MYP 21" Ride Comfort vs Subaru WRX (and swapping 21" fronts for 21" rears for square set)

[Apathy]

Hi, I ordered a MYP and I'm hoping to take delivery in the next one to two months. I currently drive a 2015 Subaru WRX and I'm curious about the ride quality difference in going from the WRX to the MYP.

The 2015 WRX is on 17" wheels and has been wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4s and also the AS3 and AS4. The ride in my WRX is pretty good for what I'd expect to feel in a car that provides good feedback of the road.

I've read lots of people talk about the 21" on the MYP being a bit rough, but I'm curious if anyone has any experience going from a WRX or STI that can tell me how it compares. I like feeling the bumps, makes me feel safer knowing the conditions of the road.

I have already ordered the 19" 9.5 Replica R241 wheels for a set of Hakkapellita winter tires, and I'm wondering if I'm just going to stick with those rims and get some AS4s or maybe a good summer tire that fits the 19" set. From what I've read, the handling improves with a square set of wheels, and I'm all about that.

I also wondering if anyone has done a square set of wheels with the 21" and just swapped them with someone else. If everyone did this, you'd have 50% of all MYP with the larger set from the back and 50% with the smaller set from the front driving around. Does this even make sense to consider? Let me know your thoughts.

Also, WTT front set of stock/OEM 21” wheels and tires for your rear set giving us both a square set of wheels. Does anyone know if the backs fit the front and vice versa? I've been wondering this for awhile.

 

[804son]

I've got a 2018 WRX, and a 2021 MYP, so I think I can give you a pretty good idea of the comparison of the two. The WRX is running on 245/40/18 Michelin PS4's and it's pretty stiff and you're right it gives you a feel of all the road imperfections and bumps. All in all though We had it on 2 long road trips this summer, each trip over 1,500 miles and I can say it wasn't bad at and didn't bother me. The MYP with the 21" Uberturbines actually feels a bit smoother and I think a little bit softer than the WRX, It still feels very planted to the road and has good feedback of road conditions and surface, but not quite as hard as the WRX. If you enjoy your WRX, I'm sure you will also enjoy the MYP.
I'm running 245/45/19 Continental Viking's for the winter and those are softer as expected that the 21" Uberturbines. I don't feel that I would want to run 19"s with sport tires during the summer, maybe 20's.

 

[tm1v2]

Do a test drive! Plan out your route in advance to include all the bumpy, uneven, and twisty roads you want.

Years ago I had a 2010 STI Special Edition with mild suspension mods - aftermarket sway bars and lots of Group-N mounts & bushings. In the summer I ran the stock 245/40R18 tire size on the stock 18x8.5 wheels. Sold that car many years ago, haven't had anything like it since, but it'll always be firmly in my mind.

You will certainly feel any bumps in an MYP. The MYLR I test drove recently (I forget which wheels) felt way overly busy. To me it was unnecessary and out of character in a crossover to feel every bit of road texture and jostle around for much of it. Between that and the highway wind noise, I actually rejected the Model Y outright from my car purchase decision.

Now, I've definitely gotten older and softer and fatter since owning that STI. I'm probably more sensitive to ride quality than I used to be, and I'm not saying the MYLR was *worse* riding than my STI - it's been too many years to give a direct comparison. But the MYLR ride quality (I didn't test a MYP) was easily the worst of every vehicle I tested in this recent car search. I didn't push the MYLR as hard as I did some cars I tested - the MYLR just didn't call to me that way, and also traffic was picking up (poor test drive timing) - but I don't think it has the handling payoff for its ride quality that my STI had.

TL;DR though is test drive! Only you can tell if you'll like it or not. I will say the Model Y seating is very roomy and comfortable front & back, and visibility is straight up excellent, it was best of everything we tested in both regards. I really liked the Y just sitting in it, but was disappointed in the refinement as soon as I got underway.

