hey all
just started driving my 04 wrx today

just wondering. when your pushing your luck on the bends or roundabout
what normally happens in your car?

 

Fast turn in / going in too hot will typically give understeer.

Slower in and booting it out will get the back to step out, though this is unlikely on a stock WRX on good tarmac. Poor tyres or a wet/loose surface would be required.

Why not find a private road, book up a track taster or skidpan session and explore the limits of your car there?

 

that sounds like a plan! the back end seemed slippy when it hit boost coming off the roundabout. boost is quite violent in 2nd!

 

The diffs on the car (front, center and rear) allow for some play and then lock up. It will take a while to get used to how they operate and what to expect. Once you are on top of it, then it is very predictable and the grip is amazing! Just remember, four wheel drive grips and accelerates twice as well as two wheel drive on poor surfaces, but still only stops as fast as two wheel drive....

 

The answer depends entirely on your driving style, road conditon, car condition etc.

The worrying thing is that you have just started driving it and are already pushing the limits. Can I suggest that you take some time to get used to how the WRX handles first and then start to explore the limits gradually (not on busy road obviously).

It is just a car at the end of the day and the bit that makes the difference is the gooey, fleshy thing in the driver's seat.

 

I think the most noticeable thing about all subarus except the type r is the chronic understeer and vague steering, i've solved a lot of it with polly bushes and camber bolts but it still requires a little more attention in the form of some castor and maybe some firmer springs, I don't want to fit coilovers.

 

To get mine (05 STi) bang on I have fitted:
- Tein Monoflex full coil overs to increase stiffness, caster and reduce the ride height
- Front and rear anti roll bars with up-rated rear mounts
- Poly bushes all round.

 

i generaly push it round roundabouts where theres a whole lane to drift into when something gose and once iv found the limit i back off.
i rarely push cars through bends in the back lanes for example i dont push my astra and thats easy to drive and iv been driving astras for over 3 years.
i hate driving cars without knowing the limits. makes me very nervous all the time lol

 

how do you acheave caster on a impreza? you would have to move the top mount? no?

 

If you drive normally, there is no need to be scared when driving a wrx. I have got an 05 WRX and it feels very planted, especially since I have fitted wider Goodyear F1 tyres.

What tyres are you running. They make a world of difference depending on which brand you use.

 

currently bridgstones just abouve the limit as thats what came on it
iv got rainsport 2s in my garage ready to go on when i get a chance

yeah i just like to know where the limits are.
if im going round a bend slightly faster how do i know if im going round ant 50% or 90% traction limit? the car is pritty easy to drive and its not going to crash unless im doing something stupid. im confident in that now though because iv tested it.

 

Some from the top mounts and some from the bushes.

http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_..._number=KCA334

 

My backend wants to go at moderate speeds 30-40mph around large roundabouts and when it occasionally does it's nearly impossible to correct. It usually snakes.

 

If it's snaking or a tank slapper as I like to call it, then your over correcting, try and be a little less forceful, I know it's not easy when it takes you by surprise.

I am actually all for finding the limit of adhesion in a controlled/ responsible manner under the correct circumstances, much safer than tear arseing about without a clue of the limits of the car / driver only for it to all end up with a load of bent metal and broken glass.

I would also recommend driver training as one of the best modifications.

 

I get the same thing in the wet, I just keep the front end aiming we're I want it to go, ease off the go pedal then back on it, usually kicks back into line.

Obviously you're going to fast on public roads if your getting under/over steer.

It is good to see how the car reacts and how you go about correcting things for emergencys though I think.

 

Some of these are on my list of next mods.

https://www.scoobynet.com/driving-dy...mount-kit.html

Cheaper than an anti-lift kit and achieves the same thing along with a little more adjustment in other areas.

A good geometry set up is essential along with decent rubber.

 

The biggest single influence on making a car go fast is......confidence.

Start off easy and learn the parameters of your car, then as you get to know the car, you'll go faster and faster.

If you're already getting lots of oversteer/understeer, just back off a little until you've got to know each other a little better!

Overteer/understeer are not big issues and good drivers anticipate their onset to drive the car faster. Its when they arrive suddenly and unexpectedly that you find your self in a ditch.

 

Your back end or the car's...


I do know what you are talking about and I attribute it to the soft / floppy standard suspension and anti roll bars. Bad on a STi, worse on a WRX. Once weight transfers in a corner and it becomes unmanageable (i.e. you don't catch it just right), it is like pushing one of those chairs on a spring that you find in a playground. Flip flop flip flop. Anti roll bars are great bang for buck and a cheap/quick fit to address some of this wallow.

 

Sorry mr Wacpo, but confidence has bugger all to do with being quick.

A well set up car with good rubber and an experienced driver that KNOWS what he is doing is the only way forward.

Anything else will ultimately end in tears.

Power is nothing without control.

Although I do agree with taking it easy at first.

 

I second that along with correct tyre pressures....