pottsy

OK, I've owned a 1998 UK Turbo 2000 in the past.
Liked it but was not too impressed.
Got the chance of a 1998 imported STI Type R.
Apart from being the 2 door body what else is different compared to a UK Turbo the same age.
I know the Type R has the centre diff control but any other differences you know of would be appreciated.
Also, do you think this would impress me more?
My other option is an Evo IV.
Your views would be appreciated.
Thanks

scoobynutta555

about 70 bhp difference
sti has water spray
electric fold mirrors
pimp tints
66% rear 44% front drive ( feels very rear wheel drive)

Basically the two cars are totally different

The import will be a much much better car in every respect to the normal turbo, but you have to be a better driver to be able to get the most out of it.

Also with the stis lower gearing youll find fuel bills a headache especially if you go on motorways a lot.

pottsy

66% rear. Is that the minimum, maximum or normal bias?
Whats minimum/maximum?
Luckily it will be a 2nd car so will only be used for blatting about/track days.

pottsy

Also, did they do a WRX Type R as well as a WRX STI Type R.
I don't want to be had off

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

They did do a WRX type R but some of these didnt have the DCCD facility or most of the toys that the STi has

scoobynutta555

Its a perfect car for track days impreza wise.

HOUSEQUAKE

Other things you'll find on a STI Type R are: no ABS, Blueprinted engine, Group N Gearbox and carbon fibre strut brace.

Having had a UK spec, I'm now on my second Type R...it's ace!

If you are looking at an EVO and the spec difference, consider the later Type R (version 5 or 6) as these have the better rear brakes.

pottsy

Thanks for all the replies so far.
What about the centre diff?
What is the min/max front/rear split?
What is the standard setting?

peccy

the diff is active so it varies but in some circumstances... like this one http://www.peccy.co.uk/peccy/peccydonut.mpg

its 100% RWD action

S.B.

How are they different to the version 3&4?

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

and the more fragile MAF sensors

btw Brakes are the same on all versions from what ive seen to date,only differing things maybe the pads

greasemonkey

Hmmm, lot of incorrect info being given out on this thread, shall we try and clear it up before Pottsy gets too confused?

It's not really correct to claim that these cars have Group N gearboxes or blueprinted engines Housequake. The engines on roadgoing Type R's aren't blueprinted in the sense the word is normally used, they're assembled on a production line rather than being toleranced or handbuilt. As for the cars having "Group N" gearboxes, that doesn't in itself mean anything as by definition Group N boxes are supposed to be production based, while many modern Gp N cars will chuck the original gearkit away and replace it with a strengthened dog engagement replacement.

No, the centre diff on the standard STi 3/4/5/6 Type R's is not "active" (i.e. it has no way of adjusting itself in use), it's manually adjustable via the thumbwheel only. The only way to make it active/mappable is via a third party controller or programmable engine management system like the TEG/GEMS/Pectel/MoTeC ones.

Erm, not really it isn't. If you look at your doughnut video you will see that there is still drive going to the front axle.

lol, 66/44? If you'd said 66/33 you'd have been on the money

As the others have narrowly failed to tell you, the centre diff on these cars is called a DCCD (driver controlled centre diff). The diff itself has a 66:33 (or thereabouts) rear-biased torque split. It also has a driver controlled electromagnetic clutch which progressively stiffens and locks the front and rear axles together.

As mentioned above, in "open" mode (i.e. with the electromagnetics turned down), the car has roughly a 66:33 rear bias, with very little limited slip action through the centre diff. As you turn the controller wheel up, the centre diff stiffens, which has the effect of promoting more torque transfer to the front axle. When the centre diff is fully locked, you will get, in effect, equal torque bias to both axles, but this is not the same as the regular viscous centre diff, as the locked diff will not allow the axle speed to vary. This can promote straight line stability in a straight line on low traction surfaces, as well as under braking, but makes the car understeer markedly.

Normal wheel position for low speed/town driving and manoeuvering is the fully open position, as running with the diff "up" in these circumstances can cause all sorts of nasty noises , and doesn't really do the diff any good.

Main practical difference would be the need to run this car on a near equivalent of the 100 octane petrol it would be expecting in Japan, although this is obviously also an issue with the Mitsubishi you are considering.

Also bear in mind that the STi engines rev higher than the UK car you used to have, and that the gearing on the STI's is considerably shorter. This makes the STi's considerably more accelerative, but makes them noisier and even less economical than a UK car on the motorway. Again though this is a "feature" you would also have to cope with on the Evo.

16vmarc

Did your classmates hate you at school for knowing everything imo

wakeboardar

classic gm reply respect to the smartass

peccy

ok 99.9999999999999999998% RWD, the inner front is not moving, but the other obviously as to move to rotate the car?

pottsy

@ greasemonkey
Cheers mate, your answers all seem to make sense to me.
I didn't think the diff was active so that answer sorts my head out on that one.
Basically then Type R :
2 door
adjustable centre diff (manually adjustable but in the "normal" position runs 66% rear drive)
bigger brakes than a UK (bigger than a 4 door STI?)
280bhp??
short ratio box
strut brace
I/C spray
more fun than a UK

Did I miss anything?

