Drove an STI on the track Saturday.
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Drove an STI on the track Saturday.
On Saturday I went down to 2nd Creek Raceway in CO. The event was one that was organized by the Multi Car Club. They are usually casual with lots of track time. Unfortunately I was not driving my Evo so I was not able to make a side by side comparison. I am, however, very familiar with the Evo and the track so I am at least in a place to talk knowledgably.
Watching the STI was interesting as it seemed to be moving well around the track and seemed to be well driven. It howled a fair amount in some of the slower corners but it really appeared to get a good launch out of them and always appeared to be moving rapidly through the straits. This intrigued me enough to start up a conversation with the owner. It appeared that the car was completely stock aside from a boost gauge. After chatting for awhile I requested to ride along as I had been curious about STIs and how they perform on the track.
The first thing I noticed from the passenger seat was that the STI has really good torque and spools quickly. The second thing I noticed was that the seats are a little sub par as I found myself scrambling for a solid hand hold to stop from sliding around too much. Unfortunately I never did find one and ended up just grabbing the coin tray in the side of the door and bracing myself on the center console. That being said, I found the ride a lot of fun! The car felt very predictable with very respectable grip levels. It appeared to like being thrown into a corner and then powered through. After about 4 laps of the owner demonstrating its abilities we pulled into the hot pits and I was offered to drive.
Cautious as I always am with a car I am new to, I pulled onto the track. I eased through the gears to 4th down the first straight, trail braked and dropped to third and picked my line for the first corner. There was a fair amount of body roll and a little movement from the rear end as I did this, but almost immediately afterwards the car took its set, began to stick and I was able to power away from the apex through the exit of the corner. Suddenly I was having fun! Each corner I found more and more satisfying as I learned that the car liked to be thrown into corners and once it takes its set, be powered out from there. It was very easy to adjust its line as all one had to do was back off the throttle a little and the line would tighten up. The brakes were also very predictable and always brought the car’s speed down quickly with good feel. This is actually considerable praise as 2nd Creek is notoriously hard on brakes. I also found heel/toe downshifts to be quite easy as it only required a light blip of the throttle to get the revs up and I found the transmission easy and predictable to shift even with the g-loads of cornering. These elements combined I found the car very rewarding to drive and very confidence inspiring. It is a very worth competitor to the Evo and a lot of fun. I finished the drive with a big smile on my face!
In comparison to the Evo, the STI definitely has some advantages. The torque out of the corners being one of the primaries. If, however, I had top pick between the two for a track car I would go with the Evo. No matter how well the STI proves itself on the track, the Evo just seems to one up it. The seats are better in the Evo as you have much more lateral support, the suspension is much firmer with much less lean. The power on the STI is impressive but on the track I found myself dying to have a slightly higher rev limit or taller gears, where as the Evo seems to get out of the corners as quickly but never really makes me feel as if a taller or shorter gear would be helpful. Although I felt the STI inspired confidence and was lots of fun, the Evo had the same attributes but with better feel.
A couple things worth mentioning:
1) The adjustable diff on the STI was set to full rear.
2) The Bridgestone tires on the STI were wearing fantastically well considering how much the car was being thrown around and how hot it was. There was almost no tread wear or pealing of the tire.
3) I did not confirm that the suspension had or had not been modified as far as an alignment on the STI.
4) I love both cars but am definitely a little biased towards the Evo as I own one.
Watching the STI was interesting as it seemed to be moving well around the track and seemed to be well driven. It howled a fair amount in some of the slower corners but it really appeared to get a good launch out of them and always appeared to be moving rapidly through the straits. This intrigued me enough to start up a conversation with the owner. It appeared that the car was completely stock aside from a boost gauge. After chatting for awhile I requested to ride along as I had been curious about STIs and how they perform on the track.
The first thing I noticed from the passenger seat was that the STI has really good torque and spools quickly. The second thing I noticed was that the seats are a little sub par as I found myself scrambling for a solid hand hold to stop from sliding around too much. Unfortunately I never did find one and ended up just grabbing the coin tray in the side of the door and bracing myself on the center console. That being said, I found the ride a lot of fun! The car felt very predictable with very respectable grip levels. It appeared to like being thrown into a corner and then powered through. After about 4 laps of the owner demonstrating its abilities we pulled into the hot pits and I was offered to drive.
