I'm currently considering buying an Impreza...RS, maybe a WRX. Would it be so terrible for me to buy the car with an automatic tranny...or would I face a multitude of ridicule at the club meets?

Flame on... :)

hmm umm i have an AT and anyone who ridicules me can kiss my butt but ummm the WRX will have more lag at the line than the MT mostly because on an AT you can't really rev it in first gear unless you do break toruqing or whatever that term is, but i do know that some people that have the WRX are content with their AT version so it all depends on your tastes, go for a testdrive and you will see for sure which one you will want

who cares what others think?????

my GT was a 4EAT...
i wasnt into racing when i got it...

so when i got my RS...
a manual i chose!

it's a personal choice... make the best decision for YOU!

j.
www.subiegal.com

similar to Subie gal. I wasn't into racing when I got my RS. Now I am, big time... I am trying to get rid of my auto for manual. But I still love my auto... It's a great car! great tranny! what re you going to do with your car? daily driving or rally/autox?

Blue I am telling you the auto is no dog on the autoX circut. The best thing about it is the gearing (I forgot and found that out the hard way when I was running the car as a MT for the first time and had to shift at @50-55 :eek: ). Also the AWD system is much more responsive.

It's not that bad...really =)
My next car will definitely be a 5spd (6spd maybe heh)

Brian

The Subaru 4EAT tranny's have become very sophisticated. The WRX has a better torque spread than the RS 4EAT, I understand. My only complaint about my RS 4EAT is having too much front bias. With a fair amount of power available in MY99RS-t, the front wheels spin at each gear shift and powering out of any corner.

It is my understanding that the WRX 4EAT allows for greater than 50% of the power to go to the rear wheels unlike the RS 4EAT which is absolutely limited to delivering a max of 50% to the rear wheels.

In fact, I've been looking around for a WRX 4EAT to try in the MY99RS-t.

Joe Hogan

even this is not my thread, but thanks you guys! i feel better now with this 4EAT... Plus, seems like I won't be able to get my 5 speed after all. I got the loan, but have to put 20 percent down. They said all used cars have to put some kind of down payment. And I am not willing to plunk down so much at once... Well, next event is coming up for me... we'll see how I do this time!

u should ask those people (except Joe) why did they get rid of their auto for a manual then? Subie Gal is semi-exempted cuz her car was totalled so she went from a legacy GT to an RS... but mprezya did a auto -> manual SWAP!!!! if the auto is so great why didnt u keep it? :p

nick - sold turbo RS auto for manual (and actually regrets it sometimes!)

when i got my car i was a car enthusiast but not a driving enthusiast. it was also my first car so i figured i should learn to drive with an AT then step up to a MT. but now all i want is a 5speed!

I'm going to keep my 4EAT. I like it since it has a better AWD system. I dunno abt the 90/10 torque split but i would like to have the VTD system like the WRX. I don't care if its a little slower on the straights, thats not why i got my car. I take my car on the turns! Plus i hear the 4EATs are stronger than the MTs especially when they get tuboed. Also my left foot is kinda lazy :P

People turn down when they find out my car is AT but i don't care. I'm a proud 4EATer!

I liked my manual and would still have one if driving a clutch for 30 years hadn't messed up the ball of my left foot!

However, the auto isn't all bad and after listening to numerous complaints about Subaru clutches I'm glad I traded my manual before I had any problems with it!

I like my 4eat, but I do plan on getting a T/C job and a Valve body redone on it.

I am also pricing the WRX gearbox for my RS and then keep the original RS gearbox as a backup incase I torch the WRX one.

I have a 2.2ltr OBS automatic. I love it to death. I raced it and had much fun with it. Even whle I'm running in the mid 18's in the 1/4 mile now, I still love my automatic....shifting hard and all.

If a manual trannied RS or WRX want's to ridicule our cars, so be it. Just because it's an auto doesn't mean it is going to be slower.

You do not even need a turbo to be fast. A good suspension for the twisties (and good driving skill) and a high brake torquing, quick shifting auto in the straights is all you need.

Once I get the lighter Kosei wheels (if I get the urge to just get up and buy them) and another intake (Cobbs or Larry intake if I get the modiffying urge), I'm willing to 'demonstrate' how slow our autos are in the 1/4 mile against any willing WRX or 2.5RS...turbo or not. :D Automatics are beautiful! Love your car(s). Have fun!

I do love my car, but the cops get called every time I get into it... damn

heheheheheheheh :p

There is really nothing wrong with having an auto. Considering that I sit in traffic most of the time, it is much more convenient to have an auto. I do get hounded on for not getting an MT. I have considered getting a manual, but when I think about the use of the car, I just find that the auto suits me better. I do not have any gripes about getting an auto.

