waterdogvette

V8 against H4 turbo AWD have you had an experience? small car ,small engine but FAST!

Z06ZR166c

My buddy has a 04 WRX with sti block/intake/downpipe/turbo back exhaust/lowered/short shifter/sti top mount cooler/BOV

He nails me from the launch likes its easy and around 2nd gear he gets WALKED.

I'm sure stock vs. stock for most C4, the luanch = ownage but once you get more in the top end the C4 should take over. I am excluding the STi

JD'S WHITE 93

The all wheel drive is what makes these things a pain. They can dump the clutch at 5k without any real wheelspin. I've seen them at the track and the ones I saw running ran low 14's shouldn't be a problem for a C4

TOO_HOTTVETTE

You gotta admit, it is an impressive little bugger. But please...only quickness does not a real sports car make. They are all the time trying to egg me on down here.

kwik_ta

Darth... is that you???

Mr Mojo

I've beaten a couple at the track, but it doesn't take much for them to beat us.

Last year they had a Evo vs STi day and there were a bunch in the 10 second range and they looked like any other car.

LT4BUD

Pretty sure that was one I raced last time at the track, a Subaru WRX for sure,........He got me out of the hole.....no surprise as I usually get caught sleeping......but then I blew by him....think he ran low 13's....

wildman378

at the track we have also raced many times his car usually runs like 14.8 they claim that 13 second crap but all the other 227hp non sti wrx's also run upper 14's....

I've also tore sti's up they're like 14.2 stock maybe 14 flat at best so these cars are nothing the impreza evo 8 is a diff story they can pull 13.8 stock so they're fairly decent.

coops86vettes

We had a 2004 WRX STi at our dealership. I got several chances to drive the car. It is definitely a very quick car, the all-wheel drive launch from a stop is killer. I did not like the overall feel of the car. It felt like a sedan that had a performance engine, which I guess that is what the car really is. I prefer the feel of a true sports car...the 'vette!
2004 WRX STi stats:
General Information
Price: $30,995
Miles Per Gallon: --/-- mpg
Curb Weight: 3263 lbs
Layout: Front-Engine/AWD
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Engine
Type: Turbocharged Flat-4
Displacement: 2457 cc
Horsepower: 300 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 300 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 7000 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph: 4.8 sec
0-100 mph: 12.9 sec
Quarter Mile: 13.2 sec @ 104 mph
Skidpad: .--g
Top Speed: --- mph
Braking, 60-0 mph: 111 ft
Slalom Speed: 69.1 mph

wildman378

Out of no telling how many sti's I have saw run at the track none have EVER got near 13.2 to me they really overated bot hthe wrx and the sti wrx BIG TIME.

the commercials say 5.3 0 to 60 I think right? look on the net the reg wrx is actually 6.3 0 to 60 by the magazines.

JD'S WHITE 93

Do you run at norwalk ??

Nathan Plemons

Most drag races are won in the first 60' unless there is a major horsepower difference. They are fast, but in the end look at what you have, an UGLY car. Personally I'd rather have a slow car that looks good than an ugly one that's fast.

One of the biggest things with WRX is supposed to be it's handling, and it may be nice in the hands of a compentent driver. Unfortunately AWD is nowhere near as forgiving once you cross the line. For a front wheel drive there are certain things that you just expect the car to do and you can correct for them. In a rear wheel drive it's a different set of rules, but they are still there. On an all wheel drive it may be much harder to push it above it's limits, but once you do there is absolutely nothing you can do to predict it's behavior and correct for it.

One of my friends knew a guy who bought a STi. He kept telling me about how awesome this car was and that I needed to go for a ride with him. I told him quite frankly that I've never met his friend but I have a very good feeling that he can't drive half as good as he thinks he can. I told him that I didn't want to be in a car with some guy trying to impress me who ends up getting us killed. I never rode in the car, and as it works out I'll never get the chance. Sure enough within about a month this guy threw his car off of the Natcher Parkway to I-65 Northbound ramp. Anybody familiar with the BG area knows that's a wicked 200 foot radius banked arc. This ramp is marked 45 MPH. A Vette can take it at 75 all day long. I have taken it at 80 once or twice and my car did well although I wouldn't make a habit out of it because it just greatly decreases your margin of error.

If these things handle half as good as they say they do, he had to be doing 80+ on this ramp. It was a matter of overconfidence in the car's ability to correct for bad driving decisions. The STi was totaled, fortunately the guy wasn't hurt so maybe he learned his lesson the hard way.

LT4BUD

This was at Dragway42.........You can get lots of runs in at their Test/Tune nights.......I want to get to Norwalk to see what I can do with some traction......I hear consistently Norwalk does much better job of track prep.....but long waits between runs...


When I think about it that WRX must have been in high 13's or low 14's.....

LT-4 CE

Norwalk IS where you'll get your quickest runs as long as the air is even moderate. My Nova would 60' a couple hundredths quicker there and my vette has run within 1 hundreth at Norwalk on regular street tires as it ran at 42 on DRs. The cool thing about Norwalk is how far down the track they spray, which is a BIG deal for 6-speed cars. Bud, you can agree, at 42, you about get sideways hitting 2nd very hard.

JD'S WHITE 93

I run at norwalk but 42 isn't all that far from me either. If I see you at the track I'll buy you a beverage.

redwing76

Interesting story, smart move not getting into that car.
Ugly car? The 1st gen is liked here but the home market though it was ugly and would'nt buy it.

Between the 2 the Evo is a better car.

Texas CE

We own both a 96 LT1 Vert and an 02 WRX Wagon. Both are fun to drive but in different ways:

- The Vert has instant torque off the line, the WRX needs RPM to make it's power but what a rush!
- The Vert has neutral handling whereas the WRX tends to push the front end in normal driving. The WRX is actually more fun in the wet, you can really carry speed into the corners and the AWD will pull you out the other side with no drama. The Vette relys on it's neutral handling and extra large tires to accomplish the same thing
- Both are great vehicles on the open road
- The WRX strikes me as the more "driver oriented car" due to it's seating position, steering wheel, gauges and great view out of the large windshield. The Vert is more sports car and looking at the display never let's the driver forget they are driving a computer
- Both are silver and look good together in the garage

pionexxxx

What gears did your 96 auto come with and is your wrx a manual or auto, just seeing if that made a difference in your take on the differences between them. I have driven a regular wrx and it is nothing to my 95 if were talking about racing.

BigTexas

From Road and Track Mag June 2003...

Scoob

One kicked the snot out of my old '89 C4.