SoCal To NorCal and Back In My WRX

"Burrito de EJ25" (alexcarrillo01)
04/22/2014 at 01:05 • Filed to: None

You don't truly know a car unless you've taken it on a long road trip. I've owned my Subaru WRX (MY2013) for about a year and a half and last weekend was its first true test.

It was tasked with taking me from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Not through the tedious Interstate 5, but through the scenic and windy !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

I woke up at around 4:30 in the morning. We wanted to drive through all of the boring bits of the 101 freeway before hopping on the 1 in San Luis Obispo.

My car had been sitting outside, so it was relatively cold, and with cold comes hardened, rattly plastics. So, it did what Subarus do and rattled all morning long. Occasionally we'd catch a break with smoother roads, but that didn't last long.

It wasn't long into the trip that the damn auto-dimming Homelink rearview mirror started buzzing. It's a common issue with this crappy thing and it's something I've had "fixed" around 4 times. It was fixed the following weekend during a scheduled maintenance service, actually.

The rattling was driving me mad up until the point where the roads got windy and the EJ's elivated RPMs drowned them out. Up around Limekiln and Big Sur is where things get downright beautiful, and damn fun. The roads were absolutely staggering, and if it weren't for the few RVs, SUVs, and generally slow cars here and there clogging up the roads, things would have been perfect.

The car gripped beautifully. I know I wasn't taking it to the limit. I'm not an experienced enough to push it that hard, but damn did it bait me to. I kept thinking, "surely this is it". It just wouldn't let go.

Now, I've taken this car on mountain roads numerous times, but none I feel were as tight as these. I kept zooming past 20 MPH limit signs on some intense hairpin turns — moving up and down the gearbox — the EJ barking through each satisfying rev-matched downshift, mountain to my left, the pacific ocean to my right. It was incredible

The 1 is a beautiful road for a weekend drive, but it's a pain in the ass if you're actually trying to get somewhere. It's why we drove on the 101 for a bit before hopping onto it. It regularly turns into a city street and speed limits rarely break above 55 MPH. Not that anyone's actually going the speed limit, but going 70 in a 65 mile an hour zone is more often ignored by CHP officers than when it's posted at 55. So, once we were done with the twisties we had to hustle on back to an actual highway.

We stopped a lot on our way there, so rather than the typical 6 hour drive from LA to SF we got there in about 11 or 12 hours. Stopping often gave my body a break from that harsh suspension.

The drive back on the 5, which is just a two lane road through rural, hot farmland was tiresome by hour 5. These seats have zero lumbar support, and that suspension on that bumpy ass road turned nasty. I was surprised by how little the car rattled most of the way there. Once we had crossed over the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the mirror started rattling again. Once we were in the city and the roads started getting worse the dash started its normal clicking and slapping.

Oh, and I averaged 27 MPGs on my trip.

So, what did I learn about my car?

It rattles because Subaru interiors have more plastic in them than Power Wheels do and are built with less care.

FUCK THE HOMELINK MIRROR! FUCK IT RAW!

This thing grips like a cat clawing a carpet.

Sport tuned suspensions are exhausting.

These sport design seats are ass for an extended period of time.

This car actually gets better gas mileage than the what the EPA claims.

The sidewalls on these Dunlops are literally Hitler.

I can't even get a better sound system in here because the stock speakers sometimes makes the car rattle. Like, seriously, what the fuck?!

I still really love this thing. Even after all the shit that's wrong with it. I still look back at it when I walk away from it.

DISCUSSION (22)

Arben72 > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 01:12

Making me jealous, I can't wait to get my 92x back on the road. Something about that boxer rumble just makes you forget about all the other issues you have.

Milky > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 01:15

#9, every fucking time ….. thats when you know you bought the right car.

Manuél Ferrari > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 01:32

#4 is the reason that I've changed my mind on suspensions with EDC or magnetic ride control.

When I was younger and less prone to neck pain from working on the computer too much and the occasional bad night of sleep I thought fixed suspensions were better. They were "manlier" and cheaper to maintain.

But I've totally changed my mind. If you love your car you're going to want to take it on road trips. And adjustable suspensions are a lifesaver when taking a sports car on a roadtrip. You can't control what the roads will be like. In an ideal world all roads would be nicely paved with soft asphalt and our cars would get 80 MPG without hybrid systems. But unicorns don't exist and lots of roads are crap.

Burrito de EJ25 > Manuél Ferrari
04/22/2014 at 01:44

I can't help #4. That technology is reserved for fancy people. I'm just a filthy peasant.

