does autocrossing hurt reliability?

[Cmaj7th]

my friend just got a 05 wrx and wants to start autoXing it. currently it is stock but besides suspension mods he wants EM, tbe, and 16g with supporting mods.

that sounds like a pretty modest build but in our research we've found a lot of guys saying autoX and light mods are okay for a daily driver. other guys laugh and say hes ridiculous and will need another car.

he cant afford another car and plans to keep the rex for 5 or 6 years. what do you guys think, bad idea or with new parts/proper installs and going easy on the tranny will it be alright? thanks

[hunter20ga]

The harder you drive a car, the more often it will break down. Period.

You add horsepower and torque, expect more things to break over time. You're exceeding the engineering original limits.

I believe Subarus are very well built, and can take some abuse, but in the end, every machine wears out and breaks down.

That's not to say your buddy can't autocross his car and still have it double as a DD, but he'll have to make some concessions and compromises, IMHO.

[MrBluerex]

The harder you drive a car, the more often it will break down. Period.

You add horsepower and torque, expect more things to break over time. You're exceeding the engineering original limits.

I believe Subarus are very well built, and can take some abuse, but in the end, every machine wears out and breaks down.

That's not to say your buddy can't autocross his car and still have it double as a DD, but he'll have to make some concessions and compromises, IMHO.

+1

[Cmaj7th]

do you think as far as power goes what I described is too much for the WRX to still be reliable? I know he loves his car so if its going to mess it up he'll leave it stock.

I'm curious to myself though because I want an 07 wrx but I dont see the point in buying one if I cant build it up some and autoX. if thats the case I might just have to hold out with my accord until I can afford an sti.

is the 16G with supporting mods reasonable on the transmission? we both have been sifting through clubdub and nasioc and keep getting mixed reviews. doesnt seem like insane power and anything bigger wouldnt be as good for autoX anyway but neither of has have worked on WRXs before so were not sure.

[06scoobyrex]

You can do autox in pretty much any car.... they have different classes per car type and mods... so people telling you that you need a whole different car is complete bull****... a lot of people autox in $1000 honda's and do great... its more about driving skill and suspention mods more then power output...

Yes the harder you drive and the more its modified will decrease the life of the car, but its really about how you maintain and treat your car (also the quality of the tune plays a major roll)... so don't let people discourge you if they have their heads stuck up their own ass...

[wrx wagone]

I wouldn't go so far as to call autox abuse, but it definitely is use, hard use.

If your friend is serious with autox, I would recommend selecting mods for whatever class you intend to compete.

[JovicA]

i am getting a 1995 jetta from a guy i work with for 350$ and i will run it in autox

[teflon_jones]

The harder you drive a car, the more often it will break down. Period.

That's all there is to say.

[ProRallyWannabe]

"Rally"Cross FTMFW!

i agree with that statement above, your car will brake sooner than grandmas even if she has a BMW

[22B05STI]

I think that the standard car would be a good start. Do some events get some advice and experience and go from there. The impreza is generally a reliable car but as the saying goes " you have to pay to play" and in autocrossing and racing it will cost in the end !

[irish44j]

I think that the standard car would be a good start. Do some events get some advice and experience and go from there. The impreza is generally a reliable car but as the saying goes " you have to pay to play" and in autocrossing and racing it will cost in the end !

let's put it this way:

the wrx has some amount of motorsports heritage, and is built as a "performance" car to some extent.

now think about this:

I ran a 2000 Nissan Maxima in (just a guess) about 80-90 autocrosses, without any kind of breakage whatsoever. And that is not a car made for motorsports or particular performance driving. It's just a heavy FWD "semi-sports" sedan....

-

In short, there's no real way to know, but in my experience the only ways that autocross will hurt the car are:

1. your tires will be hurt, lol.
2. you run into a lightpost or curb (unlikely)
3. you really suck at clutch/shift and break something in the tranny during the 1 or 2 shifts you have to make each run.

The forces exerted on your car during autocross (using street tires) are well within anything that would be exerted on the car during an emergency maneuver on the street, or going down a bumpy road. In short...the car can handle it just fine.

I have about 15 autocrosses now on my WRX with no issues.

[2.0Rs]

My recommendation to him would not to be trying to go bigger turbo. The Td04 is a great quick spooling turbo. Go with some bolt on mods and a tune. I think cobb even had an autocross map that had some great low and mid power. Not sure on the results of it I just know they had one. I'm sure there are plenty of those kinds of maps around. Other then that do some suspension mods. Do some reading up on what to change out and what they do. Don't just go make a thread asking everyone what to buy, do some research and learn.

Also as stated before you should read up on the autocrossing rules and classes to see what best fits your car or projections.

[RayfieldsWRX]

The forces exerted on your car during autocross (using street tires) are well within anything that would be exerted on the car during an emergency maneuver on the street, or going down a bumpy road. In short...the car can handle it just fine.

I don't know that I agree with the idea that our cars were engineered to do autocross every weekend for many years with zero breakage. Sooner or later you'll hit the MCBF (mean cycles between failure) number that goes with the weakest component and the harshness of the cycle.

[Cmaj7th]

2.0rs how come you dont think the 16g is a good idea? isn't it comparable to the vf39 because I always thought that turbo had for the most part reasonable gains. by the way your car
is awesome.

seems like we've got guys on both sides of the fence, I suppose it's a judgement call. but damn this is why I havent sprung on a wrx yet. I saved up six grand to drop on a 2007 wrx limited but all the threads about guys grenading their trannies or blowing their motors up modding has got me hesitant to make the plunge.

I guess Im just hesitant to stray away from NA power and FWD transmissions. theyre not as fun but its nice not worrying

[2.0Rs]

2.0rs how come you dont think the 16g is a good idea? isn't it comparable to the vf39 because I always thought that turbo had for the most part reasonable gains. by the way your car
is awesome.

Thanks man.

Depending on the kind of 16g you get it generally makes a little more hp then a vf-39 and might spool the same or just a tad higher then a vf. If it were up to me and I was going to seriously autocross my car a lot I'd go with a td04. On a 2.5 it's basically instant spool. Makes for a better autocross turbo. Most of the time you'll just be stuck in second gear. You want to be able to hit the throttle and pull when needed not wait for spool and by then it's usually to late. Some people feel different but that's just how I'd do it.