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Somewhat Hairy Ape posted:What sort of gas mileage are people getting on the 09-11 WRXs? Gas is $4.30/g or so right now for premium, so I just paid $59.60 to fill my tank, and it lasts me about 250 miles (I typically re-fuel just as the light comes on).
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May 2, 2011 22:23
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Somewhat Hairy Ape posted:What sort of gas mileage are people getting on the 09-11 WRXs? I too get somewhere between 18-25mpg on a 2011, and it is so frustrating when I drive 100 easy freeway miles on cruise, no AC, no boost passing or fun onramps, and I get 22. I just need a whiff of evidence that a stage 1 reflash will get me better mileage and I'll throw down for an accessport. Also, I know a guy with a 400hp '09 WRX and he regularly gets 30+mpg on freeway trips if he doesn't use any boost. Maybe I can justify a new turbo and supporting mods as economy features
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May 2, 2011 23:02
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Amandyke posted:These? Yes those. Your 2nd pic is the cylinder head against the timing cover? I doubt you're seeing a leak there.
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May 2, 2011 23:19
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superdylan posted:Also, I know a guy with a 400hp '09 WRX and he regularly gets 30+mpg on freeway trips if he doesn't use any boost. Maybe I can justify a new turbo and supporting mods as economy features Ha. Cmon now... all those mods to SAVE money? I can get 30mpg in my WRX too if I go 60mph and stay out of boost/etc. But why? You bought a high performance car so you'd get high performance, not fuel economy. The 'savings' you'd see while taking it super easy would take forever to equal what you spent in parts and defeats the purpose of owning a WRX. I get 16-18mpg with mostly city driving and I shrug and keep on filling it up. That being said.. get the reflash. It's worth it.
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May 2, 2011 23:21
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jamal posted:and here's those broken gears 
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May 2, 2011 23:31
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jamal posted:the new gears and the good parts from the transmission are getting treated for extra strength. What all is involved in doing that? Chemical bath? Radiation? Some kind of voodoo priestess?
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May 2, 2011 23:41
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Amandyke posted:What all is involved in doing that? Chemical bath? Radiation? Some kind of voodoo priestess? God knows the subaru 5-speed needs help, even if it is voodoo.
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May 2, 2011 23:43
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Amandyke posted:What all is involved in doing that? Chemical bath? Radiation? Some kind of voodoo priestess? Heat Treating, correct?
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May 2, 2011 23:49
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I saw 26-27 mpg in a 2011 before a tune and now 24 after, with 99% highway cruising. It's worth it, though.
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May 3, 2011 00:09
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voodoo magic I think. there are a couple of things you can do to the gears- cryo treating, shot peening, rem ISF, and WPC. You can also do all or one or some combination of them. ISF is basically polishing the gears to a smooth, mirror-like finish to reduce stress concentrations. WPC is more like shot-peening but with very fine media to harden the surface of the gears and it also has a slight polishing effect. They'll be done thursday morning at the latest and I'll take a nice high-res comparison picture. isf info: http://remsuperfinish.com/rem/rem_benefits.html wpc info: http://www.wpctreatment.com/ I was originally going to send them over to rallispec for ISF treatment but there's about 8 days of shipping time involved with that. Then I remembered that guys like Mike Kojima and Factor X motorsports swear by the WPC process and looked them up. Turns out they are about 2 miles away from our shop and I went and dropped everything off today in person. If someone really wanted to, they could cryo-treat, ISF finish, and WPC treated gears, but that just seems like a lot of excessive turd polishing. jamal fucked around with this message at 01:29 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 01:00
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Just posting to report that I installed Koni adjustable strut inserts and Epic springs on my '05 LGT wagon this weekend, and it is absolutely perfect for a DD. I was nervous about getting individual springs/struts a few years ago so I bought used Megan coilovers and I'm so glad to be rid of those cheap pieces of poo poo. All the adjustability in the world can't compensate for low-quality hardware. This was the biggest project I've done yet on the car and I was surprised at how easy it was. I did misuse my torque wrench once and snapped a bolt on the top hat, so I drilled it out and used a spare bolt/nut - no clunks so far so I'm hoping for the best.
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May 3, 2011 01:22
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I'm thinking about buying a 2003-2007 WRX wagon this summer, budget is around 15k. What are the most pertinent signs of abuse to look out for? Assuming I get one that's not clapped out and under 100k miles, what sort of cost of ownership am I looking at over the next 4 years or so?
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May 3, 2011 04:25
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an audible groan posted:I'm thinking about buying a 2003-2007 WRX wagon this summer, budget is around 15k. What are the most pertinent signs of abuse to look out for? Assuming I get one that's not clapped out and under 100k miles, what sort of cost of ownership am I looking at over the next 4 years or so? 15k you could get an older STI (04-05). Any particular reason you're looking at the wagon?
