overheating

All rubbish. One of the strongest and most reliable cars on the planet. Obviously a car of this sort of performance will go through consumables like brakes and tyres at a great rate if driven as it is meant to be driven, but then you expect that. Clutches come under enormous pressure in a powerful awd car because it can't spin its wheels on a fast launch and has to slip the clutch, plus these cars do require a modicum of driving technique. Ham-footed drivers destroy the clutch in 25,000 miles or less. They should last around 60,000.

You should realise that this car will be an enormous step up in performance from what you are used to. I would seriously recommend taking some high speed driving instruction. Ignore the occasional prats posting in here about their so-called problems. The vast majority of owners are more than satisfied with their cars.

David Betts snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk

I too had the same question. Here is a link with some interesting information. It has information on how to reduce you insurance costs as well.

I'm going to change insurance companies in the near future. BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

This smells like a total crap. But that's what an ordinary troll's mouth smells like since it's feeding on the exactly same diet...

I have a 2002 WRX Wag> Keep reading! The folks here DON'T like my comments one bit, call me a troll

You have to ignore Fafoofnik. He is still pissed because his Ford truck, with a 351, got smoked by a WRX. So, he hates Subarus of any kind. The reason his breath smells bad is because he is full of shit.

I have an STi with 60,000 KM (36,000 miles) and have had no problems. I got the car on the recommendation of several of my freinds who own WRXs. None have had any problems at all. The cars are pretty easy to maintain, and very reliable.

I have a 2003 WRX 86,000 miles. Never raced, about 60% of my driving is freeway, 25% highway the rest city. Paint is holding up just fine (WR Blue). Still on origional brake pads. Interior is holding up ok. No mechanical problems EXCEPT the car is on its 3rd clutch. The 1st one went about 45,000 miles the 2nd only made it 25,000. Is it my driving? I don't think so. My previous car made it 230,000 miles on one clutch. Only other negative thing I would say about the car is that the windshield cracked for no apparent reason. Glass was fine one day the next it had an 8 inch crack, and no it was not a supper hot or cold day.

Gary

So what are people's driving tips then? Besides losing the ham...

Wonder how old/where you live/driving record, etc. An STi for me is going to run $480 per 6 months with full (lease plus levels) coverage. (State Farm Preferred)

When using a clutch, do the following:

Depress it FULLY, all the way to the floor, not part-way (which is called "riding the clutch"), each and every time you shift.

ONLY depress it when you need to change gears. Do not sit at a traffic light with the clutch depressed while waiting for the light to change; depress it, put the car in neutral, release the clutch, then depress it again when you're ready to shift into first.

Make sure your selected gear is engaged fully before finally releasing the clutch.

Just take that extra split second or two to make sure you complete each of the necessary actions for shifting; the half-assed sloppy stuff is what kills clutches. I've never in my driving life had to replace a clutch, and I've driven more than 300,000 miles on 6 different cars with manual transmissions. Even my 1989 Dodge Colt, which I put 83k miles on, had a perfectly good clutch when I sold it.

That's a little bit lower than my quote, but our brand new SUV runs under $500 per year. I'm in N. Cal. and have a clean record.

I'm calculating the total cost for several 300 HP cars. Haven't made up my mind. With my present insurance carrier the Mustang GT would save me $1,200 vs. an STi over 3 years, the Infiniti G35 Coupe would save closer to $1,500. [Yes, they each have radically different images and driver profiles.]

-John

I drive approximately 60,000 KM per year (36K miles) and my cars last me, on average, five years. I also have sold cars with 250,000+KM (150K miles) on the original clutch, and only ever replaced the clutch I learned on.

I agree with everything you have said. However, as long as the clutch is FULLY depressed, sitting at a stop light with the car in gear won't hurt it (sitting at a stop light in neutral in some juristictions is illegal; mine included). I would also add that you should avoid slipping the clutch. All too often you see people "holding it on a hill" with the clutch; you'll wear it out in no time. Also, if you are not going to use the clutch (ie. to shift) don't touch it. Even a slight pressure will wear it out faster. Next, bring up the revs only to where you need them. Winding it out and dumping the clutch will wear it out very quickly, and it is hard on everything else in the driveline as well. Lastly, match revs on the downshift. If you don't, you are essentially using the clutch as a brake; brakes do wear out.

