Project: Rumble Wagon (05 WRX)

[CaptainHenreh]

No, 05 is the last year of the 2.0. I refuse to buy anything with the 2.5

:thumbup:

[Senor_Taylor]

No, 05 is the last year of the 2.0. I refuse to buy anything with the 2.5

No love for 325i's? :dunno:

[RawrImAMonster]

Not if they have an EJ25 swapped in them :lol:

Off topic, but speaking of the 3 series, the new 340i makes 380whp with just the JB4 tuner/chip/whatever. Might make a good daily 5 or 6 years down the line. That One-Take with Matt Farah the other day got me thinking about them.

[RawrImAMonster]

Finally grabbed an exhaust video of the subaru. It's not super loud, but I'm perfectly happy with it for a daily driver.

[youtube]Vkz7PbnUDeQ[/youtube]

[Senor_Taylor]

Yup, that's a Subaru.

[CaptainHenreh]

Not if they have an EJ25 swapped in them :lol:

Off topic, but speaking of the 3 series, the new 340i makes 380whp with just the JB4 tuner/chip/whatever. Might make a good daily 5 or 6 years down the line. That One-Take with Matt Farah the other day got me thinking about them.

Buddy of mine has one, but hasn't let me drive it yet. Or maybe it's a 440, I don't actually know because BMW's numbering scheme is goddam retarded.

[ScottyB]

Not if they have an EJ25 swapped in them :lol:

Off topic, but speaking of the 3 series, the new 340i makes 380whp with just the JB4 tuner/chip/whatever. Might make a good daily 5 or 6 years down the line. That One-Take with Matt Farah the other day got me thinking about them.

Buddy of mine has one, but hasn't let me drive it yet. Or maybe it's a 440, I don't actually know because BMW's numbering scheme is goddam retarded.

neighbor/friend of mine just took delivery of his 340 with the 8 speed. its his wife's car...looks pedestrian enough. drove it a couple days ago and WHOA. its advertised as 320hp at the crank but there is no way that thing is making less than 320 at the wheels from the factory. it blurs through the first 4 gears like nothing.

[ScottyB]

Finally grabbed an exhaust video of the subaru

sounds perfect for a DD

[WRXtranceformed]

Sounds great! Glad the recommendation worked out

[JPolen01]

Buddy of mine has one, but hasn't let me drive it yet. Or maybe it's a 440, I don't actually know because BMW's numbering scheme is goddam retarded.

It's a 340. 3 Series = sedan. 4 Series = Coupe. Makes no sense at all.

[RawrImAMonster]

Except for sometimes there is a 4 series sedan too, they just call it a gran coupe. The naming convention change was one of the dumber things BMW has done in a while.

[CaptainHenreh]

Buddy of mine has one, but hasn't let me drive it yet. Or maybe it's a 440, I don't actually know because BMW's numbering scheme is goddam retarded.

It's a 340. 3 Series = sedan. 4 Series = Coupe. Makes no sense at all.

Oh right. 4 = 2 doors (not 4 doors) except when it doesn't. Next two numbers are disconnected from reality in any meaningful way, except that "bigger" equals "more power", "most of the time".

[JPolen01]

Except for sometimes there is a 4 series sedan too, they just call it a gran coupe. The naming convention change was one of the dumber things BMW has done in a while.

What the fuck BMW? :dunno:

[RawrImAMonster]

It's been a while since I've updated this. The opti-coat is still holding up well and beads off almost like wax. It really does help keep the paint stay clean even without washing for long periods of time. My only real complaint about the car is that I don't like the way the clutch engages at the very top of the throw. That might just be because it's probably the original clutch and it's fairly worn. It still holds well, so I'm not interested in replacing it.

