Ok having had my 03 STi for a few days now got the chance to go for a proper drive and have made the following observations regarding the suspension.

"Bouncy", Now i was expecting a firm/hard suspension but not bouncy. at dual carriage way speeds the car is very bouncy and reminds me of my old ibiza cupra when it was disasterously slammed on -60mm springs on standard shocks!

Is this a general characteristic of 03 STi suspension? my classic STi was firm/hard but not at all bouncy neither was my classic WRX on KYB shocks and eibach springs.

thoughts?

 

Has someone changed the springs ?

Bouncy usually means under-damped + over-stiff springs....

Meaning possibly lowered, stiffened set fitted.

IMHO

DunxC

P.S. is it on 17" wheels and tyres or 18"+ and low profile tyres ?

 

The car looks to be normal ride height, the only mod is PPP.

The car is on 18`s with 40 profile tyres.

It definately exhibited symptoms of my old ibiza cupra that the previous owner lowered 50/60mm on standard shocks!

You dont think its a defective shock? or worn springs? car has only done 30k.

 

could be the infamous rear shock problem

 

I found mine to be extremely bad with the speed of the rebound damping on small low speed bumps, giving the feeling that your pogoing down the road. I also found the standard setup to be far too soft when entering low or medium speed bends, too much body roll and weight transfer to the outside wheels.

On the way to sorting it out now though

 

which is?

i have done a search and couldnt find anything.

thanks.

 

The standard springs and dampers of a MY03 STI are not a very good match -Yes i would call the ride bouncy

Fit the Prodrive springs - they are slightly softer than standard and improve the comfort no end ( they also lower it 25mm)

 

Thanks for all your help guys.

 

Check the rear shock absorbers have not seized (known problem).

Matt

 

As standard, I found the ride of my 03 STi unacceptable. Certain sections of the M25, for instance, caused a bouncing motion which brought scathing comments from the wife - she had to support certain parts of her anatomy! The Prodrive springs were one of the only mods she gave her approval to!
One of the problems is the strut top rubber mount. Group A top mounts provide a big improvement, but you could not live with the extra noise!
JohnD

 

The stock dampers are mono tube type, which are ultimately superior to the more common (and cheaper) twin tubes, but they do suffer in low impact/low movement type situations. i.e. driving on rippled surfaces.

If you see a mono vs. twin on a damper dyno you'll see what I mean, it takes a large force to get the mono tube moving, but is very consistant from there on.

This is part of the reason why expensive competition dampers like the Bilstein PSS9 gets poor press over lesser capable twin tube KW's. In road situations that is.

 

I think it is very much down to the road and speed you are travelling at. Certain motorways seem to have gentle undulations in surface (I think it's down to the modern tarmac laying machines) which at about 70mph seem to be at a frequency which is picked up and magnified by the newage suspension.

 

The 03sti has the spec c springs as std and they are a perfect match for the shocks, it's just the fact that the whole set-up is rather stiff.
My wifes focus st170 does the same and that set-up is regarded as rather good.

 

Has anyone matched the Prodrive springs to WRX dampers or is this just a disaster waiting to happen ?

 

Appreciate all the input on this thread, Am going to try prodrive springs intially with all the perrin stuff im fitting. If im still not happy might try the AST route later in the year.

 

Did the Prodrive springs improve things?

I've recently picked up a '53 STi and I'm experiencing exactly the same thing.

Does anybody know if the Eibach springs improve this 'bounce'?

Thanks

 

My 2005 Sti has been lowered with Eibach spings and I hate it. Its soo bouncy even on remarkably good roads !!!!! My old Uk wagon drives much much nicer. Currently considering which full suspension setup I'm going to go with and at the minute it looks like EXE-TC, as I have already tried AST's on my last car. Anyone interested in an EXE-TC group buy please show your interest in the group buy forum.

Cheers !

Ricky !

 

lol i noticed this the other day in my 03 sti, usally fine but on the motorway totally horrible, i was thinking to myself, why the hell are u doing this your suppose to be better than my mazda, which had fk coilovers and bounced everywhere. i also have a rear knocking. so the shocks defo gone.

im in such a puzzel about supension, so many diffrent opions, im cool with a hard ride, but if it bounces (like most coilovers do) i'll be pissed off.

 

I read somewhere the prodrive springs are actually eibach. does anyone know if this is the case?

Cheers,

Doug

 

The newage sti prodrive springs are made by Eibach but they are custom made for prodrive as a kit.