Cautious as I always am with a car I am new to, I pulled onto the track. I eased through the gears to 4th down the first straight, trail braked and dropped to third and picked my line for the first corner. There was a fair amount of body roll and a little movement from the rear end as I did this, but almost immediately afterwards the car took its set, began to stick and I was able to power away from the apex through the exit of the corner. Suddenly I was having fun! Each corner I found more and more satisfying as I learned that the car liked to be thrown into corners and once it takes its set, be powered out from there. It was very easy to adjust its line as all one had to do was back off the throttle a little and the line would tighten up. The brakes were also very predictable and always brought the car’s speed down quickly with good feel. This is actually considerable praise as 2nd Creek is notoriously hard on brakes. I also found heel/toe downshifts to be quite easy as it only required a light blip of the throttle to get the revs up and I found the transmission easy and predictable to shift even with the g-loads of cornering. These elements combined I found the car very rewarding to drive and very confidence inspiring. It is a very worth competitor to the Evo and a lot of fun. I finished the drive with a big smile on my face!
In comparison to the Evo, the STI definitely has some advantages. The torque out of the corners being one of the primaries. If, however, I had top pick between the two for a track car I would go with the Evo. No matter how well the STI proves itself on the track, the Evo just seems to one up it. The seats are better in the Evo as you have much more lateral support, the suspension is much firmer with much less lean. The power on the STI is impressive but on the track I found myself dying to have a slightly higher rev limit or taller gears, where as the Evo seems to get out of the corners as quickly but never really makes me feel as if a taller or shorter gear would be helpful. Although I felt the STI inspired confidence and was lots of fun, the Evo had the same attributes but with better feel.
A couple things worth mentioning:
1) The adjustable diff on the STI was set to full rear.
2) The Bridgestone tires on the STI were wearing fantastically well considering how much the car was being thrown around and how hot it was. There was almost no tread wear or pealing of the tire.
3) I did not confirm that the suspension had or had not been modified as far as an alignment on the STI.
4) I love both cars but am definitely a little biased towards the Evo as I own one.
Originally Posted by JTB
On Saturday I went down to 2nd Creek Raceway in CO. The event was one that was organized by the Multi Car Club. They are usually casual with lots of track time. Unfortunately I was not driving my Evo so I was not able to make a side by side comparison. I am, however, very familiar with the Evo and the track so I am at least in a place to talk knowledgably.
Watching the STI was interesting as it seemed to be moving well around the track and seemed to be well driven. It howled a fair amount in some of the slower corners but it really appeared to get a good launch out of them and always appeared to be moving rapidly through the straits. This intrigued me enough to start up a conversation with the owner. It appeared that the car was completely stock aside from a boost gauge. After chatting for awhile I requested to ride along as I had been curious about STIs and how they perform on the track.
The first thing I noticed from the passenger seat was that the STI has really good torque and spools quickly. The second thing I noticed was that the seats are a little sub par as I found myself scrambling for a solid hand hold to stop from sliding around too much. Unfortunately I never did find one and ended up just grabbing the coin tray in the side of the door and bracing myself on the center console. That being said, I found the ride a lot of fun! The car felt very predictable with very respectable grip levels. It appeared to like being thrown into a corner and then powered through. After about 4 laps of the owner demonstrating its abilities we pulled into the hot pits and I was offered to drive.
Cautious as I always am with a car I am new to, I pulled onto the track. I eased through the gears to 4th down the first straight, trail braked and dropped to third and picked my line for the first corner. There was a fair amount of body roll and a little movement from the rear end as I did this, but almost immediately afterwards the car took its set, began to stick and I was able to power away from the apex through the exit of the corner. Suddenly I was having fun! Each corner I found more and more satisfying as I learned that the car liked to be thrown into corners and once it takes its set, be powered out from there. It was very easy to adjust its line as all one had to do was back off the throttle a little and the line would tighten up. The brakes were also very predictable and always brought the car’s speed down quickly with good feel. This is actually considerable praise as 2nd Creek is notoriously hard on brakes. I also found heel/toe downshifts to be quite easy as it only required a light blip of the throttle to get the revs up and I found the transmission easy and predictable to shift even with the g-loads of cornering. These elements combined I found the car very rewarding to drive and very confidence inspiring. It is a very worth competitor to the Evo and a lot of fun. I finished the drive with a big smile on my face!
