|
Subaru of America is basically the only division interested in motorsport IIRC and it's because loose surface racing in the US is an almost exclusively amateur affair that they can continue to gain marketing exposure from being active in. It is almost all privateers using chassis' from the heydey of Subaru rally (1st and 2nd gen Imprezas of various origins), the only people building current gen Imprezas into competition cars are Vermont Sports Car (which is SoA's "factory" team, like M-Sport in the UK) and some other very very wealthy privateers. No one wastes their money on them because, frankly, they suck and need loads of work to even be competitive with 15-25 year old chassis'. Even TEST Racing, Canada's biggest rally team, is still running and building only 3rd gens at the absolutely newest of chassis'. Now that R5 cars are coming in from Europe, I don't see Subaru being able to use constructor title winners in North America for advertising much longer, even despite being a big fish in a very small pond when it comes to the rally arena. You might find 1 or 2 Subaru's still on the rolls of entry lists of 100-200+ cars in basically the rest of the world outside NA. Even the venerable Evo/WRC Lancer is more common. Anyway this is me mostly lamenting Subaru clinging to those glory days despite having no real motivation or appetite to back up their advertising. Seeing a big heavy stupid crossover looking WRX with a gigantic touch screen still called a "rally car" pains me. e: net work error posted:They're also pretty active in Japan rally but I don't believe they have a "factory" effort there like in the US. Maybe they do? I will concede that Toshi Arai is trying really hard to keep Subaru Impreza rally alive in Japan hot cocoa on the couch fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Sep 13, 2021 |
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 18:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 23:30 |
|
|
net work error posted:They're also pretty active in Japan rally but I don't believe they have a "factory" effort there like in the US. Maybe they do? They are official sponsors/partners with VT sports car. https://www.subaru.com/why-subaru/partnerships/vermont-sportscar.html I know World Rally dropped their minimum car size requirement in 2011, and dropped the maximum engine displacement to 1.6L. This pretty much means a car like a Yaris, Fiesta, or other tiny thing is a necessity, and a 1.6L Impreza would be too big to be competitive. For 2022, a hybrid power train is required and only two engines per season are allowed (“to limit costs”  )I’m having trouble finding a source but I read that up until this year, FIA World Rallycross required an inline engine. Also worth noting that Subaru have made a rally documentary series called Launch Control all about their US rally efforts. So I guess they really kept trying to be competitive in rally where they could, but the FIA’s rules have been quite hard for Subaru to overcome for a return on the world stage after they dropped out after 08. Edit: and their street cars have become shittier and shittier rally cars. i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Sep 13, 2021 |
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 18:22
|
|
|
Given how lovely US roads are and how popular CUVs are, it feels like Subaru could really capture lightning in a bottle by building a durable go fast go anywhere car these days which would absolutely be true to rally heritage. That's one of the things I loved about my 2002. The ground clearance was decent. It felt rugged. The 16" wheels could take pothole hits all day long. But it could still go like stink. The modern ones don't engender any of that. They are just another modern fragile car and if I'm going to be forced to go down that route, I might as well get one that gives me everything I want. A slightly lowered crosstrek with a turbo engine, manual, and some measure of performance tuning in the suspension and steering would be a kickass car for sub $30k.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 18:38
|
|
|
It's my opinion that Mitsubishi deciding to stop making anything remotely interesting let Subaru get complacent with the WRX/STI. The best years of the WRX were when they were going head to head with the evo.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 18:43
|
|
|
I know there’s a few folks here that have the (now) previous gen WRX and I honestly think it’s a fantastic car. My biggest issue with it was that the stock tune did everything it could to stop you from having fun. An e-tune from MAP is all it takes to turn it into one of the best values I can think of for a perfect daily. That might be unacceptable for some, which is also fair.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 19:43
|
|
|
bull3964 posted:Given how lovely US roads are and how popular CUVs are, it feels like Subaru could really capture lightning in a bottle by building a durable go fast go anywhere car these days which would absolutely be true to rally heritage. I fully plan on rebuilding my bugeye wagon into a little overlander/camper. Sucks I have to make it myself, but that just means more opportunities for lumpy cams.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 20:40
