I don't currently own an Scooby but I'm very interested in buying an Impreza with the aim of doing some of a the sprint series this year and the Nippon Challenge and Subaru cup next year.
Currently I'm running an Nissan Primera GT as a winter run about ( don't laugh it was very cheap and not as bad as you might expect) my main car is a TVR Griffith 500 (tucked up in the garage at the moment) my aim is to sell both cars then buy and prepare a Impreza for the above race series, however while I've being involved with racing, preparing cars and bikes I've no specific experience with the Impreza, so I'd welcome the opportunity chat to like minded and more importantly knowledgeable Impreza owners prior to making any decisions.
I believe the next meet is at the Ship Inn is scheduled for Jan 14 is this still on? if so I hope to see you there.
Mark

 

a nissan primera.only joking mate welcome to the site.have you got a certain model of impreza in mind that you want to start modding,as there are quite a few different models out there.if you tell us which one you are thinking of buying and what sort of power you are wanting to get to,then i'm sure we can help you with it.

 

thanks for the welcome, the Subaru Cup only allows the 'classic' WRX 93>99 no STi's, RB5's, P1's etc (unless they've updated the regs for 2010)so I'm looking for a basic WRX. I'm planning on running in the 'production' class which limits mods to mainly MSA safety gear (cage, seat, fire gear, etc) no major engine mods allowed power is limited to 276bhp (with checks throughout the season) some mods can be made to brakes, clutch, suspension but nothing major, so what I need is an idea of the best starting point from the various models, revisions and specs within the std range of cars, imports or OK if they are base WRXs.
I don't mind a cat D or similar has ultimately alot of work will need to be done so the cheaper the better, but it's finding the best base spec starting point that is important.

 

power wise if you can only go to 276bhp then that shouldnt cost you much at all.it will just be the basic stuff like exhaust,filter remap(ecu depending on year).is the car going to be used just for the track then or will it be a road car aswell.might be a silly question but how do they do checks on the bhp you are running and is it just the bhp or do you have a limmit on torque aswell.

 

the fact you can't do to much is why the series appeals, not been allowed to throw money at it is great for me, my main issue is budget, racing is never cheap but this seems about as cheap as it's going to get car wise, for sure there's other costs (entry fees, travel, tyres, normex overalls, boots, etc) but they are pretty much the same for all entry level motorsport, if I can get the basic car choice right fit the safety gear I hope to be able to get out on track for minimum initial cost, then address any issues as they arise, my first year is all about exprience, learning to drive and keeping the car in one piece. If I can do that then I'd expect to make progress in the following season.
Plus the car should still be OK to use on the road which is a nice bonus.

I don't know how they check BHP, I assume they will dyno winning cars or just pick random cars to test, not sure how this works, dyno results can vary so much, I'd guess it's difficult to do. When I get the full series regs I hoping it will explain things more clearly, I think you can change exhausts, filters etc basic stuff like that, obviously the more I look into it the more it will be apparent what you can and can't do.
The Nippon Challenge forum is full of debate on what is allowed and what isn't, people look at the rules and try to bend them to their advantage there's a lot of 'differences in opinion' lets say. Also 2010 is the first year of the Subaru Cup so I guess things will change throughout the year, my intention would be to do only what is essential to get on track then work from there, picking up tips and tricks from more exprienced racers.

 

if your just wanting to keep the budget to a minimum then and your not really bothered what the car looks like.i would keep looking through ebay,pistonheads and on here to see if you can pick up a cheapy that runs ok.the best mod you can do for free is to try to make it as light as poss by taking things off it doesnt need.then fit your cage or whatever you need in it.its hard to say what to do after that as i could start saying,coilovers,stiffer anti roll bars,poly bushes,strut braces,drop links for the suspension,but i dont really know how cheap your budget is,as my budget might be different to yours.as cheap as i can think is stick an exhaust an filter on,put some decent stiffer springs and arb's on to improve handling a bit,some decent tyres and get out and see what you do with that.just add things as budget allows cos as a lot of people will tell you,tuning these cars does not come cheap.

 

All depends on how deep are your pocket lol

 

