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Thread: 2.0i Impreza Advice

  1. #1

    2.0i Impreza Advice

    Hello everyone,

    This is my first post here so thanks for having me. I'm currently looking to purchase a 2014 Impreza hatch. Has anyone had problems with disabling the traction control? I googled a few threads where people seem to have found the right fuse to pull. Posting here hoping to hear from someone who has been running a current generation Impreza for a season or two about anything I need to watch out for.


    Any advice is much appreciated!

    Thanks.
    Simon

  2. #2
    Why do you want to disable it? The stability control on the STi never hurt performance, and actually helped it in any track sessions we did in the wet.
    Laszlo - red '17 WRX
    The all-new Subaru WRX is coming. Pardon our dust.

  3. #3
    Personal preference. Apparently on the STI you have the ability to switch the traction control completely off. But with the current generation of base models there is no procedure to use the button to turn it off for real. It just gets less invasive. So I'm hoping someone with experience with one of these 2.0i's might educate me on what I might screw up by disabling it.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by 7plymaple; 05-15-2014 at 02:12 PM.
    Simon

  4. #4
    By pulling a fuse I'm assuming that they mean the ABS fuse. I always felt it was a little extreme to have to pull a fuse to turn off traction control. I don't have any experience with a 2.0i so don't know what's possible to disable or not.

  5. #5
    Disabling safety devices is generally not wise.

    I would first try to understand how it is intended to work and any flexibility you have changing it like the STi had, and then confirm if it really hampers performance to have it on.

    My STi had an optional setting but you could never really turn stability control all the way off. I ran it ON at the track in the wet and turned it down in the dry, but never felt that it was hurting performance either way.

    I never spun that '09 STi, but when I got the WRX I spun it at the track, so the stability control is forgiving and I don't expect limiting for serious performance track work.

    Cheers,
    Laszlo - red '17 WRX
    The all-new Subaru WRX is coming. Pardon our dust.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by LW_Black4 View Post
    Disabling safety devices is generally not wise.

    I would first try to understand how it is intended to work and any flexibility you have changing it like the STi had, and then confirm if it really hampers performance to have it on.

    My STi had an optional setting but you could never really turn stability control all the way off. I ran it ON at the track in the wet and turned it down in the dry, but never felt that it was hurting performance either way.

    I never spun that '09 STi, but when I got the WRX I spun it at the track, so the stability control is forgiving and I don't expect limiting for serious performance track work.

    Cheers,
    I totally agree and appreciate the input. This is a learning process for me as it will be my first all wheel drive car and my first car with traction control. For me to understand exactly what traction control is doing I will need to run the car without it to see how the car is really set up. Who knows after a couple auto slaloms I might not want to disable it at all. But before I pick it up it would be nice to find out how much of a learning tool this car can be.

    Another reason is it's a low powered car that might just have too much grip for it to be any fun. It's not always about going fast for me.. that just happens I can't help it. Sometimes I just need some cool stories to go with the trophies! :P

    Looks like I might be the first one around here to be able to answer my own question as most people who are into motorsports won't be using the base engine models. Apparently they are very different from the WRX and STI in how much the button changes the traction control. After test driving one I really feel like I need to see what is going on without the traction control.


    Hopefully it is possible to have direct control of my throttle and breaking and still keep the car stock. Right now I am going on a trail of threads linked to each other that started on the TSC forums to a Crosstrek forum. No one who posted seemed to be trying this for motorsports purposes. They were either doing some offroading with the crosstrek or playing in the snow with the impreza. All good reasons if you ask me. But I am hoping someone has tried this for similar reasons as I plan to. I just don't feel like I have found a legitimate source of info on the 2.0i yet.

    So any experience related is much appreciated!
    Simon

  7. #7

    Join Date
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    Simon,

    Welcome back, it's been a long time. Glad you got into the fold. I can't help much with the new traction control, but I understand completely why you're trying to disable it. They are really simple to disable, really.

    Take a look at either of your front fenders, follow the ABS wire that runs from your hub to where it goes into the engine bay, follow it and you'll find a connector. Unplug just one, and you'll get an ABS light on your dash. From that point on, your traction control and abs will be disabled. Regardless whether you pull the fuse or unplug the connector, both ABS and Traction Control are disabled.

    From there you can perform the test that you want. I personally found that I totally miss the ABS in the Legacy, I wish it was still there, because with the ABS there was ABF (Automatic Brake Force Distribution), which let me dive deep into the corners then hammer the throttle early to get out. Without that stuff, I have to do most of my braking in a straight line.

