you think the rx7s feel unconnected? i autocrossed my friends modified wrx (he is the president of the autox assocition) and i couldn't feel it as well as this 1st gen i autoxed (fb's are supposed to be no feel compared to fc's) i've yet to autox an fc and my turbo2 has a slipping clutch right now....this modified one your looking at buying would blow the doors off of a wrx especially a stock wrx, and if you've got wide sticky tires that launch well then you could take a wrx from a dig. btw the wrx didn't seem to have anymore torque or power down low (rpms) than a T2, now a wrx sti is a different story. good luck with the t2, oh yeah and back wheel drive cars don't always handle better than awd.

 

Well, like you've said. The WRX has been..... ragged. Its starting to come apart after 60k miles of VERY hard driving.

The RX-7 will get a full tune-up from KDrotary as soon as I get the chance anyway. I'm not worried about it.

 

So your friend has 30K in mods on his WRX and you beat him in a very lightly modded TII? You need to either lay off the crack, or your buddy needs to take his 30K dollars worth of stickers off.

As far as TII vs. WRX, stock for stock, the WRX is quicker (1/4 mile wise) but probably slower on a road course. mod for mod they're fairly close as well, with the TII edging out because of the weight advantage.

 

I'd say the WRX still has the advantage on a road course compared to a TII...

 

RWD with LSD is the best

 

i've driven both my 88 TII and an 04 WRX. The WRX did feel a little bit quicker in a straight line but it didn't feel like it handled quite as well. The tires seemed to squeal and slip at slower speeds than my TII. Keep in mind they were not on the same tires.

My TII has stock suspension (16 years old) and it still felt much firmer and stable than the WRX. The Braking on the WRX was nowhere near the quality of the TII. The WRX did everything electronically and it really didn't seem to stop too quick. The TII really bites the road and gets down quick. Again, they did not have the same tires so consider that. I have stock 16 year old brakes.

The RX-7 IMO has a much better road feel than the WRX. The WRX felt like it was driving me and I was just giving it suggestions. Now while it was pretty quick and definately fun to drive, I enjoy my RX-7 much much more.

The transmission on the WRX is nice. The TII is about as nice with good bushings. The shift position in the TII is a little easier to get to when you are shifting quickly.

You sit much higher in a WRX than in a TII. I think is not just a road feel thing but also a handling characteristic. The WRX definately does corner well but the TII feels more like a carving knife. It's very low to the ground compared to the WRX and is sprung harder. I think the TII definately has a more sports car-ish feel to it than the WRX.

I also got to drive the WRX in the snow. The TII is more fun in the snow but the WRX is definately waaaaay faster and easier to control.

I would disagree with the comment about the WRX having more low end. The WRX really doesn't start to accelerate until about 4,000 RPM, which is right around where my TII picks up. They seemed about equal in that department.

I tried to drive both cars and look at them as objectively as I can and I came to this conclusion. The WRX is probably a little faster than the TII in a straight line. The TII is probably a little faster on low to mid speed corners. The TII always FEELS faster. The WRX is easier to drive but the TII makes you feel more like you're connected with the road. Don't get me wrong, the WRX is a very very fun car but if I personally had to choose between the two, I would take the TII as a weekend canyon carver/track car/autocrosser and the WRX if I wanted a more comfortable daily driver/weekend toy kinda thing.

 

