WRX or RS?

Which would be a better plat forum to build off of? And the other thing I wanted to know is if the rumors about the WRX having a weak transmission are true? If it is does the RS have the same trans. Also how good is the 2.5 vs the 2.0 motor? Better than SR20DET? Sorry for all the questions.

can anyone help me out?

Well with the 2.5 you'll feel a little more torque but the 2.0 has a turbo. If you dont know what that means, it means that when you decide to put a turbo on the 2.5 (and you better) you will need to build the hell out of it to get any serious boost. Of course, if money is not an option you can eventually build the 2.5 to have more power than the 2.0, but in all practicality, you would probably be better off getting the wrx. If you really want to you can get the STi with the 2.5 that already has the computer and plumbing and turbo and all the great stuff that goes with it, so it would be way eisier to build in steps than if you build the RS (which alot of will have to be done all at once).

In conclusion, get the sti if not that get the WRX, (the engine is not the only difference between the WRX and the RS ie. suspension, maybe other crap, I dont know)

Well the STI is out of my price range. If I got a 2.5 or WRX it would be used. Also if I got the WRX I would still swap out the turbo in favor for something alittle bigger. So would it still be the best choice?

A stock WRX turbo pushing 5 psi on an RS will be as fast as a stock WRX that runs 15 psi. With new pistons and ECU, I'm hoping to get close to 300 whp on my TS. That's more than an STi, after about a $3500 build.

All 5 speed Subarus have the same tranmission.

And as far as the 02+ RS goes, it uses the same struts as the WRX, but slightly softer springs and smaller sway bars.

thanx for the info so it looks like I will be looking for a RS

A stock WRX turbo pushing 5 psi on an RS will be as fast as a stock WRX that runs 15 psi. With new pistons and ECU, I'm hoping to get close to 300 whp on my TS. That's more than an STi, after about a $3500 build.

All 5 speed Subarus have the same tranmission.

And as far as the 02+ RS goes, it uses the same struts as the WRX, but slightly softer springs and smaller sway bars.


So are the 5 speeds weak?

And whats the differance between the sedan and wagon? (I kinda like the way the wagon looks)

You could get an awesome car out of the regular WRX as well. Not a bad car at all to start off from... http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/images/smilies/grinno.gif

as far as trannies go, I wouldn't say it's weak. I think most of the problems you'll read about on message boards are caused by driver error. If you shift precisely and aren't missing shifts, your tranny will be fine IMO.

Now the gearing for the WRX is a whole other bag, but I don't think the tranny is all that weak.

The sedan and wagon have slightly different suspension (the wagon is about 80 lbs heavier than the sedan so I think the shocks and springs are different) in MY02-03 the sedan has a beefier rear sway bar (20mm vs 17mm). The fender flares of the sedan also allow for a wider wheel/tire treatment than the wagon.

The wagon is 80 pounds heavier, uses smaller sway bars, and has a 20 mm narrower track than the Sedan.

I would say go with the WRX even though it has a smaller motor (2.0L) its turbo. You can build so much more boost on that car and have it faster then the STi which is 300hp

The thing is, the RS doesn't have to run as much boost as a WRX to be as fast. Throttle response and powerband make up for what it may lose in peak power. Building it up with bolt on kits can be pricey, but if you can piece together your own turbo kit and know where to shop for your other stuff, it's not very expensive at all. I remember a 2.5 powered Legacy that made 270 whp and 280 wtq on ~10 psi off a basic intercooled kit, standalone ECU, and stock internals. I'm not sure how long it would actually last at that power level, which is why I'm adding forged and cryo'd pistons and probably forged and cryo'd rods on top of what he had.

Bascially what I'm saying is a turbo RS can dish out a lot more ownage than it's power figures imply. With 250 whp, there are very few cars you'll come across on the street than will put up a decent fight.

Well now I just need to find a used RS

you can also get a used STi six-speed, driveshaft, shifter, 3.9 ring pinion shipped for $4500 for your car when you get the power coming out of it. Turboing the RS wont be a problem, most of the pieces on the 2.0L wrx will fit on the RS but you might want to change the internals such as getting JE pistons and crower rods.

you can also get a used STi six-speed, driveshaft, shifter, 3.9 ring pinion shipped for $4500

:eek: I'm very interested to see where you can get all that stuff for that cheap.

That's my own little secret but maybe i'll send it in a pm to you.