Makalu

Hi All,
took delivery of a nice shiny 'New Age' WRX recently - my first venture into the world of Subaru.

Yes, I am enjoying it but having now gotten a little used to it I wondered if I could ask a few questions to the experts among you all. At the moment the car is completely standard save for a few cosmetic additions - nothing that would affect performance (other than weighing it down a little more!)

Here I go...

1. The pull is strong upto about 5500-6000 but then there is a noticeable drop in power - almost like I had hit the limit of some component somewhere. Its not as aggresive as a red line power drop - more like it has just hit the limit of its intake capability. Any clues what may be the cause of this? It happens when the car is both hot and cold - more noticeably when cold.

2. (For those that can remember) Is the drivetrain normally noticeably louder than your average 2WD saloon and has anyone else got a noise that appears only briefly when lifting off the throttle - I can only describe it as a fainter version of a Mini Cooper with a large bore exhaust on the over-run. The timing of the noise is when you would expect to hear a wastegate (aka dumpvalve?) opening but the sound is more akin to a gearbox or clutch bearing problem (lets hope not - its less than a year old!).

3. I have put down my deposit on a PPP - at 1600 quid it is a lot of money but my warranty stays safe. Is it worth the expense???

4. I cannot fault the handling (as yet, maybe after a few more miles ill find something...) but wondered if the Prodrive Spring kit makes much difference in handling / comfort. Most of my driving is A road or motorway based so I need to retain a degree of comfort.

5. I have heard good and bad stories about replacement (panel type) air filters. I understand the benefits to be gained through having one (i've played around with previous cars of mine) but again I have never owned a turbocharged vehicle before. What are the pro's and con's and if the concensus is 'go for it' what is the best type / make on the market. Back in my VW Golf Gti days it was K+N... but that was a very different type of motor!

6. Being very aware of the fact that those 'enthusiasts of other peoples cars' among us are sorely tempted by Scoobies, I decided to go the whole hog and fit Trackstar GPS tracking to the vehicle. This is operated by the same key fob remote as the factory Thatcham 1 device (the two systems apparently work together?). Sometimes, when parking in a built up area or supermarket car park, the remote fails to activate the system. I have tried changing the batteries on both the remotes I have but the problem remains. After much frantic button pressing and aiming the darn thing at every corner of the car, it eventually arms but I must look a right prat dancing round the car brandishing the remote like Luke Skywalker giving Darth a good hiding! Any clues why this happens and what, if anything, I can do to stop it?

Hope you can she some light on these for me.

Many thanks to all in advance,
Mak.

AliWrx

Mak,
Firstly welcome to the wonderfull world of Scooby owner ship. Ill try and answer some of your questions, or at least give you my opinion.

1)The std WRX does start to loose its pull around about the 6000 rpm rev limit, mainly due to all the catalysts on the car strangling it. This can rectified by get a freeer flowing exhaust system such as TSL, Scooby sport etc. Start with a back box and maybe removing the centre cat. This will allow the car to expel waste gases more easily and it should pull sweetly. I have the TSL back box and decat centre on my MY01 5 door and it pull sweetly all the way to the red line. Just one point though you say your car struggles more when cold. Not wanting to insult but you should not be giving the car loads of revs when its cold anyway. Turbo cars exert huge pressures on the big ends unlike normally aspirated and should not be given a good boot until fully warmed up other wise your engine & turbo will both die a horrible death.

2)The drive train on a scooby can be quite whiney on the over run or when cold but should not be intrusivley so. Get it checked at your dealer if you are in any doubt.

3)The PPP is a good way to get more from your motor and keep it in warranty, coupled with a full decat and decent back box should see quite a significant increase in power. There are other cheaper ways to get more power, such as a dawes boost controller, but you can wave goodbye to your warranty.

4) I have the prodrive springs on my car and i can report that not only do they make the car handle much better, they also improve the looks as the lower it by about 20 - 30mm. Looks the mutts nutts with 18's to.

5)Currently running an ITG panel filter in mine at present with no problems. All the induction benifits without to much induction roar. Again its personnal preference just avoid any filters that are oil lubricated as they will contaminate the MAF sensor which will make your car run rough as a dog and end up costing you £300+ for a replacement.

6)As for the alarm not arming take it back to the place you had it fitted and get it checked. Did you have the arming problems before fitting the Trackstar? If not there maybe where your problem is.

Anyway i hope this helps you a little.
Cheers
Ali

Makalu

Thanks for your reply Ali, all points noted. If you dont mind me asking, how much were the Prodrive springs? I cannot find a price for them in my options catalogue!

Kind Regards,
Mak.
;o)

slippyr4

Methinks your alarm problem is not caused by the trackstar.

I've occasionally had problems with arming and disarming my alarm, which I'm pretty sure are down to interference with mobile phones.

You can always use the keypad and the key if it's really playing up.

Makalu

BTTT.... I need more answers please!
Mak.