Any of you convert from a WRX?

[jamesm]

i had a bug eye back in the day (2002ish). it was fun, but the powerband sucks, it sounded like shit and the awd broke things. aside from that i loved it. i'd still rather have an evo if i were going that direction.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by newports

Sup guys

so for a long time I had my sights on the frs amd doing a lot of research on it. But now I'm wondering if I should go for a 2014 wrx instead. Not STI but just WRX.

where I live it snows a lot and obviously the AWD would be a good advantage and I honestly wouldn't mind the turbo plus the added power.

anyways, for those who went to a subaru wrx/sti or converted to an frs....what are the pros and cons?

Did you like the frs more than the wrx/sti?

Help me out thanks

Edit: I'd like to add that Jive Turkey's "conversion story" on IWSTI was one of the things which got me thinking that I maybe should have gotten a BRZ instead of an STI. Seeing his post about giving up his gorgeously built STI and going for this tiny RWD NA coupe was impressive, and got me wondering "What the hell is so special about this car that a guy who put this much love and attention into an STI is willing to jump ship and not miss all that power? There's got to be more to this car than its mere numbers if it can make a dedicated STI guy do this with a grin on his face."

/edit

Before I owned the STI, I drove a WRX for over 4 years. The STI I drove for 7 months before converting to the BRZ.

Comparing the WRX to the BRZ, the WRX is obviously more powerful, but it's heavier, smaller rev range, power suffers due to heat issues when it's hot out, and isn't as fuel efficient as a BRZ. It's not that much less efficient, but even with TMIC, you've got noticable turbo lag down low (not that much but it's still there). It's also simply not as much fun to drive unless you're off road in the dirt or snow (then it's obviously a blast to drive) than the 86 either.

You've also got a more parasitic drive train than the BRZ. So, I'd say that you've got maybe 10-20 more whp in the WRX than in the 86, and your weight balance in the WRX isn't as nice and low as it is in the 86, nor is it as well balanced front-to-rear.

That said, it's not really bad either. Just b/c the BRZ feels and handles better doesn't mean the WRX handles like crap. It doesn't. Not by a long chalk.

Now you've got the new WRX with the FA20DIT motor. That could be a whole new ballgame.

What you get for your money is different between the WRX and BRZ/FR-S, but the amount you get is similar, so I'd say that they both do what they do very well for their price point, but they do different things.

If you're looking for a year-round daily driver and you have to deal with snow, then I'd say the WRX has a distinct advantage. However, if you can deal with more limited winter driving and you absolutely love RWD, I'd say the 86 is perfectly acceptable.

In the end, you're going to have to test drive both and put them through their paces and determine which you want more.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by shu5892001

um no, I was referring to FRS/M3 compared with a Toyota Sienna AWD [not even a good system]. Having 4 wheels pull you out of a sliding corner is much better than 2.

This ^^ x10. Had this happen to me back during a freak March snow/ice storm in Prescott, AZ back in 2006. Late at night, turning right in active snow/ice conditions (trying to get back to the dorms), driving an NA 2.5L 2005 Forester. Even taking it easy, I was on AS tires, and sure enough the back end kicked out fast (not hard) as I was going from mid-turn to exit. I did as I was taught and turned in the direction of the slide and applied power smoothly (it was a 4EAT transmission too, btw). Like flicking a switch the slide stopped, I had power to the wheels, I straightened the vehicle out, and continued safely back to campus (slowly. what was normally a 20 minute drive took an hour b/c there was only about 25 yrds of visibility).

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by SirBrass

You've also got a more parasitic drive train than the BRZ. So, I'd say that you've got maybe 10-20 more whp in the WRX than in the 86, and your weight balance in the WRX isn't as nice and low as it is in the 86, nor is it as well balanced front-to-rear.

If I'm remembering the numbers right, a stock WRX puts down somewhere in the 230-240whp range, while a stock BRZ is in the 165-180 range, so the WRX puts down something like 60-70whp more than the BRZ. That isn't to say your other points aren't valid, but a stock WRX is substantially more powerful and faster in a straight line than a BRZ/FRS is.

[SirBrass]

Nope, WRX puts down 230-240 bhp for the GD and 2008 GR, not whp. 09-14 WRX put down 265 bhp. Those #'s are for at 5500 rpm, too.

