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Car Forum / Subaru Cars / February 2008Bye, Bye 2000 Impreza RS
Hi, Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. Total write off with serious frontal damage. Wondering how come air bag did not pop?! Looking for a upgrade to WRX(not STi version). Any comments/suggesions on couple years old WRX? Can't afford brand new. We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! How about a bus pass? :)  SignatureFred Boer - Amateur Access Enthusiast Interests: Library software / Z39.50 / Web Services Freeware Small Library Application available here: http://www3.sympatico.ca/lornarourke/ > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! > How about a bus pass? :) Hi, Well, his office is off the bus route and his job needs a vehicle for frequent trips to job sites out in the field.(civil engineer) I thought he was a teen. It's even worse he's an engineer and expects dad to buy him another car. Engineers do okay so send him to a hunday dealer or if you want AWD get a Suzuki SX4 for $18 k fully loaded with AWD > > How about a bus pass? :) > > Hi, > Well, his office is off the bus route and his job needs a vehicle for > frequent trips to job sites out in the field.(civil engineer) >I thought he was a teen. It's even worse he's an engineer and expects >dad to buy him another car. Geez, homophobe, stop with the assumptions. NOTHING in his original post indicated that the son expected the father to buy the replacement vehicle (the relevant sentence begins with "Can't", with no pronoun before it). In article <2ffe7f65-5bd9-4a25-b72c-532d77977a1f@z17g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>, > I thought he was a teen. It's even worse he's an engineer and expects > dad to buy him another car. Engineers do okay so send him to a hunday [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Well, his office is off the bus route and his job needs a vehicle for > > frequent trips to job sites out in the field.(civil engineer) Nowhere does it say that he's not going to pay for it (or that he didn't pay for the first one). Maybe dad is just helping find the car and it's something they enjoy doing together. Edwin SignatureIf you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. -Moshe Dayan Well, I am glad that nobody was hurt... Sorry, but I have no helpful information. If it were me, however, I'd avoid a used WRX, since I can't imagine anyone buying one of those cars and not thrashing it... I wonder what the difference in cost might be between a new Impreza and a used WRX - if it weren't too much I fer sure would go for a new car... SignatureFred Boer - Amateur Access Enthusiast Interests: Library software / Z39.50 / Web Services Freeware Small Library Application available here: http://www3.sympatico.ca/lornarourke/ >> How about a bus pass? :) >> > Hi, > Well, his office is off the bus route and his job needs a vehicle for > frequent trips to job sites out in the field.(civil engineer) > > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. > > Total write off with serious frontal damage. > > Wondering how come air bag did not pop?! Since you said: > > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! maybe the force of the crash in the longitudinal direction was not enough to set off the airbags ? > > Looking for a upgrade to WRX(not STi version). Any > > comments/suggesions on couple years old WRX? I hope you don't mind the looks :) Other people here can probably advise you if they have any known weaknesses. (Someone who works for a Subaru dealership posted recently that its 1st gear is not strong enough for its engine, so dragster-type starts are a bad idea.) > > Can't afford brand new. In the reviews that I have read about the new model the reviewer was disappointed. Subaru apparently doesn't intend for the new WRX to be sporty ("buy the STi instead") which kind of makes it a bit pointless. Signaturehttp://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/ .pt is Portugal| `Whom the gods love die young'-Menander (342-292 BC) Europe | Villeneuve 50-82, Toivonen 56-86, Senna 60-94 > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! I hope he is OK? It is 'slightly' more likely to get a used WRX wagon that hasn't been reamed out by some teenager than a sedan. I'd be very careful shopping for ANY inexpensive 'sporty' car. Many have been hammered by a kid. I like my '06 WRX wagon just fine so far. good luck Carl Signatureto reply, change ( .not) to ( .net) >> Hi, >> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Carl Hmmm, I am looking at one on dealer's lot. Has only ~20000 miles. Black in color. The kid seems OK. Was sitting in a Jacuzzi tub when I came home, LOL. Car is towed to my house today and donating it to kidney foundtation for whatever it's worth. Sorry to see it go which we put in lot of work into. Let me get this right-- kid totals car with only himself to blame and you want to buy him a HIGH performance car. I hope he's not on your insurance cuz when he hits ME I'm owning your house!!!!! If it were me he'd get a bicycle until HE earns the money for another car!!!! Buy him another car and I guarantee he'll crash it too. Lucky for you no one else was hurt. Buying kids cars usually leads to crashes!!! > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! Sounds like he was driving like a "COMPLETE a.shole".... Glad he didnt cream someone elses car or kill another person.... Maybe he might learn something from this? Help him buy a Nissan Sentra.... >> Hi, >> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Sounds like he was driving like a "COMPLETE a.shole".... Yeah, especially the part about the accident happening in extreme cold weather. Gosh, I didn't know people were so prejudicial here. Glad to hear your boy is fine Tony. Just last week I had a driver skid into my back yard late at night. It got cold and icy, with some snow, he was breaking for more than 20 yards until finally came to a stop in my backyard. Damage estimate is several hundred $ for the wooden fence, plus some more for his fancy aluminum tire rims one of which completely disintegrated as it hit the curb, real hard. M.J. > Glad he didnt cream someone elses car or kill another person.... > Maybe he might learn something from this? Help him buy a Nissan Sentra.... > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! Glad your son is okay beyond anything emotional and sorry the Soob is a gonner. I hit black ice halfway through a curve which sent me into the bank pretty hard in mine over a year ago with no air bag deployment either, so I dunno. Thrust angle, actual impact speed, front end crumpling, etc., dunno all the factors the system is triggering on, but either the system didn't feet it warranted, is defective, or is not there (suppose that could be considered defective). Came from a dealer I really wouldn't trust, so you never even know sometimes without having the air bag system checked by a competent service person. The airbag light illuminates as it should during start-up cycles so I am not too worried. For the other posters, sometimes our jobs require us to drive in weather we would otherwise choose not to so some of us accept the risks. I live where there is a very large number of Soobs per capita and seems many of them excell in poor driving habits come foul weather. I love how they all try to out accellerate folks from a light with AWD and drive faster than conditions would seem to warrant. Oh well. Doesn't mean Tony's son was doing any of that and we don't have information enough to do more than assume. Since you're looking at the WRX and I haven't done any checking myself, to the other fellow readers of the group