Category Archives: Social Media

I wanted to get all of the embedding and linkage out of the way first, as there is a lot of reference material, and I don’t even have reference info from Motor Trend or Automobile.

My thoughts? These are speculation articles, but R&T does have some communication from Ford regarding this car.

Is it a threat to existing cars of it’s genre? It’s too early to tell, but there’s a void to be filled (the Mitsubishi Evolution X). The playing field is being redefined, as well, because the upcoming Golf R is supposed to be a stellar offering and may well surpass the Subaru WRX STI in performance (or at least make Subaru concerned).

The early planning of the Focus RS dictated that the car would be front-wheel-drive. That has changed as of yesterday. It is definitive that the car will be AWD. We do not yet know how much HP the 2.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder will produce, but speculation is between 300-350 HP. We also do not know if the car will be definitively sold in the US, although the articles state that there’s a strong possibility. We also don’t know it’s proposed pricing, although a car that is designed to compete with the Golf R and/or Subaru STI will probably be similarly priced as those two cars. Word is, the Focus RS will also be a limited production vehicle, which may warrant a premium price (I’m not sure on this, but its worth mentioning). Will the car be a 4 door hatch? More than likely, if Ford wants to compete well with the other cars of this genre.

Other questions: Will the car have good value retainment? STIs hold their value extremely well. I can’t speak for Golf R owners (the Mk 7 isn’t yet released to the US public). Will the car be reliable? Will the car be expensive to maintain? It may be good to ask a Focus ST owner those two questions, since the RS will be new to the US.What of modifying the RS? Does Ford condone modifying Focus STs as far as warranty is concerned? Are the cars difficult to modify? Is the aftermarket as vast as Subaru’s? If anyone has answers to those questions, please comment!

Subaru STI & Fuel Consumption

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I thought this was a pretty cool read. I’ve been seeing a lot of guys complaining about the fuel consumption of their STIs lately…I’m wondering if it’s due to the influx of “new blood” (ie, owners that are new to sports cars and have just purchased an STI) or hipster activists (which Subaru tends to attract). But the gist of the article is, why buy a sports car of this caliber and complain about it’s fuel consumption?

I decided to embed the Google+ post vs. posting the URL…it’s more eye-catching.

Enjoy the read!

4-cylinder Boxster and Cayman Video Footage at NBR??

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I just saw the following posted on Facebook:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/this-is-probably-the-flat-four-cayman-at-the-nurburgring

I also posted awhile back about the fact that Porsche was considering using the flat-four layout in upcoming engine options for the Boxster and Cayman.

I then saw the videos provided on that page. First, they posted a baseline video, so that people know how a current Cayman sounds:

Then, they posted a Boxster andCayman with what’s unarguably a flat-four motor:

I prefer the sound of the flat-six, but the flat-four isn’t bad.

EDIT:

There’s quite a bit of uproar with the Porsche “purists” on R&T’s Facebook page…check out the comments:

Post by Road & Track Magazine.

Standing Mile: 2015 STI and 2014 Porsche Cayman

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I saw the below on Google+, posted by Automobile Magazine.

Note that these two cars aren’t really comparable (they both use horizontally-opposed engines but it’s a stretch to think that they’re related in any sense). As well, the STI’s AWD advantage is nullified by the fact that this is a standing mile competition…the distance is far too long for AWD to be a definitive factor. Also, even though the Cayman is down 25 HP, it weighs 300-lb less while also being 2-wheeled, which means there’s less parasitic drivetrain loss (more of its power is making it to the ground in comparison to the STI).

These two cars only have one thing in common: horizontally-opposed engines. Well, there’s one other thing they share…they both ran the exact same standing mile completion time.

It’s fun to watch as long as the viewers realize that neither of these two cars are designed for drag racing.

Subaru UK to attempt to set new lap record at Isle of Man TT course

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https://plus.google.com/114005208860575868874/posts/VsXChe47HPc

+Subaru UK has announced plans to attempt to set a new lap record at the Isle of Man TT course with the 2015 #WRX #STI.

Set to be driven by British rally champion Mark Higgins, the model will attempt beat the previous record of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds. That particular record was set by Higgins in the previous-generation WRX STI in 2011.

As a refresher, the 2015 WRX STI has turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 227kw and 393nm of torque. It is connected to a six-speed manual transmission and a symmetrical all-wheel drive system.

While Subaru says the car is a standard production model, it will be equipped with retuned springs and dampers to “minimize any potential damage when the car encounters the many bumps – and jumps – at high speed along the course.” The model will also be outfitted with a roll-cage, a racing harness and a fire suppression system.

