Trade my CTR for WRX, looking for opinions

ExVTEC

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After almost a year with my CTR I still find it lacking. Even with Hondata 93 oct tune. I find I enjoy my girlfriends bone stock WRX a lot more. The CTR is only fun when pushing it. Normal driving it feels slow. Her car feels so much more responsive in daily driving conditions. A tune will make it even better. Also the steering in my CTR always feels like there's play on center. I always found this strange after all the praise it gets for precision steering. I still love the way it looks and it is a great car but it just needs a little more I guess.

Would a custom tune improve things a bit? Any idea if rigid collars will help the steering?
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krees

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I have both and prefer the ctr to the wrx. The ctr is just as responsive stock as my ma perf stage 1 wrx (I have since returned the subi to stock which the ctr even better). The wrx may feel stronger but it's simply because the ctr pulls all the way to 7 whereas the wrx pulls from ~4-5,100 and then falls flat. At 3k the wrx feels slightly more peppy but at 4k it's a different story altogether.

Now setting power aside (despite the fact that my ctr feels more potent than my wrx), the ctr does everything else better. Handling, stopping, the gearbox, the pull to redline, highway stability, the practicality, the suspension modes, the the seats, the seating position, AA/CP, overall driving feel is so much better.

I think you'd regret it especially since your gf already has one. Just drive hers to get your fix.
 
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ExVTEC

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Interesting. Can you provide some more feedback on the stage 1 from MAP? Why go back to stock? Thanks!

I have both and prefer the ctr to the wrx. The ctr is just as responsive stock as my ma perf stage 1 wrx (I have since returned the subi to stock which the ctr even better). The wrx may feel stronger but it's simply because the ctr pulls all the way to 7 whereas the wrx pulls from ~4-5,100 and then falls flat. At 3k the wrx feels slightly more peppy but at 4k it's a different story altogether.

Now setting power aside (despite the fact that my ctr feels more potent than my wrx), the ctr does everything else better. Handling, stopping, the gearbox, the pull to redline, highway stability, the practicality, the suspension modes, the the seats, the seating position, AA/CP, overall driving feel is so much better.

I think you'd regret it especially since your gf already has one. Just drive hers to get your fix.
 

krees

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Interesting. Can you provide some more feedback on the stage 1 from MAP? Why go back to stock? Thanks!
Sure, the MAP stage 1 made the power much more linear. It pulled from 3,500 to 6,500 nicely and the top end power was much more noticeable, though the bottom end power did feel weaker. I enjoyed the stage 1 much more than stock but stock was perceived faster due to that lump of power and torque at 4k. I still have the tuner but I just wanted to move back to stock until the car is paid off. I suppose the fa20 is reliable enough but I figured I'd rather be safer than poorer for the time being. If we keep the wrx (the new sti might call very loudly though), I'm going to just build the bottom end and increase boost a tad looking for 350/350 to the wheels.

The wrx is not a bad car and I do enjoy it but the ctr is the better experience in almost all categories.
 


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With the CTR, donā€™t shift so low in the rev range. Iā€™ve found the car is much more spirited when you are above 3K RPMs. It does take a bit for the turbo to boil, but when it does itā€™s way more potent than the WRX.

The lack of traction off the line is an obvious issue with FWD, but I donā€™t advocate for those kind of launches anyway since itā€™s hard on the drivetrain.
 

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After almost a year with my CTR I still find it lacking. Even with Hondata 93 oct tune. I find I enjoy my girlfriends bone stock WRX a lot more. The CTR is only fun when pushing it. Normal driving it feels slow. Her car feels so much more responsive in daily driving conditions. A tune will make it even better. Also the steering in my CTR always feels like there's play on center. I always found this strange after all the praise it gets for precision steering. I still love the way it looks and it is a great car but it just needs a little more I guess.

Would a custom tune improve things a bit? Any idea if rigid collars will help the steering?
It's TRUE but note the civic is front wheel drive and more of a track car than a drag race car that wrx will feel much more powerful in normal driving and stop light racing
 
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ExVTEC

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My gf wants to go stage one. She doesn't drag race or rev to 6500 she just like the extra power. Do you think the MAP stage 1 is too risky?

Sure, the MAP stage 1 made the power much more linear. It pulled from 3,500 to 6,500 nicely and the top end power was much more noticeable, though the bottom end power did feel weaker. I enjoyed the stage 1 much more than stock but stock was perceived faster due to that lump of power and torque at 4k. I still have the tuner but I just wanted to move back to stock until the car is paid off. I suppose the fa20 is reliable enough but I figured I'd rather be safer than poorer for the time being. If we keep the wrx (the new sti might call very loudly though), I'm going to just build the bottom end and increase boost a tad looking for 350/350 to the wheels.

The wrx is not a bad car and I do enjoy it but the ctr is the better experience in almost all categories.
 

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After using Hondaā€™s gearbox across multiple generations of cars, thereā€™s no way I could live with owning a Subaru.
 
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Superfly

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I own a 2019 WRX STi and a CTR. Both are good but the CTR wins hands down in every category except snow driving but my CTR doesnā€™t come out of the garage unless itā€™s nice out.
 


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ExVTEC

ExVTEC

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Is the gas mileage in the STI as horrible as they say it is or do people exaggerate? I was looking at one today.

I own a 2019 WRX STi and a CTR. Both are good but the CTR wins hands down in every category except snow driving but my CTR doesnā€™t come out of the garage unless itā€™s nice out.
 

krees

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My gf wants to go stage one. She doesn't drag race or rev to 6500 she just like the extra power. Do you think the MAP stage 1 is too risky?
If you aren't hitting 6,500 rpms, it would likely feel like a downgrade. My wife says the car feels faster with the stock map vs the stage 1, and she's right because of the way she drives. She rarely goes past 5k so she never actually hits the flat spot after between 5k and redline, which is what the stage 1 solves. To her, there is no issue in the stock map and under 5k, the stock map outperforms the stage 1 map in my unqualified opinion.

I think you could save the cash and not miss much.

I don't think the map stage 1 is all that aggressive, and to me, since the stage 1 doesn't have the same massive torque hit at 4k as the stock tune does, I'd expect the stage 1 to be a bit easier on the rotating assembly.

If my wife didn't like the stock map so much, I'd tune again. Really, the only reason I flashed back to stock is I am moving the family across country so I'm mitigating risk a bit. Once we get settled, we're going full bolt ons and custom tune.
 
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Hollywoo0220

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Suburu will be coming out with the next Gen for the WRX line in the next year (so I understand). Perhaps wait ā€˜till then to see improvement.
Perhaps go with a GenII GTX2867R or 71R if you want more top end. Itā€™s about the perfect turbo for a 2.0L if you wish for better street ability. Intercooler of course and Clutch upgrade.
 

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Yes, the mpg is as bad as people say on the STI.
 

BrokeCTROwner

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Is the gas mileage in the STI as horrible as they say it is or do people exaggerate? I was looking at one today.
Yes, I had a 15 STI bone stock and I was lucky to get 17mpg freeway driving. Also an STI will not have the responsiveness of a wrx the STI was so slow and boring in low rpms and even in boost it wasnā€™t all that exciting especially compared to the CTR hell my 02 V6 Altima was more fun to ring out than the STI and just as fast
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