b5m

Had my stock standard 2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo for about 1 month now and 600 miles. Would like to share my experience for prospective owners etc. Previous car was an Astra MKII 16V with factory engine and suspension mods:

Pros:
-Really love the looks and the drive to and from work is something to look forward to
-Serious acceleration on boost
-Rally blue attracts alot of attention
-Quiet in std form with enough noise to keep you interested
-Straight line grip is awesome
-License losing acceleration at 75mph freeway speeds
-Great handling through slow twisty roads

Cons:
-Turbo lag is definately there and bad below 2000rpm
-High speed handling is not very inspiring. Seems to roll alot.
-Steering has zero feel
-Cold clutch shudder
-Seems to run out of grunt at 110mph
-Rally blue attracts alot of attention

SiCotty

"-Steering has zero feel"

Check you front tyre pressure, also what rubber are you running on?

Si

b5m

The pressures should be ok with 2.3bar(33psi) in front and 2.0bar(29psi) at the back. Tyres could be part of the problem but drove a 99 Turbo and felt about the same. Tyres are Continental ContiSportContacts.

Dizzy

eeek.. you'll get some slating for those

I run PZero's but most ppl here will recomend the B02's & 3's

other things .. get the geometry set up profesionally (apparantly) makes a big difference. I head that the MY00 ecu wasn't as good as the 99 but again can't comment.

b5m

Come on, whats wrong with some good ole german rubber? I had the geometry checked but they were clueless, will go somewhere better when I have the cash.

whip

Eyup b5m

I pretty much agree with all that you've said above. Coming from a 205GTi I can understand your 'zero feel' comment - even my girlfriend's Pug 106 has more communicative steering than my scoob. I'm still on the P-zeros though which might not help matters.

Not sure about the lack of grunt above 110 though m8. Mine is a MY00 and even with the standard restrictive backbox it would pull nicely up to 140 if you kept it on the boil (private road). Changed the backbox for an STi one which is only marginally louder, and it now pulls pretty much through to 7k rather than tailing off at 5.5k so the usable powerband is now much wider.

Re clutch judder, the first 2 or 3 times I pull away in 1st gear on a cold morning I just slip the clutch a little more and keep the revs low (1.5k or thereabouts). After that the judder goes, and that technique is a little less brutal than the SIDC suggestion of giving it 'several full-bore standing starts'.

Silver attracts less attention

Whip

b5m

"...

Not sure about the lack of grunt above 110 though m8. Mine is a MY00 and even with the standard restrictive backbox it would pull nicely up to 140 if you kept it on the boil (private road). Changed the backbox for an STi one which is only marginally louder, and it now pulls pretty much through to 7k rather than tailing off at 5.5k so the usable powerband is now much wider.

Re clutch judder, the first 2 or 3 times I pull away in 1st gear on a cold morning I just slip the clutch a little more and keep the revs low (1.5k or thereabouts). After that the judder goes, and that technique is a little less brutal than the SIDC suggestion of giving it 'several full-bore standing starts'.
..."

It still goes at 110mph but doesnt seem as impressive. Could be the lower octane fuel(93 max) we have here.

I have also noticed something like that re. the clutch. Seems like slipping it alot when cold helps, will have to experiment.

P1 Enthusiast

Eek use the max octane fuel you can! Your ECU is self-learning so boost increases with octane value after a few tanks to adjust the mean values. 98.5 RON (best SUL) produces noticeably more boost than 95 RON (ordinary petrol). Its more economical and works out cheaper also

DavidRB

Probably not in South Africa it doesn't.

Your rear pressures seem a little on the low side, I would consider upping them a bit. I've got Goodyear F1's on 17" wheels and I run 34psi all round. They were also an improvement over the P-Zeroes it came with.

The Impreza is known to be very sensitive to changes to tyres, pressures and wheel geometry. You might want to consider getting the camber & toe checked.

To counter the lack of steering feel, apparently most rally drivers don't go for steering feedback, unlike their tarmac-based cousins, hence the lack of feel often found in rally-based cars. Well, that's my excuse anyway.

zooey1234

On the steering feel I have to agree. I just bought a MY00 with 12 000 on the clock. I still have my Pug GTI whose steering gives a lot more feedback.
However, I had no problems at higher speeds.