here, are there different versions of WRX with and without the locking rear diff.? I thought they dropped it to offset the cost of the stability control in the newer models, but otherwise, is that something Tony should be watching out for? >I thought he was a teen. It's even worse he's an engineer and ... BigJim, I was an engineer at 19, so could be both. ~Brian >>> Hi, >>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >> Maybe he might learn something from this? Help him buy a Nissan >> Sentra.... > Glad to hear your boy is fine Tony. Just last week I had a driver > skid into my back yard late at night. It got cold and icy, with [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > aluminum tire rims one of which completely disintegrated as it > hit the curb, real hard. I can assure you that steel rims hold not much better and it does not take a lot to bend the. Not a complete disintegration of course but you still have to replace the rim. At much lower price though :-) I would know cause I bent 3 of them in a single accident. And, of course, I'm really glad the OP is not buying a regular impreza or 08 wrx as a replacement. Both being 100% certified trash. >> Hi, >> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Glad he didnt cream someone elses car or kill another person.... > Maybe he might learn something from this? Help him buy a Nissan Sentra.... And... how would you know that? On ice, it is still pretty easy to overdrive a car without driving like a complete a.shole. >>> Hi, >>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > And... how would you know that? On ice, it is still pretty easy to > overdrive a car without driving like a complete a.shole. Hmmmm, Today we both test drove 2008 WRX amd Mazda Speed3 from our neighborhood dealership. To both of us Speed3 was more impressive. Tried Speed3 where the accident happened, Could not make it slide. WRX as is needs some upgrade. Speed3 as is was acceptable. Better feel for brake, pick up, suspension, even stereo, etc. Tried upto 100mph exercising all gears on freeway and tight parking lot. Now we have to decide. >>>> Hi, >>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > suspension, even stereo, etc. Tried upto 100mph exercising all gears on > freeway and tight parking lot. Now we have to decide. They are nice cars. I have had Mazdas before. I don't like them in snow, but other than that, I can't say anything bad about Mazdas. Good cars. >> Today we both test drove 2008 WRX amd Mazda Speed3 from our neighborhood >> dealership. To both of us Speed3 was more impressive. Tried Speed3 where [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >They are nice cars. I have had Mazdas before. I don't like them in snow, >but other than that, I can't say anything bad about Mazdas. Good cars. I agree with JD: the Mazda3 I have now (2008) is terrible in snow and ice, and in those conditions, we drive the OBW. I plan to buy a set of snow tires on wheels for this car next fall. I'm happy with the gas mileage, though, and overall the car is nice. > >> Today we both test drove 2008 WRX amd Mazda Speed3 from our neighborhood > >> dealership. To both of us Speed3 was more impressive. Tried Speed3 where [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I agree with JD: the Mazda3 I have now (2008) is terrible in snow and > ice, and in those conditions, we drive the OBW. I plan to buy a set Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does have it. Let me guess: you curently run some all season trash on your Mazda3 to complement the open front diff? I'm getting lower opinion of Subaru owner daily and am very glad I left the club. >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does >have it. >Let me guess: you curently run some all season trash on your Mazda3 >to complement the open front diff? I have had the car less than a month, and I'm driving on the Goodyear Eagle RSA tires it came with, which are less than ideal for our winters (to say the least!). I intend to buy four dedicated snow tires and rims for the car in August. So, back off on your insulting assumptions and just ask direct questions. > >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does > >have it. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > tires and rims for the car in August. So, back off on your insulting > assumptions and just ask direct questions. May I ask insulting direct questions? Why do you have to wait for August to get dedicated snow tires and why did you skimp on an LSD knowing full well that you live in a snowbelt? Eagle RSA is a very decent 3 season tire but it's probably even worse than Bridgestone 92 in winter. The potenza was great in the winter when new after 20-25k it sucked i n snow. Cant speak of RS-a but the eagleGA was okay. On Feb 7, 8:10 pm, isq...@gmail.com wrote: > > May I ask insulting direct questions? > Why do you have to wait for August to get dedicated snow tires > and why did you skimp on an LSD knowing full well that you live > in a snowbelt? > Eagle RSA is a very decent 3 season tire but it's probably even > worse than Bridgestone 92 in winter. What!? The RE-92 sucked in any weather; snow in particular. The potenza was great in the winter when new after 20-25k it sucked i n snow. Cant speak of RS-a but the eagleGA was okay. On Feb 7, 8:10 pm, isq...@gmail.com wrote: > On Feb 5, 7:06 pm, KLS <xyme...@suds.com> wrote: > > May I ask insulting direct questions? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Eagle RSA is a very decent 3 season tire but it's probably even > worse than Bridgestone 92 in winter. >> >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does >> >have it. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >and why did you skimp on an LSD knowing full well that you live >in a snowbelt? a. money is tight right now and we have a Subaru for the bad days, and b. I was in a hurry to buy a car and got a good deal on this one (as I said, money is tight). >Eagle RSA is a very decent 3 season tire but it's probably even >worse than Bridgestone 92 in winter. True. > >> >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does > >> >have it. [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Getting tired of the debate on whether all-season tires are a cop- out. It's pretty simple. If you live along the gulf coast or in southern california or at lower elevations elsewhere in the south, you can get away with summer tires year-round. If you're up north, or at higher elevations, dedicated winter tires are preferable if you can't avoid driving when it snows (and some people can. Otherwise a good all-season tire works well for most drivers, and most drivers don't explore the adhesion limits of their cars. Like any other product, some all-season tires are better than others. The Potenza RE92 is crap. That said, I often don't follow my own advice, and ended up using Continental Extreme Contacts, a performance rated all-season, for 9-10 months a year, and switch over to Cooper Vikings from mid- december through february, when we can ususally expect a couple of storms with at least a foot of snow. Besides my joyriding in the white stuff, my job gets busier and it's critical that I get in when it snows. Both are great in the rain, which we get a lot of in the Hudson Valley, and the Contis, with dual rubber compounds, perform about as well in the summer as any all season can be expected to. My wife's outback 3.0 still has the original Bridgestones, but will switch over to Contis soon and probably keep them on all year. I am thinking of moving to a wider tire with a lower aspect ratio to maintain the same diameter. Would likely hurt snow performace but improve dry cornering. > > >> >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does > > >> >have it. [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > some all-season tires are better than others. The Potenza RE92 is > crap. That said, I often don't follow my own advice, and ended up ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't follow. What's inconsistent about getting CEC and your advice? > using Continental Extreme Contacts, a performance rated all-season I've heard nothing but praise for these. I'd try them but I have no snow here. > for 9-10 months a year, and switch over to Cooper Vikings from mid- > december through february, when we can ususally expect a couple of Are these snow tires or ice tires? Never heard of these. How do they compare to anything else snow/ice bound? > storms with at least a foot of snow. Besides my joyriding in the > white stuff, my job gets busier and it's critical that I get in when [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > maintain the same diameter. Would likely hurt snow performace but > improve dry cornering. Hmm, I wonder if the initiative for that move comes from you or your wife ;-D On Feb 8, 6:32 pm, isq...