2013 STI Pulling while under acceleration

[skipow]

haha this thread has been awesome to watch.

i agree with nigel's assessment.

also to the OP, i think upgrading your suspension components from stock would certainly help your car handle better, i know after it sure "woke up" my wrx when i changed most of my components.

 

[Zach]

 

[flat4awd]

This is a thread bump.

TTT

 

[Green]

Ok...Heres the thread...I purchased my 2013  STI from a local dealer about 3 weeks ago and didn't notice the issue while test driving. I live in S. Portland and noticed the issue going over the bridge. The car will pull "away" from the corner (turning left car pulls right/straight) while accelerating into the corner, does not matter if turning left or right it happens both ways and if you keep the wheel turned to correct for the pull the second you let off the gas to shift or slow down the car will correct itself and turn towards the way the wheels are turned, which can be pretty drastic if really getting on it and i am still in the break-in period, so haven't really gotten over 4K rpm beside a couple times on accident, so I suspect that hard accel into a corner will cause this to be near uncontrolable...

This phenomenon only happens under acceleration or is only noticable under accel and while turning...I openeded a ticket with the dealer and with SOA... Dealer is trying to get another STI to see if this is a common "charatcerisitc" of the car...

Which from what I can tell it is not and I drove my buddies STI and it did not do it... I have told SOA that if it comes down to it I want the regional rep to drive the vehicle with me to see what is going on and what i am experiencing... The service manager at the dealer openly told me that my STI is the most he has ever driven an STI and he did 6-8 miles, so I don't really have a lot of faith that he would be able to correctly diagnose the issue... He did state that the alignment was dead on and that visually everything looks ok with suspension components...

When I spoke to SOA on Friday they did say that the serv mgr did state that he felt and visually noticed the condition that was happening and that he wasn't sure if it was normal or not...

All the forums I have read have stated that it is either the tires or suspension components or worst case the differential... I have purchased the most accurate digital tire gauge to check tire pressures and they are dead on for factory specs...

I do want to say that my last thread on the suspension issue is unrelated and after driving my  STI was definitely just the squishy suspension and bushings on the WRX... 

Other than this issue the car is preety much perfect (as pefect as a subaru can be)...

Car... STOCK everything...

Sorry to those people that I pissed off for posting in the shout box.... pretty new to forums and stuff... just read.. . dont really post...

/thanks for any help... Ill update my posts as Subaru figures out this issue for me...

Ok wow, an excellent tread with zero help!

Hello I am new here and got drag here as I bought a 2009 sti this summer and it does the exact same annoying thing.

The op question seem fairly simple he his not talking about fast driving, think of it as getting on the highway  , on the on ramp you accelerate from 30 to 60 to get on the highway.  Douing that 270º constant turn you steadily accelerate with the wheel turn at the same degree,  but wen you shift gear the car the looses momentarily that acceleration . Well me and the original poster and talking about this wen you momentarily losse your acceleration in that constant corner the car severely pulls inside the corner and then jumps outward wen you re accelerate.  Its quite unsettling! 

Now this must not be normal and i was also wondering what could be causing that. I have drove a lot of diffrent cars in my life and none have done that to this degree! Befor you bash in mh internet head in

and true suggest I don't know nothing about Subaru's and spirited driving, that I am breaking traction and " understeering" my gf has a 02 wrx ( witch means nothing I know) I had a 08 wrx that did not do that at all and did three and a half years in the Canadian rally championship,  witch two and a half season were  done on the national level in the open class with a 2004 sti that did not do anything like this.

Anyway I did not mean to be confrontational but I find kinda rude the response the op got so I tryd to clarify and I also hope to have good response as this kinda puzzles me why it does that.

Thank you

O and sorry for the tread revival

I've got a '13 STi Hatch as well and experience the same exact issue.
Not my first fast car, not my first Subaru, however is my first STi.
This is not a matter of driving hard. The effect can be replicated at cruising speeds with minimal throttle input.
To elaborate: Driving on I270 at about 60MPH. Slight bend on the road with fairly flat surface. Throttle is kept at a steady ~10% to keep the speed at 60. The wheel is turned ~15 degrees to the right. The car is following the radius of the bend.
Lifting throttle completely, keeping the steering input constant (hand resting on the left thigh). The car's turning radius tightens to the point where you need to reduce the steering input.
The steering radius returns to the "original" the moment you touch the throttle and does not increase with more throttle.
 
