BMW 335i soon to be WRX Premium 5-door

[hisdigness]

So the fun of having my BMW is close to over as the lease is up in July.

Seeing how I am tired of paying a massive monthly payment, I have decided to get the WRX Premium as a purchase.

I figured I would stop and say hello, also talk about how for half the price I get similar speed with the addition of all wheel drive.

I figured the wagon since I love the way it looks and it has a lot of utility.

Any reason to go for the STi over the regular? The 7k price difference is steep. I know it has better suspension but what else do you get? Please don't flame war over this, just a simple question.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

[Sasquatch]

Hello and welcome to the Club!

We don't flame too much around here ...

The STi has better / bigger brakes and a stronger 6 speed transmission. And those cool flared fenders. It's up to you to decide ... get whichever you can comfortably pay for.

[hisdigness]

Cool good to know thanks!...used to in the e90forums..lol

What do you mean by stronger when you reference the 6 speed over the 5 speed?

[mexicanzero]

great choice! i love beemers but subaru is my #1
wagons rock too btw

as for sti vs wrx the sti has a better suspension, transmission, brakes, and from the factory comes with 40 hp more and better engine internals/turbo/intercooler to back it up... due to the transmission being a 6 spd vs a 5 spd in the wrx the wrx only has to shift once to get to 60 mph whereas the sti has to shift twice so the wrx is actually a tiny bit faster to 60 mph but on a track the sti is much better... im sure there are lots of other things like bushings etc that are better on the sti too

it comes down to what the car is used for and what you want out of it so if you could specify this in more detal we could help out more...
I would guess the sti is a closer match to the 335i but I've never driven either so what do i know... however a stage 2 wrx is quite a beast nowadays but a stage 3 sti is killer...

-Alex

[Sasquatch]

Cool good to know thanks!...used to in the e90forums..lol

What do you mean by stronger when you reference the 6 speed over the 5 speed?

Yes. The 5 speed (most notably the 2002 - 2003) is notorious for not being able to handle very much abuse. In late 2003 and forward Subaru beefed up the 5 speed to some degree, but still not up to the standard of the 6 speed.

from the factory comes with 40 hp more and better engine internals/turbo/intercooler to back it up...

Advertised power maybe. Car and Driver tested the 2009 WRX and found it to as fast or slightly faster than the STi. I'll see if I can dig that article up ... here it is:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test

[mexicanzero]

^that

not that you should be scared of the 5 speed or anything... they are still plenty strong as long as you dont do clutch dumps or put 400hp to them...

basically if you plan on doing heavy mods invest in the sti if you dont want to modify too much power wise then the wrx is plenty great... exhaust and a tune make a wrx very nice to drive but swap in a huge turbo and kiss the tranny goodbye

-Alex

[mexicanzero]

Advertised power maybe. Car and Driver tested the 2010 WRX and found it to as fast or slightly faster than the STi. I'll see if I can dig that article up ...

read the rest of my post lol the wrx is faster cause it only shifts once to get to 60 mph the sti shifts twice this costs precious time... even in the quarter i think the wrx was slightly faster still due to less shifting

-Alex

[Sasquatch]

read the rest of my post lol the wrx is faster cause it only shifts once to get to 60 mph the sti shifts twice this costs precious time... even in the quarter i think the wrx was slightly faster still due to less shifting

-Alex

I did.

IMO the WRX / STi are not well suited to drag racing. Low 0 - 60 and 1/4 mile times with the WRX require a high rev clutch launch that can be stressful for the drivetrain. The STi gearing makes for better shifting in a drag or 0 - 60 launch.

RWD and controlled wheelspin make for a superior drag car. IMO.

[hisdigness]

Wow thanks for the great info. I don't plan to mod the car at all. Unless of course 2 years in I want a bit more power Is there an ecu mod that will do this without ruining the tranny?

I do like to drive hard, however reving at 4k seems excessive to me.


You guys are awesome. I really appreciate your all your help.

To answer what I will use it for... I plan to have it as my daily driver. Something quick, not crazy expensive, decent ride and handling. I never plan to track the car. The occasional red light launch.

[mexicanzero]

agree with you 100% on everything you just said!

[mexicanzero]

I'd say a wrx would be perfect for you then.. a bit more comfort in the city on bad roads too...

driving hard is no problem and I think with the wrx you will be over 4000rpm alot more than with the 335 due to the fact that the 335 has a lot more low end torque (or so i am lead to believe)

its revving to 5000rpm in neutral and then letting go of the clutch all of a sudden that breaks transmissions

in my opinion the best mods to do to these cars are a 3" turboback exhaust along side an ecu tune (via accessport or the like or even better a custom tune)

-Alex

[hisdigness]

yea clutch dumping isn't really my thing...you are very right about the 335's tq. The thing is a beast, drives like a V8.

The exhaust is that pricey? The tuning, what does that do for me?

Sorry for being noob, but never really thought about this stuff before.

[Sasquatch]

Wow thanks for the great info. I don't plan to mod the car at all. Unless of course 2 years in I want a bit more power Is there an ecu mod that will do this without ruining the tranny?

I do like to drive hard, however reving at 4k seems excessive to me.

You guys are awesome. I really appreciate your all your help.

To answer what I will use it for... I plan to have it as my daily driver. Something quick, not crazy expensive, decent ride and handling. I never plan to track the car. The occasional red light launch.

You are quite welcome.

Looking a DD for the most part? Get the WRX. With some suspension mods and you'll do better than an STi.

I've done extensive suspension mods - check out the mods link in my sig. I autocross the WRX ... its abilities are more than my driving skill can make use of.

Engine management will net you some serious extra power.

http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/suspension-wheels/

http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/tuning...ne-management/

Above all, have fun.

[hisdigness]

oh wow thanks for the links. I will browse through them. This sounds like a really fun car!

[Sasquatch]

oh wow thanks for the links. I will browse through them. This sounds like a really fun car!

Oh yes, it is. I can only dream of 2.5 liter torque ...

** WARNING **

Modifying your WRX will only result in more modifying. And more fun than you thought possible.

I've had my WRX (bought new) for over 6 years and the modding has yet to stop. I've totally transformed it into the perfect daily driver / autocross (also known as autox) toy.