apexjapan Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 This will be shorter than originally intended - just some notes till I have time to write it up properly. Some night shots coming as well. Hit the mountain last night. Just went through the 1000km checkup and did the first oil change. Had them check the clutch and the front brakes, little worries there but they checked out ok, though they adjusted the clutch and it does feel better. It is too quiet. I miss the boxer beat a bit, the new setup is great for power and response, but aural fulfillment is lacking a bit. Making up for it is the fantastic growl from the engine above 4000rpm, when the AVCS is over on something rippingly aggressive, and the new short, straight air intake system allows more induction whoooooaam through. Midrange grunt is excellent. Instead of leaving it in second gear through the course as I was wont to do, I left it in third gear, and despite having as tall or taller gearing, did not feel a lack of power. Pulls like a freight train when above 3500rpm. Actually, when I did try second gear, it pulled a bit too hard, I reckon I have to leave that for a race track and real sticky rubber. Combination of better rubber, RE050A's vs. Pirelli Pzero Nero's, and better suspension geometry had me within 5km/h of my old RSK corner speeds. That is an amazing accomplishment, for we are talking a car with springs, front and rear stabilizer bars, stabilinks, ALK, and an aggressive alignment setting vs. pure unadulterated stock. Even getting a more aggressive alignment alone would possibly have me going faster than the old car. I ended up chasing down an Evo 7 on the course. This is after about a 20 second head start on his own part. It is not absolutely ideal. A little lower and a bit more damping would increase confidence levels. But the setup is darn near perfect for real world roads, comfortable both on the commute and in the twisties. Front/rear balance is very good, with a touch of confidence-inspiring understeer. I could feel it quite well when I aced an apex, the front tyres would grip like crazy and it would just go in like it was crazy glued to the road. My neck got sore. The brakes are excellent. On par with my old 4-pot caliper setup when I had good race pads in it. That tall looking shifter is ideally setup for sporty driving. When you want to downshift right before the corner, it is quick to hand and easy to slot into gear. Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 thank you paul. this sounds very good. you are close to creating a new genre- carporn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Awesome, Paul. -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 [quote name='jk']thank you paul. this sounds very good. you are close to creating a new genre- carporn.[/quote] I believe Speed Channel calls that Autorotica. ;) Great words Paul, we'll be watching out for those pics. Just more tidbits to tidy us over til we see ours, which of course can't come soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Some photos... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ha-evolution Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 OMG - that second picture nearly does approach carporn. :o :o :o :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Zevil Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Wow, I had almost ruled out blue in favor of silver, but those pics at night are just incredible! Post more!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ha-evolution Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Blue rules! Silver's nice but kind of boring. I see Paul skipped the leather. The fabric actually looks nice. I won't feel so bad passing on the limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axis008 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Okay, the verdict is here. The Legacy is the best car ever! :D That interior picture is AMAZING! Wow.. Do you have a higher resolution picture of the interior? I'm thinking of using that to replace my desktop (yes, my Adriana Lima wallpaper :o ). -ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ha-evolution Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 We are all waiting for high res pics from Paul but it looks like his time is being occupied enjoying his new Legacy. We forgive you - the pics are great even at low res. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerdave Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Beautiful! Is that the same seats/cloth we'll get in the USDM GT's?? I hope so. :) Otherwise I might have to retrofit JDM stuff... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 [quote name='racerdave']Beautiful! Is that the same seats/cloth we'll get in the USDM GT's?? I hope so. :) Otherwise I might have to retrofit JDM stuff... :)[/quote] I'm pretty sure we're getting different seats (for the heavier Americans..). Hopefully I'm wrong though. :D -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ha-evolution Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Fabric "should" be the same though - maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P2x Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I think USDM is also just one color as opposed to two tone in that pic. Dunno about the type of cloth though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 [quote name='ha-evolution']Fabric "should" be the same though - maybe?[/quote] Yeah good possibility of the fabric being the same. -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I believe cloth will be the same. I agree, blue back up high on my list now. Only Paul gets us the goods. Those other shots are crap! :lol: Those pics are almost orgasmic! I need to go to Subaholics Anonymous. :mrgreen: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axis008 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I need to go to Subaholics Anonymous. :mrgreen: Seriously, we all do. In fact I got bored. So I wondered, what if... -ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Look at the speedo! :o Car's doing 180km/h without the driver! Or is that a backseat driver? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSB Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 It's a magic glove!