JaySmurff Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Hi my names Josh and im new to the forum here. This looked like a good friendly place for subaru owners and figured I would join up. Anyways I own a 97' 2.2l Subaru Impreza 5 speed with about 72,500 miles. Love the car to death. Boxer engine, AWD, low center of gravity all features I'm sure most Subaru owners have come to love. However I have a few questions regarding my driving, I more or less have two conflicting attitudes towards driving, first being my love for driving somewhat sporty, more or less the "fun" aspect of driving. The second being concern for the car hoping I get the most life out of it. I acquired the car used and have driven roughly 1,500 miles so far, I know the previous owner took excellent care of the vechical. I generally shift somewhere between 3,000 - 4,000 rpms but at times have seen myself going as high as 5,000 - 6,000 (I would NEVER redline) would shifting in this sporty fashion ware the engine more? Also on the highway I HAVE taken the car to I believe 95 MPH, This is not something I like doing and have only taken it that high once or twice my question is whether or not this would do any car damage. Don't get me wrong I'm normally a very conservative driver, just on rare occasions I sometimes get excited in driving such a fun little car. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but hey... I love this car and want to keep it running nice for as long as I can. Anyone with the knowledge care to enlighten me? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnan Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Welcome, Josh! Driving style - now that's a real Jekyll & Hyde issue. I find that I drive much more conservatively when I have a passenger in the car... In general, higher RPMs imply more engine wear. Unless, of course, you are lugging it in a low gear, in which case you are hurting the engine by not shifting. Going 95 MPH on the freeway represents a moderate load so I wouldn't be too concerned. I would worry that my brakes, suspension and steering are in top shape. Engines are most efficient at their torque peak as that represents the best breathing point. Ideally, we should all be keeping our engines there but that's not practical. I would say that shifting between 3000 and 4000 is fine (a bit higher than I would, personally) if you are good with the clutch. Winding it up once in a while is okay too and in fact helps blow out carbon buildup. My BMW 535 manual actually says that the engine should be run above 4000 for a mile or so to clean it out. A driving machine should be enjoyed, responsibly. I drive my 535 typically shifting around 2500 RPM but every now and then, the devil makes me wind her up to 4500 before shifting. That engine comes on the cam at 4400 and there is a definite "kick" at that point. Regards, Adnan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaySmurff Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Thanks for the reply Adnan! Makes a lot of sense, after 2nd thought I realized I normally shift 2500-3000, 4000 is a bit of a stretch when talking about my "normal" driving. I do have a follow up on my 95 MPH highway question though. Today I was doing about that and as I gently hit the breaks to slow down a little for the exit, but the brakes sort of "rumbled" I was concerned so I tried to do it as gently as possible but the rumble continued to the stop at the light. After I accelerated from the light I didn't have any problem and the brakes were fine. Just wondering what exactly was going on there and whether or not I should look into something with my brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBrat84 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Today I was doing about that and as I gently hit the breaks to slow down a little for the exit, but the brakes sort of "rumbled" I was concerned so I tried to do it as gently as possible but the rumble continued to the stop at the light. After I accelerated from the light I didn't have any problem and the brakes were fine. Just wondering what exactly was going on there and whether or not I should look into something with my brakes. Could be a slightly warped rotor or something... or it might've just got kinda hot.. keep an eye on it.. if you start noticing it a lot it's probably the rotors... Here's a 98 2.5 GT: It was running good until my fiance' did this to it: Watch out for those telephone poles! They jump out at ya! It still runs... but I wouldn't drive it! Subaru's are tough! You sound like you "baby" your car enough to get a lot of life out of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobmater Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 yes subaru's are tough, of course my wagon has a smaller engine and is quite a bit different than yours, it hurts a lot more to lug then to rev, now of course, i'm not talking redline'n, just around 3 to 4,000. thats generally when i shift. and have fun in your roo:) o ya, and welcome aboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaySmurff Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Thanks for the help guys! rofl@the 120+ mph pic, it certainly eases my mind a bit. sorry about the car though hope you get her fixed up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n16ht5 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 i have a 98 obs 2.2 5spd. i love it, but my car doesnt even want to do over 80 :-///... whats wrong with it?? it doesnt want to pull at all after 80. even the 03 civic EX i drive goes right up to the governer at 120 and would still go if it wernet there.. my 98 2.2 obs 5spd barely pushes 110 or so.... :-\ hmm.. it has a lot more engine than the civic.. what gives? all that I have done to it is put a new muffler on. and its a way less restrictive muffler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camosuba Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 they love a thrashing mine gets the red line regularly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 92 Legacy wagon (6 years older than yours, and heavier) with the same engine as you have (almost, yours has a bit higher HP) still makes 120MPH (on a clear straight level road at 3:00AM). I have redlined often, but the car will not go beyond safe engine speeds. The ECU (built in engine computer) sees to that. It cuts fuel at redline to prevent going over. Keep the oil changed (3K miles interval, always use a new filter) and do not beat on it too often, and the car will last a good many miles. Mine already has close to 175K miles on it. I started a year ago with 130K. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Jay, don't sweat it! The only thing to keep in mind is not to "race" a cold engine. Until the temp needle is up to the normal point - just below halfway - I never use more than half throttle or 4000rpm. By the way, 4000rpm is nothing, your engine just loves it! My Legacy's 2.2 engine saw 6500rpm daily. It's still running, a friend of mine bought and it's well past 200k miles now. My 2.0 Impreza sees 6000rpm daily too. As the others on the board have said, lugging is the biggest danger. Don't ask your engine to work/accelerate below 2500rpm in fifth gear. In general, keep the revs above 2000rpm in anything other than 1st and 2nd. Cruising on flat ground in 3rd at 1500rpm is ok too, but don't open the throttle up suddenly if you want to gain speed. A smooth progressive opening will avoid lugging. Blah..blah..blah...I hope what I say makes some sense. Bottom line is that these engines thrive on revs and last a long time. Oil and filter changes are a must, be sure to fill the new filter will oil before mounting it. Keep an eye on coolant and gearbox oil levels too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Back to the brakes... if you have ABS brakes then slowing at a fairly high rate of speed will make the brakes sort of "rumble"... they will also do it on slick surfaces. It's normal. My Baja is the first car I have ever owned with them. Scared the heart out of me the first time I tried stopping quick with them. Quite frankly, I'd rather lock and recover. Ahhh, I have learned to practice the fine art of downshifting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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