[Ekire2019]

Hi everyone,

I introduced myself as a future STI owner a week ago (basically as soon as the 2019 specs/details come out, i will place my order for a sport tech.) I like to be prepared and as such, I have done some researching and am curious about the following. I appreciate everyones time and patience as i know this is a lot to ask.

1. TPMS - do Canadian STI's have TPMS. If so, what advice is there to someone not too mechanically inclined about getting a set of TPMS for winter tires? I do my own winter/summer switching and I just want to be able to remove and replace without too much extra work.

2a. Theft prevention - I can be a bit paranoid and overprotective. The car will most likely need to be parked out in the driveway on occasion in any weather. I know a way they are stealing cars is a pair of people using some sort of signal booster, and with me going for a push to start/keyless entry, I think I may have to get key protection in the form of a signal blocker of some sort. Anyone use anything that they can pitch? Something small but effective. I also saw somewhere that Starlink is a subscription based security that can track the car - is this available up here?

2b. Theft prevention - is the dealer upgrade shock sensor worth the coin? What other advice/options do people have for theft prevention? I dont want the car to get dragged out of my driveway.

3. Armrest extension seems expensive - anyone ever go with one?

4. Dashcam - im thinking i want one. Anyone use any that seemed to work well? I dont want anything too large or crazy looking and am considering a type that hardwires into the car for the motion sensing recording - will that kill the battery?

5. Winter wheels/tires - After a bunch of looking around the best advice i found for the 2018's was getting 245/40R18 tires and an 18x8.5" wheel. I found that the stock offset is +55 and as i am not too mechanically smart, any help here is wonderful. This is presuming that the 2019's will be very close if not the same specs as the '18's. I am considering the dealer upgrade wheels/tires if they offer a winter package.

6. Colour - I see limited colour options and wondering if they will work with me on this. I have seen a couple of the Lapis Blue Pearl on road and like that colour but it isn't an option on the Canadian website - the USA site currently has it as an option.

7. Cost negotiation - I have been told by some that they will not negotiate on STI's and others have said they will. Also heard that they may work with me on the cost of accessories. Any experience here?

8. Is there anything that is a must in your opinion and why? Im not big into modding/upgrading, so it would most likely just be stuff available from dealer, however I will entertain other ideas.

9. Other dealer stuff - 3M chipshield on front, tint, corrosion bodyguard module, paint protection, upholstery protection. I did sit down with a sales rep but got limited details on these (not sure if there is other extras available.) I dont believe I will go with the chipshield, the corrosion module or upholstery protection as based on my research, they arent reliable or a value for the money. I am considering the paint protection as I understand Subaru uses weak paint. With the tint, I am curious what the stock vs upgrade tint is like - I dont want to black out the car, but am interested in something.

10. Delivery estimates - Im not looking for an ETA on these, but am curious how long it took you to get the car once you ordered.

11. Sirius - I am interested in the Sirius traffic but not the radio. I have found that they usually come together, but have also seen something that indicated I might be able to get the traffic without the radio.

The accessories that I see on their website that I am considering: touch up paint, wheel lock set, armrest extension, dome LED upgrade, floor mats(unsure which ones), shock sensor. If any of these are useless or not worth the money, or you think there are other accessories that I should think about, I am willing to look into it.

 

[ALPHAFERT]

Not sure if tmps is on Canadian sti but you can get a second set put on your winter rims & have a place pair them with the car for the season or run without but With would be safer.

I have heard you can go as low as +45 offset but I haven't tried less than +48 personally (on a 16sti).

I run a blackvue dash cam hardwired for about a year no problem it has front h back with parking monitor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H...s=blackvue&dpPl=1&dpID=31rNCKOajSL&ref=plSrch

Congrats & welcome

 

[ProZach626]

I thought the wheels were 19" on the 2018+ STI?

As far as the dash cam goes, don't do it. Even if you get into an accident it's going to aid you very little. Most accidents are very easy to determine fault without dash cams. Sometimes even if the accident is not your fault your insurance will still settle with another company for them to pay partial coverage for the accident. Either way, you're going to still show a higher risk regardless. That's how US companies work, at least. Also, if you do something very stupid, caused from accident or negligence, that dash cam will be used against you if you're in any position to be charged with a crime. Dash cams are mandatory in some countries due to insurance fraud. AKA - you damage your own piece of **** car and want a check from your insurance company. Save your money.

 

[ALPHAFERT]

Thats an interesting pov on dash cams. I mostly got mine for parking feature. I park in a garage at work & had odd dents turning up & no way to prove anything. It got to the point where it was cheaper to buy a new trunk than get it fixed. With my dash cam I was able to prove vandalism so my ins covered 100% & I had something to give security. I have also had a few times that it was a quick out of road rage situations. People often back off when they realize they are being recorded.

@op if you live up where weather gets bad I recommend the weathertech mats. The oem didn't cover the area under the accelerator pedal & water/salt would run behind/under the mat.

 

[ProZach626]

^I'm not trying to be argumentative, but usually as long as you make a police report to screen fraud cases you're insurance will cover your vandalism 100% if you are covered for it. As far as giving the video to security that can be helpful. However, after looking at countless video surveillance evidence I can say that seeing people on your screen doesn't mean anything if you don't know who you're looking at. Especially since even good camera footage isn't typically enough to truly identify someone.

Your insurance company can use your footage against you if they know you have it. That, and other insurance companies may subpoena the footage. If you make a minor innocent mistake and someone gets seriously injured or killed a criminal prosecutor and civil prosecutor are going to salivate when they find out you have a dash cam. Instead of "Opps, he was in my blind spot" they'll take all of your recorded storage and analyze every second for any little traffic violation to show carelessness or ANY sign of negligence. "Look, he was speeding 10 miles an hour over the speed limit two minutes prior to the accident so he is a dangerous driver."

