WRX's are fast.. PLEASE EXPLAIN

[240SXer]

I call it how I see it. Living in an area where street racing and racing in general (we have a track) is super popular, I see many cars actually run. A WRX is fairly expensive, if you consider the unreliable nature of most AWD trannies it can prove to be very expensive. Sure 700+ hp beast are around, but the cost of that 700hp is pretty heafty. Never said they had more or less potential. But all things being equal a 12 second street WRX will cost you far more than a 240. And yes, sheer performance is very important to me. I race, hence racingonthestreet.com

I'd probably take a WRX over a SRT4 as well if they were going to be given to me. But if you consider price tag, that's a different story, SRT4 is cheaper. With the money you save you can upgrade. Sure one car might be better than another car, I'd rather have a AWD Lamborghini, it's got a lot more power and potential. But it's expensive. So what is YOUR point?

S13 Chassis has existed for a while, but do you think the WRX and Subaru's Turbo AWD cars are something new? My guess is they've had just as much time for development. It's not like it's a brand new concept by subaru.

I'll go ahead and say it, I don't think the WRX is that good of a deal. If you've got that kinda money fine, but if you don't, stick to a more economical tuner car.

And I make plenty of money before you want to go off on that rant. Not to be a prick or anything.

[cory2081]

In reguards to comparing the "WREX" to a Z28.....I've seen several street races from stop lights where a Z28 got straight pounded by a WRX. Of course, its AWD takes its toll probably by 3rd gear and the sheer power and cubic inches of the Z28 easily pass by the WRX. They are VERY quick from a light, especially the STi, but, they don't have the top end that some of those other cars do. It's a great car though!! Go Subaru, I'm glad that they did such a good job on that car.

[SimpleS14]

The EVO8 is not that bad....just looks ugly as sin.

[0range_240]

Did such a good job? If anything I'd agree with 240sxer that the SRT-4 is by FAR a better value... what has subaru got to be proud of? they can get 227hp out of a 2.0L 4-cyl.? Yeah I bet they spent about 5 dollars and change on researching that fine piece of machinery... even honda (god forgive me) has bragging rights over subaru, with the engine in the S2000 or Integra Type-R's and for not having to rely on forced induction to gain horsepower.

Look at the Subaru baja for example, in N/A form at 150hp it was criticized for being underpowered for what it was meant for, namely being off-roading and the like.. so how does subaru respond? oh well easy they just slap a turbo on and POOF, when the smoke clears they have a lovely 215hp turbo engine in it.

Is this their solution for all their power problems? maybe so, because as we all know turbo's and intercoolers and neat little packages tied up with string, are all the rage right now among all the buyers in their targeted age group.

And as for their AWD, subaru has had that for decades, ever read their marketing slogan? the beauty of all wheel drive, its not like they are virgins to the idea and have just popped their cherry with the WRX and we should bow down to their billion-dollar-investment move. Dodge and mitsubishi had the WRX-type idea eons before subaru did and they pulled it off with alot more style and functionality... z28's aside, have you ever seen a WRX race a VR-4? oh sure you could say "what about the STI wah wah me me blah" but who in their right mind would fork out THAT much cash for a car with 300hp blah blah AWD, when to be honest the car is wayy wayyyy overpriced... Im sorry, but I think subaru and not to be a stereotype whore: all the little punks you see driving their dads WRX wagons shouldn't be so quick to self-proclaim themselves the new masters of automobile performance.

nuff said

[SimpleS14]

Honda is going down....

Nissan can't get it up....

Mitsu is nowhere to be found....

Mazda is clueless....

Toyota is going for cutness....

SO......

that means Subaru and the WRX is the next "import hot rod" in the eyes of the public.

<== stating his opinion

[0range_240]

import hot rod or not, I'd rather not be a mindless lamb to the financial slaughter and cough up wads of dough just because I look around and say "ooh ooh me too!"

thanks but Id rather be an individual and use my own brain, and buy a car thats actually contributed to and advanced the world of sports cars.... for a handful, albeit not a large handful, more money than a shiny new rally blue WRX...I think id rather pick me up a nice used NSX.