I currently Own both a rx7 AND a gc8 with a 2.5-T (not the sti, but smae displacement and low down grunt) granted my subie weighs alot less than a wrx (I hate wrx's they feel very top heavy and they have no low down tq), my subie kills just about anything on the road, both in straight line acceleration and on the track, you can't realy compare the two cars, they are as different as night and day and require 2 totaly different styles of driveing. The suby is unforgiveing when you come into a corner too hot, you get massive understeer that can be hard to correct without slowing way down and loseing alot of time, it can also be very unpredictible (especially when the lsd's start getting hot), whats nice though is you CAN kick the rear end out in awd (think of weight shifting) then you can use the front to pull out of a corner much faster than a rwd, but the steering is no where near as tight as the 7... I love the 7 on the track cause it's much more predictible. If you can launch the rx7 very well, you will smoke a wrx.... think about the drivetrain loss, subies loose alot to the extra drive train bits. The seven if launched right should have no problem keeping up with the wrx and smokeing it after 2nd gear, I know mine doesn't. I'm a huge subie and 7 fan, I've had 3 fc's and 2 gc8's (one of which is about to get a sti type ra ver.5 motor swap). The rx7 is more of a drivers car (tight corner, kick the rear out a little, long corner feather it at the breaking point of an awdrift, drag= keep the rear from breaking loose without bogging) the subie is more of a no brainer car (push gas hard and go, slow for corner then push hard right after the apex, drag= rev to 5k/ slip for a second/ side step and go). Both are fun cars but you'll LOVE the handeling of the 7, no more of that damn top heavy feeling. Plus the 7 is cheaper.
If you want to know more pm me.... I am a huge fan of both cars, my dad owns a subie shop and I've built up both 7's and wrx/gc8's

 

Jumbogumbo speask the truth.

I love when you guys type and you have no idea what you're talking about Obviously you guys have never driven a WRX on a road course...I have...it's NOT a road racing car at ALL. It pushes and understeers all over larger rear sway bars only help for off throttle situations. A nice LSD helps big time - but how many people do you know with say a Cusco LSD on any car...it's pricey. They just aren't fast track cars and the powerplant is far from ideal for a road course. Power falls off big time on the top end and it takes a healthy investment to really alter the powerband significantly (namely cams, an ECU like a UTEC and a different turbo).

They do best on uneven surfaces and in foul weather - meaning they make great rally cars and terrific street cars.

Want a great AWD track car? Drive an Evo, they fair really well on a road course. Got a lot of $ to burn, go for a 911 turbo

 

An FC with a decent intake/exhaust will take a stock WRX pretty easily (as many people have already said.) I'd imagine weight being the biggest advantage.

Just make sure the FC you're looking at is in good shape. I spent extra (6500) and got one that only had 60K miles on it, with a newly rebuilt motor; and this engine does things that most people think would destroy it. A properly maintained/built rotary is much stronger than rumors lead on, and many people would agree.

I've driven mine (lap after lap) at Laguna Seca with the stock cooling system and had no problems with overheating, although I'm still getting audible knock on this CA crap gas.

 

FC + $1000 = mid 13's at least

I think that turbo FC's are just about the best bang/buck car there is, HP wise.

Suspension options for the rx7 are endless, but just STOCK they're pretty damn good.. well damped and not undersprung.

 

I have both an 01 Impreza 2.5RS and an 89 RX-7 GXL. Putting speed aside for a moment, the RX-7 FEELS better. The Subaru is a sedan that goes fast and grips well. Its easy to go moderately fast and gives you confidence. The RX-7 is a sports car, it feels special when you get in, likes its entire purpose is to go fast, not carry 4 passengers. You sit low with a cockpit interior that is better quality than the Subaru.

The RX-7 is also easier to drive because the clutch is not as sensitive to weather/humidity. On a humid day, you get clutch sudder in the Subaru till the clutch gets warm. Not so in the RX-7. The steering feel is better in the Subaru, though the ratio is slower.

Plus, sometimes you just want to spin the wheels and launch the car. The RX-7 TII will take it. Don't try that in a WRX unless you bought the spare tranny option.

 

AWD clutch dump launch? Been there.... done that.... grenaded one tranny already. Payed cash for the second one, and have been much... nicer since then. :P lol

I think I'll try to go get the RX-7 tomorrow morning, I just got back from the DC-Auto-Show, took tons of pics, and I haven't slept since early yesterday afternoon. I'm a MACHINE.

God I love what the army does to you... Anyway, I GREATLY, GREATLY appreciate all the advice on such things... Overall, I just have to get SOMETHING cheaper, and I figured while I'm at it, go for as sporty as possible... and I think I'll be satisfied either way.

First and foremost, sound clips of exhauts? Opinion of best turbo-back catless exhaust for RX-7?