duh, that’s cuz teh 1.8t nevar loses
I seem to recall me starting a simaliar thread about towing my saturn with my SHO because I though I was going to move, and I got flammed to hell for trying to kill people and such.
3800lb sedan towing a 2300lb car is aparently ^ but towing more than that with a with a lighter car is fine I <3 NYspeed .
it isn’t pulling the weight that is the problem. you wont hurt your car and your STI definately has the balls. A stick probably isn’t ideal for launching a boat but i’m sure you can deal with it. The problem is sway. Your rear suspention is softer than the wagon setup that is where the tow rating comes in. That is not the case in my situation but this isn’t about me.
good point about launching the boat with a manual, I’m alright on a hill though. worst case scenario, just use the e-brake trick and some extra gas.
2300lb car + trailer is a lot different then a 2000lb total load. Plus I am only planning on towing longer distances(20 mins or so) every once in a while.
why not just borrow a truck from a friend?:spunk:
seriously though. make it happen. im sure its prolly ot the safest idea but i like option 4. if its rated at x it will not break untill 4x. you are a smart dude. just dont go any outrageous speeds or make crazy turns. be careful. try it. if it doesnt work out try something else. otherwise make some boat friends and borrow borrow borrow. lol
haha, in the worst case scenario, I could rent something from u-haul for 20 bucks a day I suppose. I just hate the idea of driving an SUV. I’ve been driving them forever and I really do not like it.
Lowes and Home Depot both rent trucks for $20. Go buy one bag of dirt for $2, tell them you don’t want it in your car, rent the truck for $20, and use it to launch the boat twice a year. 
well, i think you might have misunderstood my statement about keeping the boat at the marina. It would still be left on the trailer in the marina. I would drive there and launch the boat. pretty much just going from the storage area to the ramp is a matter of 500 yards or so. Though, I do not really see this as an issue.
well I’m looking at a sti. I guess it can be safe to say I could tow a 400 lb 4 wheeler on a harbor freight trailer?
I doubt you would have an issue with that.
I think newman used to tow a small jetski with his.
There’s a guy on the lotus board that tows his Elise w/ an sti. I think you’ll be fine.
It is 2000 lbs, you will be fine.
Just be smart about it.
I towed a S-10 home from Boston, Mas. with a 4 cylinder 5 speed s-10. It was slow goings but I made it.
I also towed a 3/4 ton chevy truck on a daul axle lowboy with my dad’s 1500, no problems.
Just do it and stop crying!
If you don’t bend the frame doing 100MPH+ corning maneuvers I don’t think a 2000 lb trailer will.
I’ve seen corvettes pull 1000 lb “race prep” trailers to tracks.
2000 lbs isn’t that heavy, If you pack in 5 200lb friends your already at 1000!!
Agreed. You certainly won’t stress any part of the drivetrain excessively, but getting up the launch ramp will be fun, I’m sure. The legacy sedan is rated for 2000 lbs IIRC, which is a VERY similar chassis to the Impreza.
The STi has heavier springs, stiffer shocks and a larger sway bar compared to the wagon. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble towing under normal conditions.
As a rule it’s much easier to control a load that is < 60% of the weight of the towing vehicle. 2000 lbs puts you barely into this catagory (counting driver ect… Not having trailer brakes will make it a bit tougher, just be extra carefull if you have to stop while turning. Oh, I’d also make sure that the tounge weight is less than 200 lbs, 100 lbs would probably be a good target. Make sure you use good hardware and the hitch is rated for the weight.
Don’t be a sissy, make it happen!
I wish I could borrow an STi with a hitch from someone and try launching my boat with it.
The thing is damn heavy, but likely has more power than my truck anyways. With a little clutch slip and the AWD, I bet I could get it up the ramp ok.
Make sure your parking brake is adjusted, and take a 4x4 to put under the back tire as insurance.
valuable advice for ANYONE towing.
If you are launching without your wheels chocked, you are asking for trouble.
Especially people without a parking pin 
putting the stick in reverse holds the car pretty good. But I don’t really like that stress on the drivetrain.
For me, parking brake nice and tight first, then put the stick in reverse, then quickly get out and chock the wheels.
um… chocking the wheels isn’t going to take the stress off the drive train… its only going to make sure if it pops out of gear its not gonna roll… and the e-brake would have to fail too…
so you can leisurely walk out of your car and chock the wheels when you feel like it
I know that it won’t, but I am paranoid that my car is going to roll into the lake lol.
Silly children Thats why they make trucks