Subaru people - 11' WRX owners?

[blefevre]

Mad props to subarus engineering team if they somehow convinced sales/marketing/accounting/management to actually design and manufacture a stiffer chassis (not just bracing) for two models.

[325ix]

This is the first i'm hearing of it, and considering the article's tone and content....i'm calling bullshit. Any strengtheners present are likely an underbody x-brace that is easily retrofittable. Higher tensile steels is so vague as to be meaningless, not to mention a production nightmare.

Nope, not buying it. Buddy at flatirons tuning (subaru rally prep and performance shop) said the base chassis is identical from sti down to impreza as it always has been, with identical stiffness. That applies for the current GR wagon/sedan chassis as well. If the sti is stiffer it is due to bolted on braces that you easily could retrofit between models, not due to differences in the chassis.

Sorry but, I knew you were gonna say that. Just because your buddy at flatirons says so doesn't mean it's true. He didn't build the car. That doesn't mean that I think it is true because of a few magazine articles though.

[Bimmerman325i]

So who are you going to believe? The race shop who have been working on and supporting these cars and developing parts for them, or magazines?

[clarkkey594]

Seems like Cooley would be the man to ask. He knows everything about modern Subarus.

[browntown]

I have a 2010 legacy that I've put 50k miles on in a year or so with zero problems. The automatic (in the pzev cars at least) is comp controlled for slow and eco friendly. I use the CVT with flappy paddles everytime I make a run across the mountain pass.

My biggest gripe is that the seats aren't nearly as comfortable for me (fat guy) as a camry or accord.

[325ix]

So who are you going to believe? The race shop who have been working on and supporting these cars and developing parts for them, or magazines?

Yeah the race shops are credible, but Car and Driver is pretty credible itself. Also, isn't it a little odd that more than one magazine would come up with the same info? Those are just a few. I'm not saying it's true or isn't, an email to Subaru themselves might clear this up.

[Bimmerman325i]

Yeah the race shops are credible, but Car and Driver is pretty credible itself. Also, isn't it a little odd that more than one magazine would come up with the same info? Those are just a few. I'm not saying it's true or isn't, an email to Subaru themselves might clear this up.

Like I said. Either the magazines are misquoting a rep who stated that the STi chassis uses more high tensile steel than the prior gen, and then assumed that meant STi only rather than WRX and Impreza also (it's the exact same chassis), or the magazines are misunderstanding that the STi has bolt on chassis bracing.

The STi has the exact same physical chassis as the WRX and Impreza on sale right now. There is nothing special about the metallurgy of the STi vs the WRX. There is quite likely more high tensile steel in the GR impreza chassis vs the GD impreza chassis, which I think the magazines are assuming means the STi only has the stiffer chassis when it is shared across all three model lines.

[brettholomew21]

Quick question. Are you dead-set buying new?

[blefevre]

I will consider a CPO car. But as far as a WRX goes I am only interested in the 2011.

[monkeytaco]

This morning i saw an '11 wrx pretty precisely four wheel drifting around a corner in a parking lot. Those things look pretty dang good, especially with snow flying from all four wheels.

I think maybe I should look for an old subie on craigslist...

[Bimmerman325i]

This morning i saw an '11 wrx pretty precisely four wheel drifting around a corner in a parking lot. Those things look pretty dang good, especially with snow flying from all four wheels.

I think maybe I should look for an old subie on craigslist...

Snow is a Subaru's natural turf, they're pretty near invincible when the going gets slippery. Especially so with the WRX's LSD.

[blefevre]

I did forget to ask about the diffs in the '11 WRX. I assume viscous center/rear and open front? I did see on the sticker of the STI that it has a LSD front as well.

[Bimmerman325i]

I did forget to ask about the diffs in the '11 WRX. I assume viscous center/rear and open front? I did see on the sticker of the STI that it has a LSD front as well.

pretty sure it's LSD rear only, 50/50 distribution center, open front.

That said, my car with three open diffs can get proper sideways and driftable when I want, so an LSD will only improve things.

[blefevre]

So the center must be viscous then. It isn't locked 50/50.

[nando]

torque splits are usually handled by a planetary gearset, not the VC. except in low end AWD cars like from ford, toyota, etc. the VC in subarus is just a locking device (like the clutch packs in an E30 LSD).