Setright

The ultimate cornering speed is not related to how many, or which wheels are driving the car. The collossal advantage offered by full-time AWD is a more progressive handling response during throttle position changes. You can be far more abrupt with the throttle and not end up punching holes in hedges...backwards! My Legacy has forgiven me a number of things through the years! Still, as you mention, a lot relies on the driver. Smooth braking, turning in as you release the brake, not afterward, will do a lot to quell understeer. Presently, my roll-bar-deprived Imp requires a lot of this to avoid running wide!

I have owned a 1990 Legacy, and now own a 2000 Impreza. Even though my Legacy had softer suspension it actually had far better handling, not to mention steering feel. Also, a more solid brake pedal. I have discovered that my non-turbo Impreza does not have a rear anti-roll bar, and I blame this omission for the less adjustable, more understeer-prone handling. I will be mounting one myself as soon as possible! The two car's share the same suspension components and basic chassis, only he Legacy is slightly longer. Therefore the Impreza should be more responsive, and slightly less stable. The lower weight of the Impreza should mean higher cornering speed limits, but ultimately I think the Legacy's added stability will help inspire more confindence in normal drivers like us, and allow similar speeds. Don't be fooled by Impreza drivers, we think we are going faster cause our cheaper cars are more noisy !

Well, I have have good results using Bosch, single electrode, "ytrium plus". I think you should stay away from all the "wonder plugs", like multiple electrode Bosch and Iridium tipped Denso and NGK. Normal plugs are cheaper, and work just as well, only they need replacing more often. I consider this a plus, since removing the old plugs gives you a good insight into how your engine is doing.

These days, with emissions demands there is little scope for engines to be tuned by "agressive" valve timing. Eg. it is a big NO-NO to have large overlap and let fuel flow out unburned. So the car companies need to focus in other areas. My point? Port polishing will not acheive much, because the ports are already flow optimised from the factory.

Well, if you DO change them, normal bad-luck says that you will scratch the shaft during dis-assembly and the new seal will leak soon after. Of course, the same bad-luck says that if you are smart and leave the seals alone, they will leak soon due to age.... You gotta ask yourself: Am I a lucky guy? (I'm not, and I always replace everything and something that was in fine working order always gets busted!)

It was raining yesterday, and still is today, so I didn't feel like opening the connectors right up. I did re-seat them, and funnily it seemed to work for a while, but after a few separate runs the problem came back. Once the weather dries up, I will dismantle and clean them properly. City life, with no garage sucks :-(

Hmm, I find that clutchless shifting is VERY hard to get right in an AWD car. No problem in many 2WD's, but the weak Sube synchro and the extra inertia of AWD make it a very crunchy affair. Best avoided.

Okay, the EJ25 is weaker in this discipline than other engines. However, my Legacy had the excellent EJ22 and that developed the same problem at 120k miles. I do find that to be a respectable mileage, and the car was ten years old. I ran it for another 70k miles before I sold it, and there was no sign of HG leaks. And I racked those miles up in 2½ years. Including thousands of miles cruising at 100mph. Have the HG's fixed, and make sure the shop will warranty them, because you don't want to pay if they blow again soon. Ask about the coolant additive at a Subaru dealer - not sure if it goes for Phase One.

Engine off, engine back on, problem gone for a while. Damn, that's a leaky head gasket :-( The bubbles collect in the water pump because of the pressure drop across it. They form larger pockets of air in the pump and stop circulation, and your temp rises. Shutting off the engine allows the bubbles to escape to higher places and renewed circulation brings your temp back down.

Don't mess with the fine balance of your oils!

I have the same problem! I haven't tried diagnosing it yet. I will say that some Redex Injector cleaner in the tank - which I do on the last tankfull before every oil change at 6k - seems to smooth things out a little. Actually, when I had a free-flow muffler on, the symptoms were less pronounced. For sure I am going to spray some contact cleaner on the connector terminals on the TPS. Top quality suggestion Rich!