@Nigel Prodrive:
I do not care what you do for a living nor do I question your experience. However, you (and some others on this thread) are being condescending and jump to assumptions. In the original post it clearly states that the effect if felt under normal driving conditions. Not while ripping the streets!
 
This effect is less noticeable when the car is driven hard, simply because you expect it to get out of line and slip here and there. In spirited driving this is pronounced as lift throttle over-steering. In relaxed cruising it is pronounced more as on throttle under-steering, however vague the throttle input may be.
To be honest it feels like the diffs are locking up on torque and do not allow the car to turn as well. This is not something dramatic but certainly is noticeable. I am also hyper-critical of my cars and do not believe that we expect too much. We may be paying attention to smaller details and just need to understand the beast better.
 
My alignment has been set to 0.03-0.03 degrees toe in the front and 0.01-0.02 toe in the rear. Sorry I do not remember the camber right now, but it is near stock. Castor is stock. The previous owner had 22mm adjustable sways installed. They are set to the stiffest setting.
I've tried it with all DCCD, SI-Drive and VDC settings. The only thing that makes a difference on the highway is the I to S or S#. That is because the throttle response makes the transition more abrupt.
 
I am yet to talk about this with my local shop, but I know that the diffs are pretty aggressive on these cars and would not be surprised if they are to blame.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

I've got a '13 STi Hatch as well and experience the same exact issue.

Not my first fast car, not my first Subaru, however is my first STi.

This is not a matter of driving hard. The effect can be replicated at cruising speeds with minimal throttle input.

To elaborate: Driving on I270 at about 60MPH. Slight bend on the road with fairly flat surface. Throttle is kept at a steady ~10% to keep the speed at 60. The wheel is turned ~15 degrees to the right. The car is following the radius of the bend.

Lifting throttle completely, keeping the steering input constant (hand resting on the left thigh). The car's turning radius tightens to the point where you need to reduce the steering input.

The steering radius returns to the "original" the moment you touch the throttle and does not increase with more throttle.

@Nigel Prodrive:

I do not care what you do for a living nor do I question your experience. However, you (and some others on this thread) are being condescending and jump to assumptions. In the original post it clearly states that the effect if felt under normal driving conditions. Not while ripping the streets!

This effect is less noticeable when the car is driven hard, simply because you expect it to get out of line and slip here and there. In spirited driving this is pronounced as lift throttle over-steering. In relaxed cruising it is pronounced more as on throttle under-steering, however vague the throttle input may be.

To be honest it feels like the diffs are locking up on torque and do not allow the car to turn as well. This is not something dramatic but certainly is noticeable. I am also hyper-critical of my cars and do not believe that we expect too much. We may be paying attention to smaller details and just need to understand the beast better.

My alignment has been set to 0.03-0.03 degrees toe in the front and 0.01-0.02 toe in the rear. Sorry I do not remember the camber right now, but it is near stock. Castor is stock. The previous owner had 22mm adjustable sways installed. They are set to the stiffest setting.

I've tried it with all DCCD, SI-Drive and VDC settings. The only thing that makes a difference on the highway is the I to S or S#. That is because the throttle response makes the transition more abrupt.

I am yet to talk about this with my local shop, but I know that the diffs are pretty aggressive on these cars and would not be surprised if they are to blame.

The pulling issues seems to have been deemed normal due to driving style. If you are making any amount of a corner and let up on the gas pedal your car will pull to the inside of the turn. You can counter this with a different driving line when going through exits or by maintaining an even throttle.

Please understand that many people who end up saying that their car doesn't handle right or they crashed their car and blamed it on the handling or poor stock tires often leave out the whole story. Their are many people on this forum that understand handling characteristics of vehicles to a weekend warrior degree and then their are those who are considered experts by the performance industry.

