[solovus]

Originally Posted by thegame696911

Take it easy..... you know what I mean when I say its a "Rally" car. There's a reason I used quotations, Im saying its Rally car inspired. Don't take stuff so seriously......

I'm bleeding out of my eye sockets. What part of the car is rally inspired again? Is it the leather/alcantara seats, the Navigation/6-disc audio system, the A/C, maybe the power windows/locks, how about the engine? Oh it must be the drivetrain or the turbo right? I can't see why people say the STi is rally inspired simply because it is used for rallying... Why aren't SAABs considered rally inspired?

It's just my opinion and everyone can disagree with it and I can see why people say the STi is a rally car, but they are wrong.

I'm not that zealous about this issue, but I just want to know why people to point at specific features distinct to the STi that make it a "rally" car.

[thegame696911]

Originally Posted by solovus

I'm bleeding out of my eye sockets. What part of the car is rally inspired again? Is it the leather/alcantara seats, the Navigation/6-disc audio system, the A/C, maybe the power windows/locks, how about the engine? Oh it must be the drivetrain or the turbo right? I can't see why people say the STi is rally inspired simply because it is used for rallying... Why aren't SAABs considered rally inspired?

It's just my opinion and everyone can disagree with it and I can see why people say the STi is a rally car, but they are wrong.

I'm not that zealous about this issue, but I just want to know why people to point at specific features distinct to the STi that make it a "rally" car.

Read what I said and again and take the advice......chill out.

[solovus]

Originally Posted by thegame696911

Read what I said and again and take the advice......chill out.

I couldn't be any calmer.

[Digitalfiend]

Well if Subaru and Solberg are to be believed, the chassis is most certainly rally-inspired because they specifically chose a hatchback for their new rally shape. From my understanding Subaru's ring-shaped reinforcements for crash-safety are derived from their rally experience as well. Furthermore, the WRC isn't the only form of rallying out there. There are a LOT of STIs out there that are basically off the showroom floor and converted into racecar use, with all the additional safety features (roll cage, chassis stiffening, etc). In Group-N, the engine and suspension are similar to the production cars.

So it depends on what class you look at. The factory STIs that we drive are much closer to the Group-N than the WRC cars. Just because the WRC car is the most well-known, doesn't mean that Subaru doesn't compete-in or sponsor other classes of rallying.

The 04-08 STIs are certainly not a rally cars though.

[chargedvette02]

Originally Posted by Kaneda

Sorry to be such a complainer, but here's a list of the cars my family/me have gone through over the past 10 years:

Z06
M3
S55 AMG
2005 Viper
S2000
Audi S4
2000 WRX
2004 STI
2008 STI
E500
SL 500
Mistubishi Evo

Yeah, we're cut nuts...out of all of these, the 2008 STi has served up more problems/headaches from the get go...Paint issues, tuning problems, steering feel...the first impression with your new car should be blissful, not stressful...

So he has owned a lot of these cars and then goes and gets a 2008 sti..... I say 0% chance he has owend any of the cars on his list, I think it's more of a wish list.

[chargedvette02]

Originally Posted by solovus

I'm bleeding out of my eye sockets. What part of the car is rally inspired again? Is it the leather/alcantara seats, the Navigation/6-disc audio system, the A/C, maybe the power windows/locks, how about the engine? Oh it must be the drivetrain or the turbo right? I can't see why people say the STi is rally inspired simply because it is used for rallying... Why aren't SAABs considered rally inspired?

It's just my opinion and everyone can disagree with it and I can see why people say the STi is a rally car, but they are wrong.

I'm not that zealous about this issue, but I just want to know why people to point at specific features distinct to the STi that make it a "rally" car.

The big functional hood scoop, the top mount intercooler, awd with dccd, light forged rims, hatch design..... There are a few things right there that make it rally inspired.

[prerunrigg]

Originally Posted by Kaneda

Sorry to be such a complainer, but here's a list of the cars my family/me have gone through over the past 10 years:

Z06
M3
S55 AMG
2005 Viper
S2000
Audi S4
2000 WRX
2004 STI
2008 STI
E500
SL 500
Mistubishi Evo

Yeah, we're cut nuts...out of all of these, the 2008 STi has served up more problems/headaches from the get go...Paint issues, tuning problems, steering feel...the first impression with your new car should be blissful, not stressful...

sounds like maybe you should have test driven it or done some research before you bought the thing now... sell it to me i'll buy it for 12K less than you paid.. deal? deal!

