mystery machine

MM....You sure about that now

Och aye - I don't have the legs for that

your going to have to make an appearance to prove it

Next Falkirk Wheel gig I'll be there! (provided it's held during the day, and it's dry, and it's at the weekend, and Saturn is aligned with Uranus, etc ).

Got a couple of questions though 1) does it have to be V Power or similar? 2) If i put the dif thingy to 0 is that rear wheel drive and 3) whats with the red light flashing when i get near 6k revs?

1) Yes, it has to be super unleaded or the ECU warning light may come on, which I guess implies possible engine damage if regular unleaded is used routinely.

2) Not quite (unfortunately?). The brief technical explanation is: If you set the DCCD to 'manual' and roll the dial back to 'O', then the centre diff is fully open (i.e. no limited-slip lock-up) and the F:R torque split will be the diff's mechanical default, which for you car I believe is 41:59 (earlier STIs I think were 35:65). In simple terms, using the mode you describe will give you the most rear-biased setup. I usually use 'Auto' in the wet and 'Manual, fully' open in the dry

3) That's the user-configurable rev limit warning. You can set the point at which this is activated by turning the ignition on and twisting left and right that stalk that protrudes from the dash. In my car the rev counter needle will move around to show the current setting, but I think earlier STIs might've had a different method of indicating that (via the LCD odometer display or summat).

Yes mate they are parking senors.

Interesting - just thought I'd ask because mine doesn't have them. I guess I was hoping you were going to tell me that they're used to spray pink paint at tailgaters or some other such James Bondish shenanigans

No yet mate think i'll just leave in auto for now.

Aye - the handling's peachy in Auto, and as far as I can deduce, that's the mode to use for the ultimate in speed/grip.

Sticking it in manual mode an rolling the lock control right back to 'O' seems to liven up the back-end, and possibly sharpen the steering a bit - which I quite like. Also had a few power oversteer shimmies, which - if I'm being honest - make me feel like more of a man. I guess if I also took the dress off that might help too...

(I'm kidding about that last part )

thats mine in the pic above matey

OK, confused the hang oota me, but that's no' very hard I grant you...

Nice motor

Will keep an eye out for you mate, i'm in your area.

Welcome to the forum.

Never seen a pic of your Scoob before, Gordon - very stealthy, very smart

Hello and welcome to the forum

P.S. Just noticed the little dimples on the rear bumper... are they parking sensors?

I never traded the bugeye in i sold it on.

Wasn't implying you had, Barry my man. Just meant 'traded' in the wide sense, as in 'gotten rid of and replaced with'

Its hard to tell any real dufferences between my bug & the hawkeye as i had modified the bug that much that it was just like a sti & it had 340bhp.

The 2.5 & 6 speed do feel very good though.

Aye, the 6-speed is great - one of my favourite features. Played with the DCCD much yet?

In my best Glasgow accent: "Abs-u-loot feckeen carneedge, mett..."

I kept expecting - trying even - to have the back end step out a little coming off roundabouts, but it never happened...

Didn't want to try too hard, mind... a wee shimmy was all I was after!

I hadn't even realised you'd traded that beautiful bug for a - gulp - AUDI?! Exactly what kind of madness were you overcome by man?

Anyway - delighted to see that you've returned to the fold in uber-style!

Can't go wrang with a metallic grey Hawk STI, here's mine:

Tell us more about how your hawk compares with the old bug. I'm always interested to hear that sort of stuff, as the only two Impreza turbos I've ever driven were my Hawk WRX and the above STI

Yeh that was my car, the car was taken off the road just after it to do my upgrades and then straight offshore so didnt manage to do anything with it yet, when i get back scoobie ian is going to try buff them out,

Best of luck with that - I'd be interested to know how it turns out

Fujitsubo need to have a word with their English translator - "viable"? They meant "variable", surely?

Is that for sure? I've not found one on mine! Yet!

It's for sure on the Type UK models from a certain date onward, fairly certain that includes the Blobs...

I've never found mine (never looked), but I had to phone RAC to have it registered in my name. Damn near keiched myself later the same day when they put it into 'test mode' while I was driving down the motorway (gave out a serious of loud bleeps, etc)

that dif thingy

There's nowt gay at all about 'that diff thingy'

Set it to manual, roll it right back to 'fully open', and feel the back end come alive. Go easy with it in the wet though if you're not used to rear-biased drive

the best/coolest thing is the little button u press for watering the intercooler, cool

Each to their own, but IMO that's about the most useless and gimmicky feature of the STI It is a good conversation piece, though

Here's a (not necessarily comprehensive) list of bits'n'bobs the STI has over the WRX. This list originally referred to the Hawkeye, but I believe the late Blobs were much the same spec (it includes some of the items you mentioned already):

• 6-speed gearbox - the upper gears are close ratio, very useful when you're pressing on through the twisties. The 'box can apparently also handle much more torque than the WRX's - handy if you're ever looking to boost engine power.
  
