Didn't you say the "vast majority" are modded? To me that doesn't say
100% but well over 60%. That is such BS. No car line has that kind of ownership base. And yes, here in Cleveland, OH, most Subaru WRX's are bone stock. No turbo gauge, no aftermarket wheels, no aftermarket exhaust... And since we are on the topic of modding in regards to detriment to the environment, the number of modders who get turbo back exhausts which eliminate the cats are not among the "vast majority" either. I may not be checking under the hood but if it walks like a duck, qwacks like a duck...
How about on the roof of a wagon? You can probably use the racks you have/had on your old subie. The powertrain is compact enough to fit in all of Subaru's current offerings. The roadster was to garner glam at the auto show.
CW wrote in news:ucdh00l6ql5tspgnqi2hsqtcg4bngu48oj@
4ax.com:
Well before you make assumptions perhaps you should be checking under the hoods or chassis. The last i checked, OZ wheels weren't a mechanical mod so its pointless to mention tyre/wheel mods. Anyone in a snow climate should upgrade their STi tyres for the winter as a rule. 300HP with those tires in the snow is beyond dangerous.
turbo boost gauge? cmon, you're going to sit there and type to us that you've checked each car for a boost gauge? lol...besides if you knew what you were talking about you'd be aware that even subaru offers them as an optional accessory so its not considered a mod unless someone upgrades to a better gauge or A-frame package. But again, a boost gauge in and of itself doesn't contribute either way to the detriment of the environment.
If you were speaking from experience you wouldn't have wasted your time talking about these non-mechanical mods since the mods that affect the environment are all but hidden. But even the stock STi exhaust system is unusually loud and folks are posting on the boards all the time about cautions from police, despite saying its factory and not a mod.
I've been on NASIOC for a few years and have watched the membership base grow to over 50,000 from less than 5,000 when i joined a few years back. Hmmm....i wonder why that is? A quick glance at the forum names and the posting intensity within those is all it takes to realize that indeed the vast majority of WRX/STi owners mod their vehicles. How many WRX and STi's have been sold since the WRX was introduced? There's been 40,000 new members to our boards, all whining about spending thousands on mods, then selling it all off to go back to stock to be able to upgrade to an STi or better project car that will be modded as well.
Users who mod the exhaust to eliminate cats typically do other mods as well. And as for Turbo gauge, these things are easy to spot and highly visible. To use your terminology, the vast majority of those running catless turbobacks have a turbo gauge--I would even up that figure to >95%, so you can use it to identify potential modders. Moreover, very few running catless actually keep the stock muffler. Even when I take trips, most of the wrx's I see are bone stock. I may not be looking under the hood but neither are you.
BTW, quoting enthusiast board membership is misleading. 50k members includes many who don't even have impreza's and may never. Moreover, the active membership is much smaller than that. Only a small percentage of actual WRX owners on the board have catless turbobacks. If exhaust manufacturers could realize 50k units sold, you would see the price come down and more mfg making parts for the wrx. That isn't the case. Heck, if you trust what you read on NASIOC, then the vast majority of Subaru manual trannies blow, the vast majority of windshields crack, etc.
i _personally_ know of myself, and three other people, who own wrxs. i knew them all before they got them.
i have decided to mod mine, and i've never looked back. the other three have done NOTHING to their cars. that, to me, says that in my small sample of users, only 25% have decided to alter their vehicles. hardly a majority!
don't base your assumptions on what most owners are doing with their rexes on what you see on nasioc, iclub, wrxfanatics, clubwrx, etc. there are a lot of owners who never hit those boards even once, and are plenty happy and satisfied with their cars just as they rolled off the showroom.
NASIOC claims 13608 members per their web site. They do not verify for unique users (I personally have two user names registered) or even if you really own a Subaru (ie. other car enthusiasts interested in the WRX). That number is far less than one year's sales of the WRX in the US. ...and the "NA" stands for North American. Even if ALL NASIOC members modify the emissions systems on their vehicles, that is still well below a "vast majority."
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