 

[Apathy]

I've got a 2018 WRX, and a 2021 MYP, so I think I can give you a pretty good idea of the comparison of the two. The WRX is running on 245/40/18 Michelin PS4's and it's pretty stiff and you're right it gives you a feel of all the road imperfections and bumps. All in all though We had it on 2 long road trips this summer, each trip over 1,500 miles and I can say it wasn't bad at and didn't bother me. The MYP with the 21" Uberturbines actually feels a bit smoother and I think a little bit softer than the WRX, It still feels very planted to the road and has good feedback of road conditions and surface, but not quite as hard as the WRX. If you enjoy your WRX, I'm sure you will also enjoy the MYP.
I'm running 245/45/19 Continental Viking's for the winter and those are softer as expected that the 21" Uberturbines. I don't feel that I would want to run 19"s with sport tires during the summer, maybe 20's.

Thanks for the response.

That's about what I was hoping for in terms of ride quality. I could do with a slightly less rough ride than the WRX. The 21s just don't seem practical because of the staggered setup that reduces handling when compared to a square set.

Why not the 19s though for summer? The look of the 21s is that good?

I'm trying to get a set of the Hakkapellita R3 SUV XL tires for the 255/45/19 size, but I can't find SUV, only R3 XL, and I'm not sure if those are good enough for the load rating. I'm starting to get confused by tires sizes. Are they matched to the wheel or the car itself and the space that is available to fit the tire?

 

[Apathy]

Do a test drive! Plan out your route in advance to include all the bumpy, uneven, and twisty roads you want.

Years ago I had a 2010 STI Special Edition with mild suspension mods - aftermarket sway bars and lots of Group-N mounts & bushings. In the summer I ran the stock 245/40R18 tire size on the stock 18x8.5 wheels. Sold that car many years ago, haven't had anything like it since, but it'll always be firmly in my mind.

You will certainly feel any bumps in an MYP. The MYLR I test drove recently (I forget which wheels) felt way overly busy. To me it was unnecessary and out of character in a crossover to feel every bit of road texture and jostle around for much of it. Between that and the highway wind noise, I actually rejected the Model Y outright from my car purchase decision.

Now, I've definitely gotten older and softer and fatter since owning that STI. I'm probably more sensitive to ride quality than I used to be, and I'm not saying the MYLR was *worse* riding than my STI - it's been too many years to give a direct comparison. But the MYLR ride quality (I didn't test a MYP) was easily the worst of every vehicle I tested in this recent car search. I didn't push the MYLR as hard as I did some cars I tested - the MYLR just didn't call to me that way, and also traffic was picking up (poor test drive timing) - but I don't think it has the handling payoff for its ride quality that my STI had.

TL;DR though is test drive! Only you can tell if you'll like it or not. I will say the Model Y seating is very roomy and comfortable front & back, and visibility is straight up excellent, it was best of everything we tested in both regards. I really liked the Y just sitting in it, but was disappointed in the refinement as soon as I got underway.

Nothing beats the visibility in a Subaru. They've just got things figured out. Unfortunately there are no performances available to test drive.

 

[tm1v2]

Nothing beats the visibility in a Subaru. They've just got things figured out. Unfortunately there are no performances available to test drive.

I think it's worth testing a MYLR then, and extrapolating.

For Model 3 I did test M3LR and then M3P, a few days apart. The ride & handling difference felt right in line with the wheel+tire difference, nothing more. In other words, for the Model 3 the M3P suspension is simply lower than the M3LR suspension, it is not sportier or better in any meaningful way.

While I didn't drive an MYP, I'm pretty sure the same is true for MYP vs MYLR suspension - the difference is basically just ride height. So you can extrapolate ride & handling from one to the other pretty easily.

 

[804son]

Nothing beats the visibility in a Subaru. They've just got things figured out. Unfortunately there are no performances available to test drive.

The wife just loves the look of the 21's and I believe the cornering performance of the 21's will just be far superior to that of 19's even with Sport tires.

 

[Apathy]

I think it's worth testing a MYLR then, and extrapolating.

For Model 3 I did test M3LR and then M3P, a few days apart. The ride & handling difference felt right in line with the wheel+tire difference, nothing more. In other words, for the Model 3 the M3P suspension is simply lower than the M3LR suspension, it is not sportier or better in any meaningful way.

While I didn't drive an MYP, I'm pretty sure the same is true for MYP vs MYLR suspension - the difference is basically just ride height. So you can extrapolate ride & handling from one to the other pretty easily.