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May 3, 2011 07:14
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I've been running E85 again recently since the price doesn't jump quite as quickly as gas, so I still save a few cents per mile despite the 3-4 mpg decrease. Filling up more often sucks (especially with very few stations nearby that have it), but the extra 30ft-lbs of torque sure is nice.
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May 3, 2011 11:28
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Greetings. I haven't posted in this thread for a long time. I've got an 02 wrx wagon that just cracked 180k on the odometer. I'm the original owner, and all the miles are mine. It's been clunkier and clunkier over bumps and concrete seams lately, so me and a friend pulled the wheels off and gave the suspension a good look-see. Both rear struts are soaked in their own filth and hydraulic fluid, the endlinks are shot all around, the strut mounts are beat, and while the ball joints aren't noticably dead, it can't be far around the corner. So I've decided to embark on a springtime campaign of suspension love to begin my 9th summer with the car. I'm also going to replace the exhaust from the headers on back. I'm considering the Grimmspeed catless uppipe, Cobb catted downpipe, and Borla Hush cat-back. Last step is going to be digging out my accessport and loading the AP stage 2 maps. So far I've picked up an Energy Suspension master poly bushing kit, Kartboy endlinks all around, and new ball joints. I also figured what the hell, and grabbed some Whiteline 22mm sways for the front and back. The plan is to get everything, and spend a weekend doing all the work in my friend's garage. I have a few questions, though. I'm going to pick up struts and mounts this week. How do you guys feel about SensaTracs and their accompanying mounts? I'm not really looking for an upgrade in the strut/spring department, but I haven't seen the condition of the stock springs yet. None of them are broken, but are springs something I should consider at this mileage? I've heard that WRX's don't like being lowered, and I'm not determined to do so, but it would look pretty nice to even out the wheel gap at least. Anybody have any experience with the SPT springs? Also, with the whiteline sway bars, am I going to need to change the mounts, or will the 22mm bars mount to the stock hardware? It looks to me like the bars come with poly bushings, but I don't see any new mounting hardware. Should I consider a pair of strut bars as well? Lastly, if there are any "while-you're-at-its" that I've overlooked, let me know. I love this car as much as the day I got it, and would love to drive it for another 180k.
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May 3, 2011 16:32
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dphi posted:I've been running E85 again recently since the price doesn't jump quite as quickly as gas, so I still save a few cents per mile despite the 3-4 mpg decrease. Filling up more often sucks (especially with very few stations nearby that have it), but the extra 30ft-lbs of torque sure is nice. Only 30?
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May 3, 2011 16:41
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Somewhat Hairy Ape posted:I'm considering the train option, but I think it would cost about $40 round trip (even with the monthly discount). $40 round trip, like per work day? Jebus. superdylan posted:I too get somewhere between 18-25mpg on a 2011, and it is so frustrating when I drive 100 easy freeway miles on cruise, no AC, no boost passing or fun onramps, and I get 22. I just need a whiff of evidence that a stage 1 reflash will get me better mileage and I'll throw down for an accessport. With stage 1 flash there was no difference in economy on my 09. It does make the car much more responsive. I haven't bothered trying the econ map. Tremblay fucked around with this message at 17:14 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 17:11
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 Misfires seem to follow me around. My '03 Impreza TS has been throwing a CEL with a misfire code for cylinders 1 and 2. The engine has definitely been a little more shaky and rumbly than usual but nowhere near the horror that I had back when I had a similar issue on a Mazda. And thank whatever powers there are I haven't been stalling out. Yet. Ordered a new sparkplug wire set, so we'll start from there. Also in a few weeks I think I'll be pulling the engine to do a general overhaul. The car needs a new clutch, probably all the gaskets done, timing belt, water pump, re-fluilding, anything I'm missing here?
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May 3, 2011 18:07
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Tremblay posted:$40 round trip, like per work day? Jebus. Yup, Amtrak is the only option for public transportation.
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May 3, 2011 19:04
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Somewhat Hairy Ape posted:Yup, Amtrak is the only option for public transportation. Conn down to NYC or ? That blows  .
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May 3, 2011 19:26
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Computer Opponent posted:So far I've picked up an Energy Suspension master poly bushing kit, Kartboy endlinks all around, and new ball joints. I also figured what the hell, and grabbed some Whiteline 22mm sways for the front and back. The plan is to get everything, and spend a weekend doing all the work in my friend's garage. Why did you buy a full poly bushing kit? That's gonna make a good bit of noise/etc on a daily driven car. I kind of regret doing it in my miata... glad my WRX is still rubber.
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May 3, 2011 19:29
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Somewhat Hairy Ape posted:Yup, Amtrak is the only option for public transportation. Amtrak has monthly passes for most routes.
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May 3, 2011 19:33
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Amandyke posted:Only 30? Yeah, pretty standard gain for stock injectors and fuel pump, which I'll be upgrading in the very near future.
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May 3, 2011 19:56
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dphi posted:Yeah, pretty standard gain for stock injectors and fuel pump, which I'll be upgrading in the very near future. Ah that's right e85 does love getting dumped into the cylinders.