• DCCD (driver-controlled centre diff) - you can effectively vary F:R torque split from 50:50 to 41:59 (either manually, or by letting the computer do it automatically). Doesn't sound much, but the latter mode gives the car a palpable rear-drive feel - the back-end comes alive, steering becomes sharper, and you can even generate some throttle-on oversteer.
  
• Bigger (Brembo) brakes.
  
• Bigger hubs.
  
• Bigger turbo.
  
• Less restrictive exhaust system.
  
• Different shocks (although still made out of Cadbury's fudge).
  
• Bigger intercooler.
  
• Smaller steering wheel with a higher-geared steering rack.
  
• Wider track.
  
• Slightly longer wheelbase.
  
• Slightly chunkier rear bumper.
  
• Forged crank and conrods.
  
• Bigger injectors.
  
• STI instrument panel (much nicer than the WRX item).
  
• Tracker.
  

The end is listless...

Of course, the most important difference is how it feels to drive. IMO, the steering is sharper and more direct, the throttle response is quicker, there's more power, there's even more grip, there's less body roll, close gearing keeps you right in the zone... great cars.

Car looks fantabulous - has the all-important rear arch lips too

That'll be the one that's been sitting outside the (Citroen?) garage in Grangemouth for the past couple of weeks then?

Congrats - I made the WRX -> STI transition back in June (sounds like something you have operation for). Never looked back.

Car looks great

Was it your car that was keyed in a Dundee multi-storey? Did you have to have it sprayed?

My wife say she gets the nutters on the road quite regularly ... She reckons it's the STi spoiler that attracts them

I reckon your wife may have a point, Phil...

I've had two Hawkeyes - a standard WRX and the current standard STI. I was hardly ever tailgated in the WRX - I wondered perhaps whether the Scooby rep was putting people off being drawn into a losing battle. However, the STI has a strange polarising effect on other drivers. Some see it approaching on the outside lane of the motorway and almost seem to make a dash for the left lane - even if you aren't travelling particularly quickly, or you didn't need them to pull over (and I don't drive up the back of folk or no nasties like that).

However, on the flipside, all manner of ding-dongs seem to want to stick to the back of the STI through 30mph zones. I guess it must carry some weight down the boozer, "aye - blew oot a Impreza STI the day - couldnae pull away fae me for sh|te!" - neglecting to mention that this white-knuckle limit-of-grip showdown never saw him exceed 15mph on the bends or 35mph on the straights...

Given that the most obvious difference between the two Scoobs I've owned is the style of spoiler, I'm fairly convinced that's a large part of the problem. Yes, a Scoob can indeed be a fanny magnet, but seldom in the way you might want it to be...

These days, if someone persists in tailgating me (and this only really works in dry weather), they shall be treated to several gallon of screenwash from the headlamp washers until the hint is taken. Works particularly well on van drivers with open windows, and even better on convertibles

Well, Welcome to the pleasure dome was a song by Frankie goes to Hollywood as was Relax (Don't do it) and its just a play on words - childish fun mate that's all. You will need to get used to the childish fun on here............

Hoss is of course correct. In the '80s, the song in question spawned an almost-ubiquitous item of short-sleeved apparel...

I thought it was topical too, given some of the jive that's been going down on the forum lately (check out the 'banter thread', if it hasn't been removed - laugh? I nearly bought a round! ).

Looking forward to seeing those car pics, Mark

Welcome to the pleasure dome.

Frankie says RELAX.

Have you ever seen anyone actually working at the side of the road?

Well, yes... YMMV

I'm no fan of speed cameras, but I'm less bothered by them if their main purpose is to keep speed down when there are guys working at the side of the road. Unfortunately a sizeable proportion of drivers seem intent on ignoring temporary speed limits. I've cruised down that section of the A80 - I think it had a 40mph limit a the time - doing an indicated 40-ish and had a succession of cars and vans flash past at speeds way above that. You reap what you sow, etc...

Having said that, my cynical side wonders whether they won't just leave them there after the roadworks are finished... which just wouldn't be cricket

Howdy!

Cheers again for the info, Joe

Great stuff, Joe

How much lower than standard do you reckon you've gone, BTW? And did you fit the extendy bits for adjusting the rear damping from within the boot?

Cheers.