I deal with the BRZ/FR-S community a lot and there are those who complain about issues that many others don't have and it comes down to driving habits. I had a great deal to figure out when I got my BRZ.

If you want an AWD car with decent power and the better handling then the 13 STi then you need a 15 WRX or STI.

 

[Green]

The pulling issues seems to have been deemed normal due to driving style. If you are making any amount of a corner and let up on the gas pedal your car will pull to the inside of the turn. You can counter this with a different driving line when going through exits or by maintaining an even throttle.

Please understand that many people who end up saying that their car doesn't handle right or they crashed their car and blamed it on the handling or poor stock tires often leave out the whole story. Their are many people on this forum that understand handling characteristics of vehicles to a weekend warrior degree and then their are those who are considered experts by the performance industry.

I deal with the BRZ/FR-S community a lot and there are those who complain about issues that many others don't have and it comes down to driving habits. I had a great deal to figure out when I got my BRZ.

If you want an AWD car with decent power and the better handling then the 13 STi then you need a 15 WRX or STI.

Thank you for the quick response.

I agree with what you are saying about the driving habits and the effects it has. However, there only so many ways to stay within your lane on the highway as you are cruising at the speed limit. This really seems to be a trait of the model. Though, I do not exclude a possibility if something being wrong with it.

I will post a video of this by the end of the week.

I am not asking for MORE, I am seeking to understand what IS. 

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

Thank you for the quick response.

I agree with what you are saying about the driving habits and the effects it has. However, there only so many ways to stay within your lane on the highway as you are cruising at the speed limit. This really seems to be a trait of the model. Though, I do not exclude a possibility if something being wrong with it.

I will post a video of this by the end of the week.

I am not asking for MORE, I am seeking to understand what IS.

My biggest piece of advice is figuring out what the car likes as far as gear for different speeds. The only way to gain a true understanding of a car is seat time. Pair that with a highly experienced instructor for in a high performance setting and your driving at normal speeds will get better.

My ability to drive in the snow increased after doing a year of rallyx.

Have a shop that knows subaru's check the car out or a dealer. You could also try swapping the gear oil in the transmission and rear differential if you think the diffs are the issue. I recommend something like amsoil, motel, or Subaru Extra-S. Swapping the fluids in the BRZ platform proves to be beneficial 95% of the time.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

Thank you for the quick response.

I agree with what you are saying about the driving habits and the effects it has. However, there only so many ways to stay within your lane on the highway as you are cruising at the speed limit. This really seems to be a trait of the model. Though, I do not exclude a possibility if something being wrong with it.

I will post a video of this by the end of the week.

I am not asking for MORE, I am seeking to understand what IS.

My biggest piece of advice is figuring out what the car likes as far as gear for different speeds. The only way to gain a true understanding of a car is seat time. Pair that with a highly experienced instructor for in a high performance setting and your driving at normal speeds will get better.

My ability to drive in the snow increased after doing a year of rallyx.

Have a shop that knows subaru's check the car out or a dealer. You could also try swapping the gear oil in the transmission and rear differential if you think the diffs are the issue. I recommend something like amsoil, motel, or Subaru Extra-S. Swapping the fluids in the BRZ platform proves to be beneficial 95% of the time.

 

[pawlex]

I'm experiencing the exact same issue as described by OP and others.  My previous car was an '08 WRX and it did not experience this phenomenon.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

After the second person posted in here I did a google search and found only this thread. I am thinking it may be isolated or it is a simple setup issue. Try changing the DCCD, VDC, and SI-Drive settings for a more rear biased setup then a front biased setup and see what changes you notice. Also the nature of a vehicle(2 or 4 wheels) is to dive to the center of a turn when letting up, and pull to the outside when on the throttle heavy. Without actually riding in a car that is doing this it is hard for anyone to have a idea of what is happening.

Also comparing a WRX to a WRX STi is not really valid hear. The WRX has a 5speed with a set center diff, not sure how the power is distributed. The STi models have the 6 speed and DCCD as you are aware.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue as described by OP and others.  My previous car was an '08 WRX and it did not experience this phenomenon.