In comparison to the Evo, the STI definitely has some advantages. The torque out of the corners being one of the primaries. If, however, I had top pick between the two for a track car I would go with the Evo. No matter how well the STI proves itself on the track, the Evo just seems to one up it. The seats are better in the Evo as you have much more lateral support, the suspension is much firmer with much less lean. The power on the STI is impressive but on the track I found myself dying to have a slightly higher rev limit or taller gears, where as the Evo seems to get out of the corners as quickly but never really makes me feel as if a taller or shorter gear would be helpful. Although I felt the STI inspired confidence and was lots of fun, the Evo had the same attributes but with better feel.
A couple things worth mentioning:
1) The adjustable diff on the STI was set to full rear.
2) The Bridgestone tires on the STI were wearing fantastically well considering how much the car was being thrown around and how hot it was. There was almost no tread wear or pealing of the tire.
3) I did not confirm that the suspension had or had not been modified as far as an alignment on the STI.
4) I love both cars but am definitely a little biased towards the Evo as I own one.
Watching the STI was interesting as it seemed to be moving well around the track and seemed to be well driven. It howled a fair amount in some of the slower corners but it really appeared to get a good launch out of them and always appeared to be moving rapidly through the straits. This intrigued me enough to start up a conversation with the owner. It appeared that the car was completely stock aside from a boost gauge. After chatting for awhile I requested to ride along as I had been curious about STIs and how they perform on the track.
The first thing I noticed from the passenger seat was that the STI has really good torque and spools quickly. The second thing I noticed was that the seats are a little sub par as I found myself scrambling for a solid hand hold to stop from sliding around too much. Unfortunately I never did find one and ended up just grabbing the coin tray in the side of the door and bracing myself on the center console. That being said, I found the ride a lot of fun! The car felt very predictable with very respectable grip levels. It appeared to like being thrown into a corner and then powered through. After about 4 laps of the owner demonstrating its abilities we pulled into the hot pits and I was offered to drive.
Cautious as I always am with a car I am new to, I pulled onto the track. I eased through the gears to 4th down the first straight, trail braked and dropped to third and picked my line for the first corner. There was a fair amount of body roll and a little movement from the rear end as I did this, but almost immediately afterwards the car took its set, began to stick and I was able to power away from the apex through the exit of the corner. Suddenly I was having fun! Each corner I found more and more satisfying as I learned that the car liked to be thrown into corners and once it takes its set, be powered out from there. It was very easy to adjust its line as all one had to do was back off the throttle a little and the line would tighten up. The brakes were also very predictable and always brought the car’s speed down quickly with good feel. This is actually considerable praise as 2nd Creek is notoriously hard on brakes. I also found heel/toe downshifts to be quite easy as it only required a light blip of the throttle to get the revs up and I found the transmission easy and predictable to shift even with the g-loads of cornering. These elements combined I found the car very rewarding to drive and very confidence inspiring. It is a very worth competitor to the Evo and a lot of fun. I finished the drive with a big smile on my face!
In comparison to the Evo, the STI definitely has some advantages. The torque out of the corners being one of the primaries. If, however, I had top pick between the two for a track car I would go with the Evo. No matter how well the STI proves itself on the track, the Evo just seems to one up it. The seats are better in the Evo as you have much more lateral support, the suspension is much firmer with much less lean. The power on the STI is impressive but on the track I found myself dying to have a slightly higher rev limit or taller gears, where as the Evo seems to get out of the corners as quickly but never really makes me feel as if a taller or shorter gear would be helpful. Although I felt the STI inspired confidence and was lots of fun, the Evo had the same attributes but with better feel.
A couple things worth mentioning:
1) The adjustable diff on the STI was set to full rear.
2) The Bridgestone tires on the STI were wearing fantastically well considering how much the car was being thrown around and how hot it was. There was almost no tread wear or pealing of the tire.
3) I did not confirm that the suspension had or had not been modified as far as an alignment on the STI.
4) I love both cars but am definitely a little biased towards the Evo as I own one.
How were you trail braking BEFORE you even began to turn?! A Bit confused there.
Percy
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From: Boulder, CO
Originally Posted by hagakure
How were you trail braking BEFORE you even began to turn?! A Bit confused there.
Percy
Percy
Thanks for the feedback guys! I enjoyed my drive and just thought I would share the experience.
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From: Boulder, CO
Originally Posted by hagakure
Cool..Sounds like a great drive...I did not mean to be a nitpicker about your description!
Peace.
Percy
Peace.
Percy
The STi was a 2004