[jas280z]

So I just picked up my WRB WRX Hatch on Friday. I have put roughly 140 miles on it since then, trying to get a feel for it and get started on those first 1000.

Simply put, I am blown away. The car is beautiful. It handles very well, good turn in and nice tight heavy steering. I have the stock shifter, and I have to say that it is much better than I thought it would be after reading all the reviews here. It can be a little tricky to get into reverse, but other than that I think it is very good. Keep in mind though that I am used to the 5 speed in my 280z, which is rather antiquated and truck like.

Keeping it under 4000 rpms is not going to be easy. There have already been a few time where I have noticed it seems like it is instantly at 4000 in first.

I got the SPT boost gauge installed, and I am quite happy with it. It may not be as nice as some aftermarket gauges, but it is something that I wanted right away and didn't want to start taking that car apart as soon as I got it. I would rather let the techs do it, and fix anything that they screw up (the upper steering column cover got pretty scratched up when they installed it, but they ordered a new one and are going to install it as soon as it gets in).

One thing that I did notice, was a VERY slight grinding sound when cruising. It almost sounds like someone sharpening a knife very far away. I am not too concerned about it now, I think it could have just been the brakes not quite retracting off the the rotors for the first few miles. It seems to have gone away.

Overall I am thrilled with the car, and looking forward to getting to put the pedal to the floor in 850 miles!

 

[11blackwrx]

congrats these cars are quite fun to drive

 

[deepseastetson]

I dont know if this is the same but i have an older WRX and when i upgraded the bushings in the rear diff i got that same exact grinding noise you are describing. I dont know much about the new models though.

 

[jas280z]

I am fairly certain that the noise is coming from the front. I heard it again today, and I actually think it might be coming from the needle on the boost gauge shaking. As I said, it is VERY faint, and I am probably just being paranoid. I tried to locate the sound sitting still, but unfortunately, the amount of vacuum I am pulling doesn't drop much past 20 without the engine being under load. It seems to come at a vacuum of around 15-10, and only when I am accelerating slowly, like going from 40 to 45 in 4th in around 5-10 seconds.

Also I know that the car should be kept below 4,000 rpms for the first 1,000, but how close to 4 grand did you guys generally get in your break in periods? Did you shift at 3900-3950, or stay well below? Obviously I am trying to break my engine in as easy as possible, but I also don't want to be shifting unnecessarily low.

 

[teflon_jones]

Congrats!

The break in question doesn't have one answer. Use the search on this site and you'll see many debates about it. From my perspective having owned 20+ cars in my life of all kinds, you shouldn't be thrashing the car until you're through the break in period, but you also shouldn't be babying it. You should definitely be taking it over 4k at least 1-2 times for every 100 miles you drive. Why? Because the initial way you drive the car is how everything in the engine will end up best working together. So unless you're never planning to take it over 4k in the time you own the car, you should definitely be flooring it occasionally.

In normal driving on most manuals regardless of power, brand, or any factors at all, ~3k is my normal shift point.

 

[jas280z]

Thanks Teflon. I figure that break-in is probably a moot point. Engineers LOVE to use factors of safety, as we pretty much don't trust others with our designs. My gut feeling is that the "true" rpm you should keep the engine below would be around 6,000, but putting 4,000 in the manual gives them a factor of safety of 1.5. Doing that gives an engineer a nice warm feeling inside, where a normal person keeps their social interaction skills.

At the end of the day, the first 20 minutes are probably the most important. I absolutely hated sitting in my Z with my foot on the accelerator for 20 minutes holding it at 2,000 rpm, but that is the proper way to break in the cam after rebuilding the engine. Since then it has been every man for himself, shifting around 4,500 to 5,000, but that is mostly because I love the way she screams when I lay into her.

Pretty much the only thing I am concerned about is the turbo. This is my first new turbo, so I have no experience with the best way to break it in. Turbos generally have incredibly precise bearings, considering they can often go over 100,000 rpm, and I would hate to screw them up.

 

[nightjock]

If you bought your car at Van Bortel, I may have drooled on it a little when it was sitting by their front door last week. Sorry.

 

[jas280z]

Nope, got it at Northtown Subaru in Buffalo. Where is Van Bortel?

 

[nightjock]

Victor, NY. Southeast side of Rochester.

 

[jas280z]

Here are a couple of pictures I took over the past few days.

Sitting in my driveway


Gauges at night


Behind my dad's new toy

 

[11blackwrx]

jealous of your dads car

 

[jas280z]

So am I, but he is jealous of mine.

 

[11blackwrx]

what model is that?

 

[jas280z]

1970 Mustang Mach 1 with a 351 Cleveland. I assume you are referring to the Mustang.

My WRX is a base.

 

[11blackwrx]

yeah was referring to the mustang, i love the older ones but of course the wrx's are nice :thumbup:

 

[Calvinball]

Welcome and congrats!

 

[jas280z]

So a bit of an update. I put gas in her for the first time today. Took 9 gallons, after travelling 175 miles. I also figured out what the noise I mentioned earlier was. It is in fact the boost gauge rattling a little bit. I am not overly concerned by this, in fact I like most of the noises the gauge makes.

 

[Honk]

Grats on the purchase and welcome to the site

 

[GarrettKoonsman]

Wow, I forgot these cars are quiet enough stock to hear noises that slight lol

 

[11blackwrx]

i hated the quiet stock exhaust