Had the STI for a week or so now and still pushing a little harder every day.
Today I had the chance to drive to my dealer in Cambridge via the back roads that I know particularly well. It was wet this mornig and the roads are typical bumpy back roads....you know the ones.
So far I have only really known the STI on wet roads....good old English weather eh...I have done a little dry stuff.
This morning the first piece of road I encountered was freshly re-surfaced and I thought firkin slippery....I dunno why new smooth road is like that....but it was fun doing slight four wheel drifts in 3rd and 4th gear ;)
I have to say that this car has amazing wet grip....more than I have ever experienced in any Subaru. Maybe some of it is the tyres (p Zer Nero) I dunno but it is very good. None of the old understeer unless you come into a roundabout or tight corner too late on the brakes and then try to speed up through it. You need to use the power and grip. I`m not very good at explaing really I would rather show you but beleive me its firking good.
Anyway I wont warble on cos I know its boring :)
I just reckon that everyone should have a go in one of these with decent tyres on and the PPP.
Very impressive tool.
See you at Bedford and I hope its wet.:)
PS now the o2 sensor is fitted and my boost guage works I just have to get that bogging rear knocking shock sorted out and those pesky lights and that lousey stereo!!!

A MUCH more settled package than the P1.
A lot less understeer and power that you can really translate into forward motion.

W9 GTR noted tonight when he had a blat that he reckons there`s a slight flat spot about 5000rpm....cant say I`ve noticed it.
4th gear a little notchy still.....gear ratios that are perfect and brakes that so far like to be hammered.
Can feel a nervous car on bumpy back raods with a slight torque steer feeling from the front but is ok when you get used to it.
I still think a lot of these will end up in the bushes tho....just hope its not me;)
Suretrack diffs take a little getting used too;)

[Edited by ARRON BIRD - 11/8/2002 10:10:21 PM]

Sorry John not ignoring you.
The two cars are so different its gonna need a big page.
Things that are immediately better and that I miss on the M3 are....
1. The sound system.
2. The quietness on longer journeys(I dont do these a lot)
3. The electric heated leather arm chairs ( altho I always felt that I was sitting too high in the M3)
4. The rear wheel steering and absurd power in the wet with the DSC off;)
5. The fantastic xenon headlights on dip and full beam(bi-xenon)
Thats probably it.
6. The satnav and Tv just a great gadget and in my job was a vital tool.....just have to use streetmap.co.uk now till I get the Smartnav system up and running if its any good????
Things I dont miss!!!
1. The looks I used to get in it were always flash bastad(which I am of course)
2. The £719 a month going out of my bank account every month and the actual cost of running one with depreciation and stuff taken into account.
3. The WOW factor......it IS the best car I have ever owned it was I guess just a bit too pollished for me....I like the rawness you get from an Impreza.
4. Having driven the STI down wet back roads I have to say I dont think the M3 would keep up....in the dry it probably would with the right driver but the DSC kicks in very early so in the wet I think no chance.
5. I always called it a "footballers" car as they all seem to have them and I hate football!!!!(and I dont get the footballers sallary either)
Dont forget I could have bought almost 2 STI`s for the cost of the last M3.
I get bored of cars pretty quick as it takes something really special to pull my string these days with four wheels. When you got one of the ultimate 2 wheeled toys in your garage and it only cost you £9000 new its hard to beat for me anyway.
Good luck on your choice.....oh and I missed that flat four noise ;)

[Edited by ARRON BIRD - 11/10/2002 10:02:01 AM]

Glad you are enjoying it :D I think it is the best Subaru ever. You have a very good point about the tyres as all the magazine tests have been on the oem's which are **** ;) I noticed and improvement when I put my 19's on and they are on Falkens which are a budget reange tyre!

I wonder what the S202 is like? (cue T5NYW on drool mode :D)With more power and better handling I bet its one hell of a car.

Arron

Great ain't it :D:D:D:D

Sammy,
naughty naughty mentioning an S202 :D LOL [Dreul mode off]

Tony

Arron

You hit the A14 east nr Cambridge most mornings?

Arron,

Praps you can help us out at Bedford then with some pace laps?

Need to follow some well driven cars to see what the Westie feels like at speed before we go for it :)

You up for that?

Hmm...I don't want to play the Devil's Advocate or anything but what sort of speed are you talking about going down back roads?

I've been pushing my STi7 down the backroads over here at around 160-180kmph (no-one around of course) and I have to agree that it handles great in the wet. Just one time/instance gave me cause for concern and that was when I was accelerating out of a roundabout(in the wet) and the back-end suddenly slid out for no apparent reason. Nothing dramatic but enough to put up a red flag.

How are you doing with heel and toe with the STi7? I've got the standard set up and for me, I'm finding it a bit difficult to complete the manoeuvre smoothly. I still get a bit of clutch burn now and again and find I over-rev it too much because I'm not getting on the gas as evenly as I could be...maybe pedal extensions would help (just thinking out loud). What do you think?

Okay
My STi 7 sitting on Faulkens too.. I can honestly say they are TDBs,agreed a budget tyre, but handling, grip, and looks, you cant Whack them!!

As for roundaboutssssssssssssssssss, I agree, coming from an STi 2 straight into a 7 Its tempting to say " well dont worry it will sort its self out" Nahhhhh
Ive done a few "Clang n ball" runs early on a Sunday morning as a few of you can veryfy..
Does my old 96n plate handle better than this 02 version
Guess what!!
Yep..
And who feels the same???????????????

Arron
Glad you are enjoying it:D

I told you it was the way to go:D

Give me a shout when you want your HID's fitted....;)

All
Now running mine on 18's and Toyos, and Carolyn's on 17" S03's, and an improvement on the OEM RE040's, but those aren't that bad for an OEM tyre.

