Subaru Testing a BRZ with STI Badging and a Big Wing

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by bkharmony

I'm still practicing skipping down four gears to induce the money shift. Heard it's awesome when executed properly.

How to go from lugging to money shift in one easy step.

[spike021]

Originally Posted by Da Brz

Whew! Just got caught up all the way on this thread.

1. Gearing down helps on the freeway, but I can only gear down so far. And it's still fairly... eh. Sure it's world's better than a 90s Geo... but I wouldn't be happy with that car's performance, either, so...

2. When gearing down, I go straight from 6th to 3rd, sometimes even second if I'm going slow enough. The only time I step down is if I misjudged what the rpms would be upon letting back out on the clutch. Like going down to 4th only to realize I had enough room to kick it in to 3rd.

3. The tS is the PP with a wing and some extra stuff. I... don't really care about it.

Not sure I get what you mean?

You shouldn't have to "gear down so far" unless you go from like 65mph to 30mph all of a sudden.

If you're in the 50 mph range still in sixth then of course it's going to feel super slow. It'll eventually get you back to 60 or higher but you're better off downshifting to 5th and then getting it back up to 60ish, and then shifting up again, etc.

[Ethereal05]

Woo, I was worried I would be tempted into the tS but this looks like an improved version of the PP. The presser leads me to believe the interior changes aren't all that dramatic (those red STI recaros would have been beautiful) and lacking the STI emblem treatment. I found it surprising they didn't include the rear STI badge either but I suppose it makes sense as they are simply adding parts. Overall I think it's a cool upgrade for those that want a little extra pizzazz but isn't enough for me to part ways with my Series.Blue. Plus I just added the flexible v-bars myself so I am ahead of the game. =) The STI fog light covers have me intrigued though. Also, there is no mention of a limited run number, I wonder if they are going to offer this as the "tS" package for the foreseeable future?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ethereal05

Woo, I was worried I would be tempted into the tS but this looks like an improved version of the PP. The presser leads me to believe the interior changes aren't all that dramatic (those red STI recaros would have been beautiful) and lacking the STI emblem treatment. I found it surprising they didn't include the rear STI badge either but I suppose it makes sense as they are simply adding parts. Overall I think it's a cool upgrade for those that want a little extra pizzazz but isn't enough for me to part ways with my Series.Blue. Plus I just added the flexible v-bars myself so I am ahead of the game. =) The STI fog light covers have me intrigued though. Also, there is no mention of a limited run number, I wonder if they are going to offer this as the "tS" package for the foreseeable future?

"Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. has announced two new performance models: the 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA and 2018 Subaru BRZ tS. Both are performance focused derivatives engineered by Subaru Tecnica International, Inc. specifically for driving enthusiasts. Each vehicle is limited to 500 units and vehicles will arrive at Subaru retailers in early 2018."

[Joon525]

Originally Posted by Ethereal05

I wonder if they are going to offer this as the "tS" package for the foreseeable future?

http://media.subaru.com/pressrelease...rx-sti-type-ra

500 units each.

[tacos]

does anyone know if the tS steering wheel is alcantara??????? the only info i can find is that "the interior has much alcantara and red accents"

i cant be the only one who wants to replace the 2017 steering wheel...


edit: it seems like it does, but im not sure if they mean that the wheel is alcantara, or just had "red accents"

[Da Brz]

Originally Posted by spike021

Not sure I get what you mean?

You shouldn't have to "gear down so far" unless you go from like 65mph to 30mph all of a sudden.

If you're in the 50 mph range still in sixth then of course it's going to feel super slow. It'll eventually get you back to 60 or higher but you're better off downshifting to 5th and then getting it back up to 60ish, and then shifting up again, etc.

If I'm stuck behind someone on a two lane and they're doing 45 or so and there's no way to pass yet, I keep it in 6th until there's room to go around. At 45 or so (not exactly sure) there's still room to go down to 2nd and get a little bit out of it.

Lol, when I say the car feels slow, I don't mean I'm trying to pass people in 6th. I mean when I put it in 2nd and floor it, as in the above situation, it still isn't much.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Da Brz

If I'm stuck behind someone on a two lane and they're doing 45 or so and there's no way to pass yet, I keep it in 6th until there's room to go around. At 45 or so (not exactly sure) there's still room to go down to 2nd and get a little bit out of it.

Lol, when I say the car feels slow, I don't mean I'm trying to pass people in 6th. I mean when I put it in 2nd and floor it, as in the above situation, it still isn't much.

Why not follow them in 5th or even 4th so the revs are already up and then just downshift to 3rd for the burst? You are trying to wind the engine up way too far from low revs to get speed to pass. You are working way outside of the power band and then trying to force power at the last second.

[Ethereal05]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

"Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. has announced two new performance models: the 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA and 2018 Subaru BRZ tS. Both are performance focused derivatives engineered by Subaru Tecnica International, Inc. specifically for driving enthusiasts. Each vehicle is limited to 500 units and vehicles will arrive at Subaru retailers in early 2018."