@gmail.com wrote: > > > >> >Except your Mazda3 does not have LBS in front while MazdaSpeed3 does > > > >> >have it. [quoted text clipped - 64 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I hadn't heard of the Vikings either until Consumer Reports (not my favorite mag as automotive content goes, I prefer C & D and Automobile) rated them among the best winter tires they tested. In addition to their performance in the snow, they performed well in dry cornering and wet braking, and since most of my winter winter driving is on snow-free pavement, I was looking for something that wouldn't give away too much handling. Wifey don't know about the tire upgrade, and won't care much. I'm planning to take over the Outback (and sell my 2004 WRX - ouch) so she can get an Infiniti G35x. Had one before and has been missing it since the lease ran out. The things we do for love. I figure eventually I'll pick up a used Miata for my sunday morning joyrides, but the Infiniti should do for a while. But I do need a wagon for all the stuff I drag around. > On Feb 8, 6:32 pm, isq...@gmail.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 75 lines] > give away too much handling. Wifey don't know about the tire upgrade, > and won't care much. I'm planning to take over the Outback (and sell I remember asking my ex what tires she bought and she replied with: "the black ones" > my 2004 WRX - ouch) so she can get an Infiniti G35x. Had one before Any reason you are selling the rex instead of the outback? > and has been missing it since the lease ran out. The things we do for > love. I figure eventually I'll pick up a used Miata for my sunday > morning joyrides, but the Infiniti should do for a while. But I do > need a wagon for all the stuff I drag around. if you get an RX-8 you'd have some marginal space behind the front seats to haul some stuff and the trunk reportedly is larger than on bmw 3xx. I think you can currently get RX-8 for about $24500 barebones, but spring comes you can forget about discount pricing. Anyhow, good luck with all your rides. On Feb 11, 5:42 pm, osamahornifu...@gmail.com wrote: > > On Feb 8, 6:32 pm, isq...@gmail.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 82 lines] > > Any reason you are selling the rex instead of the outback? Not a done deal yet, but there are a few reasons. As much as I love the WRX, I do like the Outback with the 6. It's pretty well loaded and the leather, sunroof and extra room and ground clearance have their appeal. One thing about the WRX that drives me crazy is the upholstery. I've got a dog that sheds profusely and his hair gets trapped in the waffle-weave fabric and it's a bitch to get out. Plus he matches the tan OB interior (I know, sounds like a lame reason if ever there was one). Also, stand to lose less on the resale value. I guess I'm looking for a challenge; improve the handling on the Outback, maybe add a few suspension upgrades. Was thinking of selling both and getting a new WRX, and that's always an option down the road. I have considered the RX-8, and would love to have one, but need cargo capacity, roof rack and planning to add a hitch for a bike rack and towing a rowboat trailer. The Outback with the 3.0 is a much better choice than the WRX or RX-8 for "SUV" type work. Also, by taking the OB can justify getting a toy, as a I said, for my sunday morning joyrides. > > and has been missing it since the lease ran out. The things we do for > > love. I figure eventually I'll pick up a used Miata for my sunday [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > but spring comes you can forget about discount pricing. > Anyhow, good luck with all your rides.- Hide quoted text - Thanks. I won't be crying if she gets another G35. Terrific car for the open road. Weird though, that our last one reminded me more of my 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix than any other car I've ever owned. Loads of torque, pretty luxurious for its time, and handled well for a big car. > - Show quoted text - > Not a done deal yet, but there are a few reasons. As much as I love > the WRX, I do like the Outback with the 6. It's pretty well loaded 6: Low end grunt or better ergos due to lower noise of the engine struggling to push the carriage off the dead stop? > and the leather, sunroof and extra room and ground clearance have leather: no static discharge from fabric seats of WRX or you haven't been ever zapped? I'm still struggling to understand the leather appeal considering that in hot weather it seems far less comfortable than cloth. Any pointers would help. And yes, I rode in the cars so equipped on few occasions. I still don't get it. > their appeal. One thing about the WRX that drives me crazy is the > upholstery. I've got a dog that sheds profusely and his hair gets > trapped in the waffle-weave fabric and it's a bitch to get out. Plus Argh. Now I'm beginning to understand a little. San the dog the fabric would've been okay? > he matches the tan OB interior (I know, sounds like a lame reason if Why, it makes sense. Tan looks good too. > ever there was one). Also, stand to lose less on the resale value. Of the WRX? You're in luck indeed. Considering the replacement from FHI I'd imagine yours should sell rather quickly. Good timing. > I guess I'm looking for a challenge; improve the handling on the > Outback, maybe add a few suspension upgrades. Was thinking of selling > both and getting a new WRX, and that's always an option down the Did you test drive a new one and would like to comment? > road. I have considered the RX-8, and would love to have one, but > need cargo capacity, roof rack and planning to add a hitch for a bike > rack and towing a rowboat trailer. The Outback with the 3.0 is a much > better choice than the WRX or RX-8 for "SUV" type work. Also, by > taking the OB can justify getting a toy, as a I said, for my sunday > morning joyrides. I'd think RX-8 is a much better toy overall, but miata is lighter and i could see an appear of a frisky little car even though just sitting in one makes me claustrophobic. You like the chopped roof and an imitation of a trunk too? > Thanks. I won't be crying if she gets another G35. Terrific car for > the open road. Weird though, that our last one reminded me more of my > 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix than any other car I've ever owned. Loads of > torque, pretty luxurious for its time, and handled well for a big > car. And you don't even want to even consider a slightly better handling bmw 325/330 why ? > On Feb 11, 5:42 pm, osamahornifu...