[onlytakes4]

Originally Posted by Kaneda

Seriously guys, name me ONE car on the market that comes with MUDFLAPS besides a truck...I love the looks of the 08 and the MUDFLAPS make the car look worse, they just do...your eyes go right to the flaps...not what I want to draw attention to...

Is the clear bra the best option? Will the dealer install that?

For the record, I've never owned a new car that has required so much work to "Fix" problems the factory should have solved...unreal.

Kaneda is correct. His issues with the paint, tuning and steering are not complaints, they are the truth. Subaru claims that the 08 STi is supposed to be more refined than previous STi's and they are trying to reach a more mature demographic. Other than the fact that they got rid of the hideous wing and silly blue interior, I don't see the 08 being more refined.

And needing to put mud flaps to protect the paint on a street driven car is absolutely retarded.

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by onlytakes4

Kaneda is correct. His issues with the paint, tuning and steering are not complaints, they are the truth. Subaru claims that the 08 STi is supposed to be more refined than previous STi's and they are trying to reach a more mature demographic. Other than the fact that they got rid of the hideous wing and silly blue interior, I don't see the 08 being more refined.

And needing to put mud flaps to protect the paint on a street driven car is absolutely retarded.

How is it not more refined? It destroys the 04-07 in ride quality and handles just as well. The seats are also more comfortable than the old seats (though I would still prefer Recaros). That's refinement right there. The interior is definitely a step up too.

The paint issue is unfortunate and more of a design issue than paint quality. We all screamed that we wanted wider fender flares and tires and we got them. Now we're having to pay for it. In all seriousness though, if the front fenders extended outward to cover the tires more instead of swooping in like they do, we'd see a lot fewer issues.

The tune is definitely frustrating but that is a hold over from the '07 and not '08-specific.

[jmswinger]

Hey Digital,

Is that for the Canadian cars only. Can anyone confirm that this is going to be the solution for US cars also???

Originally Posted by Digitalfiend

Short answer:

Subaru has acknowledged the paint issue and is preparing a 3M-like film kit that will be applied by the dealership. I doubt this is sufficient to stop all chips. Get a custom kit.

Personally the RA mudlaps looks 10x better in person than in pictures. I'm not totally sold on the look of mud flaps (any brand) from the rear of this car, but it's still way better than I expected and I've had people comment that they like the look.

You really should consider selling the car...

[mjkingnyc]

I'm actually on Kaneda's side on this. I don't want mud flaps, they aren't my cup of tea. I'm actually wondering if the red or white are suffering as much as the OBP and the DGM as far as paint issues go.

My Outback has factory mud flaps. That's as far as I want mudflaps to go.

Between the paint and the recent stop sale, I'm taking a wait and see stance now on purchasing an 08.

[waktasz]

Actually Digital, last I heard SoCanada had no idea about any paint issues. All of the dealer notices have been through SoA.

[paikman]

I don't like how the flaps look either, I just put them up front.
the fix bulletin is through SoA, my dealership is just waiting to recieve the applique.

[SlackerNJ]

Let me start by saying I love my new 08. And over the next few years I am going to turn it into a beast.

Let me then say that anyone that thinks this car has a reasonable number of problems is crazy. Subaru dropped the ball on plenty of things with this model. It is as if they never finished the final rounds of product testing.

However anyone that goes out and drop 40g on a car without doing their research deserves whatever they get. I knew about all of these problems before hand and I subscribe to the "nothing a few mods won't fix" mentality. If thats not you then hey you bought the wrong car - no ones fault but your own.


Stop whining.

Lastly ... as far as mudflaps... I didn't think I would like the way they look either. But there was no way I was going to chip up my black car without em. I got the RA UR black w/red letters and just put on the fronts. You can hardly notice them. Its the rear ones that really draw attention but you don't really need them anyway. Probobly helps having black on black, but seriously just the fronts don't attract attention.

[solovus]

I have 2k miles on my WRB and I just washed it yesterday and have absolutely no chips at all... so I don't currently see the need for mudflaps. However, if it starts to look like some of the pics i've seen on this site then i've already decided on the RA UR black w/ blue lettering because although mudflaps may look silly... they're not as silly as some salt and pepper paintjob on the sides.

Plus, the mudflaps will accent my elite rally inspired fenders.