I went to the dark side... 06 STI
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well... I see this thread and having recently got rid of my 07 STi for an EVO IX MR, its fitting that I post a few comments of my own.
first of all, the interior comment... I think its completely ridiculous, no offense to the OP but if you think that the smurf blue interior of any 04-07 STi looks better than an EVO VIIIs... you must have your head re-examined. Even the blue of the EVO VIII's seats is still better looking than the STi's interior for those years which is just terrible and I do not see how people down talk the EVOs so much. And that is just comparing the VIII's, as for the IX's its no comparison. My IX's interior is ten times better than my 07 STis interior, and the EVO's Recaros blow away the cheap USDM STI seats. They are terrible and look like crap. The only interior that compares is the 07 STI Limiteds which is really nice but there are only a mere 800 of those made so good luck finding some.
The reliability issue comparing both cars, like someone else said, put 500 HP on an STI, and trust me you will have issues. I have been on the STI forums since for almost 3 years, and plenty of STi threads with blown motors and as for the 07 STi, the stock ECU is complete poop.... even with the AP, the hesitation issue is absurd and its one of the main reason I sold my STi. The 08s also seem to have similar issue which Subaru supposedly fixed. The biggest thing the STI has going for it is the transmission. At least you got an 06 STi which proved to be more reliable than the 07. I feel the main issue why EVOs have gotten such a bad rep as far as reliability goes, its the fact that people do not take care of them properly and beat the crap out of them. I do agree that Mitsu dealers can be a pain but there are plenty of STi threads that show that there a good amount of Subaru dealers that are not mod friendly and will threaten you with voiding your warranty when you show up with slightly modded car.
Sorry to go on a rant but, if you would of gotten your EVO if you would of kept the car a bit more stock, or go easier with the modding than you probably would of not had as many issues with it. Try to get the same amount of mods on your STi and see how many issues you develop.
The biggest plus to the STI is the drivetrain and I do feel the EVOs are weak in this department.
I thought switching to the EVO community is the "Darkside"
Good luck with the car, I always thought the White was nice. Like I said earlier, at least you didn't get an 07.
first of all, the interior comment... I think its completely ridiculous, no offense to the OP but if you think that the smurf blue interior of any 04-07 STi looks better than an EVO VIIIs... you must have your head re-examined. Even the blue of the EVO VIII's seats is still better looking than the STi's interior for those years which is just terrible and I do not see how people down talk the EVOs so much. And that is just comparing the VIII's, as for the IX's its no comparison. My IX's interior is ten times better than my 07 STis interior, and the EVO's Recaros blow away the cheap USDM STI seats. They are terrible and look like crap. The only interior that compares is the 07 STI Limiteds which is really nice but there are only a mere 800 of those made so good luck finding some.
The reliability issue comparing both cars, like someone else said, put 500 HP on an STI, and trust me you will have issues. I have been on the STI forums since for almost 3 years, and plenty of STi threads with blown motors and as for the 07 STi, the stock ECU is complete poop.... even with the AP, the hesitation issue is absurd and its one of the main reason I sold my STi. The 08s also seem to have similar issue which Subaru supposedly fixed. The biggest thing the STI has going for it is the transmission. At least you got an 06 STi which proved to be more reliable than the 07. I feel the main issue why EVOs have gotten such a bad rep as far as reliability goes, its the fact that people do not take care of them properly and beat the crap out of them. I do agree that Mitsu dealers can be a pain but there are plenty of STi threads that show that there a good amount of Subaru dealers that are not mod friendly and will threaten you with voiding your warranty when you show up with slightly modded car.
Sorry to go on a rant but, if you would of gotten your EVO if you would of kept the car a bit more stock, or go easier with the modding than you probably would of not had as many issues with it. Try to get the same amount of mods on your STi and see how many issues you develop.
The biggest plus to the STI is the drivetrain and I do feel the EVOs are weak in this department.
I thought switching to the EVO community is the "Darkside"
Good luck with the car, I always thought the White was nice. Like I said earlier, at least you didn't get an 07.
Firstoff, I absolutely love the seats from my 04 VIII... But the rest of the interior felt like I was driving a POS Kia or a completely base older Honda Civic... Second, The buttons, the feel, and the quality of the interior is absolute **** in Evos... Even popping the hood of my Evo, the design of the engine bay, the quality of how it is put together, absolutely blows my Evo away. I am not saying I am driving a BMW, as my parents own a 335xi and a Cadillac STS, but the overall quality and design of the interior and exterior seems to be much better quality on the STI. Just my opinion anyway... And if you want to say that the Evo has a better interior cause of its seats, go for it.
