[the ambush]

the owner of the dealership where i bought my 06 threw the keys at me, while i was having lunch in the waiting room, he said « this will be your dessert!! ».

it felt really slow, no torque, lots of hesitation at WOT under 4500rpm--it had only 60miles on it so i kept it under 4500.

the question is: CAN A COBB AP MAKE THIS CAR AS FAST AND SMOOTH AS MY 06 WITH SAME MODS?? (my 06 is COBB STG2+K&N+inlet)

apart from power , it s a great car, it felt tighter on the road than my 06, much more confortable, and the shifter feels better than my 06`s stock shifter.the car feels halfway between the 06 sti and a spec b legacy in term of car refinement.

so if an Accessport will fix the engine and make it faster than my 06 , for me this is the car to have.

[Rootus]

Originally Posted by the ambush

the question is: CAN A COBB AP MAKE THIS CAR AS FAST AND SMOOTH AS MY 06 WITH SAME MODS?? (my 06 is COBB STG2+K&N+inlet)

Yes, and more. Tuned properly it will have driveability equal to an '06. And with the better heads, it will make a good bit more torque with a nice stage 2 setup and will be faster as a result.

[wrx-treme]

I noticed the same things when I drove as you did ambush, it seemed extremely powerless, but I really believe as far as the stock suspension is concerned they steped it up, took a 90 degree turn at 60 plus one-handed without feeling uncomfortable, and the car stuck it. Even the dealer had a smile on his face. I think what you are experiencing and after I thought about it it makes sense to me, is when you do not know what a stock STI can do and have never had anything as powerful, it feels like an extremely fast car, but once you have owned one and had a taste of modifications and boosting your power, it is like trading a viper for a kia in respect. I agree with Rootus completely and believe it will make every bit of the power you are looking for and more.

[maron10]

Also, keep in mind that you drove a car that has not yet learned any fuel or timing. In due time, my 08 felt consistently faster, especially in sport # mode. Throttle response is amazing now, but the key is to drive the car for a while, at least past 500 miles before the car will run the way it should.

[wrx-treme]

Yes, what he said

[STiErik]

Heya,

I think the 08 STI has a disconnected feel, comming from an 06 STI. My friend who owns an 08 STI that came from a STG 2 WRX was very unsatisfied with his 08 STI when he purchased it a month ago. He complained it felt slow and boring compared to his STG 2 WRX. (2.5 motor)

He currently purchased an AP V2 for it, and it he likes it alot better now, says it brought it back to 'life' and is alot more powerful and smoother. Although, I find it quite ODD that someone that just paid over $50,000 CDN after everything is said and done for a 300hp machine, only to have to purchase a $800 AP to actually finally start liking his car... ?

When I threw him the keys to my 06 STI he was in complete shock and 'awe'. He loved the rugged raw brute pulll power / 'go kart' feel. He even said my STOCK 06 STI felt faster then his STG1 08 STI??? I drove in his 08 STI, and I felt the same way. he should be pushing 45hp more then me, but it felt slower. Forget that! refined? and boring? point me to the BMW store!

I bought my STI for the exact same reasons why my friend likes my 06 STI for, and what he'd want in his 08...to the original poster, I truly believe we got the best of them and unless you have a ton of mileage, I wouldn't even consider switching over. BTW, your 1/4 mile time have alot of room for improvement with your mods, no offense! lol.. I got 13.2 bone stock :P

[Digitalfiend]

Three things to point out:

- did you have it in S#? The stock tune is atrocious in I or S.

- the dealership might be using 91 octane; this will reduce available power. My car, when stock, easily pulled as hard as my '05 (in stock form), which is amazing considering the longer gears and heavier wheels.

- the gearing difference is HUGE. The smoother torque delivery and the overall longer gears lead to less of a "rush" in acceleration. I'm still torn between which gearing I prefer. I liked the snap of the shorter '04-'06 gearing, but the longer gearing is does have its benefits.

- if you're only trapping 104 in the 1/4 at stage 2 levels, a Protuned stage 1 '08 will likely be a tad quicker than your '06. A Protuned stage 2 should definitely be faster than your car.

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by STiErik

He currently purchased an AP V2 for it, and it he likes it alot better now, although when I threw him the keys to my 06 STI he was in complete 'awe'. He loved the rugged raw brute power 'go kart' feel. Even said my stock 06 STI feels faster. I drove in his 08 STI, and I felt the same way.

I think he needs to get an exhaust or something, something to give it some more rumble so it atleast sounds faster or something.. lol

You guys need to get over this... The older cars never felt like go-karts and they aren't any faster than the new car. Go-kart? Brute power? RAW-R!

[Szumita]

yes. tuned the car will be very nice. im too considering an update from an 06 to an 08 in the next year.

[PortlandSTI]

I was not truly impressed with my car until after I switched it over to S#. It is a totally different animal. Now I have the AP and i cant wait for Friday at the track! The car also needs a chance to break in to get looser. It is a little less "go cart" feeling than the previous years, but I wanted a true all around driver.

[maron10]

Originally Posted by Digitalfiend

You guys need to get over this... The older cars never felt like go-karts and they aren't any faster than the new car. Go-kart? Brute power? RAW-R!

LOL, it's funny that my 08 on stock tune turned better numbers at auto-xes, when I compared it to my well prepared 07 AS sti. Stock tune, stock alignment, stock sway bar, now I can only imagine how much more I will get out of it when it is finally setup properly for AS. We use this auto-x term, the smoother you are the faster you get. I had to man handle my 07 to get a descent time, but now I drive the 08 as I would an s2000 to get better times.
All this leads to the new car, although it may feel softer, it may feel like it is lacking the brute force acceleration, but at the end of the day it is alays the numbers that I post that confirms how much quicker and how much more potential the 08s have compared to the older models.

[supermarkus]

Gotta get the car out of noob setting, oops, I meant Intelligent mode.

[frcefed]

I agree, the 08 is a beast just smoother. My 05sti Stage 2 PDX tune and 06 STi stage 2 were brutes. The main thing I love about my protune with PDX is more power an d much smoother delivery. Now the 08 has the power (sport #) but is much smoother and people complain. I sold My 05 for a 2007 BMW 335i and I compare the 08 STi's power delivery to the 335i nice and smooth. Oh by the way I lasted 5 months with the BMW and bought a 2006 STi. Too many problems with the BMW, sensors and check engine lights lol..

[GilMikalian]

Another thing is "it feels slower" is a very different idea than "it is slower." When a car is quieter and smoother, it gives a false sense of speed. Trust me, coming from a car that IS often compared to a go-kart, an MX-5, I can tell you that the STI achieves higher speeds, MUCH faster, with a lot less drama.

[couper]

Originally Posted by the ambush

so if an Accessport will fix the engine and make it faster than my 06 , for me this is the car to have.

As far as stock, I was underwhelmed to say the least. I was coming from 300+hp RWD and stock the 08 did not feel like 300hp.

AP stg1 was a huge improvement. Really not much point driving it without Stg1 unless you just need to go buy groceries or something