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May 3, 2011 20:05
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Blaise posted:Why did you buy a full poly bushing kit? That's gonna make a good bit of noise/etc on a daily driven car. I kind of regret doing it in my miata... glad my WRX is still rubber. Got it on a recommendation from a friend. Is it that bad?
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May 3, 2011 20:43
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Amandyke posted:15k you could get an older STI (04-05). Any particular reason you're looking at the wagon? I thought STIs of that age were still 20k+. drat. I assumed WRXes would get better mileage/ break less often, and I want the extra room of a wagon (plus dig the way they look) but I just pulled up a search in autotrader and I certainly could swing an STI if my stars align just right. Wow.
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May 3, 2011 20:45
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an audible groan posted:I thought STIs of that age were still 20k+. drat. I assumed WRXes would get better mileage/ break less often, and I want the extra room of a wagon (plus dig the way they look) but I just pulled up a search in autotrader and I certainly could swing an STI if my stars align just right. Wow. Look up to see what 5-speeds do.
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May 3, 2011 20:51
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That photo makes a very convincing argument indeed.
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May 3, 2011 21:05
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Better transmission, diffs, hubs, brakes. My friend just picked up an 06 for 20k that has never been modded.
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May 3, 2011 21:12
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jamal posted:Better transmission, diffs, hubs, brakes. My friend just picked up an 06 for 20k that has never been modded. Is what you want if you can find it. Lots of chuckle head ricers love to do terrible things to our cars. Full catless 3" exhaust without a tune? HELL YES! Cut tein springs on stock struts? YOU BET YOUR rear end! Aftermarket BOV's, intakes and intercoolers without a tune? SIGN ME UP! And lets not forget those 5k rpm clutch dumps in first from a stand still!
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May 3, 2011 21:17
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Amandyke posted:Is what you want if you can find it. Lots of chuckle head ricers love to do terrible things to our cars. Full catless 3" exhaust without a tune? HELL YES! Cut tein springs on stock struts? YOU BET YOUR rear end! Aftermarket BOV's, intakes and intercoolers without a tune? SIGN ME UP! Are there any big glaring red flags to look for in specific? I generally stop reading an ad when it mentions bigger mods than a Cobb tune or something, but what else do I want to look for when I test drive? It doesn't help that my current car (which I learned on) has a 90% shot clutch and really loose shifter so most modern cars feel strange to me anyway.
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May 3, 2011 21:22
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an audible groan posted:Are there any big glaring red flags to look for in specific? I generally stop reading an ad when it mentions bigger mods than a Cobb tune or something, but what else do I want to look for when I test drive? It doesn't help that my current car (which I learned on) has a 90% shot clutch and really loose shifter so most modern cars feel strange to me anyway. But you should definitely look for ill-fitting body panels, bad paint, inexplicable huge exhausts, tacky interior trim or blow-off valve noise. If there's any part that doesn't look stock, point to it and ask about it.
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May 3, 2011 21:28
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an audible groan posted:Are there any big glaring red flags to look for in specific? I generally stop reading an ad when it mentions bigger mods than a Cobb tune or something, but what else do I want to look for when I test drive? It doesn't help that my current car (which I learned on) has a 90% shot clutch and really loose shifter so most modern cars feel strange to me anyway. I'm sure Jamal can give you a tome full of checklists to go over. But off the top of my head: 1) Check maintenance records if available 2) Check wheel wells for tire rubber 3) Check engine bay for wet spots 4) Get under the car and look for wet spots 5) Check CV joints 6) Check the axles, do any of them look newer/cleaner than the others? 7) Ask when the last oil change was done. After you know, check the oil to see if it's color and level are consistent with the answer. 8) Check all fluid's for level, color, etc. 9) On the test drive do slow circles both left and right at full steering lock to check for differential binding
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May 3, 2011 21:30
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the heatshields over the turbo are a dead giveaway. To install an aftermarket downpipe we cut off part of the upper heatshield and the lower one usually goes in the trash. It's pretty rare for someone to fully replace them with all the bolts. other than that HAVE A LEAKDOWN TEST DONE, get the service history, check obvious stuff like tires, brakes, cv joints etc.
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May 3, 2011 21:33
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Awesome, thanks a lot. How much do most places charge for a leakdown?
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May 3, 2011 21:59
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I'm pretty certain at this point I have the only 100% stock WRB 2002 WRX.
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May 3, 2011 22:31
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how many times has it been crashed 
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May 3, 2011 22:35
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bull3964 posted:I'm pretty certain at this point I have the only 100% stock WRB 2002 WRX.
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May 3, 2011 22:40
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CharlesM posted:how many times has it been crashed Been in 3 minor rear endings (rear bumper cover only) and it got caught in a hail storm when it was only 2 years old. That's it.
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May 3, 2011 22:50
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here's where nm's car gets parked while I wait for parts
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May 3, 2011 23:19
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