|
|
|
AFewBricksShy posted:It's my opinion that Mitsubishi deciding to stop making anything remotely interesting let Subaru get complacent with the WRX/STI. The best years of the WRX were when they were going head to head with the evo. The world got a little bit worse every time a car from Need for Speed Underground 2 disappeared.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 20:41
|
|
|
My decision to rebuild my '05 LGT is looking better and better. It's had a new shortblock/rebuilt heads, new steering rack, new shocks and struts, new bushings in the front, new front axles, and a new radiator in the last 2 years. I need to catch some of the rust starting on the rear arches, and attempt to fix some of the awful paint on it. It's "only" got 228k on it, plenty of miles left to go.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 20:51
|
|
|
quote:fuji heavy industries absolute go-for-broke intent to beat the delta integrale on the stages with a ground-up design is what produced the impreza, The Impreza WRX was in fact no where near a ground up design - It took almost everything from the Liberty RS and stuffed it into a smaller but almost identical in concept chassis, by that time Toyota were the manufacturer to beat as Lancia had withdrawn the Delta - which without cubic dollars was uncompetitive. The Impreza WRX debuted halfway through the 1993 season when the Delta was well and truly going out the door. quote:You might find 1 or 2 Subaru's still on the rolls of entry lists of 100-200+ cars in basically the rest of the world outside NA No, older Subarus are still a very popular car outside of NA and will find more than a handful at events. New ones suck because the rear suspension is garbage and needs a huge amount of work that few rule books allow.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2021 21:49
|
|
|
Subaru should shift from rally to sports car racing since they actually have factory efforts in Super GT as well as the Nurburgring 24 hour race. Let's stop pretending the company still rallies and just go all in on sick road course suspension and stuff. A hot factory version of the BRZ would be cool and a more sports car WRX/STI would be cool to me, someone who will not be buying a new Subaru any time soon.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2021 01:20
|
|
|
net work error posted:Subaru should shift from rally to sports car racing since they actually have factory efforts in Super GT as well as the Nurburgring 24 hour race. Let's stop pretending the company still rallies and just go all in on sick road course suspension and stuff. My next car was going to be either the new brz or the new wrx, but I don't really like either of them. Luckily I've got another 3-5 years before my current BRZ starts to nickel and dime me to death (hopefully)
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2021 00:06
|
|
|
Got a 2019 Forester (certified with 66k miles on it, probably a bit of a rinse but the market is poo poo and we needed something) and are looking to ruggedize/winterize it for work use driving all over Maine this winter. First up, winter tires any recommended best values there? There's a chance it'll be parked outside for periods of this winter as well, below 0f wouldn't be unexpected, what in the ways of battery/engine block warming would be useful? Also for shopping things like more exterior lights, cargo nets, seat covers and so on is there a best outlet? I've never bothered with accessories before.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 14:28
|
|
|
You should have a block heater already, if not the oe one of the one to go with. Battery warmer is nice but not really needed. Winter tires, my go to have been Nokian Hakkapellita R3 SUV for the past few vehicles. They're a proper Nordic snow tire so they excel in deeper snow and ice, their dry grip is good too. Otherwise Blizzaks / X-ice are well regarded as well.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 15:09
|
|
|
I think the answer will depend on what you’re driving on. It doesn’t snow where I live, but I go skiing where it obviously snows. I wanted good wet and dry grip since most miles would be on that, even if it sacrificed a little snow and ice grip. I have Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and think they have given me exactly that, even without the snow/ice sacrifice if I do say so. I’m not sure if they’d be available in sizes for a Forster, though. I’d be concerned with hydroplaning on most winter tires, but again, I live somewhere that has wet winters, not snowy ones.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 15:40
|
|
|
