I've not checked to be honest, it's not that low currently, it's probably about 5-10mm higher now than it was on the Prodrive springs. I'll have a look though, i'm running 8x17's with 225/45/17's.

If I lower mine too much the tyres touch the spring platform, so I need spacers. But then the tyres touch the arches instead!

Looks like i've got plenty of room on mine.

Car passed it's MOT Yesterday with no advisories :)

happy days mate, is it a de-cat or sports cat?

Decatted.

Just wanted to stick an update in. Car is running well. Had to replace the rad cap on the header tank as it wasn't pressurising and I could change the level in the overflow bottle just by squeezing the hoses 🤣. Sorted now though.

Having another issue with it too, since being tuned it's had a couple of brief episodes of det, or what it thinks is det and pulled massive amounts of timing. You get a flashing check engine light with an alcatek ECU to warn you to back off etc. My knock sensor wiring was a bit knackered so I cut the plug out and replaced it and it was fine for ages again.

However today it's back, it seems to have det when I hit bumps in the road, or change gear hard, always seems to do it on the same stretches of road. I can go 2nd to 3rd then get det, or sometimes changing into 4th it does it. On other bits of road I can nail it through 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th and have nothing at all. At times even after I've completely backed off the check engine light is still flashing away for a couple of seconds afterwards.

I'm getting this chirping, squeaking rattling noise around 2750rpm on constant throttle or in engine braking, worse over bumps. Sounds like the exhaust moving about, I'm wondering if the knock sensor is hearing this thinking it's det. Seems too random and intermittent to be real det, although I can't discount it. The knock sensor is original to the car also but it doesn't look cracked etc.

It didn't suck the coolant back in from the expansion last night. So I think the head gasket has gone after further investigation. Header tank cap off I'm getting tons of little bubbles, worse when its revved. I'm also getting bubbles in the overflow tank just before the fans kick on. And I've also got black flakes of crud which look like head gasket coating (RCM). Had these exact symptoms on the 2.1 when it went.

It could be a leak, but I doubt it. Head gasket going was supposed to be the least of my concerns with a closed Deck, 14/12 head studs and RCM gaskets....

if its head gasket thats gone mate then i really really feel for you pal. is the coating on the rcm gaskets poor quality then?

No, it's just when the head gasket starts to leak it takes the coating off and it ends up in the coolant etc and you can see it.

ah i see.

you have had nothing but bad luck with this mate, credit to you for trying to stick with it.

if it is the head-gasket what will you do?

Get Ignition Motorsport to sort it and send the bill to WMS. Although at the moment I'm half tempted to just sell it to a breakers as I really cannot be ****ed with it.

you deffo need to find the cause of it buddy. do you get warranty on things like this?

It has drawn most of the coolant back in from the expansion tank now after running it up to temp earlier. I need to have a proper look over it next weekend not had time this weekend. The expansion tank has a lot of crap sat in the bottom of it though 🙄. All seems very similar to the 2.1, I ended up chasing that round for ages before admitting defeat and ripping it out. I don't know how it could have happened either, only running 1.6 bar, engine should be more than up to the job, it's not overheated or lost any coolant etc.

would a sniff test be the best way to tell? certainly the cheapest way

Didn't on the 2.1, that never failed it even though it had done the head gasket.

Make sure to add wms to the avoid/cowboy list

FFS, what warranty do you get with the engine?

None that I know of. Could pursue other routes though if needed.

I'm not 100% sure it is the head gasket yet, just the symptoms smack of it so far. I need to have a proper look over it to confirm.

Surely if a company has built an engine it has to last X time at least or else not fit for purpose - if it has gone then isnt that the 2nd issue with the same engine in a small amount of time/miles?

Oh mate, that's gutting.

Sniff tests on Subaru's don't always work. The guy that purchased my Foz (Subaru Mechanic of 16 years) did 4 sniff tests on it which all showed up as clear with no head gasket failure, yet when he ripped it out and stripped it it had most certainly gone.

If it's got black particles in the coolant expansion tank as you say then to me it indicates break up of head gaskets. Absolutely gutting mate.

I'll send you a PM of a place that quoted me to do the head gaskets on my Foz, was very reasonably priced indeed. This shouldn't have happened on a newly built CDB though.

have you let wms know about this?

Not yet mate. I'm not 100% sure it is the head gasket yet. It might be something to do with my header tank.

I'm not getting a load of bubbles in the coolant overdlow after boost, just had occasional ones before the fan kicked in but they seem to have gone now.

​​​​​​Today I had the cap on the header tank leaking, literally from the cap top seal. I span the cap back and forth and it stopped.

And my rad hoses are acting really weird. The hoses are too soft, but they build up pressure to what I would consider normal just before the fan kicks in. Then after the fan has done it's thing they're back soft again??? Literally no idea what's going on with it.

perhaps start with a complete coolant drain and change then making sure no air bubbles in system

I might replace the header tank with a new plastic one and do a coolant change. Another place the black paint flakes could be coming from is the header tank lid as it's painted black...

You'd think if it was the head gasket I'd be getting rock solid hoses and it would be pissing bubbles out of the overflow. I'm getting the opposite?? Especially after boosting it. I know I was on the 2.1. If it was blowing compression into the coolant it would pressurise the hoses but I can basically squash the top rad hose together just after the fans have been on.

is that the ****ty mishimoto header tank you have? get a newage one from a hawk mate and squash that mishimoto one with a large hammer.

yeah with head gasket failure you would expect solid hoses and lots of bubbles

No, I've got a standard newage metal tank on it at the moment. But a Mishimoto cap.

The 2.1 overflow rank was like a boiling kettle after boosting. This has literally nothing. Just soft hoses. No overheating etc or anything but something is going on.

not that it matters really but whats your rad like condition wise? do the fans kick in ok?

Fans kick on and off as per normal. Temp never changes either. Rad is an all alloy one.