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Oh, yeah, right, sorta like the glove of darth vader or something. Got ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSB Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Maybe the evil dead, racing the car through the trees in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Very Tasty Paul, well done. Cant belive that u actually got the opportunity to drag yrself away from the car to type up that report. Keep the flag flying and give those EVO's heaps! PS Looks like the car fits like a glove (very bad I know, sorry guys) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Some more notes: Re: photos I think that it is worth noting here that most digital cameras do not take accurate color pics, even when adjusted to the nth degree. The main reason my pics are coming out better is because of light to heavy color, contrast, curves, and hue/saturation adjustment. I have made them as close as possible, but various factors including the quality of the camera prevent a 100% fit. Still, I do my best to convey the impact of the actual colors to the best of my (limited) abilities. For instance, the interior actually has a bit more yellow and greens than I am happy with, but since I forgot to take the pictures in Raw .nef format, I lacked the total control I would need to edit it out -if it was even possible. The blue was a bit better, but realistically, if you were seeing it through my eyes that night, there would be far more detail available all around. I do not go quite so far as the full photoshop jobs that the ad agencies create (though that has been my job in my day job), but to do that, realistically a much better camera and cameraman would be needed for the initial step. Plus it would be shot in film and then scanned in on a proper drum scanner with much, much better digital color correction. Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Re: Seats The cloth material in the side bolsters of the seats is of the same material of the STi seats - a very tight, heavy weave that almost looks/feels like plastic, but is a very pleasant and easy to maintain cloth mixture of some sort. I am very happy with it, but that does not preclude me putting in some STi seats for additional bolstering. I had my doubts towards the centre console before with the sliding door over the cup holders, but now I like it very much. The non-slip rubber used for that door is very adept at holding change in place when you need to keep it at hand, and when it is opened it is a useful spot to stick other items, like your wallet or portable phone. The shifter has changed my opinion towards short shift kits. My previous legacies had had them, but in this case, I think I want to keep it just as it is. When I did want to downshift, it came to hand very quickly and intuitively. I never had to reach for throws, and it slotted in to the correct gears without fail. It is an evolution of the previous transmissions, in that it is not overly precise. I still feel it is more comfortable and easy to use than the STi 6-speed transmission. I have to admit I am not sure on how strong it is. This is not a vote of non-confidence, what that means is that I still do not have the desire to dump the clutch from hi-rpm's on my personal car. If I get a press car and they say go ahead, I will do it, but I find I lack any sort of desire to do so on a personal basis. Yet I know it as at least as strong as my last transmission, which is evolved much from the original USDM WRX transmission. According to Mr. 0-400, Ross, he found that the fastest times for that particular car were reached by dumping the clutch at 7000rpms, letting all 4 wheels spin (and keeping it above 5000rpm from the start till finish). I drove it afterwards, and it didn't feel any different in the least, so I have some confidence in them right now. The seats are tiny. They really are. My rather light-boned frame fits perfectly, at 6 feet and 170lbs. Imagine Edward Norton before History X. It is a shame that the USDM seats may not be that heavily bolstered, but I think it is partially because they ran out of room between console/door for good bolstering with long-distance comfort. To be honest, the HID's on my car were not amazing. I did not notice a big difference between them and the previous RSK, and in fact, they felt to have a shorter cut-off distance, even when adjusted up to the point other motorists wanted to throw bricks at me. Hi-beams were non-HID, so no real difference there between HID/non-HID. The foglamps are spectacular, bright and with a good cut-off. There is an option for them that I have not worked out, possibly for use when it is actually foggy? ;) The steering wheel is near perfect in placement for me - medium length torso, 32 inseam legs, 6-foot finger tip to finger tip arms. It does not telescope, but is adjustable for height. You sit about 5mm lower than in the previous RSK of mine, which was lower than the earlier B4's by a good amount. It is still taller than the Recaro, and the view out was spot on for me with the seat all the way down. The seat is adjustable for height, back rake, bottom of the seat angle, forward and rear. No memory controls, but was rather easy to get to my preference. Pedals are not as offset as much in the past. The brake pedal is now easier to reach for left-foot braking, and heel-toe is as useful as ever. Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Handling behaviour: In GT form, it is very benign with good turn-in at corner entry, quick reflexes and very little wobble of any sort. In quick esses, I no longer had to brake to get grip from the front upon entry of the second or third ess, just kept good control of the throttle and powered on through. Like a good RWD setup in that regard. When I did go through a corner too quick at one point, the car went went into a front-biased 4 wheel drift with not a whiff of snap oversteer. It was a near perfect drift with full braking and throttle control at every point. As long as you do not exceed the limits of physics, it is quite chuckable with little worries. Front/rear tyre wear was quite even, with roughly the same temperatures from the front and rear tyres. Brakes were equally balanced, with the rear staying in perfect line with the fronts. While I did not do any incredibly heavy braking, they will certainly be up to any street duty in their present form, and would be literally track ready with some race pads and mesh braking lines. A large part of the handling equation is the new-found resistance to squat and dive. This removes a lot of play out of the suspension when you are on the throttle/brakes in the corners. It is more forgiving than Mother Theresa because of this, and is possibly the most valuable upgrade from previous Legacies. To reach this point with my previous RSK involved complete front and rear ARB upgrades along with pillow ball stabilizer bar links and an Anti-lift Kit in the front. That this is the starting point with the car is amazing, and creates a great base for tuning. As a matter of fact, tuning may be something more important in America than in Japan. Out of the box, the base Legacy GT turbo is a better car than 90% of it's owners. It does have enough capability, from rubber, suspension and engine, to make a drive between it and STi/Evo owners a test of driver skill. Both the STi and Evo are ultimately faster - on bigger and much stickier rubber. I would be interested in a back to back on equal rubber between the three, I have a feeling it would be closer than STi would like to admit to. Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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