Same old question - sorry - getting Prodrive springs fitted - any good?
 

Hello,

Yes - did not find a good answer to this in the search.

I am getting the Prodrive Springs fitted by Subaru dealer on Friday including the alignment/geometry etc. (A.F. Nobles).

Do I need to spend money adding solid drop links, Whiteline ARB's, poly bushes etc for fast road driving - it there much benefit for the money, after the prodrive springs - ie did anyone have Prodrve springs and then later fit all the whiteline stuff for a true comparison?!

It is for a 2003 WRX. I understand that the Prodrive springs make the WRX tighter and a tiny bit less forgiving in the ride quality department but make the STI softer but less bouncy - is that right?

Thanks,

Brian.

My MY02STiUK was vastly improved by Prodrive springs, looks(ride hieght) and handling :D:D yet wasn't a hard ride on the Sh1te "A" roads around my way ;)

I fitted the Drop links and the Anti-roll bar after ;) and further improved car by limiting "Body roll"

Both offer excellent value for money, but on a tight budget the replacement Drop links might be the BVM, for handling and looks Prodrive springs wins :cool:

Tony

Ps just do both and you won't regret it :D

I was considering the full springs/drop links/ARB's/ALK, but after a chat with a very experienced trackday enthusiast, currently on his 7th Scoob, I am thinking of taking a step back and just doing the springs and f/r drop links. His opinion was that the standard ARB's are more than adequate for fast road use and these combined with the ALK would make the handling jittery, loosing the nice progressive breakaway so desired in favour of more grip but with sudden snappy breakaway which in some conditions could be dangerous. I will hopefully be having a ride in his car in a week or so to assess it for myself.
I can always change the ARB or add the ALK later.

Thanks for the replies.

Anyone know how fitting the front drop links affects Subaru warranty?!?

Brian :D

They will use it to get out of any claim which could have connection to the non-standard part. Keep the OE ones in the garage and refit if you need to claim for a knackered spring/damper/tierod/bearing/bush etc.

That is, they will try and get out of the claim if they spot it ;)

changing the drop links shouldn't cause too many warranty probs unless you have a suspension failure, or a miserable dealer in the event of a warranty claim.

doing the suspension in phases will give you a better understanding of what bit does what, and how each part affects the handling.

hope this helps,
simon;)

Brian, I have WRX 03 PPP, Prodrive PFF 7 18's with Pirelli Nero's, Prodrive Quick shift, Godspeed front and rear big brake kit, braided lines, Ferodo pads all round,but at fast road speeds it was very scary!! So I took it off to powerstation with a set of Prodrive springs in the boot,which they fitted with along with a Whiteline Anti Lift kit on the front, Whiteline uprated rear Anti Roll Bar set on it's third and hardest setting, Whiteline Solid Rear drop links, Whiteline ARB uprated mounting bushes. Powerstation then set the Geometry to their settings which are a bit more aggressive than Prodrives.

The upshot of all this work means that it is very fast and controllable on the limit, gone is all that float and wallow at high speed ie in excess of 90 mph on quiet Dorset country roads LOL. Take it from someone who has actually had it all done it turns the WRX into a real cross country weapon and is Fantastic Fun to drive.

At the end of the day it's all down to personal preferences but if you do go the whole hog you will be converted believe me!!!

PS I also had to change the standard Side Airbag seats as these offered very poor sideways support, for NON Airgbag Bucket seats from Eurospec 03 model which have bigger side bolsters and shoulder supports and keep you in place.


John

Brian,

Speak to Colin about the warranty. They never had any concerns when my RB5 was still under warranty. They fitted my Eibach springs and were happy to see I'd replaced my own drop links and ARB.

They won't use it as an excuse to invalidate the whole thing, but just don't expect them to replace the drop links or ARB's if they fail ;)

If you have a few hundred quid extra, then replace front and back ARB's and fit some solid drop links. 24mm rear and 22mm front would do the trick. You could fit adjustable ones that would let you play with settings.

Looking at £100 per ARB andat least £80 for the drop links. You can get heavy duty drop links from Whiteline and Powerflex, but they're double the price.

Stefan

Thanks very much for all the info John - serious money spent there!!!

Can I ask a silly question - don't mean it to sound cheeky - why did you not just by an STI?

Brian :D

Thanks Stefan,

I was looking at the info on your website. I will ask Colin tomorrow what he reckons - what do you think he'll make of me asking him if I can decat the centre cat but leave the downpipe?

Brian :D:D:D

He was a little fussy when I talked to him about decatting mine. Said that #3 would run too hot and possibly cause problems. Then a few months later had no problems fitting my decat. In fact I remember John Banks mentioning that they recommended decatting his car, so go figure.

The centre cat does bugger all really, so they shouldn't have any worries if you leave the main cat in the downpipe.

Stefan

Brian, Good Question if I had found Scoobynet before purchase my decision would have been to get an STI, but hey you live and learn.LOL

John

John,

:cool: I Have a STi02UK and tried out a few STi's but noticed the same thing, seats offered little side support compared to mine ;) perhaps Subaru making them wider for the American market :(:( LOL

I did consider multi piont harness but was told not recommended with reclining seats. if a new ones due the seat will be first mod.

Tony

DBY,

Read your thread and wondered whether these mods are ok for an STI03?

What seats did you go for as I have the same problem re control on fast road/track days.

wrxmania

You don't need to fit front drop links as the front one on the 03MY are metal not rubber

Steve Holmes

I was thinking of trying this out as I'm a skinny git too and the '03 seats are for porkers I reckon. My mate got these for his M3 and liked them so much he bought 50.

http://www.bm3w.co.uk/editorial/cglock.php

http://www.bm3w.co.uk/store

Haven't seen them yet but should take a look at his next week.

As for the Prodrive springs, done about 10k on them in my 03 WRX, reckon it's still better than standard. Wouldn't say they are any less forgiving at all, they just make the car flatter through the bends, and instead of soft floating bounces over bumps that I felt was just too wishy-washy they have a shorter travel so they recover more quickly. They still bounce though, just more jiggly than wallowy. They do feel under-damped now I'd say, but then it's a compromise designed not to be harsh over rough surfaces.