Nick the reason why I went with the manual was:
Cost ($800 out of pocket or $1300 for the auto fully built and still be slower till I spend the big bucks for a great turbo/ems setup)
Do not take the costs above to be the same as yours as I had warranty covering some of the total cost as well
weight savings (shaving 90lbs is a big chunk)
lightened Fly wheel for quicker rev's and faster acceleration
shaving at least 1-2 second on a 1/4
the choice to keep the car in the gear I wanted or need
The ability to place a LSD in the front as the automatic cannot accept any current ones available
Having that Kool Kartboy shifter Kombo
That and unlike you Nick I saw no reason to trade my car in to get another so I can take the depreciation hit Twice ;) which is why you still cruise in the Ol' Turbo Metro.
Rich :p

I've got a 4EAT and I love it. It may not be as fun as a stick, but when you're sitting in traffic (especially in L.A. on the 405), it's a blessing. This bad boy's taken a beating and just keeps on tickin. I've come across many a Honda or VW boy that have challenged me at the local street drags. Win some, lose some. It's all gravy!

Go with the auto. If you can get the new auto tranny, maybe you can swap out the TCU for a Legacy B4 TCU with the "tiptronic" type control. I really wish someone would hack our TCU to provide better control though.

I also wish I had an auto everytime I get stuck in traffic. Until a stronger, more streetable manual tranny comes out, go with the auto.

All I can say is that I have an auto 2000 RS. And I came in first place at my last SCCA race:

http://www.sfrscca.org/solo2/Results/2001/Championship/round12.html#n4

And I was fourth overall for the season:

http://www.sfrscca.org/solo2/Results/2001/Championship/n4.html

Even after missing a bunch of events and never have raced before. So all of you who say sticks rule... not always. :p

My RS is completely stock except for Tein medium springs and RE730's, and I was racing a bunch of guys with mods. I am still waiting on my race shifter from LevelTEN which should make me even more competitive.

So there! :D

About that Level10 shifter...you are talking about the ugly box with the 4 buttons, right? Have they figured out a way to shift manually without locking the center diff into 50:50 mode? I've heard that it completely bypasses the stock TCU which would mean that it'd have to take over the electronically controlled diff functions.

Yup, the ugly box. It doesn't lock the center diff, in fact it doesn't even mess with it - that comes through a different harness. It does control the TC lockup (in gears 1 & 2 only) and apparently shifts at full line pressure.

I wouldn't REALLY know though because LevelTEN still has my shifter after I sent it back (it didn't work as you may have read on my site.)

Sheesh.

No word on it yet either. I guess it is time to email them again. I am about to sell my car for crying out loud and have never gotten it to work! :(

-J

With a few simple mods I have come to terms with my auto.

There are times offroad that I'd like to have an extra gear to play in, or occasionaly a nice long sweeping corner that I wish the car wouldn't downshift in the middle of, but for the most part I'm very happy with it.

The nice thing about not having a clutch to occupy your left foot is that you are now free to left-foot-brake the car.

Fun fun fun!

I tried my first brake-stand in about a year or so the other day and ended up chirping the front tires from a standstill on dry pavement which I've never done before. Either my tires suck or I'm making better horsepower than I was a year ago.

I don't advocate brake stands... they will screw up your brakes and transmission over time. However, I have new brakes (rotors&pads) on order so I'm not worried about that.

Oh, I have bad knees. Auto is less painful for everyday driving.

I have had my WRX auto for just at two months and love it. The AT is great for most driving, including a lot of twisty road stuff (paved and dirt).

The drawbacks 1)it is a $1000 option 2) to get best performance you need to invest about $2K to really get all the perf the car has. Therefore, to get to where the manual is you need to spend extra bucks.

On the other hand, you can have a manual and spend the money on clutches (and new gearset?), at least from what I have seen on this forum.

I have not tried a new torque convertor yet. Maybe after I finish getting the 3" exhaust and upgraded ECU I will think about it. Rumors of less than 2 sec 60ft times make my head swim :-)

BTW, I am getting into the old fart category (48) and have had many manual shift cars, so rowing a shifter is not as fun as when I was 25.

Bottom line, get what makes you feel better.

Rumors???!?! :lol:

1.81 60ft's

The torque converter should be the first mod you do to an automatic. Yes you spend more coin for the auto... but on the cheap side you can have the TC done for $399 and assuming you do your own labor, and use your own core... that's it.

16's down to 14.7's with just the TC...

Plus... with the stock turbo, lag is non-existent.

Jorge (RiftsWRX)
www.ProjectWRX.com

well i must say that i love my my99 AUTO even though i cant get an intake for the damn car LOL i still love it i can hang with sticks i have raced a few and can pretty much keep up with a 2.5rs until about 4th then no go man but its alot of fun since i just mainly drive in hte freeways anways you will like your auto man
Brian