I'd have to assume that lower ride height has a direct impact on the center of gravity, which I'd also want to assume has a significant impact on handling feel. My WRX is tight and weaves in traffic incredibly well.

I'm hoping for a good experience in the MYP, but I'm aware the extra weight and height will definitely make the MYP feel less responsive and give more body roll than the WRX has (which is very little).

Maybe a sway bar is in order for the MYP?

 

[Apathy]

The wife just loves the look of the 21's and I believe the cornering performance of the 21's will just be far superior to that of 19's even with Sport tires.

I've been reading that the staggered set at 21" provides worse handling than a square set at 19" and also makes the car slower because of extra weight at 21" as well - up to nearly half a second from 0-60.

 

[thesmokingman]

I'd keep the Ubertines, then swap to 275+ on front and 305 rears, and instead get a winter set. The WRX is slightly behind the STI on skidpad, and MYP can hit a higher g than the STI.

 

[tm1v2]

I'd have to assume that lower ride height has a direct impact on the center of gravity, which I'd also want to assume has a significant impact on handling feel. My WRX is tight and weaves in traffic incredibly well.

I'm hoping for a good experience in the MYP, but I'm aware the extra weight and height will definitely make the MYP feel less responsive and give more body roll than the WRX has (which is very little).

I wish I had pushed the Model Y harder on that test drive.

I pushed the Model 3 pretty hard, enough to know even the M3P is a sloppy mess compared to my old STI, or really compared to any decently sporty car. M3P only feels sporty if you're driving casually.

MYLR ride was so firm that I wouldn't be surprised if it actually bounces around a bit less than M3LR/M3P when driven hard on twisty back roads. But I wouldn't count on it being significantly better. Compared to a WRX or STI, if you really push your car hard on uneven back roads and such, I'm pretty sure you'll be disappointed with the stock suspension.

However, if you're coming from a WRX maybe you're familiar and comfortable with suspension modding. I've seen universal praise for the ride+handling improvements from the higher-end, reputable aftermarket coilovers. I ordered a set of Redwood Motorsports Öhlins DFV coilovers in "performance sport" trim right after I placed my M3P order.

Maybe a sway bar is in order for the MYP?

Stiff swaybars will undoubtedly reduce lean, but I don't think swaybar or spring replacements will get you far on Y or 3. I'm no suspension expert, but as best I can tell the stock damping on the Model 3 is very poor even if it feels busy/stiff in casual driving. When I pushed the M3P hard the weight kept bouncing around and even crashing into the bump stops. It never settled down until I slowed down. That's why I'm going straight to aftermarket dampers (the Öhlins coilovers), even though I've never gone that far in suspension mods before.

MYP stock damping could be better, but again I doubt it's that much better.

 

[thesmokingman]

I'd have to assume that lower ride height has a direct impact on the center of gravity, which I'd also want to assume has a significant impact on handling feel. My WRX is tight and weaves in traffic incredibly well.

I'm hoping for a good experience in the MYP, but I'm aware the extra weight and height will definitely make the MYP feel less responsive and give more body roll than the WRX has (which is very little).

Maybe a sway bar is in order for the MYP?

Dude wait till you get to know the MYP before modding. MYP doesn't need sways at all as it can pull higher G's than the STI even. And it has a ridiculously low COG.

 

[804son]

I've been reading that the staggered set at 21" provides worse handling than a square set at 19" and also makes the car slower because of extra weight at 21" as well - up to nearly half a second from 0-60.

The staggered set will induce more understeer than a square set-up, plus you can't rotate, but You're going to have to push it really hard to notice those differences. If I wanted to really push it to the limit, I would go with a 20" 40 series performance tire and a square set-up. To notice any type of difference in acceleration you're going to need to drop all the way down to 18's with ultra light wheels and tires. there's just not enough weight difference to make an appreciable difference, besides the entire power curve is electronically controlled anyway, so it's going to pull about a 3.5 (approx.) from 0-60 even with lighter wheels/tires.

 

[804son]

Just my opinion, but if you're going straight for the limits of the vehicle, don't buy a Model Y. There are far superior chassis & suspension set-ups out there. But for a casual enthusiast who wants some performance and some practicality, the Model Y is hard to beat (especially the MYP).