@gmail.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 122 lines] > >>- Show quoted text - For some performance bits for Legacy-based models, check out www.boxer4racing.com . I bought my Stromung exhaust (for my WRX wagon) from them. Dale Teague is a great guy. And they probably have some parts for your Outback. fyi Carl Signatureto reply, change ( .not) to ( .net) >>>>> Hi, >>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > snow, but other than that, I can't say anything bad about Mazdas. Good > cars. Hi, Mazda had snow tires. WRX didn't and their OEM tires suck to begin with. I was excited in a long time test driving a new car. Mazda sure did a good job. Between two body styles on WRX, I liked 5 door version better. >>>>>> Hi, >>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > I was excited in a long time test driving a new car. Mazda sure did a good > job. Between two body styles on WRX, I liked 5 door version better. Odd the Mazda website says the Speed3 has: "P215/45R18 93Y high performance summer radials" I owned two Ford/Mazda Probe GT's and was very happy with both. Blair >>>>>> Hi, >>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > I was excited in a long time test driving a new car. Mazda sure did a good > job. Between two body styles on WRX, I liked 5 door version better. Not surprised. They build a good solid car. We had a Protege for six years. I only got rid of it because my wife needs to drive in snowstorms and I wanted AWD and winter tires; the Protege, even with snows, was just not good in snow. But that car was as solid as the day we bought it; no squeaks and everything just worked. I like my Subarus, but I'd be happy with a Mazda too. >>>>>>> Hi, >>>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > we bought it; no squeaks and everything just worked. I like my Subarus, > but I'd be happy with a Mazda too. Hi, We're at a Nissan dealer this afternoon to look at used G35 AWD they had. Then a guy came in and traded in his like new '06 WRX for Frontier truck for his new job. We talked to the guy and test druve it, bought it on the spot. Definitely felt better than '08 WRX. We'll pick it up on week end after they clean the car inside and out and put a coat of wax. Hope this one will last a while. Thanks for all the helpful comments. Donating the wrecked one to Kidney foundation FWIW. Car should last fine. The problem is will your boy crash it. Hope he doesnt hurt anyone else the next time!!! > >>>>>>> Hi, > >>>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > - Show quoted text - > >>>>>>> Hi, > >>>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Another of my favorites. Got one (a very good lease deal) as soon as they hit the market. Only complaints were that it: 1. devoured front brakes [a set every 9,000 miles or so. Got Infiniti to cover under warranty, but took some badgering] 2. difficult to change the oil yourself. filter is hidden waaaay up without much clearance around it 3. low ground clearance. great for handling, but constantly scraped on the small ridge entering my driveway Haven't driven a G35x, but will likely be my wife's next car. Would like to hear of your experience with it. Good luck. >>>>>>>> Hi, >>>>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > Hope this one will last a while. Thanks for all the helpful comments. > Donating the wrecked one to Kidney foundation FWIW. I'm surprised that there was that much of a difference. I was looking at an '08 for my wife. I haven't tested one yet. What is the difference in the feel Tony? >>>>>>>>> Hi, >>>>>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > at an '08 for my wife. I haven't tested one yet. What is the > difference in the feel Tony? Hi, '06 has tighter feel, has shorter shift, etc. '08 has cushy cushy softer ride, longer shift stroke, etc. didn't feel like sporty car. But it has more interior space for sure, little taller and wider. I like cars with road feel, little tight suspension, quick shift like that. My son felt same way. He declined to get '08. Mazda Speed3 somehow has poor seating and right leg is rubbing the side of center console no matter how I adjust the seat. But it'd be a good choice if it were AWD. AWD kept us from getting Mazda. There is a rumour Mazda may come out with AWD on Speed3. My Cul De Sac has 7 houses. Out of 7 households, 3 have Nissam G35X. They replaced, Jaguar AWD, BMW 5-series, Audi Quattro. G35 is very popular around this neck of wood. >>>>>> Hi, >>>>>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > I was excited in a long time test driving a new car. Mazda sure did a good > job. Between two body styles on WRX, I liked 5 door version better. Put a set of Firestone Blizzack snow tires on a subaru you coulds almost climb a tree; don't compair one car to another with different tires on it. I just drove over a small mountain pass during a snowstorm yesterday with used blixxacks on my Camery, not a problem (about 3" fresh snow) the other cars I saw were 2 subes and a pick-up, who was the only one stuck. A week ago without the tires on the Camery, I got stuck in level ground, This was MY first time testing these tires personally, Next year More of my cars will have them. SignatureSteve ASE Master Tech L1 Diag Currently residing at a Subaru Shop 4.5 years doing tires and alighnments >Put a set of Firestone Blizzack snow tires on a subaru you coulds almost >climb a tree; don't compair one car to another with different tires on it. I [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >first time testing these tires personally, Next year More of my cars will >have them. I have heard good things about Blizzaks, but one negative is that they last only about 2 winters because they're such a soft tire. Just so people know the tradeoff. I'll be getting something different as our winters are so long that I need something that'll last more than 2 winters. I view them as a three winter tire myself, but figure the 400-600 dollars I don't spend repairing my car is a good trade. Toyo has there version, has a harder compound, so it should last longer at a slight trade of traction. If its a lot of snow, the Firestone winterforce studdable is impressive looking. A friend at work put high end Goodyears directional all weather, (don't know the exact one) on his outback, He has driven through 1 foot of snow with no problem. Back to Blizzacks, I only put them on when the risk of a freeze gets high, and remove them as soom as the weather looks like its done for the season. I have them on seperate rims. IF you have a "ehm" Faster sub or a heavy foot, no guarentees ;) Once the tire hits 4/32, its official traction device rating is gone, but they do still grab, well OK. At that point I drive them almost bald. I'm getting a used subie this year, and will have blizzacks for it. Where do you live? SignatureSteve ASE Master Tech L1 Diag Currently residing at a Subaru Shop 4.5 years doing tires and alighnments >>Put a set of Firestone Blizzack snow tires on a subaru you coulds almost >>climb a tree; don't compair one car to another with different tires on it. