The Dude abides... now with an Impreza

[El Duderino]

 

Morning from Guernsey off the coast of France. Short post to say hello, I will follow up with more, try to be positive and contribute where I can. Briefly I am from Yorkshire, currently working and residing on Guernsey (8 years) - kind of emigrated but not really as will be back home at some stage. Had a local Subaru dealer near my village (Bramhope) where I first came into contact with the brand back in late 80's / 90's when Colin was active and Subaru WRC champions. We had a good deal of motorsport across Yorkshire and we would get up to Scotland, down to Wales. I bought an Impreza 1.6 saloon (2WD) as still a young guy (insurance) had it about 4 years. No issues, liked the car. Kids came along, things changed... Ford Galaxy replaced Impreza.

In 2012 re-united with Subaru buying a low mileage 2007 model year Legacy RE 2.0 Estate, manual with the uprated (163 BHP ?) output, full leather, electric heated seats, moon roof etc - I have had a 3 series BMW (328i Coupe) and the Legacy outdoes it in several areas once it is rolling - effortless cruising, kit, handling and sure footedness especially in bad weather. A little slow and unrefined from stationary but its a trade off with the AWD clearly. In 2018 I still have it on 38,000 miles. Apart from a service, I've changed the discs / pads (myself) and clutch this year (garage). Love it for family and our dog.

This month I have bought another low mileage Subaru for myself (for trips back to Yorkshire primarily), couldn't not to be honest - one lady owner, full dealer serviced (stamped book, receipts) 2010 Impreza 2.0 RX on 54K miles, manual. Pearl white, mint inside and out. Has the full options I believe including Sat Nav with DVD player, Xenon lights, Thatcham class one, 17x7J alloys, sports seats, cruise control. I am looking to maintain this largely myself so will be searching the board for help and may have a few questions.

One first question is... both of my Scoobies have the same 2.0 litre petrol engine I believe although on the Impreza it is 148 and on the Legacy 163 BHP. It would be nice to tweak the Impreza up to this if I can, its swift enough but just to give it a little more zip for the motorway and overtaking. I understand it essentially has a CAF already of sorts from above grill to air box, was thinking cat back exhaust (to max useful diameter), BMC CDA / sports filter, clean the fuel system +new fuel filter and low viscous oil. Not sure about engine management tweaks and whether I can reset this myself or a re-map useful. I will upgrade the disc / pads when next due (stopping feels OK stock).

Thanks for any indications in advance - I understand that being a NASP rather than turbo I wont get much improvement v cost (and not looking for significant) but I did see a welcome character change when I applied these to my other car - MG ZS 2.5 V6 currently running approx 190 BHP - the improvement in breathing made it much more responsive in the mid range, maybe a little quicker in a sprint. 

Cheers

Work front:  graphic designer / web designer / marketing exec (20 years). Hobbies: 2 kids,  labrador, cycle, gardening, draw, paint, Apple Macintosh Ninja 

 

[shms]

that's a pretty decent stable !

i'm sure the 2.0 experts will be along with best advice in due course..🙂

[El Duderino]

Thanks, I've had the Zed 11 years now, and you can tell its had Pro Drive and Peter Stevens work on it - several cross overs to Subaru including the hawkeye headlight design.  I will have a search around the site at the weekend for performance bits.

Started on the Impreza with a gentle effort to de-chrome. I wont present it as something it isn't (like a WRX / Sti) but I do like gentle mods that make a car my own. Just arrived this official Subaru sports grill. Sti badge coming off and expecting the paint next few days (white is primer).  I am going to extend the lower air intake visually with black satin - combination should make the nose more in keeping with the stock body extensions, hatch spoiler and wheels. Below is a mockup against current nose, and the new grill out of the box - has the ducting on right side to channel air to the internal piping / air box. 

Found my old 555 Beanie last night, got to be 20+ years old 🙂 - got it in Wales during an RAC. Dream rally team at the time for Subaru. Just in time for winter.  And a pic similar to my original Impreza 1.6 GL in red. Was a great car despite the lack of power and 2WD, still had a burble and handled well in the bends.

Have a great day.

 

 

[Jay762]

Wotcha and welcome.

