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Old 04-15-2013, 12:05 PM   #51
jsteg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
Try adding more air to the tires. I run about 40psi front and 38.5 rear, giving me a much better and more precise feel in the steering.
Bad advice!
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Old 04-15-2013, 03:19 PM   #52
Dirt Bringer
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Bad advice!
Why do you say that?
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Old 04-15-2013, 03:23 PM   #53
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Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
Why do you say that?
Because it is...adding that much air pressure over what is recommended just for the sake of "better steering response" at the sacrifice of contact patch and possible traction especially in wet weather, is bad advice!
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:01 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsteg View Post
Because it is...adding that much air pressure over what is recommended just for the sake of "better steering response" at the sacrifice of contact patch and possible traction especially in wet weather, is bad advice!
Plus the added wear on the suspension as the tires absorb some of the road shock.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jsteg View Post
Steering wheel being centered is strictly cosmetic. I can adjust your alignment 100% correct and make your steering wheel 90 degrees off center. You'd never notice any difference in handling or tire wear either.
1/2 Correct - True there is no difference in handling or tire wear.
1/2 Incorrect - The steering angle sensor for VDC on automatic vehicles will activate or throw a DTC if the angle is more than 10 deg off without a variance in wheel speed left to right - front to rear. I see it when wrecked vehicles are repaired at a body shop and are driven without the zero point reset.
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:02 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsteg View Post
Because it is...adding that much air pressure over what is recommended just for the sake of "better steering response" at the sacrifice of contact patch and possible traction especially in wet weather, is bad advice!
The recommended tire pressure is a compromise for comfort and performance. The tires are rated to 44psi, and while they will likely change in shape somewhat by increasing air pressure within these numbers, it is not likely to be hugely significant to the point of changing the tread life. Traction is also a relative point depending on conditions. If you are running higher tire pressure you may experience slightly less traction but it is not likely to be a very significant difference unless the tire pressure is massively higher. I believe the Mazda 3 ( a lighter car) uses the same tires as this car but recommends a tire pressure of 36 or 38 on the door sill (had to adjust a friends tire pressures recently).
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:07 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blktrax View Post
Plus the added wear on the suspension as the tires absorb some of the road shock.



1/2 Correct - True there is no difference in handling or tire wear.
1/2 Incorrect - The steering angle sensor for VDC on automatic vehicles will activate or throw a DTC if the angle is more than 10 deg off without a variance in wheel speed left to right - front to rear. I see it when wrecked vehicles are repaired at a body shop and are driven without the zero point reset.

That is correct, however, if I was doing an alignment on a vehicle equipped with a steering angle sensor, I would re-calibrate it automatically....so my previous statement stands.
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:10 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
The recommended tire pressure is a compromise for comfort and performance. The tires are rated to 44psi, and while they will likely change in shape somewhat by increasing air pressure within these numbers, it is not likely to be hugely significant to the point of changing the tread life. Traction is also a relative point depending on conditions. If you are running higher tire pressure you may experience slightly less traction but it is not likely to be a very significant difference unless the tire pressure is massively higher. I believe the Mazda 3 ( a lighter car) uses the same tires as this car but recommends a tire pressure of 36 or 38 on the door sill (had to adjust a friends tire pressures recently).
but the suspension isn't the same, same tires, completely different cars.

i typically run tires at higher pressures than what is recommended, even 3psi over will greatly reduce the innermost treadlife. the last 2 set of tires I have had on my buick i ran at 38/36 when recommended is 32/30. the innermost tread was to the wearbars when the outer 2/3 still had 5/32" remaining. it makes a difference.

