corno

Sent them an email last week and no response, no surprise when they didn't get back to me a few months ago either..

Does anyone know if they still offer the fast road handling pack? Or of somewhere nearby that could also offer the same service? I'm based in Worcester so somewhere nearby would be grand

scoobygaz1

iTrader: (3)

I was down there last week with my mate and his gtr, Wall to wall gtr`s and the odd Scooby. I`d say they do but I think gtr`s are their main thing now .

richie001

iTrader: (3)

Go to Powerstation,only down the road in Tewkesbury.Better bunch of guys

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Now that the Litcho Pack is out, the world is your oyster... what sort of handling do you want?

Good to have a few thought out options before going somewhere

corno

Cheers guys

I'm just looking to dial the car in a bit, make it a bit more pointed and planted. Ideally I don't want to lower the car if possible, but I know this would help a lot. Slowly I'm starting to venture with the DCCD set to Lock and enjoying that, lots of fun and a different feel all together.

I've inquired with Powerstation and Thwaites developments (both relatively nearby) and it's good to get some quotes. Looking likely to be Powerstation at the moment. I figure first of all I had better sort out my knocking rear shocks, I plan to take them off and fit a grease nipple in the next few weeks. And when there's some spare cash in the piggy bank I'll buy a CDF 24mm rear arb I think

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

There is quite a bit you can do to improve the general feel, plantedness, and improve overall handling of your STi.

In general, you want to focus on removing slop from the standard bushings, improving suspension geometry and control roll.

Caster

An increase in Caster will provide more feel, more steering self-centering, more straight line stability but most importantly dynamic negative camber on turn in as well as "pushing" the inside wheel down (providing more grip to the inside wheel).

You can do this by installing a Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit. It provides .5 deg static positive caster and due to the stiffer bushing up to a degree, deg and half of dynamic caster. (Under braking and acceleration, the stock lower control arm bushings flex tremendously under braking and acceleration leading to very different caster angles under load). It also changes the anti-lift characteristics, reducing the anti-lift over stock.

You can also change caster up top using a Whiteline Com-C upper mount. You get the benefit of a stiffer mount (less geometry change under load) as well as having the the strut mount shoved farther rearward adding caster.

Bushings

The stock bushings are pretty much mush, concerned more with reduced NVH rather than performance. The softer bushings, like in the ALK example above, contribute to sloppy dynamics, less feel and dramatic alignment angle changes under load.

Steering Rack Bushings

Though the newer racks are better reinforced than previous racks, the bushings are still soft, especially with a few years on them. Install uprated poly Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings to remove the slop.

Lateral Link and Trailing Arm

Steering just doesn't happen at the front end. The rear end of the car contributes to the steering of any performance car and the Impreza is no different. By installing stiffer bushings in the Trailing arms, Lateral Links and Rear knuckle the steering becomes more immediate and the tail more lively. You can use STi Trailing arms with pillow ball bushings and STi lateral links (with pillow ball and/or Group N rubber bushings). Or you can keep your OEM arms and install STi Group N bushings or Whiteline Plus bushings. After I installed the STi trailing arms and lat links on a car I was pretty amazed at the difference. The car rotated as if we had installed a larger rear swaybar. Steering was immediate. There was a slight increase with the pillowball bushings but I've installed Group N and Whiteline Plus setups and the NVH is less with a similar performance level.

Anti-roll Bars

Installing an ARB will not only reduce roll and increase grip but it will also contribute to the steering immediacy and car rotation. Fitting a larger rear bar will do that for you. Ideally, I prefer a larger front(to control dynamic camber loss) and rear bar (to tune rotational bias). I suggest either 24mmF/24mmR, or 22F/24R. Both adjustable so you can fine tune your handling bias to your setup and conditions. If you decide just to fit a rear bar, use a 22mm adjustable.

Alignment

Definitely speak to a qualified performance shop like Mark at Thwaites to determine the best geometry setup for your needs. Alignment is one of the most important things, the basic building block, of getting your car to turn properly. The OEM specs are crap and the range of tolerance wide. You want a precise a alignment that maximizes the grip from the setup and conditions you drive. Alignment is a pretty personal thing so I'd rather not suggest any specific numbers, but can wax about that too

My recommendation would be Thwaites - I've tried both

corno

Wow thanks Bonesetter, that's a phenomenal response with so much detail.

I'd love to do all of the above (when money allows) but will certainly do it as time goes on. In a previous thread I had someone tell me to do the following in this order:

Geometry
Tyres
Rear 24mm ARB
ALK
Quick rack
Coilovers

Would there be any negative affect to me fitting an uprated rear ARB before geometry? And also when replacing the ARB is it worth uprating the drop links or is that just a precaution?

I'd be interested to know how much of the above you think would induce NVH. Whilst I know the scoob isn't exactly a quite car, I want to it be a useable daily. I've already fitted an uprated torque mount and stiffer shifter bushings that are giving a bit of NVH but they are totally livable with.

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Personally, I would have been down the geometry shop by now already

That's normally my first stop with any new (to me) car

Swapping out arbs does not change alignment, and a rear upgrade over OE is essential. Myself, I would go adjustable, Whiteline. And yes, solid DL's too (avoid the CDF's)

Quick racks are pricey, and coilovers generally destroy a decent ride and handling, especially being a daily. A 24 rarb btw would be too much without a front upgrade, and again for a daily a 22 would be fine (gives a very pleasant difference) as well as being the biggest change you will notice