Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a WRX for road-racing/track use.

I've seen and heard of enough rollovers about the Imprezas that I'm a little aprehensive about buying a WRX as it shares the same chasis as the Imprezas, or so I've heard.

Is the rollover an issue with a WRX or is it a completely different suspension setup ?

Thanks for any comments in advance.

Russell.
PS. Any particular issues with the car e.g. headgasket problem with the Supras, weak trans on the 1st gen eclipses etc ?

i think a lot of the rollovers have been caused by overzealousness rather than the car itself, i.e., driving beyond the scope of the driver's skills in consideration to the terrain, etc...

Driver stupidity causes lots of things (sometimes known as temporary periods of insanity). If you're going to track race a WRX, you'll want to outfit it accordingly. And of course you will know what type of driving you're looking to do, which will save you from lots of problems just to begin with.

Originally posted by RussellH
PS. Any particular issues with the car e.g. headgasket problem with the Supras, weak trans on the 1st gen eclipses etc ?

Chip paint on the WRX? :lol:

A WRX *is* an Impreza... the full name is the Subaru Impreza WRX. It's just a higher "trim level" of the basic Impreza (currently the base is the 2.5RS). You get the 2.0L turbo engine, in-dash six disc changer, and a few performance enhancements (mostly minor stability things).

It's a VERY good chasis (biased opinion)... the Subaru horizontally opposed 4 cylinder boxer engines are very low to the ground, and the cars have nice stances, so you're not looking at a high tendency to roll over... they HAVE been rolled, but usually by people pushing them over their limits.

It's a fantastic car. Go test drive one and you'll understand.

Also, several people on this board have rolled, and they (so far) have all been online posting about it soon afterwards. Can we say "safe?" :D

Thanks for the info guys. I've been racing cars for a while, not on a prof level or anything, just club level.

Most cars I've raced, even with sticky tires will slide or spin out when pushed over the limits...unless you get the wheels dug into the gravel or hit a curb etc. However, one video I saw of an Impreza RS the guy started to lose the rear end, I did notice his reaction time for correction was slow and not concise but I wasn't ready for what happened next. The back end started to come around he overcorrected it the back swung around the other side and the car just rolled over. He didn't even hit the gravel trap or anything else, he was still on a dry road. I just couldn't believe it. I've never seen that kind of a behavior before!

This is almost 6 mos ago when I saw the vid and I remember sitting at work playing it over and over again trying to figure out what happened. I though maybe the wheel broke or perhaps the suspension broke but I couldn't find anything.

The guy was OK though.

Thanks again and yes the WRX sounds very impressive, perhaps why I'm considering it. You can't beat the bang for the buck! The styling is finally growing on me and I'm liking it more and more everyday.

That video would have been the video of Pat "Mr. Internet" Olsen... it was a Legacy GT on the track at Lime Rock, not an Impreza. Most cases of WRX rollover I believe are due to the aforementioned "overzealousness" :D. I've driven the heck out of my RS at times, and have never had the car even begin to roll- the difference is knowing the limits (and not exceeding them) and control ;).

Brian
http://www.ravensblade-impreza.com
http://www.imprezamods.com
http://www.scoobymods.com
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?

I thought that was only a Contour and Neon issue...

:confused:

Mine was sidways at 70mph on pavement, then into mud and bushes even and the wheels started to lift but settled very quickly. This was a few weeks after I got it as a friend was driving I saw the whole thing from about 50 feet away. I still like autoXing at Bremerton...

Chad
93 1.8T

I would expect if you are regularly actually "racing" with any organization worth it's liability insurance, you will be required to have a roll cage installed - AND you've decided you can afford to total your vehicle.
What are you nervous about? Stock WRX's handle comparable to numerous other more pricey machines, and with proper tuning can be substantially upgraded!

The center of gravity on the WRX is lower than most cars and it is heavier than a lot of cars. It is not going to roll over unless you drive it improperly. Even on stock tires I can corner quicker than ever and safely. If you decide not to buy the WRX, fine, but don't decide not to because of a rollover problem.

don't drive your car like a rally car, and you won't roll over.
End of lesson.

Originally posted by subachad
I thought that was only a Contour and Neon issue...