DRACO! The first stage is intended to bring the gearbox internals up to speed, that's why the clutch pedal has to come up, otherwise you are just revving the engine.

Sounds like an ignition problem to me. Check components related. Plugs, wires, coil, igniter, cam/crank shaft sensors. Cracked coil housing will act up in wet weather.

Yeah, that's a tricky one. The Imp is essentially a Legacy with a shorter wheel base, but some things are slightly different anyway. Most suspension mods will work, but might require a small amount of customization. Wheels are straight over, and brake componets mount up the same. You will have to take each case separately. I think exhaust is the only area that is a no go, you will need bespoke parts for that.

Brat, I dont think we are that far apart on opinions. Going from a 100hp engine to one pumping out 218hp is a very serious upgrade. And it will work, and I don't doubt the weekend thing, because as you say perparation is vital. There will be no time to waste once the tools start flying. However, I think it would have been easier to buy a turbo-charged car in the first place. There are many detail differences between the bog-standard Impreza and the WRX. Engine is only part of it. Even if you include things like fuel pump in the engine conversion, the suspension, although similar in components, is very different in geometry. Look under the rear of an EJ18 GC8, can you see an anti-roll bar? Without it, 218hp will mean vicious understeer as soon you get on the gas. The threaded holes for attaching the end-links are there, but the control arm doesn't have the supports for the rubber bushings that the bar rotates in. So there is welding to be done - not a tool that everyone has access to, or skill to use. Even with the anti-roll bar in place, you'll need to dial out bump-steer on the front axle, uprate the brakes, which will likely mean a new master cylinder inconjunction with new calipers.... I have a craving for more power too! Intake, K&N, and muffler are simple, tidy, and insurance friendly mods while I save up for a Sti... I would never disrespect anyone for tuning a car!

Consider the strength of an entire engine block, with steel cylinder liners, against the strength of a few bolts. I know for a fact that my EJ22, 1990 model, used "stretch bolts". I am not saying that would make it fact that newer sube engines do so also, but new bolts are good insurance.

Okay! Pop off the caps on the wiper arm, undo the nut, remove the wiper arms. You might want to mark their positions for re-assembly. Then "carefully pry" the grille off, it's secured by plastic clips/ rivets all the way around. No need to remove the bonnet/hood.

Well, helping synchros is only HALF the story, but it's good practice and develops your car control skills. Try braking with the ball of your foot at the same time as you downshift and roll you foot over to "blip" the throttle - whilst still braking! The other half: Approaching a bend at racing speed, preferably on a track, you must also blip the throttle again before letting the clutch in, otherwise you will start a tail-slide because of the engine braking effect.

My Haynes manual will have it, wait for me while I dig it up in the cellar!

Honestly, the tone here is below standard. A new intake can be fitted within ten minutes. A new silencer might take as long as thirty minutes. You could do this in the office car park on your lunch break. Try swapping an engine in that time.

Try to keep to the topic guys, plenty of space to rant elsewhere!

Okay, I will pretend to end the dino vs. synth argument! Is it likely that Mother Nature many hundreds of thousands of years ago thought to herself: "Hmmm, shall I wipe out these trees with another forest fire? Or should I topple them into those mud holes and let them slowly degenerate into oil. Yes! Oil just perfect for lubricating the internal combustion engine which I will have some of my children create in 800,000 years. Hmmm....OK, mud holes it is!" Or could it be that the creatures who invented the IC engine would know just what components to put into a lubricating fluid?

NIce one Northguy, but maybe a little risky. I thought of another way of discribing a Subaru: It's the car you will want to give a name ;-) (My Impreza is called Terri !)

Castrol TAF-X It really is the canine's testicals. Or the feline's night gown, if you prefer! I have tried Redline NS, and it works fine for a short while, but then it turns to water and kerr-RUNCH!

Yeah, if the engine turns on the starter, there is something else wrong. A failed crank or rod bearing won't make it impossible to start. Also, plain bearings don't fail at such a young age, unless there is a manufactur defect.