Is350 Vs Wrx Sti

[dfoolio]

Can an is350 beat an sti? my manager just got an sti, and i drive an is350 with the luxury package.. he's never had an sti and keeps talkin a lot of crap about it being faster.. i never bought the is350 with racing in mind.. i just loved the car, the luxury and everything.. but i want to show him up so i got a few questions:

1. if i were to race him, does pushing the power button do anything to improve off the line speed? (the one that gives more power i think when traveling up hills and such, to the bottom right of the steering wheel to the left of the console)

2. Should I keep it automatic, shift with the stick, or the speed paddles? does it make a difference?

3. When should I shift? I can set the red line color in my rpms to direct my shifting, but im not sure where the sweet spots r in each gear to shift.. I also notice that the shifting (with the paddles at least I havent tried the stick) there is a slight delay between hitting the paddle and the car actually changing gear, can someone please help?

I want him to eat his words up.. on paper its very close, he's got me beat .41 seconds on the quarter mile, and .21 seconds on the 0 - 60. So it's going to be all driver.. please help me beat him! Thanks in advanced.

[Sidney07]

The cars are quite close on paper, and in a straight line, it would be a great race, so let us know what happens. Are you racing on a straight or are there turns involved?

BTW YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS ON A TRACK RIGHT?!

I'm thinking you'd be a tick slower using the paddles. You might be faster using the stick. You ought to practice just to see if you can drop you times shifing yourself.

As for me...well, the STI is based on a world rally car. The IS isn't. It's not a dragster though. The car's strengths are on a track or on the dirt. Have you sat in his STI? Worlds different than the IS. NO comparison as far as luxury is concerned. If it's wet out, you'll get smoked. Dry, straight line, I'm thinking you could take him.

Does he have any mods yet. STI guys love to make their cars even faster right after they get them, so check out his engine bay for anything that doesn't look stock.

Having said all this, and guys on this forum know I'm kind of partial to Subaru's ;) , I hope you take him. Lots of cocky WRX drivers out there, mostly young punks. They need to be humbled once and a while.

[bartkat]

Turn off the VDIM so TRAC doesn't bog you down, turn ECT Power on, and go at it letting the car shift for itself.

[LS400_Fan]

2006 IS350 vs 2006 WRX STI is gonna = STI beating you no matter what you do UNLESS they really don't know how to drive stick.

I looked it up for you and real world 1/4 times for your IS is in the 13.8-14.2 range based on driver abilitiy and the STI is more in the 13.3-13.6 range THAT'S A LOT.

So hope that he doesn't know how to drive and you might have a chance :)

[Rx330driver]

okay, im kinda confused about your debate about using the paddles and the "stick". i thought the IS350 came in auto with paddle shifters...

anyways...unless you drive a new bmw 3?? coupe, then dont use the paddle shifters because the lag is too much. you'd be surprised how much crisper it is by just flooring.

1) power button, leave it on.

2) remove spare tire and drivers seat carpet incase its blocking the pedal from reaching the floor

3) VDIM needs to be turned off

i think you have a chance. Im pretty sure hes not going to be some professional driver who can shift at the right spot with really really fast feet. unles your a pro, autos will shift better.

while were on the subject, why doesnt lexus cars have kick down buttons?

[turbolexus21]

i think u will get him it will all depend on how u guys drive

[LS400_Fan]

No offense to the previous poster but STI owners tend to be car enthusiasts who know how to drive so i wouldn't look for him to be missing gears or smoking the tires off the line.

[CrunchySkippy]

The STI is a hot car, no doubt about it.

Taking him might depend on a number of factors falling in your favor. Some other tips that come to mind (a-la the spare tire removal for weight savings) is to:

[1] Double check to make sure your AC is off.

[2] Check all 4 tires for correct pressure.

[3] Have your tires hot or at least warm. (You'll be at a distinct disadvantage with RWD).

[4] Heck, it couldn't hurt to have your windows rolled up (although unlikely to make much of a difference)

I can't stress how important it is to do this at a track day. First for the safey aspect, but also to keep the race legitimate. I.E. rolling starts, false starts, even posted times to determine how much the winner took it by.

Lastly, I've personally seen (and experienced some) damage drive trains, engines, and even body damage while drag racing at a track. Just make sure you really want to take the risk. I'd probably just congratulate him on his published numbers and then offer to take him on a smooth, quiet ride at 65 mph to show him some of the features where the IS exceeds the STI hands down. Start with the AC seats...

[juno_reaction]

I say neither. RX7 Twin Turbo will kill anyone! ANYONE!! My friend has a third gen., and although he's gone through 4 engines, I've seen him beat an 03 C4S. W/O NOS needless to say :) Amazing car.

[wiggy]

You would lose to the STI in my opinion, unless he doesn't get a good start. It's probably a couple of hundred pounds or so lighter because of the luxury features of the IS (picture having an above average size guy sitting next to you if the cars weighed the same, this would slow you down quite a bit). The IS engine might produce a few more HP, but the STI was meant more for speed, and the IS is still a luxury car. Your only shot would be if he spins his tires at the start, or is a bad shifter. Please do it safely and on a track too, if you are going to do it. Good luck, but I wouldn't expect to win (especially if his car has been modified).

[thatonejewishguy]

An STI is a rally car and designed for enthusiasts. the 0-60 on the STI is 4.8 stock if the drive is capable of shifting properly, don't plan on beating an STI in an stock IS 350. right now I'm looking into new car to purchase during the summer and my best friend's car is an STI so of course most of my specs for the cars that i'm considering are compared to the STI. the STI isn't in the same class as the IS 350 which is why you'll get beaten. again the sti is an all wheel drive turbo powered b4 motor, the car's designed to be able to able to take high rpm drops and handle corners and turns like a dream, while the lexus IS is a luxury car and although it does have a larger engine and about 50hp less stock the tuning (unless u bought the sports package) is tuned to be more economical. and although his car might be faster you have to consider that the lack of speed is probably worth the luxuries you get. i love subaru's and believe they're well made cars but the STI is a performance car and you dont really stand a chance unless the driver can't shift.

out of all of the other cars i'm considering the only one that can really even compare to the STI is the new 335i which has a 0-60 close to the sti.

[Sidney07]

So we're all waiting...did you race him?

[Rx330driver]

my guess is he left, still one post from him only...lol

[Manolo1]

out of all of the other cars i'm considering the only one that can really even compare to the STI is the new 335i which has a 0-60 close to the sti.

I recently tested my IS350 against a 4D 335 and the 335 was slightly faster, just slightly.

In 0-60 I believe both cars to be equal or perhaps the IS may be a tiny faster, but after that the 335 starts passing the IS and keeps on going. in the 1/4 mile it should be some tenths faster, don't know how much.

If the STI is close to the 335, then it is not that far from the IS.

In any case the STI should win in most cases.

The fastest way to drive the IS is in full automatic. Has anyone read the comparison in Road and Track four months ago?

Their IS had a 0-60 of 4.9 ...!

It must have been a "factory special".....

Just my two pesos...

[StupidDent]

as some have posted, on paper, the STi will take you... close, but it will...