Hmmm maybe then every kid and his dog in his wrx would keep their eyes on the road when I pull up, instead of peddling witless taunts to race their rolling piece of elephant droppings...

[SimpleS14]

lol...

your going to have to deal with it...

its called marketing and right now Subaru is doing a good job (even though its a bit sketch).

[240SXer]

WRX 25k base 227hp/217tq 3085lbSTI 30k base 300hp/300tq 3,263lb350Z 26.3k base 287hp/274tq 3188lbV6 Altima 23.3k base 245hp/246tq 3197lbNeon SRT4 20k base 230hp/250tq 2588lbStratus R/T 21.7k base 200hp/190tq 3206lb Mustang GT 24.1k base 260hp/302tq 3241lbEVO 8 29k base 271hp/273tq 3263lb

Humm.. The WRX isnt bad, STI isnt even all that bad, but it's far from the best. How can you say Nissan has nothing? That have the 350z, and the Altima V6.

[sideshow]

wow buddy, u seem to be a lil high strung, but i have all your answers to your hating of the constant media attention that the wrx is getting TURN THE F*UCKING PAGE, if you dont like it dont buy it, look at it, smell it, whatever. big brother isnt moving your hands and eyes for you

[Toad[^_^]]

Honda is going down....

Nissan can't get it up....

Mitsu is nowhere to be found....

Mazda is clueless....

Toyota is going for cutness....

SO......

that means Subaru and the WRX is the next "import hot rod" in the eyes of the public.

<== stating his opinion

It maybe true but you don't have to say it

[SimpleS14]

That have the 350z, and the Altima V6.

Yes....but how many HS kids and young bucks want a strictly 2 passenger car or a "family" sedan?

[SimpleS14]

It maybe true but you don't have to say it

Just stating my opinion....I know there is atleast someone else out there that can agree with me.

Of course things can (and mostly will) change in the future.

[BadMojo]

thanks but Id rather be an individual and use my own brain, and buy a car thats actually contributed to and advanced the world of sports cars.... for a handful, albeit not a large handful, more money than a shiny new rally blue WRX...I think id rather pick me up a nice used NSX.

OK, let's see if I'm following this. We'll work under the slightly dubious assumption that you can find a 10 year old NSX for something like $25-28K. This is great if you've got the disposable income and want a "toy" for the weekend.

Let's say you buy an NSX...

You've just paid close to $30K for a 10 year old vehicle with no warranty. You're paying insurance premiums that would make a grown man cry like a little girl (assuming you can find a standard carrier who'll write a policy for you if you're under 25 and have *any* accidents or tickets at all). You don't really have room to carry anything in your new car, and if you live somewhere that has any kind of winter, the car will spend 4-5 months of the year in the garage.

I'll just stick with a decent warranty, AWD, some rear seat room and decent trunk space.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that an NSX and WRX are two entirely different types of cars, appealing to two entirely different market.

[240SXedUp]

As I said, the WRX has incredible gear ratio. Its shifting is amazing. Do you not understand that driving your car to redline you are in 5th gear at 60mph... that is rather quick off the line. Say what you want about a 240 chasis and Sr20 or whatever, and believe me, im the biggest 240SX supporter in the world, but the WRX is a very impressive and affordable new car with gobs of aftermarket products and a great powerplant. My friend had a regular WRX and couldnt decide between getting the new EVO or getting an STi, he eventually got the EVO, but either car is great. You can say whatever you want about the 90s Nissans, but right now they are nowhere to be seen. The only glimmer of hope i see stateside is the new Nismo factory built cars, but they still cant stick with WRXs and EVOs.

