Instagrandpa and Faceboob friends and followers have seen a preview of the car that followed me home this weekend. The rest of you should really be on the Enablers Unanimous page...
Anywho. I did something stupid and bought a high mileage Impreza with the intent of using it as a donor for my $2019 car.
Expectations are low. But I would like to improve the issues the car has. I' going to replace the timing components, tune up and all the fluids as well as the rotted exhaust this spring.
I want to know the best "easy button" suggestions for making it turn and perform.
Any and all suggestions will likely be ignored and the car will probably sold for a hideous profit but on the off chance I follow through on something I'd like to acknowledge you when I take home the most spectacular failure trophy at the Challenge.
In order to make it acceptable to drive I've decided to replace the exhaust with the terrible leak with a terrible $65 Amazon exhaust. Once off I know that I will need tho relocate one bracket at least because the exhaust was a WRX pipe not a 2.5RS pipe. I'll lay them side by side and bridge the difference. It is shipped and en route.
my 2 cents....
While I haven't driven an RS of that generation (GD chassis), I have owned a 2004 WRX since 2005 (my main year-round DD, summer, winter, snow, mud, plus autocross and rallycross over the years), and I have a 2000 Impreza 2.5RS coupe. I've been around the block with both of them regarding all of the typical modifications.
These won't be recommendations, but more observations during my ownerhship:
the WRX has always understeered much to my annoyance, no matter what I ever did with suspension, differentials (front and rear), tires, alignment, sway bars.... always understeered a good bit. I'm not sure that I really buy the argument that it's from the engine being so far forward, I think there is something possibly inherent in the AWD system's design or suspension. None of the off-the-shelf modifications has ever solved it to my satisfaction, it was all "a little bit" better, at best. I tried camber bolts, camber plates, caster, alignment, rear bar only, rear and front bar, put in a front mechanical LSD, replaced my rear LSD, tried big tires of multiple types.....
But, to contrast.... with my 2000 RS (not that I recommend this), I decided to experiment with what I had laying around, and I put some Tein coilovers only in the rear, as well as a stock WRX sway bar also only in the rear. So it now has double the original spring rate in the back,...front suspension is completely stock, and it is suddenly the most fun of my 3 cars (other is a BRZ) to autocross and daily drive, because it has the little bit of extra torque oomph down low (2.5L and shorter 4.11 gears), and it's suddenly able to lift-off oversteer very easily, which my WRX would never do in a million years (but maybe I should double the rear spring rate on that as well to see what happens).
The power steering lines rusted out on my RS as well, so I looped the PS pump back into itself (rather than find the right size belt to bypass the pump), so it has no power steering. Adding those factors together though, and it's actually very satisfying to drive.
I added a used AEM intake and used OBX exhaust just to please my ears (if it can't actually be fast.... simply sounding fast is enough to keep me amused), and a Borla UEL header (all of these things because the stock pieces were falling apart when I bought it.... well, except for the intake).
And now it's actually kinda fun, doesn't have that wallowy feel that it and the WRX had when they were unmodified.
