quattroowner

iTrader: (5)

04 blob type uk.

im thinking ahead here to next winter.

Struts are looking a bit tired. What ones are worth replacing. Not interested in coilovers or low ride. Either the same or slight improvement threw advances in technology

Kyb struts?
pedders ?
prodrive springs?

Mainly a or b road driving. Not bothered about track days.mainly used as a work / family car

Also I have compared the rear cdf droplinks that were off the classic sti while it gets restored. Seem very similar to the newage droplink. Apart from the bushing being wider.

can these be used instead of the standard one as these are a spare set i have sitting about

Any advice appreciated

quattroowner

iTrader: (5)

Anyone?

Isit worth going kyb ultra sr. To stay with the inverted set up.

ST-X

I think there are a few options. My current setup (admittedly on a WRX) is RB320 rear springs, SO5 front springs and Koni adjustable Sport inserts in WRX bodies. The ride is great, balance is good and control is spot on for what I want. They have a lot more droop than the stock dampers so that helps keep the wheels in contact with the road, definitely a good thing on the roads I tend to drive it on. My suspension 'journey' with this car was;
- Stock '03 WRX. I liked these and on the whole comfy and balanced for original power.
- STI '03 take offs. These were harsher, crashier and eventually knocked but better road holding than WRX stuff at the expense of comfort.
- BC BR coilovers. Fitted with 5/4 springs, much harsher than the STI stuff, too little travel, bottomed out, didn't have enough droop and ruined the car for several years until I had the opportunity to swap them for something different. 5/5 springs did help the ride and handling a bit but by then the decision was made.
- Koni Sport inserts. I had these originally with the STI stock springs but they'd sagged a bit at the rear and given positive rake over time which wasn't good when mixed with weight in the boot. The SO5 front springs and RB320 (LE07) rear springs introduce negative rake and improved the balance of the car although the ride was pretty similar to the stock springs.

I'm not sure if your car is widetrack or not. Assuming the former you should be able to pick up some old WRX struts to cut up for the Koni inserts. It's a bit more involved than the Pedders route but I've seen enough marmite reviews on those for me to put them in the BC bucket as 'compromised'. 2Pot on here was also looking at getting Bilstein to make some inserts so if you have until next year there may be the option of those being available, mixed with some of his new springs too. That in theory would be a pretty killer setup IMO.