Manuél Ferrari > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 01:49

Haha yeah I was just talking about it in general and not saying that you skipped it when you shouldn't have. You're lucky that you didn't have it available and skip it to save money. Then you'd be regretting it like me!

The good thing is that the technology is filtering down quickly. More and more cars are being offered with EDC options.

Have you heard of the Koni FSD dampers? I haven't tried them yet but want to. They're not outrageously expensive. And they work with standard suspension setups. No electronics required. They help dampen sudden impacts like potholes without making the dampers softer over high frequency inputs.

Ferrero1911 > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 02:05

I've done that road trip quite a few times. The best was in the Abarth (2003 Ford Focus, and a 2000 BMW 328Ci are the other cars I've done it in - the BMW broke down both times so...). Although it's not alway comfortable with stiff suspension, it really is a lot of fun.

The last time I was up there we went camping at Limekiln. It's a great campground if you ever have a chance to check it out.

Do you live in LA? We should get some people together and go on a canyon drive one day.

Burrito de EJ25 > Ferrero1911
04/22/2014 at 02:16

I do! That would be awesome.

Burrito de EJ25 > Manuél Ferrari
04/22/2014 at 02:31

Bookmarked!

Ryanator122 > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 02:31

Great write-up, rather enjoyed the read.

1 problem- San Francisco isn't Northern California

Burrito de EJ25 > Ryanator122
04/22/2014 at 02:36

Isn't it?

Squid > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 04:40

getting some felt with tape and fixing it to all the points where the plastic is rubbing helps with the rattles. shoving it in the holes where the clips hold the body panels on works as well. NVH issues are annoying and generally a pain in the ass to correctly isolate, but if you do get a better stereo you might as well take the little effort to isolate all the plastic panels so they won't be so loud.

Jayhawk Jake > Manuél Ferrari
04/22/2014 at 08:06

I really, really want a car with magnetic ride control. I've never driven one, but I have to imagine it's perfect.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 08:59

#9 for sure. I just got back from a 4 day vacation. I know its not much but with 22 month old twins it was great. When I got back, I ran inside, said hi to the kids and grabbed the keys. (ok so I took 1 with me for the ride)

The longest I drove my WRX is 2 hrs. I have an f'd up back and thought I'd be sore but I was very happy when I climbed out. I still havn't had the chance to get out on some fun roads but i've only had the car for a few months.

Stupidru > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 09:33

I used to own an 06 LGT for 2-1/2 years and I have had similar experiences with my car...

My interior only rattled in winter when the car hadn't reached operating temperature yet

I actually loved my HL mirror

This thing grips like a cat clawing a carpet... when it has proper swaybars, suspension, and tires. Otherwise it was a sporty car that was meant for taking cruises

Sport tuned suspensions are definitely exhausting, but having good seats helps with that

These sport design seats are ass for an extended period of time. After 2 hours my 6'2" frame would get cramped and I'd start fidgeting with the seating position

This car actually gets better gas mileage than the what the EPA claims. I got 26.5mpg for my cross-country road trip in early fall

The sidewalls on my Hankooks were equally terrible, but Michelins solved that issue

Maybe get some sound deadening right around the speakers and on the doorskin right behind them. That might help with some of the rattling

I still miss my LGT. My only regret in life was selling that thing too soon

Manuél Ferrari > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 13:36

I'll let you know how it goes if I get them first. Otherwise I'll be curious to know your opinion!

Some users claim that their cars actually handle better with the new dampers while soaking up potholes and other sudden road imperfections better.

Manuél Ferrari > Jayhawk Jake
04/22/2014 at 13:37

I have had the pleasure of driving cars with it.

It is pretty damn awesome!

You get the mix of a sporty setup with comfort.

Apparently the only setup that can beat it is the unique setup of the 12C

Ryanator122 > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 23:37

No.

Burrito de EJ25 > Ryanator122
04/22/2014 at 23:39

I'm certain you're wrong.

Ryanator122 > Burrito de EJ25
04/22/2014 at 23:41

Other than the fact that there's like 500+ miles of state north of it. Look at a map. It's in the middle

Burrito de EJ25 > Ryanator122
04/22/2014 at 23:54

It's still Northern California.

Everything north of Monterey is considered NorCal. Google it.

Ryanator122 > Burrito de EJ25
04/23/2014 at 00:09

Yeah that's not even close to true. Tahoe and north is Northern California

Burrito de EJ25 > Ryanator122
04/23/2014 at 00:10

Google it. The Bay Area is NorCal.

Hell, look up the Wikipedia page for San Francisco.