Budget wise I’m looking at £3000 to buy and prep the car, eg there’s a reasonable looking ’98 WRX on PH for £1800 with a good service and some harnesses it would be ready to run in the Sprint series as is, with only the entry fees left to pay, I’ve seen cheaper cars but there’s the dilemma of whether to buy a basically good car or a right rough thing and spend the difference on it.
Getting ready for the Subaru Cup which is a proper race series would obviously require more work and money, the main bulk of the funds would go into the cage, IIRC it as to be a 6 point MSA spec item, either weld in or bolt in is OK probably looking around £500 for this, I could fabricate one myself to save money but it depends on the actual cost to buy new, £500 or less may be worth paying for ease of fitting and peace of mind not to mention not having to buy lots of CDS tube and avoiding hours of cutting, bending, welding and Olympic swearing. Another £500 should cover the FAI seat, harnesses, extinguishers, brakes pads etc I know it’s possible to spend £1K just on a carbon seat but that’s where I’m prepared to fit the cheapest item that will do the job, used seats with some homologation remaining come up quite often on ebay, but a Cobra Monaco is FAI approved and they are only a little over £100 new, not as flash or light as a Kevlar Recaro but it would do the job.
And as you say losing as much weight as possible is essential and better still free, chipping out sound deadening is tedious but should save around 10kg combine this with removing kit like A/C, rear electric windows etc and cutting away anything that’s not absolutely necessary should result in a decent saving even after taking into consideration the weight added by the cage, extinguishers etc.
IIRC the minimum weight is 1250kg dry so there's a lot of cutting to do!!!
A set of brake pads (Mintex 1155s?) and it should be ready to go, the series runs with a discounted control tyre, a semi slick like the Toyo 888, although it wasn’t decided which brand would be used when I spoke to the organisers.
So with selling some of the bits removed on ebay it should be possible to get near my budget, although it doesn’t contain a contingency for accident damage or a major blow up, so I’ll have to make sure I don’t crash it or kill it!!!
I’m not really concerned with engine tuning and suspension at the moment, my ability to drive the car will be the limiting factor rather than the car, so long as it as around 270bhp so it isn't blown away to much in a straight line then it will be fine,on the suspension front perhaps some ploy bushes to tighten it up a bit and alignment to make sure it’s all pointing in the right direction would be wise, but I’ll leave the coilovers and ARBs till I feel I can get he best from them.
As I said before my main goal at the moment is choosing the right base car, which means learning about the Imperza did Sabaru make revisions and changes Sabaru from one model year to the next? I need to find the one which offers (on balance) the best in terms value and performance potential, eg is it worth going for a tidy ’94 car or a rough ’99 model, what revisions are really worth having, bearing in mind I’ve got to stay pretty much stock is there a models year that had better brakes or improved gear ratios etc there as to be one models that is considered the ‘one to have’.
It’s often the case when cars evolve over yrs of production that they get better brakes, more power, improved suspension etc but the flip side of this is often also get heavier, softer and more sanitised, I guess the trick is o pick the best bits to produce the best overall package.
Sorry if that was a little long winded but there's a lot to think about.


you'll gather from the above my pockets are rather shallow, but I believe it should be possible to get involved and have some without spending a fortune, time will tell

 

Hi mate and welcome. The roll cage i can help you with, i am a time served fabricator welder so if you need any help making it or getting material just let me know.

mark

 

thanks for the offer, and I may well take you up on it, I've plenty of experience bodgeing stuff together and i'm a tooling engineer by trade ( i used to work at the now defunked West Yorkshire Foundries / Hydro Aluminium Motorcast ) I've fitted 'bought in' cages before but never appempted making one from scratch, so any help from a 'pro' would be very welcome, do you get over to the Ship Inn meets?
Mark

 

Hi Mark

You definitely are thinking in the right direction with a classic WRX an import (not UK turbo) in the classic range, as the UK domestic market never released a WRX so all WRX's and variants will be imported, these additionally are better spec'd better powered and lighter than the UK versions due to varying things such as alloy wishbones.

The facelift version of the WRX are IMO more modern looking than the pre face lift version such as a MY93 94 95 96 I think the fully face lifted version came in around 96 on but I could be corrected on this. the standard WRX reportedly produce 280ps but on experience I found this to be only on the RA and STI variants, the base WRX came in at 240 to 280 dependent on slight mods such as air intake and decat systems.

 

thanks for the info, I guess the newer the better really (dependent on price) , STI's, RA's etc can run in the modified class, but for me as a rookie the production class makes the most sense, maybe moving to modified if the bug bites.
here is link to series web site : Subaru Cup - Red Dragon Race & Track Club

 

hi welcome,92/93 wrx were 240bhp 94/5/6 were 260bhp and had ventilated rear disc's 97(facelift)wrx came in at 276bhp (all imports)

when they were new

just to give you an idea

Tim

 

thanks for that, other than the rear discs gaining vents is there any other differences between them re brake calipers 2 pot 4 pot etc or disc size?

 

yeah got 4 pots and 294mm discs on later ones but cant remember what year

Tim

 

Hi mate yes i am going to try and get to this months meet. any time you need help just pm me.

mark

 

I'll get over to the Ship then, I can pick your brains re fab-ing a cage.

 

hi budd you dont work at crossroads do you

 

no mate, I don't really work much at all

 

what are you then a pimp or a drug dealer.

 

LOL, nothing so lucrative I’m afraid, no I’m pretty much a full time dad, my wife’s the main bread winner working full time, also I own a Valeting Company, I employ a couple of lads who go out in the van mobile valeting/detailing , but business is very slow at the moment I’m just about breaking even, that’s the main reason I’m selling my TVR, since the kids came along it’s not turned a wheel and I can’t afford to have it sat in the garage when business is poor and it’s not getting used, much better to free up some cash to tide the business over and buy an Impreza and do a bit of racing, plus before the Impreza goes to for down the race prep route I can use it daily, after all it is a four door family car (at least that’s what I’m telling the wife)

 

hi and welcome im just over the motorway bridge from u u might have seen a white rally spec mini driving sidways in the snow that would be me.

 

welcome