And yes, The IX is still pretty bare, but at least they did get ride of the blue inserts on the seats(Why did Mitsu or Subaru ever put blue in the interior, period!?).
And if you read my from earlier today, maybe 3 down on the first page, you would see that I already have plans of re-doing the interior through a friend with a shop in Chicago. But apparantly, you didn't. You also did not read my other post that I bought the Evo with 497whp either.
P.S.- Side Airbags
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From: Chicago Suburbs (Palatine)
Hey Bro!
I have been living in San Antonio for quite some time now and I am from Chi as well. Had my car since they came out in 03. Been to as far west as Cali, up east to NY, and back to Chi. Zero problems rain, snow, or shine.
At any rate, that STi is awesome. Big ups on the buy.
I have been living in San Antonio for quite some time now and I am from Chi as well. Had my car since they came out in 03. Been to as far west as Cali, up east to NY, and back to Chi. Zero problems rain, snow, or shine.
At any rate, that STi is awesome. Big ups on the buy.
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I will be just doing a tune, exhaust, intake probably this summer
im a car lover. everything from imports,euros, to domestics. anything with a motor. i love my evo, a close friend owns an 04 sti. this is my thoughts on the matter.
performance: evo ftw. i have a near stock dd evo (no power mods) and beaten many bolt on sti's from dig and roll. and i have an VIII, if you were to get a IX, few bolt ons and your in the 11s w/ stock turbo. sti's w/ stock turbos=lol. evos handle alot sharper on tarmac. my buddies sti while driving u could really feel the understeer of awd. our engine bays may look boring but it is layed out alot easy to mod than an sti. the piping and manifolds are all over the place.
luxury: sti has a slight edge. due to a nice gauge cluster, auto climate control, cruise control. evos can look alot better if you get a double din. that changes the whole look of our interior. they get a bonus for the awd split control. the sti seats are hideous, the bright blue carpet is lame. im not a fan. i have a SSL VIII, and like the MR VIII and any IX interior. not a fan of the blue recaros. evos have more rear leg room. both need black headliners.
reliablility: i havent had any real issues with my car exept for matinence. i beat on my car pretty good so new clutch, tires, new brake pads and rotors were the first to go. then the usual fluid change and sparkplugs. oh and sti's are a biotch when it comes to just changing spark plugs. first you take off your front wheels, then u take the inner liner out, and a bunch of other bs just to change plugs. easily a few hour job.
stance, looks & street presence: imo evos look alot more aggressive. the 06 and 07 sti's have nice headlights and i just started to accept the weird grill. pre 06 sti's are ok but more simple in looks. yes subarus sound cool but after a while it gets annoying, i get them confused with harleys. plus u got alot more sti on the roads where im at, and even just standard wrx's to get confused with. evos are more unique. the base lancer shares very very little exterior resemblence. both platforms are able to fit aggressive wheel setups. our oem wings and our vortex generators look better. i do like the frameless doors on the sti's.
soooooo. u already know what car i went with. hope u enjoy ur purchase. i would have recommended a cherry IX. have fun with the purchase. if i see your car in the city its ON!! lol
performance: evo ftw. i have a near stock dd evo (no power mods) and beaten many bolt on sti's from dig and roll. and i have an VIII, if you were to get a IX, few bolt ons and your in the 11s w/ stock turbo. sti's w/ stock turbos=lol. evos handle alot sharper on tarmac. my buddies sti while driving u could really feel the understeer of awd. our engine bays may look boring but it is layed out alot easy to mod than an sti. the piping and manifolds are all over the place.
luxury: sti has a slight edge. due to a nice gauge cluster, auto climate control, cruise control. evos can look alot better if you get a double din. that changes the whole look of our interior. they get a bonus for the awd split control. the sti seats are hideous, the bright blue carpet is lame. im not a fan. i have a SSL VIII, and like the MR VIII and any IX interior. not a fan of the blue recaros. evos have more rear leg room. both need black headliners.
reliablility: i havent had any real issues with my car exept for matinence. i beat on my car pretty good so new clutch, tires, new brake pads and rotors were the first to go. then the usual fluid change and sparkplugs. oh and sti's are a biotch when it comes to just changing spark plugs. first you take off your front wheels, then u take the inner liner out, and a bunch of other bs just to change plugs. easily a few hour job.
stance, looks & street presence: imo evos look alot more aggressive. the 06 and 07 sti's have nice headlights and i just started to accept the weird grill. pre 06 sti's are ok but more simple in looks. yes subarus sound cool but after a while it gets annoying, i get them confused with harleys. plus u got alot more sti on the roads where im at, and even just standard wrx's to get confused with. evos are more unique. the base lancer shares very very little exterior resemblence. both platforms are able to fit aggressive wheel setups. our oem wings and our vortex generators look better. i do like the frameless doors on the sti's.
soooooo. u already know what car i went with. hope u enjoy ur purchase. i would have recommended a cherry IX. have fun with the purchase. if i see your car in the city its ON!! lol
Last edited by wasFWDnowAWD; Jan 25, 2009 at 10:45 AM.
