Here's a quick update for everyone... Springs are installed, and the Shifter + Bushings have been installed for a few days now. I have taken all the necessary pics, just need to take the time to write up a review on them. Expect it sometime this weekend! Thanks for everyones interest and patience.
As far as some scoop on performance, I have enough mileage on the car to try a couple 0-60 runs.
The clutch is very sensitive.... Let me rephrase that: It grips very hard and instantly, while pedal feel is soft, so it's difficult to 'feel' what's going on in order to modulate it properly and ride the clutch out smoothly.
However, I've only tried it with some trail running shoes... I normally achieve my best launches with Pumas which have a very thin sole which allows a lot of the vibration to transmit through the pedal and gives me a better idea of what the clutch is doing at what point. I will re-attempt some launches then.
I've gotta tip my hat to Subaru.. The numbers on paper aren't very impressive.. especially the HP/TQ figures. Neither are the gears... They are tall and not very sporty, which certainly doesn't help acceleration... While they allow a broad area for the power to dance through, there just isn't much power to use! So I am at a loss of words when I conclude that this car can boogie! WRXs have typically been tested to run 0-60 between 5.4-6.0 seconds. In fact, the best published time may very well be 5.4...
Launching at 4k rpm, the vehicle loses grip (thanks to the re92s) and so the power dies down before it can regain it's acceleration. Results? 5.8-5.9
Launching at 3k rpm results in a momentary bog down, but then revs fly up to reward you with 5.5-5.7 times. Not bad, eh? Alright, so obviously once the clutch is engaged this baby can move... Where's the sweet spot?
I've only managed to do a total of 4 runs today and one of them was the best launch. I started rolling in at 4500 rpm then the clutch fully engaged by 2600, which is just prior to the peak torque of the car at 2800... The car went flying through first... I carefully shifted to 2nd, and finished the gear off with a 0-60 run clocking in at 5.30 seconds. The graph is posted below... Studying the graph, you can see some serious weaknesses on the drivers(my) behalf...
First, the launch... I wasted some time and engaged the clutch too aggressively still, as you see the MPH decreased prior to re-increasing.. That's a major time waster! The other issue is again with the engagement of the clutch... Too grabby!!!! So even entering second you'll notice MPH rise, then drop, then rise again. What's happening here is that the clutch grabs so instantly that the entire weight of the drivetrain (including all 4 wheels) are causing a force against the flywheel from accelerating, so they momentarily stall or halt the engines movement! I think with my Pumas and some more practice learning the feedback of the clutch I can get this little Subie into the 5 flat territory, as just by looking at the graph, there's plenty of time to save!