If you get into a traffic crash and someone leaves the scene, the chances of you getting a good shot at their plates are rare. Even if you do identify a suspect your insurance company is going to give you a pat on your head if it's the extremely rare case that the person who ran from the scene had insurance. They're going to cover you either way if you have decent insurance.

In my eyes the cameras are more of a liability for the things you don't think about as opposed to helpful aids for the things you do think about.

As for the OP'S serius question just call the company and ask for options. Give them your contact info, email, mailing address, whatever. When they give you the prices tell them it's not good enough. They'll likely give you a lower offer. If they don't give you a lower offer right off the bat, they'll email and mail you way lower offers. We got Serius with my wife's 16 crosstrek as a 3 month trial. We opted not to renew, because of the aforementioned strategy. A month later they reduced our annual premium package of about $200 per year to $150. After ignoring them for another month, we got another offer for $100. Finally we called them and asked for a lower rate and we ended up getting the premium service for 6 months for around $50... They're just looking for the suckers to pay their original price. Haggle with them. They have a ton of wiggle room built in. Even if you only want the traffic application they will probably try to bundle that with the radio for little to no money.

 

[why2kmax]

1. TPMS - Easiest thing to do is order winter wheels that fit the car with TPMS and tires installed. I dont know if tirerack.com ships to Canada but Canadian tire or any other place should be helpful in this. You will need to have a tire shop recognize the new TPMS in the tires each time you switch. OR Tire rack sells a hand held device that will recognize each set and allow you to do it yourself. BUT it only works with a windows laptop, they dont have a verson for Apple MACs.


2a. Theft prevention - Ask dealer about starlink. Easiest way to protect your fob is put it in some sort of metal box or something that can block or reduce signal strength when in the house. However, for them to clone the signal I THINK it needs to be fairly close to the car. If you are on the street and 50' away its prob not a big issue.


2b. Theft prevention - is the dealer upgrade shock sensor worth the coin? Probably not.

3. Armrest extension seems expensive - anyone ever go with one?

Buy the JDM (jap domestic market) one. Its the same height as the OEM extension, gives you a second storage bin and reuses the top cover that comes wtih the car so it still matches. Best advice someone gave to me on that. Unfortunately I cant remember where I got it but will look when home. About the same price as OEM I think too.



4. Dashcam - im thinking i want one. Anyone use any that seemed to work well? I dont want anything too large or crazy looking and am considering a type that hardwires into the car for the motion sensing recording - will that kill the battery?

No experiene with them but seems everyone has one


5. Winter wheels/tires - After a bunch of looking around the best advice i found for the 2018's was getting 245/40R18 tires and an 18x8.5" wheel. I found that the stock offset is +55 and as i am not too mechanically smart, any help here is wonderful. This is presuming that the 2019's will be very close if not the same specs as the '18's. I am considering the dealer upgrade wheels/tires if they offer a winter package.

I got 245/40/18s on 18" rims for my 18 STI for winter as a package with TPMS sensors from Tire rack and they are the same overall diameter. You DO need to ensure that the rims will clear the brake calipers. Not all do. Again, check tirerack.com and see what they show for fitment (or your local tire chain can prob help and canadian tire site does it as well). Or if the dealer has a winter wheel/tire package ready to go, that is the easy button.

https://www.tirerack.com/snow/preferredpackages.jsp


6. Colour - All you can do is ask the dealer. The website may be wrong.


7. Cost negotiation - I dont know about Canada but all cars in the US are negotiable. Some dealers may be "one price only" but Id bet not all. Accessories are also negotiable but again that depends on the dealer policy etc.


8. Is there anything that is a must in your opinion and why? Im not big into modding/upgrading, so it would most likely just be stuff available from dealer, however I will entertain other ideas.

9. Other dealer stuff

Generally dealer added stuff is more expensive and less quality than you can find elsewhere.

By paint protection, Im assuming you mean something they will put all over the car like a wax or coating. When done professionally like where the paint is color corrected and ceramic coated, the car looks amazing and is very easy to clean and maintain. BUT coatings like that WILL NOT PREVENT ROCK CHIPS. IT also means you can never use a commercial car wash with brushes to wash your car (you prob shouldn't regardless) Its more of a time saver and easy button vs regular washing and waxing. but when maintained, IMO the results are far better far longer.

I would absolutely put 3m, Xpel or some type of film on the entire front bumper, leading edge of the hood if not the whole hood, headlights, mirrors and maybe lower rockers. Especially if you drive in winter and your roads tend to have a lot of rocks etc on them. It will save your paint.

Floor liners like those from Husky or Weather tech vs the subie all season floor mats.

Gorilla makes black locking lugs that look good with the OEM wheels and all of them are locking.



10. Delivery estimates - No idea.


11. Sirius - I am interested in the Sirius traffic but not the radio. I have found that they usually come together, but have also seen something that indicated I might be able to get the traffic without the radio.

Pretty sure you need sirius radio to get their traffic. if WAZE works in Canada, use that on your phone. Its free and its good.

 

[Ekire2019]

Thanks a bunch for the time to reply. I will look into some of your advice.

i was curious how badly an STI would bottom out in snowy/icy weather? Im not worried about the powdery snow, but the harder ice/snow that can cause bottoming out/damage.

unless they change something, i wont have to worry about tpms.

i believe the sti's come with 19" wheels but the info i found was to goto 18" for a winter set.