like i have stated before, i have tested higher pressures and on the stock yokos i don't see any reason to run over 35psi, the tires just can't handle it and i got signficantly less traction. i didn't notice much difference in steering feel, but the speed at which the tires breaks loose is lower with more pressure
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:15 PM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
The recommended tire pressure is a compromise for comfort and performance. The tires are rated to 44psi, and while they will likely change in shape somewhat by increasing air pressure within these numbers, it is not likely to be hugely significant to the point of changing the tread life. Traction is also a relative point depending on conditions. If you are running higher tire pressure you may experience slightly less traction but it is not likely to be a very significant difference unless the tire pressure is massively higher. I believe the Mazda 3 ( a lighter car) uses the same tires as this car but recommends a tire pressure of 36 or 38 on the door sill (had to adjust a friends tire pressures recently).
I disagree....but do as you wish! I still say that's too much. What do you consider "hugely" significant? Going from 32-38 PSI is increasing tire pressure by 20%....is that not "hugely" enough???
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Old 04-16-2013, 08:31 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
Try adding more air to the tires. I run about 40psi front and 38.5 rear, giving me a much better and more precise feel in the steering.
I did notice the Dealer had changed it from my usual 34psi to 38 psi when cold last service but I dropped it back to 34 next morning, I'll try upping it to 38 just to see but I don't see how it'll get rid of the 1 inch dead spot on centre.
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Old 04-16-2013, 10:10 AM   #60
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I lowered my air pressure to 38/37, and honestly, it doesn't feel as good as it did now. I'm the kind of driver that likes to feel what the car is doing and the road, so 40psi helps with that. Obviously, it also affects traction depending on the conditions of the road. Beyond that, the Mazda 3 is a lighter car with the same tires, and a higher air pressure is recommended from the factory. The interesting point here is that in reviews, the Mazda couldn't hold the skidpad or stop as well as the Subaru, and I wonder if it has to do with the car or with the tire pressure, and how they were tested. The suspension is indeed completely different so that at least is a good point against overinflating, but at the same time I can't imagine it would wear that badly on the shocks would it?
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Old 04-16-2013, 11:40 AM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Bringer View Post
I lowered my air pressure to 38/37, and honestly, it doesn't feel as good as it did now. I'm the kind of driver that likes to feel what the car is doing and the road, so 40psi helps with that. Obviously, it also affects traction depending on the conditions of the road. Beyond that, the Mazda 3 is a lighter car with the same tires, and a higher air pressure is recommended from the factory. The interesting point here is that in reviews, the Mazda couldn't hold the skidpad or stop as well as the Subaru, and I wonder if it has to do with the car or with the tire pressure, and how they were tested. The suspension is indeed completely different so that at least is a good point against overinflating, but at the same time I can't imagine it would wear that badly on the shocks would it?
The Mazda 3 handles better stock than the impreza does, the higher pressure is probably why the skidpad wasn't as good
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Old 04-16-2013, 11:46 AM   #62
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The Mazda 3 handles better stock than the impreza does, the higher pressure is probably why the skidpad wasn't as good
That actually depends. It does feel like it handles better, but Car And Driver found the Impreza had a higher skidpad speed and other tests have found the Impreza to actually handle better at higher speeds. The Mazda is faster though, helping it appear to handle better in some tests.
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Old 04-16-2013, 12:51 PM   #63
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The question is: Does the Mazda3 handle better than an Impreza with a 19mm RSB?

My stock VW TDI handled better than my stock Impreza Sport, but that was no longer true after I upgraded the Impreza's RSB to 19mm.

Actually, let me clarify. The stock TDI cornered flatter than the stock Impreza with the 16mm RSB. But the Impreza with the 19mm RSB corners flatter than the stock TDI. However, even with the 16mm RSB, the Impreza had more traction than the TDI when cornering, especially when the road surface was less than perfectly smooth. On bumpy roads, the TDI's rear end felt like it was getting loose, whereas the Impreza stayed more planted even before the RSB upgrade.
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Old 04-16-2013, 04:10 PM   #64
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Have you driven a car with electric steering before? It's a little different feeling, took me a while to get used to it.
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Old 04-16-2013, 06:17 PM   #65
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Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
The question is: Does the Mazda3 handle better than an Impreza with a 19mm RSB?

My stock VW TDI handled better than my stock Impreza Sport, but that was no longer true after I upgraded the Impreza's RSB to 19mm.