The prodrive springs come with new shorter bump stops on the front which must be fitted, or they will bottom out.
Be aware that fitting Eibach wrx springs to an sti is a very bad thing to do, the sti has a heavier front end and will sit on the std bumpstops due to this.

dipster

 

I had the whole rear suspension issue on my 03 STI Prodrive. Spotted Scoobyclinic at Scooby shootout Elvington and so gave them a ring.

After a couple of phone calls with Kev and a visit to their place I now have a Racing Logic coilover kit and going back for rear anti roll bar and drop links this weekend.

The car feels much more solid and surefooted. Very pleased

 

I have an 05 STi - Hawkeye 2.5 and I bought it with Prodrive Springs and 18" Wheels with 40 Profile Tyres. The ride was HORRIBLE - bouncy and very uncomfortable on certain roads. My old Bugeye WRX was never like this. I spoke to a guy who has built a very hard track car and he crested a rise at high speed, left the road, and when he came down he stripped 5th gear in his 'box. He said that would not have happened with a standard suspension. The Prodrives are stiffer - I have changed back to Factory Springs - immediate improvement. Now I have gone back to 17" Wheels and 45 Tyres - further improvement. I still get bounce but not so bad. There is not that much change in roadholding - I think that is down to driver and what kind of tyres you have. Mt Sti makes well over 300 BHP and I can get the wheels to scrabble very easily. I want to build a Gran Tourer not a Track Day Car so I am investigating after-market suspension. If Benz, Owdie and BM-trouble-you can do it I am sure I can get such springs for my Scooby.

 

I'm glad I read this. I want to improve my handling and as yet my bugeye STi is standard. I was thinking of getting the prodrive springs as I had heard they were in fact eibach's. But i'm not so sure now.

Let me know what you decide on mate I would love to get my handling sorted but just don't know what brand I really want yet. All i want is car lowered 20mm and understeer cured.

Cheers,

Doug

 

I thought the Prodrive springs on my 53 plate sti were awful and hardly inspired any confidence when pushing on. Picked up the dreaded knocking and went with an AST group buy that was running at the time.

Not cheap but the best £1000.00 I ever spent on the car and were faultless for the two years I had them on. Probably head back that way when I get the Hawkeye sti...................

 

When I bought my MY03 STi it had the standard suspension fitted, and when I had back passengers sitting in the back they complained it was making them car sick. Since then I had the Prodrive springs fitted and to me it improved the car and not made it worse.
Put it this way when I drive my Daihatsu YRV Turbo with standard sports suspenion, now that has a worse suspension than the Subaru. It pogog on the the slightest of bumps. Hopefully the Tein spring Kit I bought for it will help this.

 

Can you explain what it was that you liked? I assume no more bouncing, a smooth ride yet good roadholding? Did you set them up yourself or get AST to do it? Peter

 

Peter

Powerstation did the fitting and full geometry as part of the group buy. It was an all inclusive price at £1000.00 which I though was excellent value for money.

The AST's gave the car a better all round look in terms of ride height. Despite having a carbon splitter I still had no issues with speed bumps or ramps.

The bouncing was eliminated completely. Being adjustable I could play around with the settings to suit my needs purely by the turn of a ****. If I used the car for town/ work I could drop the settings to their softest and the car was extremely soft over the bumps and pot holes (more so than my work hack 306 HDI) If I wanted to push on the A roads I quite often adjusted the settings to their hardest where I felt I could really take the twisties with confidence.

The AST's changed my perception of coilovers which I used to look at with a degree of contempt. Now I think they will be my first mod on future fast road cars.

Should be noted I had complimenting Whiteline suspension goodies on the car as well.

 

Thanks for this. It is the best answer I have had from anyone and exactly describes what I want - soft for everyday use and the ability to change the damping any time you want.

 

Both my rear shocks are shot now, knocking really badly. hopefully will be able to get them changed under warranty or ill be going aftermarket, maybe KYB AGX.

If i do get some OE shocks through warranty will try them with some Tein S springs ive got and report back.

 

I have decided that EXE-TC are the coil-overs to go for. They have the right pedigree and I think will be worth the extra bucks. Most of the other brands are from the orient and not comparable with EXE-TC which are British made and rally proven. Spoke to an EVO guy with them and he is running the same wheels/tyres as me, so the comparison is good - he said they are spectacular. They can be re-built, too, which addresses a problem I have heard from a few guys - the coilovers they bought from the east have no support (except Cusco which is from Nippon) so when they give hassles you cannot fix 'em.