    Hope this helps.

  8. #8
    Thank you Joe.

    It is exiting to just be back on car forums talking about cars. I am really itching got get back out there for real!

    Disconnecting the ABS wire makes so much sense that the computer would have to shut it all down not knowing what the one wheel is doing! I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that cars with ABS let the ABS sort out the front to rear bias to some extent. So if that is the case i can see there being the possibility of cars with ABS mechanicaly alotting more rear braking force (than a car without ABS) to be available for the computer to make use of in extreme situations. Thats something that might have surprised me for sure! Good food for thought!

    Thanks.
    Simon

  9. #9

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    Actually, not all cars with ABS have ABF, your car does, and so did my Legacy. It was quite neat in the old days to dive deep into a corner and hammer the brakes late, and the ABS would only work on the wheels which were losing grip. It's more than just front / rear bias, it was also maximizing braking forces left to right. Subaru's are quirky but they do some things right.

    Which events will you be running at?

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by 7plymaple View Post
    I totally agree and appreciate the input. This is a learning process for me as it will be my first all wheel drive car and my first car with traction control. For me to understand exactly what traction control is doing I will need to run the car without it to see how the car is really set up.
    Just a thought... but you should be able to probe the limits and see what TC is doing without disabling it. Now if you want to see how much faster you can be with more slip than the TC will allow, you need to disable it. But if you just want to feel out the car, you should be able to do that no problem with TC fully on.

  11. #11

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    Hi Guys,

    Simon has been racing for a LOOONG time, he just took time off. I believe he's been doing this since 1997 ish.

  12. #12
    Thanks Joe! And thanks everyone posting up advice I definitely understand and apreciate your encouraging me to not disable the traction control. Its a good thing for us to look out for one another! Thanks.

    Joe, I plan to start off with a PITL next weekend in the protege. Should have the subaru in June. After that gonna get a set of rims and tires for auto x and track days. Not sure about series registering for anything yet. Is SPDA holding its own autoslalom series this year? All i have found are the regional events.
    Simon

  13. #13

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    This year, we have 2 track days, 1 Time Attack Event, 1 regional event, 1 Pro Solo and a whole bunch of Rally's, we don't normally run a series.

  14. #14
    I was very tempted to ask if there wrre any spots left for next weeks track day. Maybe the next one. Will the pro solo be open to everyone? I need a big shot of adrenaline!
    Simon

  15. #15

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7plymaple View Post
    I was very tempted to ask if there wrre any spots left for next weeks track day. Maybe the next one. Will the pro solo be open to everyone? I need a big shot of adrenaline!
    Simon,

    I sent you a PM about next week. Yes, the Pro-Solo will be open to everyone.

  16. #16
    Got it! Sent one back.

    Thanks.
    Simon

  17. #17
    Simon, long time, good to see you getting back into the sport.

    Not sure if my gf 2011 forester uses the same traction control system as your car, but I did use it at a winter lapping day at TMP this past winter. I found the traction control really took away from the fun, even in the off position. No matter how sideways I would get the car going into the corner by mid corner it was no longer sideways. And then just understeer out of the corner as you get on the power. I was actually impressed by how well the system work, but it was boring. Next session I pulled the abs fuse and the fun began. After a 360 entry into corner one, I had to dial it back a bit on entry but was finally able to hold a nice slide through the whole corner.
    Last edited by 101rs; 05-19-2014 at 04:01 PM.
    Mike A
    2000 BRP Impreza 2.5 RS Sedan-new improved turbo version :-D
    #101 SM
    My driveway, where Subarus\' go to die.

  18. #18
    Mike! Yes ling time, good to see you're still here!

    Your experience with the Forester sounds a lot like I pictured the Impreza. I remember having a similar experience with a Mini years ago. Had to flick the hell out of it and by mid corner everything was gathered up. Its very good to know its easy to disable the traction control without any issues. I will be happy its there when my GF is driving the car. But I just felt violated by it when trying to squeeze some fon out of the car lol.

    The Impreza is'nt my car quite yet. The only thing that will stop me from picking one up is if they bring out the WRX in a hatch. Or better yet a 2.5RS hatch. But my mind is made up on an Impreza. One other thing making me wish they would do the WRX in hatch form us I hear the steering rack is pretty slow in the basic Impreza. But for the difference in cost I wouldnt mind sorting that out.
    Last edited by 7plymaple; 05-19-2014 at 07:33 PM.
    Simon

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