2007 STi regrets

[Lawdawg]

Never should have traded my 2005 STi for an 07. The center diffs in the 04 and 05 are electromagnetic, whereas the 06 and newer also have a mechanical lsd center diff in addition to electromagnetic. What does this mean?

In an 05 you pull the e-brake and the rear wheels lock while the front wheels continue to roll. This is nice in tight spaces setting up for hairpins or 90 turns, etc. I know this from experience at Team O's. In fact, in an 05 you can pull the ebrake and keep on the gas for short periods, for example, coming out of hairpins.

Not so in an 07 STi. e-brake tends to lock all wheels through mechanical diff. Not ideal for handbrake assist turns in rallyx or other loose surfaces. My bad, should have done my homework and realized the 07 was actually a step bakwards in some respects, including the taller gear ratios in the tranny.

Anyone have an 05 STi drivetrain to swap with an 07...?

I think I may need to trade backwards.

 

[STInate]

Really? Ive heard the gearing in the 07 is nothing but an advantage? If your serious im sure someone out there will do it. You cant just swap the center diff?

 

[Nigel Prodrive]

how about swap out your beater/junker/NFG 07 STI for a nice 05 WRX wag??

 

[Ty Ty]

Stop using the handbrake.

 

[Lawdawg]

Stop using the handbrake?? That was the point of my post. I can't use the handbrake anymore. If your point is that one should not have to use the handbrake, I beg to differ. Very efficient way of upsetting the rear and rotating the car in slower speed situations on a loose surface when you have to change direction quickly and power on.

 

[Ty Ty]

I have no problems without ever touching the handbrake. It was never designed as a steering aid.

 

[Lawdawg]

Right.

 

[Lawdawg]

Nate,

This is the way I look at it. I drove an 05 gearbox for two years and liked it a lot. Gearing was nice and close together until you went from 4th to 5th and then 5th to 6th. Then stepped into the 07 and, though I didn't really notice it on the test drive, very quickly into ownership--like the next day of normal driving, it just seemed different. 2nd and 3rd were taller and, as such, you have to wait a little longer for the sweet spot in the power. What was really evident though, is that the shift from 4th to 5th was nothing--maybe a couple hundred RPM difference because that had to catch up so to speak, as 5th and 6th are the same I think.

Anyway, less aggressive gearing i guess, in the name of fuel economy or something like that.

 

[diabloadsit]

How about you just try to tighten the ebrake up so it grabs harder. When you pull the ebrake if does nothing to the front brakes. Yea it might lock up the rear diff because of the strain on the rear wheels not moving which in turn the lsd would kick in and throw the power around to the front not 100% sure though.

I have never heard of someone using the ebrake to park not unless you are doing some crazy 180 slide into the parking spot tricks.

I know the turning radius sucks on the subarus but that has to do with the awd system. Try driving a Jeep with the 4x4 on it really really sucks.

 

[jaKe]

Never done any research, but my guess is someone has a "racing" mod or way to use that center diff as you want to. I am thinking like race prepped ones that do those turns with ebrake locking only the rear wheels and not bogging whole drivetrain down. Im not that familiar with that setup but know from research on my 01 outback that the viscous coupler will slip for short period as when pull ebrake, though im sure its not good for it or designed to and can still feel it bind the drivetrain.

 

[Nigel Prodrive]

I wonder if what you're feeling is more an ABS issue than an ebrake issue...at least on my wag when you throw a handbrake turn, sometimes it feels like the rear wheel lockup is triggering the ABS, which upsets dynamics of the car in that situation. It's most pronounced at low speeds on low grip surfaces, with a bit more grip it's much less noticeable.

it seems strange you mention 4-wheel lockup with your ebrake. STIs should have a switch on handbrake that unlocks ctr diff when the Happy Handle gets yanked while in motion. Maybe the 07 doesn't feature that, I dunno. Maybe the handle on your car needs adjustment.

probly an issue well worth digging into further. there gots to be a software/hardware fix out there someplace.

 

[patsti]

in any car you should be able to pull the hand brake and lock the rear wheels... I can't believe it doesn't. Are you sure your foot isn't on the brake? lol!

There has to be something wrong with the enter diff if it is doing that. My 04 was fun to slide and handbrake. I think I have seen STINATE do it in his 07???

 

[STInate]

I have done it and I have seen rob do it in his 07 a bunch of times.

 

[Lawdawg]

Folks are not paying enough attention to what I am saying and/or I am not being clear, likely the latter.

The center differential in 06 and newer STis is a different unit than in the 04 and 05 STis. The 04s and 05s do not have a mechanical lsd in the center diff, only electromagnetic. Thus, while on all model STi's the DCCD is open when you pull the ebrake, on 06 and 07s you cannot also open or "turn off" a mechanical lsd--it's mechanical.

Here is a quote from another forum. There is a lot of info about this out there, i just should have read it first before "trading up", my bad.

"The 04 and 05 STi DCCD's are the only ones that can go completely open when you hit the e-brake. 06+ STI's all have a mechanical LSD for the center in addition to the electronic locking, and its only the electronics that unlock with the e-brake. So there is the potential for damage and/or increased wear on the center diff doing e-brake turns for the 06+ model years."

Thus, while you may be able to "do it", whatever that means, "it" is very different in newer STi's, and "doing it" on the tar is going to stress your center diff a bit because the front wheels will want to tend to lock as well. I know, I have tested this many times on the snow in my 07 because things just didn't feel the same and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. In my 05 the rears would lock and the fronts would keep turning freely. This difference impacts your ability to, for instance, turn the car 180 degrees on a narrow road in the snow, trust me, the car simply will not rotate as well because all wheels tend to want to lock, not just the rears.

Just something to be aware of.

 

[Nigel Prodrive]

The center differential in 06 and newer STis is a different unit than in the 04 and 05 STis. The 04s and 05s do not have a mechanical lsd in the center diff, only electromagnetic. Thus, while on all model STi's the DCCD is open when you pull the ebrake, on 06 and 07s you cannot also open or "turn off" a mechanical lsd--it's mechanical.

"The 04 and 05 STi DCCD's are the only ones that can go completely open when you hit the e-brake. 06+ STI's all have a mechanical LSD for the center in addition to the electronic locking, and its only the electronics that unlock with the e-brake. So there is the potential for damage and/or increased wear on the center diff doing e-brake turns for the 06+ model years."

thanks for clarification, and good info on diff differences on the STI year to year.

call it another thing "ya didn't know ya didn't know." I know I didn't know, but now I know.

 

[boxerboost]

I'll trade my '05 for your '07 if you want, then.

Straight up of course, or money on your end.

(Yes, jokes..)

 

[jcovey2.5]

You can try an aftermarket DCCD controller. You can set it so there is more less power to the rear wheels when you pull the e-break. You still might have more wear on the center diff though...

I have one from Neetronics. They are like $500, but i needed one, because i couldn't use a stock DCCD with my swap. They do all sorts of other cool stuff too!

 

[Smiththers]

this makes me wonder how mine would react with a nice tug on the handle... the manual tranny Impreza is a mechanical center diff....

 

[RJS5689]

I thought yanking the ebrake while still on the gas on anything with a center diff was a terrible idea, regardless of design. I know I was told not to do it with my Spec.B unless I've got the clutch in.