Question on WRX vs STI

8959 Views 62 Replies 20 Participants Last post by zax, Jan 23, 2018

urbanwiz21

Discussion Starter · Jan 21, 2018

Hi Guys

I'm sure this subject brought up hundreds of times I just couldn't find it so if you guy can help me that will be great

I'm 40 now last time I had a car fun playing was early 20's in 90's hondas/acuras

I'm planning to get one but for the money is STI worth than WRX? besides the engine what are STI already have that don't need to upgrade?

exhuast, spring, intake is first things to upgrade, I'm not looking to get 600hp out of it, but little bit more crazier than what stock is offering

TIA

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1 - 20 of 63 Posts

jasoncao

· #2 · Jan 21, 2018

They very similar for older models even the 2008-2013. sti has a harder suspension, if u live on the rough side of the town I think u should go with a wrx or upgraded coilover. 2015 and up
The wrx has a new engine and it does sound quite (couple of my friends has one still quite with an aftermarket) but I have a 17 sti u can pretty much feel everything on the road. My friend car 15 wrx catback, intake, pro tuned and bov lol vs. my 17 sti stage 1 with cat back they feel about the same acceleration wise

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WRX-maniac

· #3 · Jan 21, 2018 (Edited)

What you need to ask yourself is if you plan on upgrading to make more power, if you plan on doing any kind of racing (autox, etc.), or if you plan on just street duties.

If you are planning to add a decent amount of power mods and possibly take it to the track then no question the STi is the car for you. If you want a spirited car that is fun on the road for daily driving and a little less harshness, then the WRX would be a better choice.

Just to cover some of the biggest pros and cons that the STi offers over the wrx.......
Pros:
The STi comes stock with MUCH better brakes (brembos)
The STi transmission can take a lot more abuse and handle more power than its counter part
The STi has the DCCD and more aggressive stock mapping available through the SI-Drive
The STi has a much better rear diff than the wrx
The STi has a much stiffer ride (could be a con)

Cons:
Uses the dated EJ257 motor still instead of the new FA20 in the 15+ wrxs
Much stiffer ride (could be a pro)
More harsh of a ride due to the above for DD duty

I have had 3 wrxs and a little over a year ago upgraded to an STi finally. I will personally never go back.

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Reactions: 1

zax

· #4 · Jan 21, 2018

Golf R.

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SonicWagon

· #5 · Jan 22, 2018

zax said:
Golf R.

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Can you get spring for that?

zax

· #6 · Jan 22, 2018

SonicWagon said:
Can you get spring for that?

I can get 7.

XJman

· #7 · Jan 22, 2018

urbanwiz21 said:
Hi Guys

I'm sure this subject brought up hundreds of times I just couldn't find it so if you guy can help me that will be great

I'm 40 now last time I had a car fun playing was early 20's in 90's hondas/acuras

I'm planning to get one but for the money is STI worth than WRX? besides the engine what are STI already have that don't need to upgrade?

exhuast, spring, intake is first things to upgrade, I'm not looking to get 600hp out of it, but little bit more crazier than what stock is offering

TIA

Depending on what generation you are looking at the still will need more modifications to make power "safely".

The ej engines are more fuel limited than the newer fa20 so you'll need to upgrade the fuel system to do anything more than an intake and exhaust. The 15+ will need fuel system upgrades just to run an intake and exhaust.

The fa engines in the 15+ wrx is slightly more robust however the hpfp doesn't have an aftermarket that I'm aware of yet so things like e85 are out of reach. You can run it for a short while but it destroys that pump quickly and it's not a cheap part to be burning up. It will however support far more power out of the box than the sti system will.

With a broad brush the newer wrx transmissions are plenty durable. They definitely don't have the durability of the sti 6 speed box, but for the average driver who knows how to drive a manual they hold up really well if you don't beat them to tatters.

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XJman

· #8 · Jan 22, 2018

zax said:
I can get 7.

I can get all of them as we are the spring supplier to vw.

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rqjoe

· #9 · Jan 22, 2018

I have snow tires..................... no need for Spring.

SonicWagon

· #10 · Jan 22, 2018

XJman said:
Depending on what generation you are looking at the still will need more modifications to make power "safely".

The ej engines are more fuel limited than the newer fa20 so you'll need to upgrade the fuel system to do anything more than an intake and exhaust. The 15+ will need fuel system upgrades just to run an intake and exhaust.

The fa engines in the 15+ wrx is slightly more robust however the hpfp doesn't have an aftermarket that I'm aware of yet so things like e85 are out of reach. You can run it for a short while but it destroys that pump quickly and it's not a cheap part to be burning up. It will however support far more power out of the box than the sti system will.

With a broad brush the newer wrx transmissions are plenty durable. They definitely don't have the durability of the sti 6 speed box, but for the average driver who knows how to drive a manual they hold up really well if you don't beat them to tatters.