IMO, the largest cause of premature clutch failure is "slipping" the clutch. There is a HUGE amount of heat generated on the face of the clutch when you slip it at high RPM's. Which classically happens with an inexperianced driver in a AWD vehicle when they are trying to "launch" hard. Another really common occurance is that most drivers will slip the clutch and almost never fully engage it when in reverse. Reverse is just as hard on a slipping clutch as when going forward. Except that few people do hard launches in reverse. At least not on purpose! BTW, in my earlier post, I said a clutch should last around "60,000" miles. It could very much last much longer. It all depends on the driver. The clutch is just like the brakes in that, the harder you flogg them the shorter their life will be. BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

Some good tips there guys, thanks...

Illegal to sit in neutral? Only in the US eh? :)

Cheers, Jason Folio:

Well, even if it's not illegal, it's not very smart to sit in neutral. If you see a car closing on your rear end at a stop light you better be ready to do something right now! I've had plenty a bozo start backing up when I was stopped behind them. I've had to slam it into reverse to get out of the way. BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

The engine seemed to idle just fine for me in -30C weather. Sure it needs to be warmed up, but then what car doesn't? Just get a block heater and you're done.

The paint does seem to chip excessively, I was annoyed with that. However, given the conditions I was driving in, I'm surprised a few chips were all my worries.

I don't know anything about the clutch wearing out. Mine was fine the whole two years I drove it. I do know a friend of mine (who drives

*spiritedly!*) who has a WRX whose 1st gear is grinding a little, but I'm not convinced it wasn't just him being rough on it.

As for the trunk, I had numerous people tell me my trunk was remarkably large for a sedan of that size. My STi trunk is even bigger (at the sacrifice of some backseat legroom) but at the time I never had any trouble dumping tonnes of luggage, a full-size spare tire (still had the doughnut also,) maps, extra windshield washer fluid, octane booster, the tire changing apparatus from my old '83 Chevy Caprice, emergency clothing, and a midsize toolbox.

*shrug* That's not big enough for you?

Anyway, go to the lot and find out for yourself. I'm sure they'll let you look in the trunk. :)

Yikes, I wish. With all the weather we've been getting here, I've had to use the a/c a lot to desfrost the windows a lot, and my gas mileage sucks as a result. Sucks to be me I guess. But not really. :)

What was your range on a tank of gas? At about 50 litres, in my STi with pure city driving and stop-and-go traffic I get about 380 KM.

Probably a net kook. Every newsgroup is plagued with them. More now per-capita since Usenet opened up to the general populace.

Well I'll let you know how mine does in another year or so. :) I like to think I won't trade my STi in (cue sound of death knell) but only time will tell. How's the new XT treating you? :)

Mine runs fine in the cold as well, and the upside is that I don't need octane booster in the winter. The things goes like a scalded cat even in the snow... of which we have had a lot lately.

I drive a combination of highway and city and I average about 430 KM/40 litres; just a little better than 10L/100KM. The STi sucks go-juice in the city, but it is not too bad on the highway; even at a good clip (I drive at about 140 when conditions permit).

He is and he doesn't. He posted once that he drives a Ford truck... go figure.

I think the best I've gotten out of a fill-up in terms of range was something like 490 KM. My WRX had a range of about 640KM or so, but according to the "official" mileage, I should be getting a lot more.

100KM/9.1L = x KM/60.0L => 659.3 KM. 100KM/8.3L = x KM/60.0L => 722.9 KM for normal WRX.

Ha ha.. yea right. I'm nowhere near that, nor was I with the WRX. I guess I'm driving too hard. Arg.. must.. stay below.. 3000rpm..

neutral.

so how can you shift into reverse any faster when starting in 1st, vs. neutral?

;-)

long light, or other extended stops, i put it in neutral and release the clutch--not for the clutch life itself, but for the life of the throw out bearing.

jm2c ken

Well, it's no STi! But, I would say it's quicker than "most" cars on the road. It is suprisingly fast. I really haven't driven theF XT that much. To be honest it's not all that exciting. It's just a car. Where the STi was really something special. It really was fun to drive and I do miss it. My wife drives the FXT everyday and loves it. I think I'll find me an old Corvette...... I've gone back to riding my motorcycle to work. It has been right at freezing here lately. So, as long as it doesn't dip into the single digits and the roads aren't frozen I will ride the bike.

SilverFXT "Hey you just got smoked by an SUV!"