Should I sell or keep ?

I have a 2011 LGT. love its look and the turbo engine, comfortable and safe for my 2 kids !. The one thing i cannot overlook is the wobbbly shifter and the clutch response of the car. The shifter is wobbly and the throttle response slow when going from 1-2. I think LGT really delivers its keynote speech in the higher gears. I am really debating since the shifter is not at all satisfying. I have Group N transmission mount, crossmember bushing and tranny fluid changed. Should I try the STI short throw before I give up on the car ? having driven a manual Honda was really sweet and gratifying even though it was just a FWD and had no turbo engine. Having gone through this experience I have come to realize more than the power itself, its how the power is put down or used. Like the BRZ - its just not about brute force power !

will the short throw help ? any other suggestions to make the drive a little bit more gratifying ?

by the way i loved this car - drove 500 miles in about 6.5 hrs not counting the breaks during a recent road trip and the sure footedness during rain was amazing !

as you can already tell I have mixed feelings about this car

The short throw will feel a little shorter but I was dissapointed. I have the bushings and transmission mount as well. The shifter is not gonna change your mind about the car. Going from 1st gear to 2nd still kind of sucks, the rest of the gears feel better and crisper but also a little stiffer. Will wait to change to S fluid before I make any final conclusions.

The throttle can (and IMO should) be remapped. Look into a clutch damper delete to improve response of the clutch pedal. Expect a kit to become available for that shortly.

The shifter is what it is once you've gone through the bushing + fluid swap. It's never going to feel "nice".

For me personally, our Legacies have always been much more than simply their gear shift mechanism. The Hondas I have driven have their idiosyncrasies, also. If your Legacy's credit/debit sheet works out in your car's favor, you might consider keeping it. There is no perfect car...

Good luck in your decision.
Byll

Originally Posted by Byll

For me personally, our Legacies have always been much more than simply their gear shift mechanism. The Hondas I have driven have their idiosyncrasies, also. If your Legacy's credit/debit sheet works out in your car's favor, you might consider keeping it. There is no perfect car...

Good luck in your decision.
Byll

This.

The fact is the shifter just isn't sexy and never will be barring a vendor with cable linkage experience stepping in with something aftermarket. It can be done, but it's unlikely. The forum has collectively tried to engage a few companies before.

That said, these cars shine in other ways. For example, you don't NEED to shift due to having torque all over the map. It took me a while to realize she doesn't need nor want to be run hot. The joy of this car comes from judicious application of the other two pedals... Get comfortable with how the weight shifts along with a new ECU map and it's a whole new ballgame.

And remember, there were only, what, 200 or so LGT's built in 2011? (My search option not working right now for some reason) I'd keep it just for that fact alone.

Just do a STI 6 speed swap with DCCD.

Stage I makes a huge difference. The first two gears severely limited stock and come alive. Throttle control is also greatly improved. The car is transformed. Have you changed the 6MT and rear diff fluid with either ExtraS or synthetic? This will greatly improve the notchyness. Maybe give that a go first?

I thought the STi shifter really improved the shifting feel - it has less floppiness to it (the spring for lateral motion is definitely stronger), but the shifts aren't a whole lot shorter (somewhere on here there's a thread where they measured - I want to say something like 20-30%) - it definitely improved things for me. The downside is it's pretty expensive for what you get (well - on par with other Subaru OEM shifters, but a lot more expensive than the many aftermarket solutions available for the linkage-based 5 and 6spd transmissions.

I'd try getting the shifter and see how that feels - it's cheaper than selling the car!

Are you Stage 1? That should really improve the throttle response and make it like a different car.

I don't think the STi shifter made the gearbox much better, just shorter. It was at least "ok" You're never going to mistake it for an S2000.

Between the shifter, stock suspension, and flat seats, I think it's going to be hard to make the driving experience more gratifying. More boost helps though

I also have a 2011 LGT. Clutch is really heavy compared to the WRx or STi. That is the only thing that bothers me. Other than that I just love my car. I say keep it

To bad someone on here doesn't have a machine shop and time. The Diesel Geek short shifter kits for VW cable shifters are literally just new shifter levers at the trans.
http://www.dieselgeek.com/6_Speed_VW.../ss-sigma6.htm

I haven't seen how ours are mounted, but I can't see it being much different.

Originally Posted by minuccims

Stage I makes a huge difference. The first two gears severely limited stock and come alive. Throttle control is also greatly improved. The car is transformed. Have you changed the 6MT and rear diff fluid with either ExtraS or synthetic? This will greatly improve the notchyness. Maybe give that a go first?

Nope not on Stage 1. how much more torque/HP are we talking about when I goto Stage 1 ? Could you point me to the cost and link to the kit ? How much MPGs are you getting with a stage 1 ?

A lot. 60-80 wtq.

You're in the wrong car to be worrying about MPG's...

Theoretically you get better mileage due to optimal AFR. Actual mileage depends on how heavy your foot is.

Go stage 1 before you even think of selling. Also full boost is unlocked in first 2 gears so even with 91 octane map there is a world of difference.

p.s. I love my KW V3s