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > winters are so long that I need something that'll last more than 2 > winters. >Where do you live? Thanks for the Toyo reference; I will check those out. I live on Lake Ontario in western New York, where we basically wear our winter tires from November-April. The weather here is just too unpredictable not to have the snow tires on the car the entire time. I still remember the snowstorm on May 9, 1989, that dropped 10 inches on us: that Sunday I walked to brunch with some friends, and on the walk home, the snow started falling. I couldn't believe it. We average 90+ inches of snow a winter here, so I like snow tires, especially ones that last 3 winters or more. So you drive 100mph and wonder why kid crashes car? Hmmmmm? Let us know where youre at so when your son drives like an a**hole again he wont hit any of us!!!. > >>> Hi, > >>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > - Show quoted text - > So you drive 100mph and wonder why kid crashes car? Hmmmmm? Let us > know where youre at so when your son drives like an a**hole again he [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> >>- Show quoted text - Hi, I don't think you don't know what you're talking about. We know what we're doing. Accident can happen to any one any time. Even best racing drivers in the world are known to have accidents causing even death. BTW, I hate top poster! > So you drive 100mph and wonder why kid crashes car? Hmmmmm? Let us > know where youre at so when your son drives like an a**hole again he [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> >>- Show quoted text - Hi, Sounds like you are a complete a.shole not like any one on this thread. We know what we're doing. Just be quiet if you don't have anything constructive to say. BTW, I hate top posters. Well your son didnt know what he was doing and could have killed or crippled someone. There is a pattern of irresponsibility in your family. I could care less if you or your son THINK you're good drivers but youre likely to kill an innocent person. > Hi, > Sounds like you are a complete a.shole not like any one on this thread. > We know what we're doing. Just be quiet if you don't have anything > constructive to say. BTW, I hate top posters.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - > Well your son didnt know what he was doing and could have killed or > crippled someone. There is a pattern of irresponsibility in your [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> >>- Show quoted text - How about minding your own business? How long have you been driving? I guess you never had accident. Son started driving at 14, he is 24 now. First accident just wrecking only his car. Me? I am 68, never had an accident. I drove company car all my working life. My family is I think more responsible and over all better than yours. How many engineers, doctors, in yours? How many cars/trucks do you have? What is your net worth? I am out of this thread now. Time to get out and deal for a new car! I hate top posters. > Time to get out and deal for a new car! I hate top posters. do not feed the troll :-). as far as Mazda3 goes I heard opinion that as at the beginning the car is fun and exiting after a while it gets boring. And Impreza is always fun. Regards, A. >> Well your son didnt know what he was doing and could have killed or >> crippled someone. There is a pattern of irresponsibility in your [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > worth? I am out of this thread now. > Time to get out and deal for a new car! I hate top posters. Right on Tony >> Well your son didnt know what he was doing and could have killed or >> crippled someone. There is a pattern of irresponsibility in your [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > worth? I am out of this thread now. > Time to get out and deal for a new car! I hate top posters. Remember, this is a guy who thinks he is being ripped off because companies use timing belts instead of chains, put regular gas in an engine calling for premium, because he thinks the oil companies, in cahoots with the car companies, are ripping him off, and thinks decent tires are a rip-off. So, I wouldn't get baited by the opinion. Fools will always drag you to their level and then beat you with experience. So you think it's fine to drive around at 100MPH after your kid totalled a car while driving like a a**hole? > > bigjimp...@gmail.com wrote: > >> Well your son didnt know what he was doing and could have killed or [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > - Show quoted text - You don't know that he was driving like an a**hole. And there are lots of places it is quite safe to get up to 100MPH under the right circumstances; and you have no idea whether this was a safe time to do it. So you think it's fine to drive around at 100MPH after your kid totalled a car while driving like a a**hole? On Feb 3, 7:57 am, "JD" <m...@home.ca> wrote: > "Tony Hwang" <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I doubt he was on a track doing 100MPH. The point is that it is foolish to model/allow that behavior after a young person has crashed a car under questionable circumstances. > You don't know that he was driving like an a**hole. And there are lots of > places it is quite safe to get up to 100MPH under the right circumstances; [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I doubt he was on a track doing 100MPH. The point is that it is foolish to model/allow that behavior after a young person has crashed a car under questionable circumstances. Like father.....like son....... On Feb 3, 11:43 am, "JD" <m...@home.ca> wrote: > You don't know that he was driving like an a**hole. And there are lots of > places it is quite safe to get up to 100MPH under the right circumstances; [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > So you think it's fine to drive around at 100MPH after your kid > totalled a car while driving like a a**hole? But the circumstances are questionable to you because you have no idea as to the full circumstances. Jumping to conclusions is also foolish. I doubt he was on a track doing 100MPH. The point is that it is foolish to model/allow that behavior after a young person has crashed a car under questionable circumstances. On Feb 3, 11:43 am, "JD" <m...@home.ca> wrote: > You don't know that he was driving like an a**hole. And there are lots of > places it is quite safe to get up to 100MPH under the right circumstances; [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Life is too short for idiots like this. Learn to killfile. Why is gmail sooo like webTV in attracting odd people? Driven a few million km with yes, a few accidents, but nothing in the last 20+ years. Extreme cold can do odd things, as traction decreases as the tires get colder. I think TH lives in Alberta, and at recent temperatures out west getting down past the -40 mark (F and C are the same at -40) even winter tires get like hockey pucks. What was fine yesterday at -25 can be an OMG! at -40. So, don't presume that Tony's son is an idiot. BTW, a close friend learned the hard way that All Season (so-called!) tires are NOT a safe alternative to winter tires (all other things like tread and rating being more or less equal), the further the temp drops below freezing. Basically, AST start losing grip a few degrees above freezing. Jim B on PEI Depends where you're at. All seasons work just fine for the majority of people at least in the US. I've never felt the need to get dedicated winter tires. Snow is not very common and with AWD or 4WD I get everywhere just fine. This was at any temp down below freezing. The OP clearly has no clue as he test drives cars at 100MPH right after his son crashes a car (one with AWD) under questionable circumstances. > <bigjimp...