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That’s weird everyone with a FA20DIT around me seems to run e85 tunes.

why2kmax

· #11 · Jan 22, 2018

WRX gets marginally better MPG than the STi if thats a concern
I drive mine hard and haven't felt the need for better brakes on the street, but I never intend to track it.
I considered the limited STi when buying but the $10k price difference over the WRX limited didnt seem worth it.
I considered the base STi but would have added the recaros and fog lights and then if Im spending that much, add the HK blah blah blah and Im at $40k again.

I have no qualms with the WRX, love the AWD but id take a long hard look at the Civic Type R if I did it again and was willing to spend $35K+

RayfieldsWRX

· #12 · Jan 22, 2018

The conventional wisdom USED to be...if you want a nice street car that you could also conceivably take to the track...get a WRX.
If you want a nice track car that you can also drive on the road...get an STI.

I will stick to my normal mantra for such enthusiast-oriented things, however:

Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...

SonicWagon

· #13 · Jan 22, 2018

RayfieldsWRX said:
The conventional wisdom USED to be...if you want a nice street car that you could also conceivably take to the track...get a WRX.
If you want a nice track car that you can also drive on the road...get an STI.

I will stick to my normal mantra for such enthusiast-oriented things, however:

Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...Subjective...test drive...which satisfies your personal needs/desires better?...

Seems giving the WRX the better engine and the STI the better everything else has further confused this.

XJman

· #14 · Jan 22, 2018

SonicWagon said:
That’s weird everyone with a FA20DIT around me seems to run e85 tunes.

They won't for long

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RayfieldsWRX

· #15 · Jan 22, 2018

SonicWagon said:
Seems giving the WRX the better engine and the STI the better everything else has further confused this.

Good point..

Kenziel719

· #16 · Jan 22, 2018

XJman said:
Depending on what generation you are looking at the still will need more modifications to make power "safely".

The ej engines are more fuel limited than the newer fa20 so you'll need to upgrade the fuel system to do anything more than an intake and exhaust. The 15+ will need fuel system upgrades just to run an intake and exhaust.

The fa engines in the 15+ wrx is slightly more robust however the hpfp doesn't have an aftermarket that I'm aware of yet so things like e85 are out of reach. You can run it for a short while but it destroys that pump quickly and it's not a cheap part to be burning up. It will however support far more power out of the box than the sti system will.

With a broad brush the newer wrx transmissions are plenty durable. They definitely don't have the durability of the sti 6 speed box, but for the average driver who knows how to drive a manual they hold up really well if you don't beat them to tatters.

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Fake News!

XJman said:
They won't for long

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Still Wrong!

Reactions: 1

Jbravo_AK

· #17 · Jan 22, 2018

urbanwiz21 said:
Hi Guys

I'm planning to get one but for the money is STI worth than WRX? besides the engine what are STI already have that don't need to upgrade?

exhuast, spring, intake is first things to upgrade, I'm not looking to get 600hp out of it, but little bit more crazier than what stock is offering

TIA

To be honest you probably could buy a new STI and be totally happy with driving it in its stock form (like ray said people feel cars differently so a test drive might remedy that). The stock tune has some shortcomings so with a AP you could reflash to a stage 1 map and see how you liked it then dip your toe further and further into mods until its what you feel you wanted from a car. I have yet to hear someone say I'm glad I bought a WRX over an STI for anything purely other than the extra money they saved or the car was too harsh(you can feel every bump which is nice to me, makes you feel more connected with your car and the road). 14 Years later I still think I made the right decision.

Reactions: 1

MotoSteve

· #18 · Jan 22, 2018

Depends what you want.

If you're looking to do some mods on a cheaper budget, the STI is the way to go. Not only is it overall more capable, but has better steering, suspension, and brakes right out of the box. It's an easy way to make power and with a proper tune (read proper), you can throw on a full exhaust and call it a day.

I do believe it was proven that the intake doesn't get saturated until higher HP #s and actually serves as a better heat deterrent then most after markets, but I'm not 100% and don't have the time to back my claim.

As far as the WRX, you can do the same crap, but it's more of a street car with a little bit of getup then anything. Also, if you end up wanting to make "big power" out of it, there is a lot more that goes into it with the fueling scenarios/prices.

IMO, STI is worth every penny unless you just MUST have an automatic.

Kenziel719

· #19 · Jan 22, 2018

urbanwiz21 said:
Hi Guys

I'm sure this subject brought up hundreds of times I just couldn't find it so if you guy can help me that will be great

I'm 40 now last time I had a car fun playing was early 20's in 90's hondas/acuras

I'm planning to get one but for the money is STI worth than WRX? besides the engine what are STI already have that don't need to upgrade?

exhuast, spring, intake is first things to upgrade, I'm not looking to get 600hp out of it, but little bit more crazier than what stock is offering

TIA

zax said:
Golf R.

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Its called CLUBWRX..... Not Smarta$$ doesnt answer the question asked CLUB.

Reactions: 1

WPuckhaber

· #20 · Jan 22, 2018

My 2016 STi is a much more connected driving experience than my 2015 WRX was .

1 - 20 of 63 Posts

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