What am I looking for to identify if its 3,4 or 5? What am I looking for to find out if its an STI and not just a WRX?

How much is it worth? Assume 40k miles (i don't know the mileage yet)

Thanks again for the help

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

WRX.CO.UK will have all the answers on most, if not all the variants of the jap import impreza and inculding the type r. for example a type r has:

























































hope this is of some help

peccy

pottsy, here some pics and full spec on my version 6 type R WRC Limited...

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=319648

16vmarc

Not 280bhp thats 280ps actually 276bhp lol

pottsy

scoo8y mad. Thanks, thats what I was looking for a run down of all the versions. Couldn't find it myself.
Everyone else thanks. I'll let you know if I get it, will take it for a drive and then maybe if I don't get that one I might find another.
How much are they worth?

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

According to a lot of FAQ type r is rated at 300ps-296 bhp and as completely standard (even with both cats) mine made 309 bhp on rollers so the performance of the engine clearly differs

andy-type r

iTrader: (1)

Plus you get HUGE doors, which are a pain to get out of in a tight space. Ha Ha

greasemonkey

Depends which "4 door STi" you are talking about. The V3/4/5/6 STi Type R's have 294mm vent four pot front brakes and 266 mm vent two pot rears.

In comparison, your MY98 UK car would have had 277mm vent two pot fronts and 266mm solid (IIRC, maybe vented) single pot rears.

Maybe a little bit more, all depends which version you go for, whether you're looking at a bog standard one or not, which rolling road you go to and so-on.

You've covered the important differences there. Poss worth mentioning that the "Limited" cars have slightly higher spec levels, and some have a slightly longer fifth gear (22mph/1000rpm instead of 19.8).

It should be sold specifically as an STi version 3, 4 or 5. Beyond that, the 1997 model year STi's are the version 3's, 1998MY are version 4, and 1999MY are version 5's. If the car was registered in 1998, it should thus be a 4 or a 5. Externally, the 5 has the high level two piece rear spoiler and MY99 "two slot" front bumper. The version 4

If it was sold as an STi you have a trades descriptions case against the seller if it isn't. In practice, the WRX Type R's don't have the DCCD, so that's the most obvious tell-tale, while the inlet manifold on the STi's is painted red (although this is something that can obviously be faked with a can of paint).

If you can find out what the applied model code is (on vehicle ID plate attached to driver's side suspension turret), you can cross-check with the list at www.sidc.co.uk/faq.

Piece of string question, would depend on whether you were talking about one that had been imported fresh from Japan or a car that had already been in the UK for a while. Standard cars also better buys than modified ones.

T-gro

So where does the other 1% go?

vindaloo

Apart from one mention of 100 octane no-one's mentioned it so....

If you go for this type-r, you'll have to feed it on at least optimax + octane booster (NF race seems to be a favourite). Or feed it on 100 octane fuel (where do you get that in the UK?). Or get a remap.

As you'd be trackdaying it, it'll get hotter and more bothered than otherwise. If I was doing it, I'd get a 97 octane remap, knocklink and oil temp/pressure gauges.

Other useful stuff to consider is that you'll get bored killing the brakes every outing. Brake upgrades to decent bell and disc systems cost from around £600 to say £1800ish. Then you gotta get them fitted.


No doubt more to come from the real experts.... I just spend too much time on this BBS.


J.

vindaloo

To the sponsors or was that the orphans?

greasemonkey

Lol, transmission loss T-Gro





It's slightly dodgy advertising for this mob to claim these cars come with "Group N gearboxes". As mentioned above, Gp N gearboxes are, by definition, production specification, so you could in fact make this claim of virtually any series production roadcar. On this basis you could claim that any Impreza comes with a Group N bodyshell, engine and braking system...

scoobynutta555

lol, 66/44? If you'd said 66/33 you'd have been on the money

ok ok lol, i did mean 66/34, thats what it says in my sti manual.

66/33 have you been reading my maths book? lol

pottsy

Thanks for all the info.
Basically I haven't had a good look at the car yet so I wanted to go armed with all the information I could. It was described as a Type R but I'm pretty sure it had an STI badge hence asking about WRX/WRX STI you see.
I'm hoping to have a look/drive later this week.
One last question - major problems? Same as any other Subaru?
MY98 - weren't they effected by piston slap issues or was that just UK ones?

greasemonkey

Care needed as former owners/vendors can always stick STi badges on in the appropriate locations. As stated above, DCCD is the biggest clue to an authentic one (the controller thumbwheel is next to the handbrake, and there's a diff setting display between the revcounter and the temp gauge in the instrument pack). When you get to look under the bonnet, also make sure that the Applied Model code stamped into the vehicle ID plate is GC8E2DD.

Not an expert on the slap issue but I think you'll find that it's less of an issue on the STi4 than it was on the UK cars and WRXes (which share the same basic engine). Do some additional research, or wait for further opinions before taking this as gospel tho.

As for "other problems", the main thing to bear in mind is the need to feed the car the 100+ octane fuel it expects. As with any other Impreza (especially an import), fitting a KnockLink, AFR meter and boost gauge would be worthwhile to try and make sure you get advance warning of any potentially serious problems before they cause damage.