2.5RSs are fast!

[EvilAsPie]

So the wife let me take her new RS to work today. It's a 2000 sedan that came with some upgrades when we bought it. Rear sway, crank pulley, stereo, some other little stuff. I've never ridden in an RS before so i don't know how fast they normally are, but this one is crazy! I have been in a forester and legacy with 2.5s and they weren't the same. But i assume those have different tranys.

But does the trany really make that much of a difference? Also i've done some speed mods to my car, intake, exhaust, pulleys, and it is definitely faster then a stock 2.2. So i figured a 2.5 would a little faster, but no the RS is a lot faster. Why? Does the .3 liters really make that much of a difference? Maybe its the .3L and the trany?

To make matters even more complicated, i think (but can't prove) this baby has a lightweight fly wheel and a aftermarket clutch. The clutch pedal is very stiff and exact, and the engine revs so fast and easy. Just blip the throttle and away it goes. Even once your off the throttle the revs keep climbing for a moment. I've heard that a LW fly will decrease low end and increase top end. This cars power band is from about 3250 to 5500 rpm. It is normal for an RS?

And wow once i learned to time the shifting right boy does that thing move. Also i can be cruising at 60 in 4th and jump 80+ in no time, i've never seen that in anything less then a turbo.

So i guess i'm wounding are 2.5RSs really that much faster then other N/A cars? And/or does a a LW flywheel and clutch make a huge difference? Or am i just too sheltered in my humble OBS?

 

[Shorty]

jmailhot installed a lightweight flywheel in his RS and said the difference was huge. It rev'ed a lot better. If you pop the timing hole cover on the RH top rear of the block, you will be looking at the flywheel. Turn the engine with the crank bolt (22mm) to see if it has any holes in it. It might be tough to see depending on whats in the way (air box/snorkel, I've only looked in with that stuff removed) but you may be able to tell.

Your OBS has 3.90 gears, your RS has 4.11 hence the snappy feeling.

Enjoy

 

[redlinerally]

You are welcome to try my 2.5i wagon to see if it's an RS thing or a 2.5L thing.

But yeah, I would say that my car feels pretty peppy for a "wagon"

 

[WashmyScooby]

Lightweight flywheel makes all the difference in the world. I had one on my old Neon, and it really reved a lot quicker. My friend installed one on his 99 M3, and it was like it had 100 more hp.

 

[Rightseat]

the GC series RS and the Forester 5MTs actually have the exact same gearing.

mot of the diffrence you feel comes from the weight...an RS is 300-400 lbs lighter than a Foresta. Since taking 100 lbs out of the car is equivalent to adding 10 hp, bingo, there ya go!

as for modded cars feeling less peppy than a fairly stock RS, that's not surprising. Suby engineers DO know a thing or 3 about getting the most out of their motors, ya know! Many popular bolt-on mods actually detract from the original's all-around excellence. Sure, the car may sound better, but it's slower. For instance, an oversize exhaust on an N/A engine may help a bit at the top end but is also liley to spoil the stock 2.5's excellent mid-range torque---which is what you found so wonderful about your wife's RS! Sad but true.

DG