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wasFWDnowAWD-
Performance: I completely agree with you. I am well aware that my STI will need a lot more work done to it to ever be at 500whp like my Evo... and I am fine with that, since I am planning on using it as a car in college as a DD and to drive home to Chicago and back to Baylor in texas twice a year or so... I am looking for 350whp and call it a day, for now. I will get an IX Evo after college, 100% haha.
Luxury: Id take the STI anyday, especially with a full black interior.. Everything feels much more solid, even with 30k on her. But, I would love a SSL Evo too... so I guess we will see about that.
Reliability: Both... Mods dependent. Both are pretty reliable, minus the usual brake pads, spark plugs, tires etc. No big deal though... But I am much more comfortable driving a stock STI home then a 500whp Evo... but of course, that is cause of the mods.
Looks: I love the front end on my STI, it is growing on me everytime I look at it, but I absolutely love how Evos look too... More raw in my opinion.
And you are on... I am actually in rockford quite a bit cause my twin cousins live up there.. We should meet up sometime haha
TJ
Performance: I completely agree with you. I am well aware that my STI will need a lot more work done to it to ever be at 500whp like my Evo... and I am fine with that, since I am planning on using it as a car in college as a DD and to drive home to Chicago and back to Baylor in texas twice a year or so... I am looking for 350whp and call it a day, for now. I will get an IX Evo after college, 100% haha.
Luxury: Id take the STI anyday, especially with a full black interior.. Everything feels much more solid, even with 30k on her. But, I would love a SSL Evo too... so I guess we will see about that.
Reliability: Both... Mods dependent. Both are pretty reliable, minus the usual brake pads, spark plugs, tires etc. No big deal though... But I am much more comfortable driving a stock STI home then a 500whp Evo... but of course, that is cause of the mods.
Looks: I love the front end on my STI, it is growing on me everytime I look at it, but I absolutely love how Evos look too... More raw in my opinion.
And you are on... I am actually in rockford quite a bit cause my twin cousins live up there.. We should meet up sometime haha
TJ
im a car lover. everything from imports,euros, to domestics. anything with a motor. i love my evo, a close friend owns an 04 sti. this is my thoughts on the matter.
performance: evo ftw. i have a near stock dd evo (no power mods) and beaten many bolt on sti's from dig and roll. and i have an VIII, if you were to get a IX, few bolt ons and your in the 11s w/ stock turbo. sti's w/ stock turbos=lol. evos handle alot sharper on tarmac. my buddies sti while driving u could really feel the understeer of awd. our engine bays may look boring but it is layed out alot easy to mod than an sti. the piping and manifolds are all over the place.
luxury: sti has a slight edge. due to a nice gauge cluster, auto climate control, cruise control. evos can look alot better if you get a double din. that changes the whole look of our interior. they get a bonus for the awd split control. the sti seats are hideous, the bright blue carpet is lame. im not a fan. i have a SSL VIII, and like the MR VIII and any IX interior. not a fan of the blue recaros. evos have more rear leg room. both need black headliners.
reliablility: i havent had any real issues with my car exept for matinence. i beat on my car pretty good so new clutch, tires, new brake pads and rotors were the first to go. then the usual fluid change and sparkplugs. oh and sti's are a biotch when it comes to just changing spark plugs. first you take off your front wheels, then u take the inner liner out, and a bunch of other bs just to change plugs. easily a few hour job.
stance, looks & street presence: imo evos look alot more aggressive. the 06 and 07 sti's have nice headlights and i just started to accept the weird grill. pre 06 sti's are ok but more simple in looks. yes subarus sound cool but after a while it gets annoying, i get them confused with harleys. plus u got alot more sti on the roads where im at, and even just standard wrx's to get confused with. evos are more unique. the base lancer shares very very little exterior resemblence. both platforms are able to fit aggressive wheel setups. our oem wings and our vortex generators look better. i do like the frameless doors on the sti's.