 

[tm1v2]

Dude wait till you get to know the MYP before modding. MYP doesn't need sways at all as it can pull higher G's than the STI even. And it has a ridiculously low COG.

There's a lot more to handling than max G's on a smooth skidpad...I think that's largely just a function of tires and maybe lateral stiffness. Lots of sporty-ish cars put up big numbers stock a skidpad these days, especially if they come with aggressive performance tires.

Can my M3P pull more G's than my old STI could 100% stock down to the tires? Maybe, but the M3P doesn't hold a candle on twisty, uneven back roads.

Btw I've read some reports that older Model 3 were stiffer than 2021 refresh. Don't know if that's true or if that carries over to the Y.

 

[thesmokingman]

There's a lot more to handling than max G's on a smooth skidpad...I think that's largely just a function of tires and maybe lateral stiffness. Lots of sporty-ish cars put up big numbers stock a skidpad these days, especially if they come with aggressive performance tires.

Can my M3P pull more G's than my old STI could 100% stock down to the tires? Maybe, but the M3P doesn't hold a candle on twisty, uneven back roads.

Btw I've read some reports that older Model 3 were stiffer than 2021 refresh. Don't know if that's true or if that carries over to the Y.

Ah, Subies don't necessarily handle well, they just have oodles of grip. I've got a JDM V7 hybrid, coils, brembos, Pilot Supersports etc etc and the MYP will kill it on accel obviously but handling they are pretty close. Check MPP track times, there is a serious gap.

 

[tm1v2]

Just my opinion, but if you're going straight for the limits of the vehicle, don't buy a Model Y. There are far superior chassis & suspension set-ups out there. But for a casual enthusiast who wants some performance and some practicality, the Model Y is hard to beat (especially the MYP).

Yeah this. Model Y packaging, interior space, seating, cargo space, etc is flat out excellent as a midsized family car. And it has plenty of Go even in LR, let alone P.

The 3 and Y drive really really similar, as similar as they look, yet they also drive quite different. Once I realized I wanted a truly sporty car again, I compromised on getting a 3 (and replacing dampers+springs), even though it gives up a LOT in passenger+cargo space & comfort to the Y. It's very much a compromise, pick your priorities.

There are some crossovers that get ride & handling much better from the factory, including a certain EV crossover in its top trim, but they have other shortcomings vs the Y.

 

[tm1v2]

Ah, Subies don't necessarily handle well, they just have oodles of grip. I've got a JDM V7 hybrid, coils, brembos, Pilot Supersports etc etc and the MYP will kill it on accel obviously but handling they are pretty close. Check MPP track times, there is a serious gap.

Now I really want to take a MYP for a hard spin even though I'm done shopping and already picked up my M3P.

Btw my STI didn't handle well in the sports car sense. It certainly understeered thoroughly at the limit. But it was very very stable and controllable, even over rough roads. And the understeer became a total non-issue on the track once I learned to drive it like an STI and not a textboot RWD sports car. Go HARD into the turn, faster than you think you should, lift until the back starts to rotate, and then maintenance throttle for the AWD system to keep it right on the edge of grip at both ends.

And then there was the snow driving with DCCD and 3 limited slip diffs...

I guess I miss that car.

 

[thesmokingman]

Now I really want to take a MYP for a hard spin even though I'm done shopping and already picked up my M3P.

It's a great compromise for the real world, growth, family, kids etc while still have a lot of go juice. We were set to get a LR 7 seat, but then our kids are a lil older now, not so much taxi service anymore so I talked her out of the 7 seat and into a MYP. It's got more space inside than our old Tribeca and it handles on the level of my V7. I'm handing the subie down to my teen soon, so I'll probably replace it with a M3P.

 

[tm1v2]

It's a great compromise for the real world, growth, family, kids etc while still have a lot of go juice. We were set to get a LR 7 seat, but then our kids are a lil older now, not so much taxi service anymore so I talked her out of the 7 seat and into a MYP. It's got more space inside than our old Tribeca and it handles on the level of my V7. I'm handing the subie down to my teen soon, so I'll probably replace it with a M3P.

Omg, I can't imagine your modded Subaru as a teen driver. Lucky kid!

I got in enough trouble with my 85 hp hand-me-down...