“Where” is a big question since the job by definition involves going anywhere in Maine and that covers a pretty wide spectrum. So out of curiosity is their a $$$ option tire that’s just great at everything, or more realistically; just a value-level winter tire that’s a straight upgrade over the factory all seasons for the colder weather in general. For specifics to get anywhere at all I have to cover multiple 6* grades that aren’t always going to be plowed when I need to travel, and several dirt and gravel roads with lesser grades that are similarly not always plowed in a timely manner. Obviously if it’s ridiculous out I’m not going anywhere, but I’d like to feel safe and confident in as wide a margin as possible. Sextro fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Sep 23, 2021 |
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 18:12
|
|
|
Sounds like a good case for the Hakka's I recommended. They're perfectly good around plowed city streets, and excel on the types of roads you're talking about.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 18:23
|
|
|
dk2m posted:I know there’s a few folks here that have the (now) previous gen WRX and I honestly think it’s a fantastic car. My biggest issue with it was that the stock tune did everything it could to stop you from having fun. An e-tune from MAP is all it takes to turn it into one of the best values I can think of for a perfect daily. That might be unacceptable for some, which is also fair. Yeah I just got an access port for my '20 and put the Cobb 91 octane tune on it (I use Canadian 94 octane) and the throttle and boost remap have made it an absolute joy to drive compared to the OEM firmware. I can actually use first gear in parking lots now and don't jerk off the line from a stop and then have to instantly shift up to second. It's bizarre.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 19:33
|
|
|
Bajaha posted:You should have a block heater already, if not the oe one of the one to go with. Battery warmer is nice but not really needed. when a tire's name is in Finnish you know its that real uncut poo poo
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 20:52
|
|
|
I haven't had a chance to mount the Hakkas I got on clearance this spring yet, but I've got their "all-weather" tire, which is like an all-season but focused more on cold and snow than hot weather, it's severe weather rated like snow tires are. It's not as solid as I'm sure a dedicated winter tire would be but where I used to live you would get weeks of 70 degree weather during the winter and snow until May so having something that can survive both was important. Also I got them for $50 a tire which was nice because I was super broke at that job.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:10
|
|
|
I'm expecting winter to be a bitch up here at 7500ft. Enough of a bitch that I'm buying a new battery next month, she was struggling on me the other morning when it was just below freezing. I want a spare set of steelies to throw winters on but I'm not trying to pay $90 apiece at the goddamn junkyards around here. Probably just need to peruse craigslist and find a set of subaru wheels someone swapped off for aftermarket poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:21
|
|
|
You may want a battery tender if you're having trouble with batteries, you take short trips and it gets cold where you are. Noco even has a simple one thats designed to permanently install like a heater or something.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:41
|
|
|
I've been running an old set of WRX wheels on my '19 Impreza for winter, they've been great winter beaters. Also been running some cheap General Arctic Claws that I had studded because the hills I have to go up are steep enough and get icy enough that the normal X-Ice tires I had before would still lose traction sometimes. I also know a lot of people (who don't necessarily need to get up that hill in the middle of blizzards to respond to emergencies like I have too) who have really been liking the Micheline Crossclimate2s, they seem to be pretty darn good in the snow for an all-season.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:41
|
|
|
I really like the Pirelli sottozeros for the Pacific Northwest winters because they handle driving in the rain as well as snow and ice.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:50
|
|
|
hobbesmaster posted:You may want a battery tender if you're having trouble with batteries, you take short trips and it gets cold where you are. Noco even has a simple one thats designed to permanently install like a heater or something. It's a few year old autozone bargain battery in it now, so I think the bulk of the trouble is in its age and quality bracket. But a tender isn't something I'd thought about before, so I'm going to look at Noco's site in a minute. We have outlets outside our apartments here for this (and block heaters) purpose anyhow, might as well use it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:54
|
|
|
I've got a friend that lives way up in the mountains where it's cold as hell much of the year, he recommends the Optima sealed AGM batteries. I think the Red are the ones that work well enough for the conventional ICE cars, yellows I think are for hybrids but I might be wrong. I'm planning on getting one once my battery starts giving me trouble.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 21:56
|
|
|