Currently running a 2.0 RX auto myself - as it was supposed to be going to the in laws I have not tinkered very much although a recent low speed rear ending has meant a replacement exhaust is on the way - I opted for a Cobra, they don't list one for the RX on their site but after some research comparing photos etc I took a punt on the WRX S option. Ill let you know if it is a straight forward installation.

As it is an NA car I opted for a K&N panel to keep the existing airbox intact, I believe 150bhp is conservative and a remap would definitely improve the drive across the rev range - particularly as the car performs noticeably better as the temperature drops.

As the bang for buck ratio is not great on an NA the only other power mods I had considered where lumpier cams (along with pipe filter and map)

Brakes I found give better feel than the STI i had previously (they were very wooden) but they fade very quickly with spirited use - I flushed with dot 5.1 as service stage anyway but braided hoses would again improve the situation and then better vented discs.

One thing I have found is the amount of body roll while pushing on in the twisties - the chassis is fine for where it will end up (transporting pensioners) but for example the rear ARB is 10mm in diameter - pretty sure this is half the size of the STI but for a similar weight of motor.

Feel free to create a project thread to keep track of your mods - subtle or otherwise 😉 

[El Duderino]

Hi mate

- apologies for slow response, my work isn't 9/5 and when it gets busy I can disappear for a few days. Appreciate your input and comments. I will start a thread as you suggest, will be a little slow until the spring. I have a guy in Leeds, Tony Banks (https://www.tonybanks.co.uk/) who made me a stainless exhaust for the 180, cat back and we later added a Maxogen / CDA for the air in. He took the time to consider the air flow and we didn't go mad on diameters. Reset the engine management to pick the changes up, good oil, plugs etc - opened up that NASP engine across the rev range without making it grumpy which is where I want to be with this car.

I still have my head into getting an Sti at some stage 😉 when I clear through a few things (like moving job / house) and get back to England. At that point I will run the RX as my daily. On the Sti, age wont matter - will be about the model, owner, maintenance history and condition. Looking forwards to exploring the board in that area.

Best

 

[Jay762]

just fitting the exhaust now - Cobra stainless, it is listed as WRX - S fitment but it is a match for the NA but with a larger diameter bore - 52.5mm to 63.5mm OD so will be interesting to see if there is an improvement

[El Duderino]

Great! Keep me posted. From what I've read so far, the RX isn't that far off the WRX in many respects - I don't mean detailed parts, rather the base car, chassis and mount points so I am hoping it will take WRX parts without too much stress. I was thinking down this route for a simple brake improvement, maybe discs, callipers for a WRX when I look at those. And that rear ARB you mention. 👍

[El Duderino]

Just completed a 1100 miles up through England from Poole and back (ferry) and across the North. Car was faultless and very nice to drive at 70/80 as I suspected (its geared for that). Handling at 80 in windy and wet conditions on the motorway and around the lanes near Macclesfield was rock solid inspiring confidence. 17" alloys with low profile tyres give good grip and brakes decent enough.  Hatchback and rear room are fine - at one stage I had a baby seat (+ 2yr old) and push chair in the car, two adults + me and shopping, winter coats etc. Great audio and Sat Nav stood up except in Manchester city centre where it was too slow for the actual roads, lane changes and junctions in traffic (probably would have nailed any sat nav TBH). Got me to The Grapes pub in Sheffield OK though. Miles per gallon indicated on the dash after a days motorway driving 31.2 average - I wasn't trying to be economical and hitting 90+ at times so not too bad. 

Negatives:  It's a little noisy and harsh at low speeds (you notice more on a night) but this is a Subaru trait - I have a Legacy which is the same, and I put it down to the flat four, weight and the AWD, but I can live with that.  It runs out of steam on steeper A roads like Staxton Hill in Scarborough with 2 in the car plus cases, a little disappointing for 150BHP  in a hatch but I may be able to lift that with a bit of work to get the car more to the 163 BHP in my Legacy (same 2.0 engine) which doesn't have that issue at all - surprising as its got to be heavier than the Impreza. The Impreza is low mileage and former lady driver so it may loosen up with more miles and spirited driving. 

Overall very happy, a lot of car for what I paid, a nice looker, practical and different to most hatchbacks on the road with the AWD and a flat floor... you do get some Scooby burble as well even with the stock exhaust and air box (designed to minimise it I suspect).

Motorway services 4.00 in the a.m. 🙂