How does it compare in the wet with the M3?

Puff no mate.

Craig no worries mate I`m up for it.

STI Frenchie I dont really have much of a chance to look at the speedo and no I dont find heel and toeing a problem at all but I have always done it so I guess it may be easier for me.


Dave waitin for a bit more cash to come my way and the price to go down a little more before I order the lights......plus I`ve got a lot on at work at the moment so theres no point them sitting there with me not being able to get over to you to fit them.
If they take American Express I`ll put em thro the firm and claim the VAT back. Dunno if thats possible.
Really want the car to pull cleanly right round to the red.......wann know why it has that strange hesitation thing going on around and after the 5000rpm mark.
Anyone else with PPP fitted found this problem????

Arron,
I did post that I had possible heat soak after a blat then a 40mph then blat for 2.9 miles twisties with and final 0.9mile straight.
These torque diff's love more Power :D but I agree need to be a bit canny at low speed and P*** poor road condition

Tony

Aaron - serious question - since I may buy either in future. Not wanting a flame war just your opinion :)

Arron

Mines hesitates quite badly, but around 3500 rpm and only when boost is over about 1 bar, mainly in 5/6 (most load I guess)

Not very happy, and it's being looked at next week , so watch this space.

John - I went from M3 (E46) to STI Uk and haven't regreted it. In fact I was a bit miffed that I'd spent lots of cash on an M3 only to have 3/4 of the fun when compared to the Impreza. For me, the only time I miss the M3 is on the motorway, but these days I hardly ever have to drive on motorways for longer than an hour.

Phil

Thanks. Also thinking of a second hand M5 which someone has already kindly depreciated to 50% for me :)

depreciation? ha ha! watch those sti 7 values drop like a wh0res knickers when the better looking revamp comes out.

saw an sti7 the other day. absurdly bright blue, huge wing, ugly headlights/styling, driven by some fat middle aged guy, nearly p1ssed myself laughing, looked ridiculous in a sad sort of way:(

glad your enjoying the scooby though, m3 is nice, but a hell of a lot of money really.
best of luck:)

Gents

I've had Toyo Proxes on mine for the last 5000 miles - and what a difference !!

It sorts the handling (wet & dry) problem. No more understeer, to the point that the rear end drifts out nicely.

Keep an eye out at Bedford.

5903

Hey Spudgun,
as a fat middle aged owner of a WR blue STi7 UK Prodrive (the one with the "Huge wing") I'd like to know whats so sad about me driving such a car ?

I know that according to some Scooby owners still wet behind the ears (mentioning no names), I should be driving around in a BMW 330d or Volvo S60 but who's to say that us more mature drivers should hide behind the acceptable face of boring conformity.

Scoobys are all about the "Grin Factor" and us more 'experienced' drivers like a grin as much as you youngsters. The way I figure it you may as well have a car that looks like what it is - fast and loud.

Don't feel sorry for the likes of me, after all at our age we can afford a new STi every 2 years regardless of depreciation and get insurance on it for next to nothing (comparatively speaking).

Who's for a Seniors forum where us "Wrinklys in Fuglys" can hang out ? ;)

Ian.

LOL

Interesting thread. I have had Toyo's on mine since new - arranged for the dealer to swap them for the RE040's. Drove it briefly on the Bridgestone OEMs and the main difference I would say is that the Toyo sidewalls feel softer. I am using the standard 17" gold wheels.

The grip levels I find v. good albeit that you have to be certain to accelerate properly through the corner, the car does not reward lazy driving and can feel rather skitish if you are not set properly into the corner. Has anyone used SO3's or Goodyear F1's and if so which do people feel is best for the Sti 7.

I am looking forward to getting my PPP which is due in the next two weeks given that Prodrive deliver it soon. Is any one else getting delays from their dealer on the PPP??

I've read a few threads that suggest the side wall of the Toyo's is soft. Does this mean there is a moment around initial turn-in where the car moves on the tyres before biting into the corner? If so I really hate that and as I'm gonna be changing tyres soon I wondered whether the SO3s did this as well?

Piers LoFi

Interesting.A couple of months ago there was a thread suggesting that the STi7 wet weather handling was inferior to the classic STi with lots of people agreeing(inc myself)

Totally agree with vfg about wet handling.

This car does not reward lazy driving. It will tend to understeer and sometimes understeer badly going round a roundabout (or a tight corner) whilst decelerating but set the car up properly and start to power just before turn in and this understeer disappears. My MY98 used to be a bit like this when on PZeros. Then, I couldn't believe the improvement when I changed to Goodyear F1s and understeer really only occurred with aggressive cornering tactics. Still stuck with OEM Bridgestones on STi - can't wait 'til they wear out.

D.

LoFi

Yes - precisely as you describe - initial bite is slightly delayed and then it kicks in (if you have the power on!).

DJB So what might be the best choice F1's (I have no experience) or the S03's which Dave-TS rates in the wet but hasn't commented whether he would pick F1's or Toyo's over as a personal perference?

I haven't tried the F1's on the STi7, so can't comment.

We are now running 18" Toyos on mine, and 17" S03 on Carolyn's, and I think they are both very good, wet or dry:)

DJB, I'm in a similar situation. Waiting for the OEM tyres to wear out so I can get some decent ones fitted!

Am of to an airfield day on Thursday to try and encourage them a bit :)

Dave, can you confirm whether the S03s have less movement in the side wall than the Toyos?

Piers LoFi

I just hope my STI 03 handles as good when I pick it up.:D:D

Show off!!