25% parasitic loss is what was the rule of thumb, iirc, on IWSTI and NASIOC, for when you wanted to guesstimate what your real world (read whp/wtq) power would be with xyz power mods. Start adding the power at the estimated factory bhp, and apply the guesstimate loss factor.

The 2008 WRX was well below 200whp, despite 240bhp, due to drive train loss. Then again, that depends on which dyno you're on. The GR STI was maybe between 230-240 whp, with 305bhp. The stock drive train in the EJ Imprezas was horrifyingly power-hungry.

[Boxer486]

I remember when the base WRX was loved to death with only 227 crank hp. The 86 can do that easy with bolt ons and stock has a better power to weight ratio yet people complain these days because you can get a Camry with 270hp from a V6.

Grass is always greener, people are never happy. Usually because they don't know what they want.

[chrisl]

I'm talking actual dyno numbers, not manufacturer's rated numbers (and from what I've seen, the recent WRXs put down almost as much whp as the recent STis). I'm not as familiar with the older WRXs though, so you might be right about the 08 and earlier. From everything I've seen, the recent ("265 HP") WRXs seem to be significantly underrated at the crank, and if you look at the actual acceleration times in road tests, the STi is within a tenth or so of the 0-60 of the WRX, and within a couple tenths (and 3 mph or so) of the WRX in the quarter. The BRZ on the other hand is a second and a half and 7mph behind the WRX in the quarter. That to me indicates that the WRX is putting down a lot more than 10-20whp more than the BRZ, especially given the BRZs 450 pound weight advantage.

[VacantSky]

kind of had a wrx... she's v7 ej207 swapped with gt3076 rotated setup. Was a fun sleeper







I do miss it

[CARNZ]

I kinda converted from a WRX/STi

I bought my BRZ in August when I still had my STi, but finally sold the STi in the beginning of this year.

After I bought the BRZ the STi became my 3rd car and I only put 785 miles on it between August and January..

I don't really miss it like I thought I would, the BRZ is more fun to drive

pics of the sti and it's eventual replacement.

[Jaylyons1]

Originally Posted by CARNZ

I kinda converted from a WRX/STi

I bought my BRZ in August when I still had my STi, but finally sold the STi in the beginning of this year.

After I bought the BRZ the STi became my 3rd car and I only put 785 miles on it between August and January..

I don't really miss it like I thought I would, the BRZ is more fun to drive

pics of the sti and it's eventual replacement.

Just like my 04 except mine has a bunch of hail damage on the hood. >.<

[ProjectGT86]

As a rhode islander and former new yorker we got one hell of a snowy winter here, like mentioned above me investing in a snow tire will get you through daily driving during the winter ( i drove to new york during a blizzard this febuary) and my Bridgestone Bliztek were amazing you might skid every once in a while but they provide enough grip to get you from point A to B, test drive both to see what you think suites you best, both are great cars but IMO The Gt86 clones are one of the best driving and feeling cars on the market and the best in their price range. Youll have endless amounts of fun in it, and you can always add a little extra power with a perrin crank pulley intake and a simple tune and that can be done for less than $1000 also some better tires will increase your acceleration by a bit

[ProjectGT86]

Originally Posted by CARNZ

I kinda converted from a WRX/STi

I bought my BRZ in August when I still had my STi, but finally sold the STi in the beginning of this year.

After I bought the BRZ the STi became my 3rd car and I only put 785 miles on it between August and January..

I don't really miss it like I thought I would, the BRZ is more fun to drive

pics of the sti and it's eventual replacement.

Was your STI a DEC 03 built motor? I heard those were the best

[CARNZ]

Nov 2003 production

[regal]

Originally Posted by Boxer486

I remember when the base WRX was loved to death with only 227 crank hp. The 86 can do that easy with bolt ons and stock has a better power to weight ratio yet people complain these days because you can get a Camry with 270hp from a V6.

Grass is always greener, people are never happy. Usually because they don't know what they want.

Yea but the turbo gave the older WRX's much more torwue and a broader power band.


I think the biggest thing to help decide between BRZ and WRX is geography.


If I lived in a flat straight roaded area I would have never bought the twin over the WRX. But I live in an area with hairpin turns, hills, crazy curvy roads, so the FRS was/is the car for me. If I still lived in the flat Midwest the WRX is a great value.