According to Higgins, “Setting the record was totally exhilarating and one of the highlights of my career – Bray Hill certainly added to the thrill! As a Manxman, I love the TT Races and I have a huge amount of respect for the TT riders and what they do. It will be a real honor to attempt a new fastest car lap.” (WorldCarFans)

Car and Driver – New (2015 WRX) vs Old (2010 Audi S4)

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I have not read the article yet, although I’ve read the Facebook comments (embedded into this blog below):

Post by Car and Driver.

What’s throwing me for a loop is that none of the magazines have compared the old 2011-2014 WRX with the new 2015 WRX. Also strange is the fact that all of them have compared the new WRX against the new STI (or at least discussed them against each other).

It’s almost like the car magazine industry is purposely not comparing the old with the new in a direct comparison, which is weird because that’s the sure-fire way of determining what the better changes are, without doing paper-stat comparing.

Once I’ve had time to read the article, I’ll add my 2 cents to the bottom of this post.

Batman Slap Memes

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Do you ever get tired of those guys commenting on 2015 STI videos and articles that continue to say things like:

Ew — looks like a Corolla

Looks like an Evo

No hatch, no sale…

Those are really annoying to read and really offers no value to a conversation. I get sooo tired of the drivel comments because WTF cares about another person’s interpretation of how this car looks…it’s ALL subjective, even the hatch debacle. It’s obvious that not everyone cares about the Corolla/Evo/hatch comments because the car is selling very well (to the point that there’s a problem with dealer markup). So, to blow off some steam, I went to one of those meme-maker sites and created a few meme responses to the stupid comments:

The following one wasn’t created by me (I saw it on Facebook):

2015 Subaru WRX & STI – Cars 101

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Ever had statistical questions about the Subaru WRX and/or STI? Cars101.com can educate you.

The site even has pictures of various options on the cars.

I haven’t checked yet, but I believe that the site may even cover many more makes and models.

What I’m currently reading is the 2015 WRX/STI section.

Instagram for this site!

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I’ve created an Instragram site just for this blog:

http://instagram.com/sti_infatuation

I’ll be adding pictures as I take them. I’ve a ton of pictures already, but they’re archived and not on my phone or tablet, so it may be counter-productive to add those images. Most of what I add will be of Subarus, but the images won’t always be of STIs and WRXs; I plan to add other car makes as well. We’re all car lovers at heart…at least true enthusiasts are.

I’ll also be adding a Pinterest site…gonna see if I can bake them off to see which is better (gonna skip Tumbler for now).

Do Cat-backs Add Power?

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Most people think that cat-back exhausts don’t offer substantial power. When compared to a turbo-back exhaust, no, but axle-backs DO offer torque. The thing is, most tuners don’t test for this and just make blatant assumptions.

Well, there’s at least one parts manufacturer that does test axlebacks: Nameless Performance.

Here’s what I saw a year ago on their Facebook page:

Post by Nameless Performance, Inc.

That car gained 30 ft-lb of torque. That’s rather significant, especially considering that this car wasn’t tuned…they just bolted on a catback and dyno’d it! And if you haven’t looked at the comments within that FB post, take a look:

FB User: Wow…that’s a very good gain for just a catback! And without a tune! Says a lot about the stock parts…LOL! Nameless should post that up at IWSTI, because all I ever hear there is that catback exhausts don’t add performance. Now, will GRs have a similar gain? I’ve the axleback…makes me want to replace some more bits.

Nameless Performance, Inc.: Well that’s some bs from what we’ve seen on our design – unless there is some serious shortcoming on other companies exhausts. I know our downpipe thumps on the competition for torque gains, but this was just a cbe with a stock downpipe and no tune. Will have more data forthcoming on full turboback with OTS S2 as well as our specific OTS S2 tune for these cars. Think we can hit 70ft lb? We shall see. Downpipe goes on tomorrow.

FB User: I’m quite happy with the CBE results, since I’m currently trying not to mod the engine. Maybe the other companies exhausts DO have shortcomings, but you guys just proved to me that, sometimes, internet forums are a crock of shit. I’m sure you can hit 70 ft/lb, because you’re almost halfway there already!

Nameless Performance, Inc.: Yeah I mean the total numbers on this CBE for peak HP gain are 12hp, but we make 17hp at 3100RPM and 29.5 ft lb at the same RPM range. I honestly think it’s a situation where CBE manufacturers don’t do the testing for the most part, so they don’t have any information to share which leads to people having to assume low power gains due to no advertised dyno results. I do think this one is particularly good, however.

Also:

FB User: How much gain on a 2011 wrx full catback ?

Nameless Performance, Inc.: 32ft lb / 22hp at the wheels for the ’11 Full Catback. That was dyno’d with a stage 1 ots tune for the baseline and no deviation from that tune on the equipped with cbe pull. This testing on the GD is stock vs. add CBE.

I thought I’d posted about this before, but I couldn’t find the post. It may’ve predated this blog. I also thought I’d seen a post referring to axle-back gains, but I’m still looking for that one (took me 50 minutes to find the first one).