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jim B on PEI Depends where you're at. All seasons work just fine for the majority of people at least in the US. I've never felt the need to get dedicated winter tires. Snow is not very common and with AWD or 4WD I get everywhere just fine. This was at any temp down below freezing. The OP clearly has no clue as he test drives cars at 100MPH right after his son crashes a car (one with AWD) under questionable circumstances. All seasons are a cheap compromise for cheap people. There is no circumstance under which they are better; winters are better in winter and summers are better in summer. All seasons wear faster than summers in summer, and don't grip nearly as well in winter as winters. I have no snow on the ground for more than a day or two a couple times a year. Driving winter tires on the dry pavement 99% of the time is a poor choice. Driving summer tires during the frequent summer rains is not a wise choice either. While all seasons do nothing exceptionally well, they do everything very well- snow, rain, dry etc can be driven safely on the same set of tires in regions where there are four seasons. I would rather have a quality set of all seasons and drive in snow once or twice per winter than rely on winter tires to handle well and provide short braking distance the rest of the time. Summer tires lack the wet traction to handle downpours with safety while all seasons do just fine. If you live in a place with completely dry summers and arctic winters you are 100% right that two sets of tires is the best choice. For most Americans who experience a variety of weather conditions you are full of S**t. > <bigjimp...@gmail.com> wrote in message >> > All seasons are a cheap compromise for cheap people. There is no > circumstance under which they are better; winters are better in winter and > summers are better in summer. All seasons wear faster than summers in > summer, and don't grip nearly as well in winter as winters. I have no snow on the ground for more than a day or two a couple times a year. Driving winter tires on the dry pavement 99% of the time is a poor choice. Driving summer tires during the frequent summer rains is not a wise choice either. While all seasons do nothing exceptionally well, they do everything very well- snow, rain, dry etc can be driven safely on the same set of tires in regions where there are four seasons. I would rather have a quality set of all seasons and drive in snow once or twice per winter than rely on winter tires to handle well and provide short braking distance the rest of the time. Summer tires lack the wet traction to handle downpours with safety while all seasons do just fine. If you live in a place with completely dry summers and arctic winters you are 100% right that two sets of tires is the best choice. For most Americans who experience a variety of weather conditions you are full of S**t. No. For some Americans who experience very little snow, an all-season may be an OK choice. For someone living in the northeast or the mid-west, you're the one full of sh*t. A good summer does just fine in wet. Some performance summers don't. But a good touring tire or a rain tire (which also does very well in the dry) will get you by just fine... and last twice as long as the all-season. All-seasons do some things OK and most things not very well. I'm in the NE and it has yet to snow more than a light coating. A "touring" tire is just another name for allseason- it's just marketing. As for longevity I just put Cooper CS4 "touring" tires on my outback and they are rated for 70k miles not too bad IMO. They are also fine in the rain, dry and the little snow we've had. I have too many other things in my life to worry about switching tires based on the weather forecast so for me a touring (all season) tire works just fine and will get me safely anywhere I want to go. The OEM potenzas were the best I;ve had on my outback but only lasted 35k miles. > No. For some Americans who experience very little snow, an all-season may > be an OK choice. For someone living in the northeast or the mid-west, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > All-seasons do some things OK and most things not very well. Touring tires are not all-seasons. All-season have an M+S rating. The CS4 may be all-season, but good luck with 70K miles if they are. I'm in the NE and it has yet to snow more than a light coating. A "touring" tire is just another name for allseason- it's just marketing. As for longevity I just put Cooper CS4 "touring" tires on my outback and they are rated for 70k miles not too bad IMO. They are also fine in the rain, dry and the little snow we've had. I have too many other things in my life to worry about switching tires based on the weather forecast so for me a touring (all season) tire works just fine and will get me safely anywhere I want to go. The OEM potenzas were the best I;ve had on my outback but only lasted 35k miles. On Feb 7, 6:54 pm, "JD" <m...@home.ca> wrote: > No. For some Americans who experience very little snow, an all-season may > be an OK choice. For someone living in the northeast or the mid-west, [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > All-seasons do some things OK and most things not very well. If they dont last I'll get some $$ back prorated. If they last a solid 50k with good traction I'll be happy. Plus the car has 86k miles on it and I'll buy something else hopefully in a couple years. Most touring tires are M+S rated- goodyear, michelin, Contietc. > Touring tires are not all-seasons. All-season have an M+S rating. The CS4 > may be all-season, but good luck with 70K miles if they are. [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > - Show quoted text - > >>> Hi, > >>> Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Never had the cojones myself to test drive a new car at triple-digit speeds. Assume that wasn't in the parking lot and I guess the salesman didn't come along for the ride. Had one chew me out for winding a Focus SVT up to 75 in 2nd. The Mazdaspeed3 has gotten some great press, and you do get a lot for your $. But as with any car with that much power going through the front wheels alone I wonder about torque steer. Up to you as to whether that makes it harder to control or more enjoyable, or at least challenging, especially on slick pavement. One of the reasons I lean toward AWD. As you've seen, I'm also a big LSD fan, but a limited slip differential can often exacerbate torque-steer. Any other cars you're considering? On Feb 2, 7:22 pm, Tony Hwang <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote: > JD wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Never had the cojones myself to test drive a new car at triple-digit speeds. Assume that wasn't in the parking lot and I guess the salesman didn't come along for the ride. Had one chew me out for winding a Focus SVT up to 75 in 2nd. The Mazdaspeed3 has gotten some great press, and you do get a lot for your $. But as with any car with that much power going through the front wheels alone I wonder about torque steer. Up to you as to whether that makes it harder to control or more enjoyable, or at least challenging, especially on slick pavement. One of the reasons I lean toward AWD. As you've seen, I'm also a big LSD fan, but a limited slip differential can often exacerbate torque-steer. Any other cars you're considering? Good point about the torque steer. We had a Saab come into the shop, had twin turbos. I goosed it on the on ramp and was not happy with its responce; the power was quickly overriding its ability to go straight and stay stable. We opted not to sell that car and sent it back to the seller. SignatureSteve ASE Master Tech L1 Diag Currently residing at a Subaru Shop 4.5 years doing tires and alighnments On Feb 2, 7:22 pm, Tony Hwang <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote: > JD wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Never had the cojones myself to test drive a new car at triple-digit speeds. Assume that wasn't in the parking lot and I guess the salesman didn't come along for the ride. Had one chew me out for winding a Focus SVT up to 75 