This STI... The perfect "stock" car.

[BAC5.2]

So I have recently begun working at a local performance shop.

We deal with mostly Subaru's, doing anything you can imagine.

Today, one of our IT guys brought his STi in to find a "rattle". We're good friends with our IT guys, and I was glad to help track down the rattle.

If anyone has ever heard of SEL-GP, this particular STi belonged to SEL-GP, and was driven by some of the most incredible drivers in the country.

It's only a COBB Stage 2, and for suspension it's running a COBB front sway bar, KW Variant 2 Coilovers, and no rear sway bar.

It's the most perfect example of a "stock" car I've ever been in. If I were to buy a car tomorrow to never mod further, it would HAVE to be this exact car.

Driven by the previous owner, this car + 250lbs of passenger was easlily defeating the reknowned Lotus Elise. (The Elise was driven by someone who knew fairly well what they were doing). I'm sure the -4 degrees of Camber and 265 width Hoosier's didn't hurt either.

So I got to drive this thing today. The 2.5 is nice, and I was driving without going on-boost. I like that. Short shifts and off-boost. Makes for good gas mileage.

But when I cracked on it, lord. The way everything worked together, it was incredible. It would break out on the 1-2 shift, and want to slide forever if you let it. I was flat-shifting the hell out of it, and it was great. I think I got it to leave the ground over one bump, and it was butter on the way down. I dug it. Power delivery and drivability felt like stock (although stiffer in the suspension department), but it was nice. Just felt like some other monster under-hood. It was sweet.

So I just wanted to suggest this setup to someone. Find someone with money, tell them to buy this stuff, and tell them to let you drive it every once in a while.

It's really something unreal. Take that EVO MR. I've driven them, and even modded, they don't feel like this. Talk about sweet. Go Subaru! And I don't have to worry much about breaking the tranny (though I know where I can go if I do ).

[azn2nr]

no rear sway??? how did that upset or help the handling??? my friend drove a setup similar to this (victoracers instead of hoosiers), no sway bar and all and hated it (only ran no sway for 1 event). as of the end of the urscca season he was top 5 in sm. i get to drive the car next season, hopefully all season.

as for plain stock sti's do rule. got to drive one last event. bogged the launches because i didnt want to break the tranny, 3500 rpm launches are not enough.

edit. i must add that i was bothered by the quick steer rack. sounds odd but i was. just didnt feel kosher, with the wheel being smaller and the steer being quicker i found myslef making lots of mistakes, im sure ill get used to it but as a first time autox floging it got anoying

[Manarius]

STi for the win.

Seriously.

[skid542]

I got to test out my friend's 05 (had a chipped and suspension setup on a 328i previous) for a weekend after doing a little work on it for him, which was nice and well engineered. That weekend of driving, holy.... that car was the sweetest car I have ever driven, period. It had an amazing feel and there was never a point after boost that I felt I needed more power. And I didn't feel like I was on edge, the car just felt comfortable and homey being pushed. Such fond memories...

[BAC5.2]

It's all about setup. With a rear sway bar, the car would oversteer WAY to much. As of now, understeer is the bias, because the alignment specs are a lot different than "Race-Spec."

But there is absolutely no reason to have a rear sway bar. I beat the shit out of it, and it felt GREAT!

[wiscon_mark]

wow...

thanks for making me want one more!!!!

[azn2nr]

hrmmm. i think id rather have a car that oversteered more than one that pushed. seeing as the legacy pushes and i hate driving it in twisties...yeah oversteer it is

[BAC5.2]

It VIOLENTLY oversteers though. I drove it with the Cusco rear sway bar, and again with the stock rear sway bar.

When you have to counter steer in ANY off-throttle turn at more than 20mph, it stops being "cool". On-throttle oversteer was awful and the car would never want to go straight. Off-throttle, the car would feather out the rear CONSTANTLY, even making a normal circumstance turn at an intersection.

In race-alignment, without a rear sway bar, you could still rotate the car, and you could still get it to spin if you wanted to, but it was far more difficult. It err's now, more to neutral than any other Subaru I've ever driven. This second, only running -2 degrees of camber on the street, it tends to understeer a little, but you can combat that with slight lift.

I feel it's street-setting is exactly how a car should react to provide a margin for saftey in emergency situations, as well as being fun as getout when you really want to flog it. Your hard pressed to surpass it's traction limits without going shit-yourself-fast. You'd have to be stupid to try to take it to it's limits on anything but a race track or autocross, even in street trim.

But it does slide forever if you provoke it, and it's nice .

[Tleg93]

It sounds like a sweet ride. Take it for a 'test' drive on up here and let us taste it.

[BAC5.2]

Heh, Kirt said I could drive it whenever I wanted.... I wonder if he would let me borrow it for a weekend...

I do want to take it to the track. It's definately down for a high 12 second pass.

This new job makes me torn. I get 3 sets of keys thrown at me when I make coffee runs or runs to TurboXS. A Stage2 WRX with a straight cut 1-2, helical 3-4 gearbox, this STi if he's there, or any number of 350+whp STi's or WRX's whose owners want to show off.

[DLC]

I have heard that you either put 1) huge swaybars on both ends and light springs, or 2) heavy springs and light or no swaybars, for the best handling. Sounds like someone knew what they were doing when they put that one together.

[rallysam]

Cool! can I drive?

Oversteer is not the holy grail. One needs balance, grasshopper. That is the zen way.

Oh yeah, and getting your "stiffness" from springs instead of roll bars can be really nice, especially if you are driving on surfaces that are not glass smooth. It was clearly enough to give Phil the stiffness.

[Tleg93]

Cool! can I drive?

Oversteer is not the holy grail. One needs balance, grasshopper. That is the zen way.

Oh yeah, and getting your "stiffness" from springs instead of roll bars can be really nice, especially if you are driving on surfaces that are not glass smooth. It was clearly enough to give Phil the stiffness.

Yes, the stiffness is good, swaying bar bad. But I don't want the stiffness in my rear end. I like it just the way it is.

[BAC5.2]

Plus, KW's are perfectly capable of controlling very stiff springs. You couldn't do this with Tein's, I'm sure.

The fluid KW specs, is like baby-oil thin.

It did give me the stiffness. So much so, that I have queired medical insitiutions on the going rate for testicles in order to purchase and maintain a car like this. I've gotten no reply though .

[Tleg93]

Damn HMO's!!

[azn2nr]

see thats the thing though. on a bone ass stock sti off throtle it would push like a mother, if i hit a right hander high in second to the finish without flicking it and getting on the throtle i would just kill a bunch of cones. never spun it out, and i drove it on one of the slickest courses in the west. it always felt under control even with the tail out a little bit. ill have to get someone with another sti to try this and let me drive it tho, the one im getting into next season has large bars at each end and coilovers of i dont know which. we'll see how that goes.

[BAC5.2]

It's all about the suspension setup!

I don't know of another coilover that would be able to pull this off. JIC might be able to if they are valved correctly. Even the Element Tuning Time Attack car has sway bars.

This car will oversteer now. It will be violent and uncontrollable with a sway bar. The slightest touch of anything, and your backwards.

It also has the best ride I've ever been in. Solid and controlled. Like an M3, but faster, and handles better... and looks better...

The "down side" is the noise. The springs pop a lot. It's nothing bad or wrong, but you get constant "twang" noises at low speeds, or when sharply rebounding. It's the sound of the suspension doing exactly what it needs to though. The sound of progress. It's only annoying, because at least 4 people on my 2 mile first drive told me "your car is making a funny noise, is it broken?"

[tris91ricer]

But I don't want the stiffness in my rear end.

Some do, Scotty don't.
*giggles*