i currently have a 02 wrx with no mods other than lowered suspension which vastly imroves the look and ride.
i am in the market to change the car to an sti on a 02 plate and have looked at a few without test driving any.
today i took one out for a test drive and was pleasantly surprised by the power of the car. the surge in power was quite aggressive and the gear changes came quickly. for around 50 bhp there was a very noticeable difference in power to a wrx and the suspension seemed very hard, which i can cope with. all in all i am impressed with the sti .
the dealer offered me 9k as part ex for mine which was a good price but the sti was not quite to my standard
what are these cars like with ppp or tsl 333?. barmy i bet

 

I had a MY00 wrx and test drove a MY53 sti.

I loved the extra power, but didn't like going up and down the box all the time. It seemed you were never quite in the right gear. Much prefer the wrx 5 speed box.

I loved the wrx suspension. Enough grip for everyday use and smooth as a babies bum. I thought the sti suspension was too hard for every day use.

Sti has looks to kill for, in comparison to the wrx.

I suppose it's down to personal preference, but if they could do an sti with softer suspension and a 5 speed box I am sure it would be a winner. I bet it would be even better with ppp or 333. Come on boys and girls, explain how the ppp improves the car. Is it the power, torque or what ?

Cheers,
Graeme.

 

I wouldn't go for the PPP on an 02 car as it will probably be the crude piggyback board version. As the car will now be out of warranty go for a sports exhaust , decats usually free up more power, an uprated fuel pump and a remap. I had a PPP sti but ended up replacing the PPP exhaust , removing the piggyback board from the ECU and having a Tek 3 remap by Richard Bulmer ,now the car is much faster and nicer to drive. The main improvement from both a remap or PPP is the way the torque is delivered at a much lower rpm meaning less gearchanges on twisty roads to keep the car on the boil.

 

The PPP certainly improves the torque - you can plod around in 4th at 30mph if you need to - and then have a ball as soon as the roads get a bit quiet....

Still not bored of the surge in 3rd and 4th

IMHO I can't see me wanting more power.........although I'm going for the Prodrive springs soon, so the handling will be better - and then I will probably want more power

 

I have an 02 sti prodrive, non ppp.

Its now got a full H&S exhaust, i have a fuel pump and group n panel filter sitting at home. These will go on just before she gets a remap in a few weeks time.

So i'll let you know more then lol

 

I'm in a similar situation, having recently changed a 52 plate WRX for an 04 plate STI. Mine is standard, so I can't comment on the power increases available. I would say though that the ride did seem harsh at first, but having been driving it for about six weeks, it now seems perfectly normal.

 

I recently bought a 03 STI with PPP and the TSL333 conversion, i was impressed with the power and it still makes me smile.
The one thing i really notice is how quick it is through the gears, i often find it bleeping at me to change gear at what feels like 2 second intervals, and on occasion i do find it hard to get the correct dear quickly, still a great car though (once i get the dreaded rear strut problem sorted)

 

I went from a Terzo to a MY03 STI PPP and would mirror what crazyman1793 says - The power is great, but with the 6 speed box sometimes it seams you are forever changing gear. However, woth time you get used to it as with the PPP the power is available at lower revs, so you don't have to keep it above 3.5k revs as you would in a classic.

My rear shocks are getting checked next week!

Crazyman1979 - does your shift light bleep at you to change? Mine only flashes?