subiedoo415 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Question for LGT owners - would you buy the car again knowing about the stutter issue? I currently have an 08 2.5i Limited but have been lurking the board now for the past year or so...I've been trying to figure out if I want to get a GT but am worried about all the stutter issues I've been reading about... Last month I test drove an 08 Spec B and and 09 LGT 5EAT - really liked them both (leaning toward the 5EAT though because I live in hilly SF). Anyways - I didn't experience any noticeable stutter in either... I guess my question is if the stutter is something that is going to develop over time is it something thats going to drive me nuts and make me regret upgrading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yes, I would buy it again. Stutter is resolved by Cobb tune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacyurabus Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 what do u mean by stutter? Turbo lag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B. Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 i do not have the stutter. had it once in over two years and it was 9 months ago. it is LEARNED. how you ask? quit getting heavy boost then letting off at the 3-4k mark cause it's too much boost. either don't press as hard or just commit to what you did. i do not have it at all. the one time i did was with a cobb a/p. reset ecu and it was gone and never came back. never had it stock either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yes, I would buy it again. Stutter is resolved by Cobb tune +1 same with a stg 2 protune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbrjason Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I had the stutter issue. It was resolved with a dealer reflash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTATV Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I never even had a stutter with mine but even if I did I would still buy. It's a minimal issue. The dealer will reflash for free, better yet, a stage I tune requires no mode and will give you an extra 30hp at the Same time stopping the stutter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wengermi Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 i had it once on the highway while going to the dealer to get it reflashed. after that i haven't had it again. my car only has a spt cat back exhaust and intake with heat shield that came with the car from day 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTATV Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Remember it isn't an issue at all if you plan to mid your car. I forget the details of it but there is a flat spot of "0" 's in the code Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonts Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 It's a non issue. Had some stutter running stock. About 99% fixed with Cobb stage 2. 100% fixed after protune. Would definitely buy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boostedsube Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP2001 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Would definitely buy again, it isnt that big of a deal. However I have cobb Stage 1 and still have it:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzo Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I had the stutter issue. It was resolved with a dealer reflash. +1. Problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP2001 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 +1. Problem solved. Just so the OP knows not all years have a dealer reflash available, only the 07 and 08's iirc. I dont think the 06's have one, I know the 05's dont Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaflight Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I would still buy, but I would have them knock at least 700 dollars off the price. I noticed the stutter issue on my '09 LGT 5EAT the very first time I accelerated. It was a special order and I really liked the car. I figured it would be easy to fix and a dealer reflash would be available. Currently, as far as I know, there are no flashes available for the '09s yet. I consider it a serious issue on my vehicle. 99% of the time, the stuttering is very mild and although I notice it, my passengers rarely notice it. But when the temperature is around 40 degrees and the conditions are just right I get a MASSIVE stutter or a SEVERE lurch. It has only done this 3 times, but each time it happened I could have had an accident. The stutter was so severe the first time that I almost hit the car in front of me. What makes this an issue is that it is INCONSISTENT; meaning that it sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't happen. That forces me to drive like my engine could explode with power at any moment but it only does it once every couple of months. Because of the severity of this issue, I tried to get the dealership to loan me an access port until they came out with a patch. I used a low-g accelerometer to measure the fluctuations in g-forces caused by the stutter issue. I found that the stutter on my vehicle is on par with the fluctuations in braking with the ABS fully engaged. In other words, the extreme shuddering as your vehicle is screeching to a halt is the same relative shuddering that one feels during acceleration. Here are some acceleration graphs that I collected: http://www.nodusus.com/lgt/stutter/1%20-%2060-0%20Hard%20Braking.gif http://www.nodusus.com/lgt/stutter/2%20-%2065-0%20Hardest%20Braking.gif http://www.nodusus.com/lgt/stutter/3%20-%20Turning%20at%20Stoplight.gif http://www.nodusus.com/lgt/stutter/4%20-%20Mild%20Stutter%20in%202nd%20Gear.gif http://www.nodusus.com/lgt/stutter/5%20-%20Simulated%20Passing.gif Here is an excerpt from my findings: Summary of Data Notice how under extreme braking, when the vehicle is at its traction limit and the Anti-Lock Braking system is kicking in, there is a variance of 0.74G between the strongest and weakest points on the graph. Since the average deceleration value is a little over 1.0G, the extreme shuddering of the vehicle due to the massive traction load is generating a 50%-75% relative fluctuation in G-Forces. Now consider the stutters on the stoplight graph. Notice how the variances of the stutters range from 0.15G to 0.20G. Since the average acceleration value for that part of the graph is 0.26G, the stuttering of the vehicle is generating a 50%-75% relative fluctuation in G-Forces. To put things in perspective, most stutters experienced while accelerating produce greater relative G-Force fluctuations than rapidly decelerating with ABS fully engaged. I wasn't planning on writing such a lengthy post, however, I was, believe it or not, on hold with the dealership to schedule a test drive to confirm the stutter issue. So, I do think it is an issue. For me it is a safety issue. For nearly 30k, I expect a vehicle that is at least tuned properly. If Subaru isn't willing to do it, then they need to cut out the cost of fixing the issue from the retail price. If I could go back in time, had I known more about the stutter issue, when I first noticed it, I would have told the dealer: "Awesome car, now knock 600-1000 dollars off the price so I can fix it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesuby Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Wouldn't disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds solve the problem? I thought most ECUs "learn" based on driving over 100 miles or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonts Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Wouldn't disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds solve the problem? I thought most ECUs "learn" based on driving over 100 miles or so. It will come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schwartzki Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I agree, that it comes back. Also my dealer said it had a reflash for my 05, because my stuttering outback was out of date. No flash for free tho, they want to charge me 90 bucks, I said id rather put it towards COBB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiedoo415 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 whoa - thanks for all the replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violhence Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Why would you trade in a 08 you recently bought and lose money like crazy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiedoo415 Posted March 7, 2009 Author Share Posted March 7, 2009 I know...financially it's a pretty poor decision. Not only depreciation, but also at least $2.5k in tax, I live in CA and they don't deduct. At first I thought I'd be alright with the NA because I only go up the mountains in the winter (in snow). But its been bugging me that the acceleration/responsiveness just isn't where I'd like it to be on the freeway - particularly in merging and passing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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