[SimpleS14]

The only glimmer of hope i see stateside is the new Nismo factory built cars

One day Nissan will bring us an affordable, versatile, stylist, RWD, sports car.....ONE DAY......

but when that time comes I will already have a 6spd, mid-size, Japanese luxo sedan in my garage.

<== dreams of owning a 2nd gen M45

NOTE: The 2nd gen M45 has not be released yet....but I'm sure it will be badass.

[240SXer]

I just went to the track and ran 2.14 60ft against a EVOs 1.95 60ft. Unless you have a crazy amount of power AWD is kinda overrated with the drag racing world. I'm not saying it's not good, i'm just saying people seem to act like rwd vs awd is the same as fwd vs rwd.. AWD is better, but not tremendously.

[milo]

I just went to the track and ran 2.14 60ft against a EVOs 1.95 60ft. Unless you have a crazy amount of power AWD is kinda overrated with the drag racing world. I'm not saying it's not good, i'm just saying people seem to act like rwd vs awd is the same as fwd vs rwd.. AWD is better, but not tremendously.

Meh, if you see a really good driver with an AWD car launch you'll ****.

Somewhere either over on 3si there's a turbo stealth owner named matt, if you ever see one of his videos his launch is INSANE.

Even a great driver with a rwd setup can't really launch as well just because of the restrictions on the car.

fwd sucks :p

[240SXer]

fwd does suck. But AWD launch is terror on trannies if you actually launch it to it's potential. Maybe if you've got enough power to create wheelspin like a skyline it rocks, but for a 227hp car I don't see the big deal.

[Cold_Zero]

Im sorry, but I think subaru and not to be a stereotype whore: all the little punks you see driving their dads WRX wagons shouldn't be so quick to self-proclaim themselves the new masters of automobile performance.

nuff said

Its kinda too bad that you really had to open your mouth to be honest. The local Indy Impreza club's makeup of members are around late 20's to early 30's. These guys are humble and have a healthy respect for all cars, love to race (autocross) and modify cars selflessly. I have never had a problem with coming up with some help to fix or install a part on my car. They are honest and realistic about what their cars can and cant do.

Its kinda funny because a lot of people view 240 drivers as fitting the stereo type that you assign to WRX owners. And once again, I know a lot of 240 owners that fit the same demographics as the WRX owners I know.

Maybe the WRX and Subaru get a lot of press and spot light because we/they are the ****. As it has been said before in this thread, Subaru put together a good product, the aftermarket community stretches the USA, Japan and Australia.

[Cold_Zero]

the sti has 3 lsd's and 300hp! the wrx that is being talked about has one like most awd cars. i took one on a test drive and did not find it all that great at all. the turbo kinda laged to long in that car, but i think the big hype is that it is a cheaper, awd, turbo, and rally car but with all that BS said i dont like it or the hype with the wrx, wrx sti, or lan evo. all nissan.... s13 s14 s15 r32 r33 r34

Actually,The WRX has two differentials. It has a "Viscous Coupling Locking Center Differential" and a "Viscous Limited Slip Rear Differential."

I think that when I first took the WRX out to IRP I ran high 14's. After a bit of practice, I was able to hit mid 14's which is pretty common for stock WRX's. I think I ended up with low 14's with some exhaust work. The problem with multiple runs is the TMIC gets too hot after 2 or so runs. I need to get Taka to make me a sprayer kit for the intercooler and figure out to put tasteful vents in the hood. With my current setup, I hope to get out to the track at our next NICO meet and see what the WRX will do.

Launching a WRX as well as any AWD car can be tricky. I remember racing Repo's 240 and getting killed off the line. After a bit of practice, your launches get better and to be honest, there is virtually no turbo lag if you do it right.

[s14a]

S14a what do you mean he hits 16.1???

my friend has a 2001 prelude si, he put i/e/h and cam gears, it hit 16.1 in the 1/4 mile at our local track

[s14a]

o ya its a sportshift, haha 4got 2 say that and i was there, every1 made fun of him. he does have an s2000 tho and a 91 240 w/o an engine (wonder wut hes gonna do....)

