[Caddy Daddy]

A thought came to me last night.
It was, "i need to go driving tommorow"

So, I woke up at 8:30 this morning and went driving.

And you know what I thought of as I was driving my Impreza?

I was thinking, "I wouldnt even want a new WRX".

Why spend all that $$$ on a car that you cant even have fun with?
Making a Subaru only street applicable is taking ALL of the fun out of it.
The thing I love about my Impreza is that it can go anywhere. Its so bloody versatile.
With a new WRX I would be hesitant to throw it around the gravel farm roads, hesitant to drive on those rough country roads, etc...

I mean, I dont beat on my Impreza by any means at all, but with a new WRX, Id feel downright guilty driving it through muck.

And hey, if I do wrap my baby around a tree this winter, its OK, its not the end of the world!! The end of the world allready happened anyway, yeah, I think it did...it was last week when the Republicans gained the house and congress. Now thats scary...

But anyway, anybody hear me on this??
Now all I have to do is figure out what kind of engine I want in my Impreza. Any suggestions anyone?
-C.D.

 

[10th Warrior]

i've abused the fuck out of my car since it was broken in and i continue to do so. every now and then when someones gives me a chance to abuse their WRX, I take it this saturday i got to drive one on a rally-x course for a "safety run" while setting the course up. it handles very similar to the RS (minus the lack of traction since his car was on RE92s instead of R700s). in the tight box turns it sucked off boost. but on the faster sections you really had to hold on when the boost kicked in. anyway, i ran a 1:15 with his car and a 1:13 with mine. there is no replacement for tires but i couldn't feel the extra weight of the car.

 

[HondaH8er]

Why would you feel bad about taking a WRX off-road? It's just as off-road capable as an RS, plus it has more power (at least on boost). If I had a WRX, I would have no qualms whatsoever about tossing it around in the dirt. Heck, you wreck a WRX, you can get a brand-new replacement, but you wreck an RS, you gotta get a used replacement, if you can find one.

 

[Caddy Daddy]

Heck, you wreck a WRX, you can get a brand-new replacement, but you wreck an RS, you gotta get a used replacement, if you can find one.

RS?? I wouldnt want to take an RS out either!! Id take my base model (with new engine,drivetrain,etc) out - I could build 4 of those with $$$ left to spare for a sack'o'nugz with the price of one rally prepped WRX.

I guess it all comes down to where you want to throw your $$$. I guess Id just rather throw that money into a TTZ or my Caddy (something I know I wont be getting paint chips constantly on, or abusing at all). Id like to have a Subaru that keeps peace of mind and one that you can have hella fun in.

BTW, R700s...are those the recommended tires for street/rain/snow/gravel/dirt for Subies?

-C.D.

 

[landcruiser]

The RS's are more robust than an L, and the WRX more robust than an RS. I see no problem in taking any subaru out for a romp in the forest. My friends WRX is littered with gravel chips on the wheel wells and he wouldn't have it any other way. Two weeks ago, I took my RS on mild 4x4 trails and did some ditch crossing and hill climbing. It was the most fun I've ever had in my car. The guys who are waxing their car every week would probably crap their pants at the sight of a subaru spining it's wheels in the dirt, but for a lot of us, that's why we got them in the first place. I'm not to worried about breaking anything because I feel you can be responsible and have fun at the same time.

 

[impreza01]

The end of the world allready happened anyway, yeah, I think it did...it was last week when the Republicans gained the house and congress. Now thats scary...

What are you talking about, this is the best thing to happen. Whats scary is that Gray Davis won in California, again.

 

[10th Warrior]

lets try to keep this on topic or i'll sic ashcroft on you

R700s are Kumho's rally tire. they're cheap as far as rally tires go. i think even tirerack sells them. anyway, they are incredible on gravel, since that's what they're made for after all. on dirt, they're just another knobby tire. that's why most rally-x groups (mine included) class snow tires and rally tires the same. they're better then street tires for sure, but nothing that special. on the street they are god awful. i think TMRrally runs them on the street, but he aparently has had massive amounts of head injuries they are very, very loud on the street and they will wear out quick, esp if you drive hard on them or put alot of tarmac miles on them. wiggly treadblocks are bad. i don't know what they're like in the rain. i have driven them through mud puddles, water-crossings, and such, and they've done fine, so i imagine they would be fine at evacuating rain water as well.

like landcruiser said, the impreza was designed with rally in mind. homologation is a good thing, and then subaru takes it one step further and integrates it with their product image, hence we have the RS and the WRX and even the AWD L. its what these cars were made for and that' what i bought the car for. sure, i enjoy auto-x and driving down paved back roads, but gravel and dirt is where i enjoy my car the most. sure, you fuck up on occasion, but how else are you going to learn the limits?

 

[Caddy Daddy]

How can I find a location near me to safely and legally practice driving skills on dirt, gravel, or other non paved surfaces?

 

[landcruiser]

Ask some 4x4 enthusiasts. They usually focus on stuff that's too extreme for our cars, but they should know of public land that is legal for vechicles. Most 4x4 places will have mild dirt and gravel roads.

 

[dRu 888]

...here in poly they have sand dunes that you get to play around with if you have 4wd... =)

 

[10th Warrior]

How can I find a location near me to safely and legally practice driving skills on dirt, gravel, or other non paved surfaces?

RallyCross! check out WAG who are having an event in WI this sunday. go to rallycabal for the scoop on all the midwest rally-x'es, and, last but certainly not least, don't forget about St. Louis Region's absolutely fabulous RallyCrosses that will bring a tear to your eye they are so stunningly superior. go to http://www.rallycross.us/stl for the official website or just PM me any questions you have about our events.