2008 WRX owner - check-in please

2008 WRX owners - check-in please

I am one of those 08 WRX owners and curious to know how many other members bought 08s. I got mine as a DD due to the great deals they had on the 08s.

I like almost everything about the car except for the tires and the soft suspension.

So I am wondering what type of mods are you guys doing and what tires did you switch to?

I hate the idea of keeping a set of winter and summer tire so I will be looking at tires like Goodyear triple tread assurance that provide "decent" all year round performance.

For suspension mod: I will be doing

1) STi pink springs
2) Perrin front and rear sway bars
3) Some form of affordable after market end links

Installed a used SPT CBE and it sounds great!

Hope to hear from you folks..

 

theres a couple of people on here (at least 5 or 6) with 08-09's once they log on they should be able to chime in. good luck!

 

I'm also looking at going back to a set of all seasons for year round use. I've gone both routes in the past and don't think that dedicated sets are worth it for me -- mainly due to the fact that ultra sticky summer tires are basically worthless on a STREET car. I don't race or track my car so what's the point?

Two of the best all seasons I've run in the past are Falken 512s and ContiExtremeContacts. The Contis had better grip in all conditions, but the Falkens had better steering feedback due to the stiffer sidewalls.

I'm probably going to be picking up a set of Contis in the near future.

 

i took an 09 out for a test drive and wasnt very impressed with it there seemed to be a lack of feed back from the car. my 02 wrx wagon gives alot of feedback though the steering ,clutch,gas,brakes, and the general car when i asked the salesman about it he told me the car was more refined and for that reason did not have those characteristics like the older wrx's. now is this true?

 

the 09 is far more hard edged then the 08, and is definatly more refined then the 02-03...I cant see how an encono sh*tbox feeling is something you want...There is no tapdancing around the fact, the old wrx is an econo****box with decent suspension and decent power in its class. You cant take the **** out of the ****box. That being said, I love the wrx, i love imprezas, but they are what they are...

 

I disagree. My econo ****box is approaching 170k miles and there are no rattles and i drive relatively hard. Its a very durable car that drives like new still. I love the way the car drives too and I think it compares favorably to many "drivers cars" i've driven. Exactly which econo ****box are you comparing it to?

That said, i like the 08-09 Imprezas and could see myself in one eventually.

 

I never drove a pre 07 WRX so I have no idea as to how focused they were. The 08 drives a lot like a Camry. Body swats and rolls but its not uncontrollable. I saw the rear sway bars, they are 15mm units. Steering also feels numb, but then again I have no idea how the older WRXs were.

I came from driving a rwd Honda, and this car felt like a lump of jello at first. However, once I got used to its body movements, I started to enjoy its AWD drivetrain. Power from the boosted engine is addictive (newbie talk).

The way I look at it, with proper mods, 08s can become a more livable WRX. In stock form, matured buyers will find these cars appealing, which is what exactly subaru wanted.

 

ContiExtemeContacts are great tires. I was browsing through Tirerack and noticed Dunlop SP Sport Signature also seems like a great option.

 

the impreza is an econobox, you cant deny that, its probably one of the better made ones, but thats all it is. My econo****box has 200K on it, it has some rattles, but its 13 years old

 

I got the 09'. Im very happy with the performance so far, and am considering just keeping it stock (for now), with the exception of wheels, a tune and an in-dash.

I have driven both an 08 and an 09..and the suspension is completely different, and the car really sticks to the road. My 09 came with summer tires stock, so I picked up a set of Hankook I-pikes for the winter (THEY ROCK!), and plan on having dedicated summer and winter wheels/tires.

 

I love the '09s. I thought I was pretty much done with Subies once it comes time to sell my '06, but after getting a ride in an '09, my mind may have changed.

IMHO, they are about perfect in stock trim.

 

I look forward to buying an 08 STi dirt cheap in ~12mths. It is a beautiful car. That said, the 09 WRX is already cannibalizing STi sales so they need to kick the STi into RS4 realm for the price (biturbo H6, yo).

I hope to put 200k on my 07 dragwagonofcertaindeath.

 

I can deny it, i just did. lol. There is a big difference between the 93-01 imprezas and the GD imprezas too when comparing overall build quality and design, but that's not what I was commenting on. Are you saying it is an econo ****box because it's small or because it's also useful? I don't think you understand what an economy ****box is.

 

Its subaru's entry level vehicle, its an econo car. its in the same class as every other econo car, corolla, civic, sentra, protege, (also mazda 3) focus, ect ect. Oh and ive driven gazillions of GD chassis subarus, I actually find the build quality of my impreza far superior in the interior dept. That doesnt mean its superior in function, or in looks, but its much sturdier.

 

TO ME my 02 wrx is way more a drivers car. for those who have driven more than 2-3 cars in there lives i think they might agree but what do i know im just the village idiot here

 

But there is one big difference between those and the impreza. The expensive to produce awd drivetrain. So by definition there are more economical ways to produce a car (fwd transverse inline 4 for example). I'm not saying it's in the same class as a bmw, lexus, or audi but to say it's an econo ****box is a big stretch. Sure the GD cars aren't a dash strokers dream but they put the right money in the right places in my opinion.

 

well said

 

Wow, this post of mine has drawn some interesting arguments. I am enjoying it though.

Regarding the STi: Something tells me Subaru is going to drop the STi from US market. They will be marketing the WRX with a 6spd and possibly a slightly more hardcore suspension and that will be it.

Remember, Toyota bought some stake in Subaru. Their focus on money making rather than car making is definitely going to affect Subaru's product line.

 

Something tells me toyota's piddly 20% stake in subaru isnt gonna be enough for any kind of drastic things like that. People bitched about the 08, thats why the 09 is so much more car, they did what auto manufacturers rarely do...listen.

 

now a rumor i heard from a fellow that works for toyota was that there is gonna be a rear drive 2.5 turbo boxer motor toyota out in 2010

 

I hope you are right.

Unrelated: A two door 300hp subaru is coming to this shore I hear.

 

could be the same car?

 

I doubt it, but anything can happen.

 

I wonder who's car that was.

 

I agrew with you.

08 WRX is no sports car, in fact it's not even a sports sedan. It's more like an awd camry with bolt-on turbo.

So why did I buy it? Because I want to stay on the road (instead of the ditch) when it's snowing outside, and it was affordable.

 

I think you are missing the point of what I am saying. You seem to think I am the guy telling all his buddies that his WRX is pretty much a "rally car man!", cause I'm not.

I just don't use the term compact and economy as synonyms. I also think we just have different definitions for what makes a car an economy ****box so this discusion is pointless anyways.

I am confused by how the impreza's "economy ****box" frame and parts make it inferior though. What exactly do you mean? Consider the fact that 2002-2007 impreza scores much higher in the IIHS safety tests than the same year BMW 3 series with it's luxury/performance frame and luxury/performance parts for instance.