[cory2081]

Just stating my opinion....I know there is atleast someone else out there that can agree with me.

Of course things can (and mostly will) change in the future.

I agree with you....glad that someone sees things as I do. The WRX is pricey b/c of the AWD. Think of how many more parts that car has over a RWD or FWD car. I think the WRX is an excellent buy, the price is close to that of a Mustang GT, yet, you get the AWD and more interior room at least. I can't say anything bad about those cars b/c I've seen them perform and they perform VERY well. I do agree with 95KoukiS14 in that Nissan should get into the more "entry level" market.....and don't say "but they have the Sentra Spec V" The new one is ugly in my opinion, it handles good, but lacks in the HP department....and it's FWD. At $16,000 it isn't a bad car, just not my cup of tea. I'd like to see Nissan make something in the low $20,000 with the performance #'s of the SRT-4 or WRX. That would be pretty cool.

[Cold_Zero]

I had originally looked at a Spec V to replace my 240. I wanted a subcompact with power and the WRX had forced induction and a lot more power.

[cb'89coupe]

I've got to put my .02 cents worth in on this one. I test drove a couple WRX's and finally bought a 2002 RS. The WRX is faster, hands down, but I couldn't see paying another $6K for it. I got my RS for a little over $15 and love it for a daily driver. Its AWD, has four doors and since I added progressive rate springs, 45 series Nitto's, intake and exhaust it also performs pretty well. I haven't been to the track yet but I know these cars stock can run upper 15's to mid 16's. The top end is where the Subies start to fall behind, even the WRX. I can hang with any Mustang or Z28 off the line but after 40mph they are gone. But the low end power and AWD make these cars a blast to drive. OK thats long enough. I will have to say that the potential of a 240 to be an all-around performance car is higher, in my opinion, than the Subies. Thats why I've got a 89 S13 in the driveway, a beast in the making.

[Altiman94]

I would never want a Spec V. I just wouldn't, don't even know why. As i say, I would want the new neon SRT-4 because its bad *** and thats what I am too.

[nab911]

That car gets good 0-60 times because of the AWD and its suspension... opposed to popular opinion... suspension can shave a lot of time off your quarter and 0-60

[D-UNIT]

to the thread starter -- the wrx stats you are referring too sounds like the 300hp STI WRX which retails for about 32,000 w/no dealer mark up. the regular wrx 227hp is not that fast. more like 5.9sec 0-60 and a 1/4 of 15.0-14.7 stock. which is still pretty fast. That is also ironically the same e.t. as a pretty much stock red top 240.

[F4ucc]

My understanding is: as long as you know how to launch a AWD, it can be quick as hell, especially from 0-60 !

Several years ago, long before US received the first WRX, I went back my homecountry, Taiwan.Guess what an average light-tuned WRX GC8 can do low 5 seconds from 0 KM-100 KM/hr which is about 0-62 miles/hr.It's all about the launch, with it's AWD, you have to rev the motor right about 5000 rpm more or less then launch the car.If I remember correctly, the G-force is closed to 0.7 w/stock WRX.You are not going to get that kind of G-force from a regular RWD or carppy FWD car. FYI, a mild-tuned Skyline GT-R can pull 1.0 G during launch.

later

[Jookmasta]

well after reading all of this, its all about the driver. a good launch can make the difference in the track times. as for the price thing, 26 is steep for my pockets but maybe not for yours. im all about more bang for the buck but its also about location. would i get a wrx down south? depends. would i get a wrx up north? most def. wrx's sell for the AWD. its speed isnt mind blowing and anyone can go and find a car and turbo it for under 26. but, can you add AWD to a car? maybe, but who would go through all that trouble. i think you should only compare AWDs cuz HP doesnt = AWD. its like apples and oranges. and unfortunately, the WRX is the cheapest AWD car out there (hopefully i didnt forget any).