98prodrivewrs

Why do the type RA s handle so much better than other Imprezas can you buy the parts to make other Imprezas handle like them. Been reading a lot of comments about them always the same said about them so much grip etc. Do not know a lot about the type R A models, had not even heard of them until i found scoobynet( if i did know about them would have bought one)

chrisp

They are lighter and anything lighter will normally handle better. Mine has very hard sti suspension which is great for billard table flat roads but rough back roads can upset the car and give you a harsh and bumpy ride.

flat4_ire

ra's dont handle much better at all man, type r's handle just as good if not better, and a normal 4 dr sti with upgraded suspension will handle extremely well too,its all down to the money u got to spend

peachy wrx

according to japanese performance "one kilo saved off rolling road mass is actually equivalent to ten kilos"

Fred321

I read up on the RA, think they are about 100kg lighter than the wrx,

friend of mine has one, the accelaration is awesome, and there i no turbo lag...

Nice motors

chrisp

Some of the early seriously stripped out version were just over 1150kgs, most seem to be around 1200kgs (still stripped out). Mine has extra kit (ltd version) and sva docs said 1240kgs. Compare to close to 1300kgs for the standard wrx/sti.

Even with 1240kgs gives a healthy 250+bhp/ton

TopBanana

Mine was 1085kg on the SVA docs... 95 RA. (Soon for sale too )

chrisp

thats seriously light

Stiver3

I never thought that they were any better, they dont run any different suspesion to an Sti, so apart from them being a little lighter i cant see them handling miles better than, a type R or Sti as said....

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Classic type RA's are 30kg lighter than their equivelant version, ie they are around 1220kg, the new age type RA's are 120kg lighter due to some serious changes to the subframe, you wont find any factory RA lighter than about 30kg, and thats mainly because its stripped out.
Now for handling, some may have a different suspension set up, remember these are Race Altered, the type R isnt.

Tony

GC8

Not so; there is a 30 kilo difference but few of these base spec cars were produced: most had options fitted which ate away at much of the weight saving.

GC8

Seeing as Ive just agreed with Tony Im going to contradict him now... Classic Type-RA cars were the cheapest model in the WRX range and they were fitted with completely standard WRX struts. Japanese cars do have slightly firmer suspension to UK cars though.

Simon

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I did say may have
New age definately do have a different setup to the STi, different dampers and springs

Tony

chrisp

so why has mine got red/pink sti ones

GC8

I dont know where it got different struts from, and it doesnt look like you do either. What I do know is that it wasnt manufactured with them. Type-RA (standard as opposed to later limited production editions) cars had standard WRX struts; STI Type-RA cars had standard STI suspension.

Simon

GC8

True; the RA is a completely different proposition in New Age guise though; with the Type-RA being the top model in the range, rather than the entry model. We're talking about early Classics here though.....

Simon

chrisp

Car is an my00 wrx ra limited and had 12 miles on the clock when I drove it away. Untouched from the factory. TBH its a hybrid with some wrx and some sti bits and last of the classics, I guess they just threw loads of the best bits at them.

GC8

Thats sorted that out then.....

leonpoole

I thought that would be pretty obvious though. Your not going to pay more money for less car are you

RRH

the issue is torque split is it not?

there's where the major difference is between the R's and RA's and everything else; weight and suspension setup are side issues.

JTaylor

I won't dicuss the type-r - a brilliant but different car (DCCD).

I sometimes bang on about my RA being quick and handling brilliantly. RA - Race Altered means it was lightened a bit. I don't know what mine weighs but will be able to share this with you hopefully this week*. The reason I don't know is that mine has the full electric pack, ICE, side skirts, AC!!! All these things add weight however, Cusco suspension, TI exhaust, light weight rims, no spare and a can of tire weld claw some, all or more of this back.

These things plus the engine mods make my RA nothing of the sort. That's just what the plaque says. The alledged thinner glass, jap spec aluminium bonnet (fairly common) and lack of sound proofing are helpful additions but not all that relevant.

Whilst I've been looking at the V5 and V6 type RA variant i've found that there are so many spec differences that RA is just a name.

I'd wager that you could take a dozen STI RAs and the same amount of WRX RAs and drive them back to back (theoretically removing the visual clues) and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference (save the taller longer 5 gear available) and all of them would have different characterisitcs. I would also bet that, on average, they'd be quicker and better handling then non-RA variants.

I believe the reason people talk about their RAs being quick and handling well is because a) they do out of the box and b) the people who are attracted to the RA variant are likely to go down the performance modification route, throughout the life of the car, and hence their capabilities. IMHO of course.

*1260Kg with a full tank.

RRH

well put. a type RA (or Type R before I get flamed) will typically outperform a WRX, STi or UK car of a similar age. The majority of RA's did have many of the deleted options re-fitted, as it were, whch all adds to the weight as mentioned above.

what sets them ahead as a drivers car, IMHO of course, is the short gearing and torque split- the latter bringing about some rwd handling characteristics that inexperienced drivers may consider 'lairy'.

GC8

Leon; youd be surprised how many people think that the RA was a superior/more expensive model. Im sure that youve come across a lot of this 'knowledge' with your 27D.....

Simon

RRH

but it is far superior simon

simon

JTaylor

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=447809

FASTER MIKE!!

i think people think the ra's are superior is because the prices of the cars are usualy higher than the regular cars

doug2507

iTrader: (6)

I know. Who do these RA owners think they are kidding? Obviously the Type R is bigger, better and faster!!

GC8

The irony here being that the car was substantially cheaper when it was new; they sell for a similar amount to WRXs now, which is chuff all (in Japan).

Simon

JTaylor

Although not always, this would normally be because the spec is through the roof. People who bought RAs (predominantly in Japan, for eg only 13 out of 1000 WRX V6s were brought here originally and that was by default) ragged the **** off of them, modded them, re-built the engine to a higher spec etc. This is not the case with all obviously, but with many of them. You also get really nice seats which is worth the extra

leonpoole

Dont get me wrong RA's are usually quicker as standard because they tend to be basic and stripped of all the toys. But just because they are quicker doesnt make them better cars.
I hear what your saying simon as people think my car is something special because of its so called rareness (well the ones that belive its an RA anyway)