in 2nd. The Mazdaspeed3 has gotten some great press, and you do get a lot for your $. But as with any car with that much power going through the front wheels alone I wonder about torque steer. Up to you as to whether that makes it harder to control or more enjoyable, or at least challenging, especially on slick pavement. One of the reasons I lean toward AWD. As you've seen, I'm also a big LSD fan, but a limited slip differential can often exacerbate torque-steer. Any other cars you're considering? My 1989 Ford Probe GT had terrible torque steer, especially when the Turbo kicked in. In my 1993 Ford Probe GT with the 2.5L V6 they changed it to equal length half shafts which corrected the torque steer problem. There are limits to how much power you can get to the front wheels in a FWD car without problems. I drive a different rental car every week, and still many have torque steer issues. The Mazda site shows the Mazda Speed3 does have a front LSD. Blair > On Feb 2, 7:22 pm, Tony Hwang <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > - Show quoted text - The equal-length half shafts are the simplest way to address the torque-steer issue, unless the design is already in production and has to be re-engineered to accomodate them. I used to have a Sentra SE- R. Nissan used equal length shafts and an LSD when they installed the 2.0 engine, and the combination worked beautifully. The standard engine, a 1.8 liter, didn't have either, but Nissan wisely added them with the whole SE-R package, which also included better brakes, tires and different gear ratios (although I don't know whether the transmission was the same) and marketed the car to a very different audience. The SE-R was very much like the WRX in this respect, a well- integrated set of modifications that transformed a practical compact to an affordable high-performance car. Too many manufacturers miss the boat on how to accomplish this, notably Honda, Toyota and GM, opting instead to build completely different models to target the enthusiast market. Much riskier and more expensive, from a business POV. > Today we both test drove 2008 WRX I thought you had said that buying new was out of the question ? Anyway, if you have been disappointed by the 2008 WRX, check when the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart (a kind of Evo-light which competes with the WRX) will be available. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/detroit/2008/2009mitsubishilancerral liart.html > Tried Speed3 where the accident happened, Could not make it slide. That doesn't mean much. Conditions at the time might have been different. Even if there was no black ice or something like that, someone might had spilled some oil or diesel fuel that made the surface more slippery at the time and now was washed away. Signaturehttp://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/ .pt is Portugal| `Whom the gods love die young'-Menander (342-292 BC) Europe | Villeneuve 50-82, Toivonen 56-86, Senna 60-94 > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! Aside from the issue of whether an inexperienced driver (and you don't mention how old or experienced your son is; for all we know he could be a 40 year old ice racing champ) who totals a 2.5RS should move up to a WRX (or STI), let me toss my two cents worth in on the topic since I have some relevant experience here. I had a 2.5RS, that replaced an Outback Sport that I felt was underpowered and too softly sprung. Turning out of a driveway onto a road covered with light snow (no traffic in sight, with relatively new, original all-season Bridgestones) I punched the throttle to see how the tail would react. The rear came out as I had anticipated, but wouldn't come back regardless of my steering correction and throttle control. The car eventually struck a high curb that and cracked a wheel. a 2" by 1/2" chunk of the bead wall came out, but the crack didn't spread; tire didn't even lose pressure and I made it home (still holds pressure and I keep it around as an emergency spare). Now, many of the "performance" cars I've owned (WRX, Z-28, SE-R, Corvair) have had limited slip differentials which, regardless of the driven wheels (and you'll note that the 4 I mention are all different configurations) allow traction to be shifted away fom the driven wheel that's lost traction. This can enable the driver to apply throttle, coupled with steering correction, to use the remaining rear driven wheel to pull the car out of the "drift". I ultimately replaced my RS with a WRX and since have attempted to duplicate the "accident", at progressively higher speeds. With the LSD (no I wasn't tripping), the rear caught and was recoverable, in every instance. I love the WRX, but would have been happy with the RS if it had been available as a wagon (which it eventually was) and with a rear LSD (which has never been offered). Is the limited-slip differential a cure-all? No. But it's an inexpensive mechanical solution to a common problem, and should be more widely available. I hate the idea of the high-tech alternative: traction control systems that apply braking force to a wheel losing traction. Defeats the pleasure of studying the limit of adhesion and learning how to power through that moment. Your son must have gotten into a serious spin to incur frontal damage as well. However, as another poster mentions, the reason the airbag didn't pop was probably that there wasn't enough logitudinal force generated to trigger them. No idea how the sensors are calibrated for side bags or if your car was equipped with them. I'd suggest that if you're going to spring for a WRX , have him attend a high-performance driving course to learn how to use it. >>Hi, >>Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > I'd suggest that if you're going to spring for a WRX , have him attend > a high-performance driving course to learn how to use it. Hi, He is almost 24 and has been driving for ~8 years not counting learner licencee days. He got advanced defensive driving course. Accident happend at entrance to the freeway not far from our house. First time real accident. Car had Mokian winter tires it is manual shift. Just happened as he can't explain what really caused it. The road is curved and sloped down and little bit sideways as well. I am not buying his replacement. I am just lending him fund so he can repay me by monthly installment. > replacement. I am just lending him fund so he can repay me by monthly > installment. Same thing my dad did for a brother. Beats paying interest to a bank. ~Brian >>>Hi, >>>Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > and little bit sideways as well. I am not buying his replacement. I am > just lending him fund so he can repay me by monthly installment. Tony.... From a financial point you may want to do the following.... Have the insurance company total it out. See what the buyback is. Part the car out, I would imagine there are quite a few parts salvagable. Engine/trans are worth money. Interior,dash, other running gear. Have your kid do the work, he can think of what a jerk he was driving like an a.shole. He needs to GROW UP and act with some shread of responsability.He got lucky as he didnt send himself or others to a hospital.Wrecking his car is a just "Reward", hope he actually learns from it. He needs to drive a "regular" car for a while, a Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, other econobox for a while. Will give him time to "cool his jets" for a while. You say he has been driving for 8 years? This was not a case of a skid that got out of control.It sounds more like agressive and STUPID risks taken on his part. HE caused this on his own. You don't total a car getting