soooooo. u already know what car i went with. hope u enjoy ur purchase. i would have recommended a cherry IX. have fun with the purchase. if i see your car in the city its ON!! lol
performance: evo ftw. i have a near stock dd evo (no power mods) and beaten many bolt on sti's from dig and roll. and i have an VIII, if you were to get a IX, few bolt ons and your in the 11s w/ stock turbo. sti's w/ stock turbos=lol. evos handle alot sharper on tarmac. my buddies sti while driving u could really feel the understeer of awd. our engine bays may look boring but it is layed out alot easy to mod than an sti. the piping and manifolds are all over the place.
luxury: sti has a slight edge. due to a nice gauge cluster, auto climate control, cruise control. evos can look alot better if you get a double din. that changes the whole look of our interior. they get a bonus for the awd split control. the sti seats are hideous, the bright blue carpet is lame. im not a fan. i have a SSL VIII, and like the MR VIII and any IX interior. not a fan of the blue recaros. evos have more rear leg room. both need black headliners.
reliablility: i havent had any real issues with my car exept for matinence. i beat on my car pretty good so new clutch, tires, new brake pads and rotors were the first to go. then the usual fluid change and sparkplugs. oh and sti's are a biotch when it comes to just changing spark plugs. first you take off your front wheels, then u take the inner liner out, and a bunch of other bs just to change plugs. easily a few hour job.
stance, looks & street presence: imo evos look alot more aggressive. the 06 and 07 sti's have nice headlights and i just started to accept the weird grill. pre 06 sti's are ok but more simple in looks. yes subarus sound cool but after a while it gets annoying, i get them confused with harleys. plus u got alot more sti on the roads where im at, and even just standard wrx's to get confused with. evos are more unique. the base lancer shares very very little exterior resemblence. both platforms are able to fit aggressive wheel setups. our oem wings and our vortex generators look better. i do like the frameless doors on the sti's.
soooooo. u already know what car i went with. hope u enjoy ur purchase. i would have recommended a cherry IX. have fun with the purchase. if i see your car in the city its ON!! lol
Well this idea that STis don't respond to mods as well as Evos is somewhat inaccurate, AMS has shown that with less mods and less money, you can get more power out of the STI. The limiting factor is of course the turbo, comparing the VF39/43 to the 16G is like comparing a midget to Michael Phelps.
no way. Evos are 1000 times sexier!
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Nice car. I was thinking about getting a older STI for a DD also and keep my Evo X for fun. The most modding I'll do to my STI is put some mud flaps on and the mid spoiler.
Nice looking STI, I have the exact same model / color in my driveway except ours has fog lamps and the windows arent tinted. My girlfriend daily drives it. I can't say the slightly cramped STI interior is better quality, in fact the Evo IX's alcantra interior is far more durable. However having cruise control is nice when your making long trips and we take the STI on trips more often because of that. It's climate control and extra displacement also make it the better car for highway cruising with the AC on.
Last edited by Mr. Evo IX; Jan 25, 2009 at 01:00 PM.
I drove my Evo 8 GSR back to back with a stock 06 STI at the track yesterday.
STI wins:
- Having torque under 3k is very cool, for a daily driver perspective this would give a nice advantage to the STI, not so much for the track
- Nice 6-speed gearbox, although the ample torque curve almost negates its usefulness, at least stock
- Shift light and sound indicator are nice for track use
- Adjustable central locking differential makes nice variations in car behaviour, specially on corner exit
Evo wins:
- Better seats by a long shot (Recaro)
- Better stock suspension settings for the track
- More precise steering, better feel, faster responses
I drove both for 3 timed laps, ended up with a 58.89 for the STI, and 57.29 for the Evo with exhaust + tune. Stock vs Stock should be pretty close, with an edge to the Evo.
I´m not a dash stroker, but the blue interior is really ugly!
STI wins:
- Having torque under 3k is very cool, for a daily driver perspective this would give a nice advantage to the STI, not so much for the track
- Nice 6-speed gearbox, although the ample torque curve almost negates its usefulness, at least stock
- Shift light and sound indicator are nice for track use
- Adjustable central locking differential makes nice variations in car behaviour, specially on corner exit
Evo wins:
- Better seats by a long shot (Recaro)
- Better stock suspension settings for the track
- More precise steering, better feel, faster responses
I drove both for 3 timed laps, ended up with a 58.89 for the STI, and 57.29 for the Evo with exhaust + tune. Stock vs Stock should be pretty close, with an edge to the Evo.
I´m not a dash stroker, but the blue interior is really ugly!
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OP confused me for a minute. i thought maybe evo owners considered subies the dark side and vise versa. once i sell my 03 wrx, ill be switching over to the dark side when i get an evo x mr. the subaru sti is better in every way except 2 things, no paddle shift and mushy suspension. im having trouble with my legs and want an automatic with paddle shifters.
This could help though. Or the owners manual.
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gd-inter...ght-sound.html