365

I just picked up my MY03 UK STi with TSL 333 conversion, Prodrive springs and 18" PFF7's and I know I'm preaching to the converted but WOW! what a piece of kit, does it go. Problem is the car doesn't feel comfortable being driven 'normally' - it sounds like it's running on three cylinders - and I wondered how hard people push their cars and just how much the engine and drive train can take, I suppose what I mean is are they indestructable or can they only take so much.

C2forWRX

look after your car and your car will look after you!

PAUL CRAFTS

Go out and put new oil in if not allready done,make sure car is sound. Oil is life blood of engine, then get in and boot the *** off her DONT FORGET WHY U GOT THE CAR?:ENJOY

flat4_ire

i always say this but its sound advice, let it warm up and cool down properly, put the proper oil etc in, and give her as much as u can, dats what they are made for

Pete Warburton

I have an 04 STI8 and have just come back from the WRC in Germany. Belive me there take so much stick you wouldnt belive. Chasing Petter every morning for 30 miles to service at speeds i wouldnt like to post.

Wannabe

im the same as you 365.

Ive got the same spec car as you and im scared to boot it too much, i always let i warm/cool down etc and service it reg but number 3 went on my old MY98 type R scooby and cost me a bomb to fix, i pritty much no how it went like the bloke i bought it off didt have water in it for weeks and melted the cylinder but i just dont want anything to go wrong with this car so try not to boot it too much which i silly really,
it will just have to prove me wrong i hope i hope.

Sy

JTaylor

I'd echo pretty much everything that's been said above. Look after it: warm it up and down, regular oil changes with the correct, good quality oil and then drive the **** of the thing. Happy driving buddy and welcome to the club

dij

echo all the above +use high octane fuel,get a knock link,make sure the maf sensor is working correctly,dont keep bouncing off the rev limiter,dont hold it at 3 figure speeds for too long,and make sure your warranty will cover you if there is an unlikely failure....oh and perform the **** OIL CHANGE procedure to ensure it dosent get premature wear on the crank........other than all that theyre very long lasting engines (supposedely)

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Hi,

Congratulations on your purchase! It really shouldnt sound like its running on three cylinders!! Take it to a specialist and treat it to an interim and a good look over to make sure you start your time with the car on the right note.

Here -IMHO- are the rules for a long and happy life with your scooby:

1) Warm up and cool down the car properly. That means NOT ragging it until the oil is up to temp (this can take up to 10 miles of driving) do not use the water temp guage as a guide! After you've given it some beans or been on the motorway, leave it running for a couple of minutes before switching it off.

2) Don't scrimp on petrol and oil. It's a performance car and wants the good stuff; it'll be happier and so will you. Use SUL (Optimax is highly regarded on here) and a fully synthetic oil of the right grade: Motul, Silkolene Pro S and Millers are all well regarded on here.

3) Drive it with mechanical sympathy. Enjoy it by all means, drive it hard by all means, but treat it with respect. If you dump the clutch, bounce it off the rev limiter all the time etc.... you can expect the bills to come rolling in.

4) Research any mods you intend to do to the car carefully- don't take cheap short cuts. Since your car has the TSL 333 package, you should consult them before making any changes.... not that I'd imagine you'd want to anytime soon!

5) Get it serviced by specialists ON TIME! Maintenence is critical with std Scoobies, even more so with tuned examples.

If you treat the car well, you can expect few problems - well maintained scoobies, by and large are tough.

All the best,

NS04

365

Thanks everyone, I'm still babying it, the car's just had a service and I've been warming it up and cooling it down etc.. The hardest it's been driven was I was taking it to the beep which I thought was 5750 but I watched it today and it's actually 6500. I've been out in it today and I still can't stop smiling but I've noticed two things ...

Everyone wants to race you although I have this smug feeling that I don't have anything to prove so I got a lot of satisfaction watching lads on Clio's and Saxo's trying the hardest knowing that I'm playing with them and the cars just past ticking over, the best one was a bloke in an H reg Omega showing me how he could beat me from the lights, priceless

The other thing is a lot of fella's inparticular have what looks like hatred in their eyes. I'm thirty-eight, I don't drive around like an idiot and I dress my age but I pulled on a petrol forecourt today and you could see a few looking as though to say look at that w*nker, it doesn't bother me but I can understand how a couple of you lads have said people have done things to your car out of spite.

Other things that I've noticed today are a knock on the rear and a slight clunking on right lock, any ideas? The cars got the TSL kit but I presume the warranty on running gear shouldn't be affected by an engine mod?

365

Sy, I'm the type of person that shouldn't have a car like this because I listen for every little noise and I'm almost waiting for something to go wrong. I think part of it's because the thing just picks it's heals up and goes and I can't belive a car can go like this AND last. I suppose time will tell but in the meantime, I think there's plent of good advice for us here.

It's the best thing I've done for a long time, it's made a thirty-eight year old bloke who was getting decidely dull feel fifteen years younger. I have a seventeen year old son who just passed his test a few months back, you should have seen his face when I came home with it, it was a picture and he thinks his dad's cool

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Were these not called Carltons on that reg

365

Could have been, it was a Vauxhall and bigger than a Vectra. He was off from the lights like a two-bob rocket, he pulled out a decent gap between us and then backed right off as though to say, there you go I just kicked your ***, like I say it was priceless, it no doubt made his day and mine as well

p1doc

prob ex police senator 3.0 24v not bad in its day
greetings from fellow 333 owner
martin