majorly
cool!...sorry, my redneck-recessive gene kicked in ;-)

-snip-
> I haven't done any real testing but SOTP and just driving around town the
> stock WRX pulls hard initially but once going she doesn't feel as
> impressive.

Agreed: I wouldn't call a stock WRX "fast"...more like "quick" when kept in
the 3.5krpm to 6k rpm range.

> From 5-70mph she can drop the SE(stock), barely crawl from the SE-R(int,
> exh, & header) and gets walked by the NX (T28 DE). Handling is better
> than the SE-R and NX (only strutbars & tires) but doesn't feel as
> confident as the SE. The lighter Nissans also have better braking than the
> 3165 lb Subaru.

'tis hard to compare modded vs. stock or modded vs. modded vehicles, but...
My '93 SE-R(stock springs, rims, Yoko AVS int's, GAB struts, & ST swaybars)
turns in a bit quicker and is easily more "tossable" through the twisties
than the stock WRX.  And there's nothing quite like the SR20DE...  However,
on the (crappy) roads in Northern AZ, the WRX stays much more composed and
driver friendly.  Likely due to the very stiff chassis combined with long &
relatively soft springs(?8.5 inch suspension travel w/ ~110lb
springs)...easily enhanced w/ some Tein, Cusco, or DMS(my preference)
coilovers.  Another real limiter on the WRX's handling is the POS
Bridgestone RE-92 tires the factory shod the car with.  I'm working on
wearing them out ASAP: over 3k miles of asphalt, dirt, gravel, and snow on
them in just over 2 months :-)

Brent.