Baselining

Tom
Update by Tom Suddard to the Subaru Impreza WRX project car
Nov 21, 2012

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Body roll and understeer were the themes of the day.

That said, the WRX probably would have been just as fast if the track weren’t paved.

A report from our clutch-busting test day: We’d finally sorted out most of our 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX’s issues, so it was time to take it to the track for some testing. Before we made any modifications, we needed to see how fast it was in stock form as well as where its weaknesses were. So we filled it with gas and set out for The FIRM to do some testing.

The WRX’s main issue is clearly in the handling department. It has boat-like understeer and copious amounts of body roll. The Subaru is fast in a straight line, but we had to slow it way down before attempting any corners.

Our Subaru was about 3.5 seconds a lap slower than a new Scion FR-S, turning a time within a few tenths of our project Toyota Camry. That said, the WRX probably would have been just as fast if the track weren’t paved.

Unfortunately, our testing also exposed more issues with the Subaru. Most notably, a worn-out clutch. Before we increase the car’s power output, we had to put in a new clutch.

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