on the freeway by simply hitting a patch of black ice (you dont believe that sh.t do you)? This is simply a case of stupidity, where your kid thought AWD would make him invincable. Next time he might not be so lucky and will get killed driving like an a.shole. "He can't explain it"??? bullshit! he knows exactly what happened, when it happened and WHY it happened. He is too chicken-sh.t to admit it to you and himself. Until your kid can ADMIT what he did to you and himself this will happen again and again.Ask yourself these questions.... Was this the first time getting on the freeway at that location? Was this action needed to get on the freeway? How long had he been driving this car. Did he know how it handles? Driving for 8 years, what was he thinking? is he learning disabled or just stupid? Car is TOTALLED, look at this from a physics standpoint.How FAST was he going on a onramp? Here is what I see.... Your kid demonstrated he has ZERO common sense, no consideration for anyones safety including his own. He is not honest (doesnt know what happened). Don't be an "Enabler". Let HIM figure this one out on his own. (you want him to learn don't you) He can buy a CHEAP car to drive for a while until HE pulls himself up. If he is 24 he needs to build his own credit score anyways and a car purchase will do just that.Your helping him with payments really does more damage than help in the longrun. Offer good advice, then standback and let HIM figure it all out on his own. If he can't do it at 24, when will he? Will you still be buying him cars at age 48? Your kid got off LUCKY on this one. He needs to assess all of this and realize where he came out. DO NOT PAMPER HIM. He needs this slap in the face. It's a wake-up call. What will sonny-boy do when your dead and gone? This can happen at ANY TIME. God willing it doesnt, but his success depends on his own actions. Get him ready for that by training him to act on his own accord. The best thing that can happen is he has to go buy a new/used car from a dealer. If he can afford a new WRX then he will buy one. If he can only afford a KIA Sephia so be it. Maybe a $500 bomb would be a good route for him? He won't be "Styling" but he will get to work in it...... An engineer in the US makes at least $40-50k. Certainly enough to buy a kia or hunday. Totalling car on on ramp indicates excessive speed. Sliding on ice at 20mph would not total the car. Let him get a bank loan and drive a cheap car. Do other motorists a favor and dont let him get a hi performance car to drive recklessly in. Don't you expect him to be responsibile in his job? He should be responsible with cars and money too. > >>>Hi, > >>>Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 120 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Dude. Depending on what you hit, and how old the car is, 20MPH is more than enough to write it off. I believe he said it was a 2000; an 8-year old car. Think about it for a second. I have slipped on ice years ago; from a nearly dead stop. Crappy feeling, but very little you can do. If you don't know much about the accident, I can't see why you can be so critical. An engineer in the US makes at least $40-50k. Certainly enough to buy a kia or hunday. Totalling car on on ramp indicates excessive speed. Sliding on ice at 20mph would not total the car. Let him get a bank loan and drive a cheap car. Do other motorists a favor and dont let him get a hi performance car to drive recklessly in. Don't you expect him to be responsibile in his job? He should be responsible with cars and money too. On Feb 1, 2:25 pm, "Roger Buttsnort" <rbuttsn...@aol.com> wrote: > "Tony Hwang" <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 138 lines] > > - Show quoted text - > > Hi, > > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > I'd suggest that if you're going to spring for a WRX , have him attend > a high-performance driving course to learn how to use it. did the RS have AWD, and wouldn't the power shift to the front, or did it happen too fast for it to react? I had a car with LSD, and it was annoying to drive in the rain on a road paved with concrete that water puddled where the surface was worn from tires. It would toggle from side to side as one wheel would loose traction, and the other would grab, and they would alternate. I had ordered the LSD as an option for bad weather. I had thought about getting a WRX but figured the AWD without the LSD would be better in bad weather driving, having a front/rear shift, opposed to side to side. Better tire traction always helps, but I never had a problem in the rear, driving straight in the rain without LSD. Had a problem in the front in the rain with a set of tires that hydroplaned at too low a speed. VF On Jan 31, 6:29 pm, Tony Hwang <drago...@shaw.ca> wrote: > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! Aside from the issue of whether an inexperienced driver (and you don't mention how old or experienced your son is; for all we know he could be a 40 year old ice racing champ) who totals a 2.5RS should move up to a WRX (or STI), let me toss my two cents worth in on the topic since I have some relevant experience here. I had a 2.5RS, that replaced an Outback Sport that I felt was underpowered and too softly sprung. Turning out of a driveway onto a road covered with light snow (no traffic in sight, with relatively new, original all-season Bridgestones) I punched the throttle to see how the tail would react. The rear came out as I had anticipated, but wouldn't come back regardless of my steering correction and throttle control. The car eventually struck a high curb that and cracked a wheel. a 2" by 1/2" chunk of the bead wall came out, but the crack didn't spread; tire didn't even lose pressure and I made it home (still holds pressure and I keep it around as an emergency spare). Now, many of the "performance" cars I've owned (WRX, Z-28, SE-R, Corvair) have had limited slip differentials which, regardless of the driven wheels (and you'll note that the 4 I mention are all different configurations) allow traction to be shifted away fom the driven wheel that's lost traction. This can enable the driver to apply throttle, coupled with steering correction, to use the remaining rear driven wheel to pull the car out of the "drift". I ultimately replaced my RS with a WRX and since have attempted to duplicate the "accident", at progressively higher speeds. With the LSD (no I wasn't tripping), the rear caught and was recoverable, in every instance. I love the WRX, but would have been happy with the RS if it had been available as a wagon (which it eventually was) and with a rear LSD (which has never been offered). Is the limited-slip differential a cure-all? No. But it's an inexpensive mechanical solution to a common problem, and should be more widely available. I hate the idea of the high-tech alternative: traction control systems that apply braking force to a wheel losing traction. Defeats the pleasure of studying the limit of adhesion and learning how to power through that moment. You can get the same effect with some left-foot braking. > Hi, > Today in extreme cold weather my son totalled his Subie. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We are just glad accident did not involve any other person or property. > He just destroyed his own car losing control side ways, Sigh! The problem with used WRXs is that very few that I know of have not been driven hard. I have a couple of friends who have bought them; transmission issues and clutch problems. If you can find a good deal... since the the trannies are particularly expensive. The engines seem to be bullet-proof. |
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