Yeah an Optima is definitely an option. I haven't considered one much, but it would make more sense up here than down in the Springs. Thankfully everything I need is within walking distance, but I'm not trying to walk for groceries in the dead of winter up here. E: the 2 amp mountable Noco trickle charger is $40~ so that's definitely getting ordered. CRUSTY MINGE fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Sep 23, 2021 |
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2021 22:13
|
|
|
Do block heaters work? I have an IAG engine and needs to warm up before I can drive it in any temperature below 50°F.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 00:28
|
|
|
I've never used one but a couple people I know with diesel engines swear by them, they have similar issues starting at low temperatures.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 00:56
|
|
|
 Should I be worried about this? These tires are only 15k old I think. I've been rotating and the wear is even everywhere else. Wasabi the J fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Sep 24, 2021 |
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 03:30
|
|
|
Check toe alignment. Outer tread wear suggests the alignment of that tire is toe in.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 03:36
|
|
|
Wasabi the J posted:
How old are they in years? Those look dry. I do'nt like the cracking on the sides of the tread block. https://www.tireamerica.com/resource/tire-date-code
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 03:37
|
|
|
Motronic posted:How old are they in years? Those look dry. I do'nt like the cracking on the sides of the tread block. Installed January 2018 in Las Vegas. I'd have to look up the code for the manufacturer date.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 03:46
|
|
|
Bye jewbaru, see you in a couple weeks!
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2021 03:50
|
|
|
Anyone gently caress with Pirellis? ICE ZERO™ FR seem pretty good.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2021 15:15
|
|
|
If they're anything like other Pirellis, they're probably overpriced for the performance. I was never personally wowed by their selection
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2021 16:35
|
|
|
explains why I’m able to seemingly find them for $60-70 cheaper than msrp fairly easily.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2021 16:36
|
|
|
I've got them on my wife's Crosstrek, and have been happy with them for the last 2-3 years. At least as good as the Conti WinterContact SI on my Legacy, maybe a little better on icy stuff. She's got probably 12-15k on them over that time, and I expect I should be able to get easily another 3-4 years out of them.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2021 21:47
|
|
|
Rolo posted:
That almost makes me want a BMW Z3. Shooting brake when, Subaru?
|
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2021 10:35
|
|
|
Has anyone done a steering rack on a '90s Impreza? I assume Forester would be similar, maybe Legacy too. I got an inspection done because I figured I wanted to know about any ticking time bombs before I did the upcoming timing belt and apparently my power steering rack boot is ripped and leaking, which would explain the squealing under full lock when it's cold. It seems like dropping the crossmember would make it a lot easier, which does have an appeal considering that my current crossmember is tweaked on the left side by like 3mm, just enough to make doing anything with the control arm a huge pain in the rear end. I could drop the crossmember, install the whiteline crossmember bushings I've got, replace with a scrapyard crossmember from a car that was totaled for a non-collision reason (assuming I can find one), while also replacing the rack and pinion. I've also apparently got a couple rusty exhaust flanges although I don't remember where and I don't have the report handy right now. if it's in that area it would probably make the flanges a lot easier to replace to do them while the crossmember is down. I'm not sure how bad the tear is is, hopefully it can wait because I'm thinking the brakes and possibly timing belt are higher priority as long as it doesn't fail catastrophically. Does the boot contain the power steering fluid? I know I've seen a diagram of a rack and pinion before but I completely forget how it all goes together. If it does contain the PS fluid, is it antifreeze dangerous or oil dangerous? Initial googling suggests oil dangerous, but if it is leaking and it is highly hazardous I'll want to handle it ASAP. There's a lot of idiots around here that let their pets run free and I don't want a pet to lick my driveway and end up dead because its owner is an idiot.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2021 19:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 23:30 |
|
|
Which tpms tool do you need to jiggle the sensors correctly when the car is in learn mode for a ‘21 wrx? Is it any of the Dual Band units on amazon for ~30$ us ? Or do i have to get the 150$ bastard from tire rack with the mounted snows?
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2021 12:17
|
|