Thanks. I blew right past that first paragraph....

[spike021]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Why not follow them in 5th or even 4th so the revs are already up and then just downshift to 3rd for the burst? You are trying to wind the engine up way too far from low revs to get speed to pass. You are working way outside of the power band and then trying to force power at the last second.

Originally Posted by Da Brz

If I'm stuck behind someone on a two lane and they're doing 45 or so and there's no way to pass yet, I keep it in 6th until there's room to go around. At 45 or so (not exactly sure) there's still room to go down to 2nd and get a little bit out of it.

Lol, when I say the car feels slow, I don't mean I'm trying to pass people in 6th. I mean when I put it in 2nd and floor it, as in the above situation, it still isn't much.

I'm not sure why you're following in 6th at such a low speed? When I'm in that kind of case I'd go to 5th and then 4th if necessary, then get into the next lane and, if I need to, downshift, or just stay in gear and push the revs to 4-5k for the burst of speed to pass.

I do this pretty often actually on my commute because trucks tend to go in the middle lanes and I hate getting stuck behind or to the side of them (their weaving or potential to weave freaks me out). So I'll be going 65ish in 6th, slow down because of them to 55 or less, downshift to 5th. If that's not good enough then I'll downshift to 4th. Go to the next lane, pass them with higher revs, and then shift back up.

[FitchAlcyone]

Boxerfest has begun, correct? Anyone in attendance that can provide some pictures of this thing?






I'm curious to see how the front end looks in regards to the STi fog covers and whether the grill emblem is there. If not, it makes me question that "STi" badged black model caught driving around HQ last month.

[DSOmegaX]

Originally Posted by FitchAlcyone

Boxerfest has begun, correct? Anyone in attendance that can provide some pictures of this thing?






I'm curious to see how the front end looks in regards to the STi fog covers and whether the grill emblem is there. If not, it makes me question that "STi" badged black model caught driving around HQ last month.

Boxerfest is sunday. If the badge is not on the back, then most likely it's not on the front either. It was probably a proposal at the time to retain it but ended up not using the badges.

[Da Brz]

Originally Posted by spike021

I'm not sure why you're following in 6th at such a low speed? When I'm in that kind of case I'd go to 5th and then 4th if necessary, then get into the next lane and, if I need to, downshift, or just stay in gear and push the revs to 4-5k for the burst of speed to pass.

I do this pretty often actually on my commute because trucks tend to go in the middle lanes and I hate getting stuck behind or to the side of them (their weaving or potential to weave freaks me out). So I'll be going 65ish in 6th, slow down because of them to 55 or less, downshift to 5th. If that's not good enough then I'll downshift to 4th. Go to the next lane, pass them with higher revs, and then shift back up.

Yeah, it's whatever you want to do. Peak power is pretty high though, so when I need a burst of acceleration, I try to go to the gear that puts me there. There are times where second probably is too high (as Tcoat is saying, I think) but third isn't quite in the right spot either. And when I say 45 or whatever speed, I'm not even real sure about that since I'm at work and not in the car to get out there and see exactly. I usually drive mainly by feel and looking at the tach.

*shrug* It's cool. I'm not getting into this argument again, lol.

EDIT TO ADD: Also, as for getting into another lane, I was talking about a two lane highway where the only other lane is oncoming traffic, lol. Sometimes you can get stuck behind someone for 10-15 minutes. If you're going fast enough to pull 6th, you may as well do that then shift down when you need de powah.

[DSOmegaX]

Just a note on the bushings and mounts for anyone interested in them.

The 2013 tS had the steering rack and rear subframe bushings standard, and interestingly, the rear subframe bushings were unique to that vehicle. I ended up switching those to the bushings from the STI accessories catalog, which are further uprated from the tS rear subframe. Essentially they're all harder durometer rubber, but the tS incorporates a few hollowed sections while the STI accessories is solid rubber throughout.

I'm not aware if these bushings were also included in the 2015 tS; it may have been removed. None of the tS cars had the engine, transmission, or differential mounts as standard.

Whether SoA includes them in the US car will be interesting. Most manufacturers will shy away from including uprated bushings from stock due to the sensitivity of NVH. I can say that with ALL mounts/bushings (I never installed them one by one so I can't comment on the impact of individual mounts or bushings), the car rides considerably stiffer. Noises are actually pretty minimal, but there will be more vibration through the steering wheel and transmission.

Just keep it in mind for people who want them. If you feel the stock car already rides stiff enough, I would advise against them, but obviously every person has different thresholds and tolerances to NVH. I would say it rides and feels close to a WRX STi, which for many people is actually too harsh for daily use (I certainly felt that way, which was one of the reasons I purchased a Golf R over a STi). The car definitely feels more "alive" in spirited driving as you can feel everything the tires go through more directly, but driving the car over a longer period of time can be a little tiring after a while.