[thunderbird]

I had a chance to drive an '08 this weekend. I don't mean for this to be a comparison between an '04 and '08, its more a comparison between a modded car and an unmodded car. I didn't push the '08 too hard as it didn't have too many miles on it. First off, the new shifter is incredible. Maybe its new synchros, but it just shifts a whole bunch better than my '04. The clutch is incredibly light and seems to have a longer bite range than my aftermarket Exedy clutch. It seems to start grabbing after a small amount of travel and then smoothly engages through the rest of its range. I didn't try any power launches out of respect to the owner sitting right next to me :-0 Steering felt similar, maybe a little more fuzzy than my car, but then again, I think my F1 A/S tires really enhance my steering response. The ride was much smoother than my old '04, but maybe RCE's T2 at 500lb/in fr 400lb/in rr might have something to do with that. The coilovers and the 32 mm front sway bar also contribute to my '04 turning a lot flatter than the stock '08. The difference in suspension there was punctuated by how smoothly the '08 handled a very rough road. The power difference between the Stage 1 Cobb AP on my car and the stock '08 was considerable and while its fun to push the '04 to the redline as the driver, it was a riot as a passenger. I've never got to feel the power of my car like that. it seems the driver anticipates the power so much that sometimes you don't even notice how well the car really pulls. Didn't push the '08 to redline as its still a low mileage auto, but the stage 1 '04 shows a lot of get up and go, even with 90k miles on the car.

The owner plans to mod his car to be competitive in STU, so the differences in setups between our cars are going to disappear soon, and I am very afraid that any competitve edge for autocrossing I currently have will evaporate faster than ether in a hot frying pan.

[Digitalfiend]

Nice review.

I can now say without a doubt that, even on 94 octane, the stock tune is very touchy. Even though I only have about 60km on the new car and haven't pushed it past 5.5K, the one or two 80-90% throttle pulls in S# felt odd. There was a bit of a delay in the 2.5-3K range then a crazy kick in the pants to 5K, then a slight hestitation, which is about where I stopped. I didn't hear any knock thankfully. These issues are subtle but definitely noticeable, especially to someone that has driven the older car.

I'm really debating between putting the Cobb AP on now or waiting another 100km before doing the switch. From what everyone is saying here it really improves the power delivery.