Actually, let me clarify. The stock TDI cornered flatter than the stock Impreza with the 16mm RSB. But the Impreza with the 19mm RSB corners flatter than the stock TDI. However, even with the 16mm RSB, the Impreza had more traction than the TDI when cornering, especially when the road surface was less than perfectly smooth. On bumpy roads, the TDI's rear end felt like it was getting loose, whereas the Impreza stayed more planted even before the RSB upgrade.
I agree 100% with everything you've said here!!!!!!!!
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Old 04-17-2013, 06:48 AM   #66
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The question is: Does the Mazda3 handle better than an Impreza
Good question.

When replacing my wifes '04 Mazda 6 we test drove the Mazada 3 back to back a few times with the Impreza, the 3 certainly felt sportier therefore felt it handled better however the Impreza handling was still good and the ride was more compliant ie more like the 6 whereas the 3 was choppier on iffy road surfaces so the Impreza got the nod feeling more like a 6 than the 3 did.
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Old 04-17-2013, 07:58 AM   #67
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Originally Posted by John451 View Post
Good question.

When replacing my wifes '04 Mazda 6 we test drove the Mazada 3 back to back a few times with the Impreza, the 3 certainly felt sportier therefore felt it handled better however the Impreza handling was still good and the ride was more compliant ie more like the 6 whereas the 3 was choppier on iffy road surfaces so the Impreza got the nod feeling more like a 6 than the 3 did.
Right. And the nice thing about throwing an STI 19mm RSB on the Impreza is that it increases the car's sportiness without harming the ride. Win-win.
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Old 12-04-2013, 02:44 PM   #68
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I just got my 19mm STI rear sway today and I'm really looking forward to installing it.. quick question tho, is this a component where torque specs are important or can I just crank it down solid and be fine? I have an expectation that the answer is that its ok, but I don't want to be naive so I figured it was worth asking.. Thanks peeps!
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Old 12-04-2013, 02:58 PM   #69
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Just snug it hard with a short socket wrench. If you use anything with a long handle, it had better be a torque wrench, or you'll overtighten.
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Old 12-04-2013, 03:04 PM   #70
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If it knocks around and makes noise, tighten it a little more.
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Old 12-04-2013, 04:49 PM   #71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tenaciousZ View Post
I just got my 19mm STI rear sway today and I'm really looking forward to installing it.. quick question tho, is this a component where torque specs are important or can I just crank it down solid and be fine? I have an expectation that the answer is that its ok, but I don't want to be naive so I figured it was worth asking.. Thanks peeps!
Torque is 22 or 28ftlb, so really not much
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Old 12-04-2013, 10:51 PM   #72
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^ niiice. thank you! I'll torque it on the high end and hope to avoid the clunking others have experienced.
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Old 01-19-2014, 07:40 PM   #73
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tenaciousZ, any improvement with the RSB? Anyone add the sway bar to their 2012+ base Impreza, or come up with another solution (other than ditching tires early). I've noticed this on my wife's 2013 wagon premium, which I assume does not have the RSB. It drives me crazy, but thankfully she does not mind it so much.

Regarding installing the RSB + linkages, does this require a lift? How involved is the install?
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Old 01-20-2014, 09:41 AM   #74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dstroy View Post
If it tries to steer itself when your foot is on the gas, it's just the awd.
Torque steer is a result of unequal length half shafts. Subaru is not unequal, to the beat of my knowlege.

I don't know if it is true or a dealer didn't know what he was telling me, but I was led to believe that the power steering pump is electric, rather than belt driven. (An electric pump moving power steering fluid through the system.) The amount of force needed to move the wheel has nothing to do with the type of system. A buddies '69 Coronet R/T 440 steered so easy you needed 1 finger for anything you wanted to do. No feel at all because it was so over boosted.

As for steering input, my '03 REX was always very precise, as is my '13 premium. Using a light hand on the wheel seems to be better than using a death grip, for lack of a better term. I do notice a change after swapping the stock tires out for the winters, or vice versa. After a day or two, I really don't notice it any more. (It seems twitchy until I get used to it.)

I might suggest a tire rotation, to see if something changes. (Tire pressure was already mentioned.)

Perhaps take an independent shop, and ask them if they would check the alignment.

John
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Old 01-20-2014, 09:44 AM   #75
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Sounds like alignments are needed
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