For the most part, this thing has been nice and reliable for me, but my rumble wagon has developed a clunk in the front and maybe rear suspension on the passenger side. I'm thinking it's either the struts themselves going bad or maybe a ball joint. Last night I checked the end links and they were tight and looked fine. There isn't any wobble shaking the wheel with your hands at the top and bottom of the tire. I am able to replicate the clunking noise by putting weight up and down on the fender above the front wheel. I plan on jacking the tire up this evening and seeing if I can actually move the wheel up and down by putting leverage under it to check for another form of ball joint failure. This different than the in and out play that can be noticed by shaking the top and bottom of the tire in and out.

If it's the struts, I'm probably going to go with something as stock like as possible. Right now it's looking like a set of KYB Excel-G for about $300 is my best option. I might try to find a set of used STi springs to throw on at the same time for a little drop in ride height. I'm pretty set on not modding this much at the moment so we'll see.

Any opinions on other brands of struts o whether it's the ball joints or struts?

[SlimKlim]

It's been a while since I've updated this. The opti-coat is still holding up well and beads off almost like wax. It really does help keep the paint stay clean even without washing for long periods of time. My only real complaint about the car is that I don't like the way the clutch engages at the very top of the throw. That might just be because it's probably the original clutch and it's fairly worn. It still holds well, so I'm not interested in replacing it.

Do you still have the CDV in?

[RawrImAMonster]

It's been a while since I've updated this. The opti-coat is still holding up well and beads off almost like wax. It really does help keep the paint stay clean even without washing for long periods of time. My only real complaint about the car is that I don't like the way the clutch engages at the very top of the throw. That might just be because it's probably the original clutch and it's fairly worn. It still holds well, so I'm not interested in replacing it.

Do you still have the CDV in?

Oh FFS I didn't even think about Subaru's having them. Yeah that's probably a big part of the reason I don't like way the clutch engages.

[SlimKlim]

I uhhh, forgot you had a Subaru. :?

But yea, could be worth checking and seeing if they do something similar that might make the clutch uptake feel funny.

[RawrImAMonster]

Yeah it messes with how the clutch feels and apparently it's kind of a pain in the ass to remove the CDV on these cars. Maybe if I get really bored sometime. I've got too much other stuff going on right now.

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[ScottyB]

i've never heard of the standard WRX struts clunking when bad (the STi's sure do), just getting sloppy and tired. I'd vote ball joint or strut top. good call on checking the different angles for joint failure or wheel bearing play. passenger side usually goes first for either of those since the worst potholes and sewer grates are towards the edge of most roads rather than in the middle. while you're down there, check your front control arms for any corrosion - there's a recall out on that for arms rusting through in salt states, and you might get some free control arms (which should have balljoints included) out of it under the recall depending on your dealership.

i currently have clunking from the front while turning and sometimes under straight line bumps, but its because my tophat bearings are shot due to a faulty Whiteline product and I'm just too lazy to replace them. i've also had a bad pass. rear bearing but no clunk, just a loud whirring and some play. your situation sounds different so i'm thinking joints.

don't expect much if any drop on STi springs. i run STi springs and revalved STi struts off of a 2004 STi and my ride height is almost identical to stock, maybe 1/4" lower at best, and I'm sure some of that is because the springs are 13 years old now. its a great all-around spring rate though, and most people seem to pair them with KYB AGX adjustables. if you just want to stay cheap then go with the excels but you might get some bounce on the STi rates.

Do you still have the CDV in?

i actually don't know this but do imprezas have a CDV? i never thought they did. i've slammed the clutch pretty hard on accident a couple times and it didn't feel like there was any delay.

my clutch is engaging more at the top these days, it used to be right in the middle. at 132k miles now i have to believe its a tired clutch disc. my clutch fluid is nice and honey colored and the lines have never been touched, so its not a mushy pedal.

[RawrImAMonster]

I couldn't find any play in the ball joint, but I'm still not ruling that out. It sounds like it's coming from the strut/top hat.

The top hats do look cracked from up top so that very well may be the culprit.

[youtube]0jqJj2LUlDw[/youtube]