:confused:

Mine was sidways at 70mph on pavement, then into mud and bushes even and the wheels started to lift but settled very quickly. This was a few weeks after I got it as a friend was driving I saw the whole thing from about 50 feet away. I still like autoXing at Bremerton...

Chad
93 1.8T


My neon never had a problem on the track and handled quite nicely. So do all the ACR neons out there in the races on TV for actors and famous people. Nothing like swaybars and Koni 5 point struts from the factory.

Originally posted by suber
I would expect if you are regularly actually "racing" with any organization worth it's liability insurance, you will be required to have a roll cage installed - AND you've decided you can afford to total your vehicle.
What are you nervous about? Stock WRX's handle comparable to numerous other more pricey machines, and with proper tuning can be substantially upgraded!

Well yes I understand the risks involved in motorsports and that's not what the post was about. I just wanted to simply know if any of the owners had any complains regarding the issue as the owners would know about it more than a third person like myself.

In anycase, I found the answer I was looking for at: http://www.teamsmr.com/ in fact I know these guys well, for some reason I just never thought about them. I must be getting old. They seem to be campaigning one in USTCC quite successfully.

The RS and WRX handle predictably to the limits. The tires (Bridgestone RE-92's) are the weakest link for handling, especially for the WRX which is sprung stiffer and is slightly heavier. The RE-92's tend to "roll-under" in the rear and signal that your back end is ready to come around. Imprezas have a low center of gravity and are fairly well balanced. If, for some reason, the car were rolled, the roof has excellent roof bracing (stated to hold x20 the car's weight). If someone manages to roll a WRX, they must really be doing something wrong. Most roll-overs involve people driving well beyond their capability.

Personally, I think 17" or 18" wheels with Kumho's or Potenzas would be the way to go. The lower profile and wider tread section would help keep the back end behind the front end. Anyone try 18 inch wheels with quality rubber on them? Any fender clearance problems? I think the tire height is 24.8" to maintain correct speedo readings.

I was reading on a website today that explained how people
could possibly roll these cars over and it's the fact that they
aare AWD and if they go into a turn too fast and they quickly
let off on the throttle then they can cause the back end to
shift and loose traction. Then once people feel the ass end
going out, some do not know how to steer out of it and
decide to hit the brakes which will ultimately cause the car
to do a spin out and if it grips right into the ground, there's
always a potential rollover problem. It's been known to happen
on damp roads, so just use common sense when the road
is wet. Basically, know your cars limits before you try to out-perform yourself because you'll only end up crashing it.

I forget the website name (it may have been on here for
all I know). I was at work earlier checking it out.

-Tom

Patrick Olsen's car rolled when it hit the grass, I'm quite sure. I observed pics of his car post-roll and there was a LOT of grass jammed in between the rim and tire bead, showing the tires dug into the ground heavily.... had they not, it's unlikely that his Legacy would've rolled.

You also say that lifting off throttle at the limit, mid-corner will cause oversteer. Yup! That's how I totalled my 4wd Civic wagon! Proper driving skills do not include mid-corner throttle lift, trust me.

The WRX doesn't have a rollover problem. It's one of the most planted cars I've ever driven. Certainly better planted to the ground than my Explorer...

In response to your other question, though..

WRX's have tended towards a'check engine light' problem, usually related to a faulty sensor, or sometines cylinder2.(the one closest to the turbo) easy fix, but annoying.

the sedans have an issue with the inner trunk covering melting and bubbling a little from the heat on some cars. That one's still being addressed.

The stock tires suck. :D

what'd I miss?

What's the first thing most people do to mod their Impreza (WRX or not)? Bigger rear sway bar. If you (not you personally) don't have demonstrated driving skills (passing the DMV test ain't those) and you slap your new bigger rear bar all the way to 23mm and "go have some fun" and end up looping/flipping the car...it's not the car's fault.

Just as with car maladies, what you tend to read here on the list are the results of things gone wrong, whether they be CE lights or totalled WRXs. No one posts daily "I DIDN'T flip my WRX today" posts.

And most of the WRX flips involve pretty incredible circumstances, if you read the commentary.

WRXs are much like guns, they don't roll over, or go off, by themselves. :devil: