rickyt

On the Eta Tauri web site - http://homepages.enterprise.net/srb/wrx.html there is mention of an upgrade to the std STi suspension -

'The car may also be specified with uprated suspension and this is a similar setup to that supplied by Prodrive for the UK car'

Since there seems to be a consensus on this site, that the first upgrade to the std car (any version) is the suspension, then is this the way to go if you are buying a new Sti?

Has anyone spec'd this on a new car?
How much did it cost?
How would you be able to tell for sure that you had it?
Do you get the original bits back like you do with the prodrive stuff?

Ricky T.

pwebb

Ricky,

I would advise to try the sti v5 with its factory setup first - I am more than happy with the uprated struts + springs that the sti v5 comes with as standard - the ride + handling is immeasurably superior to the UK MY 98 car I had previously. The car is also quite a bit lower (as low as eibach equipped or prodrive suspended UK cars)so I think that the only upgrade route would be adjustable LEDA suspension or similar and then only if you were intent on doing lots of track days etc. I think replacement springs on their own would be a waste of time and unlikely to be better than the standard fit. BTW - I would also recommend sticking with 16" wheels - again for better ride characteristics - this car was designed to have 16" not 17" wheels and changing to larger diameter will affect the ride and make it overly harsh for passengers - probably better handling but not worth it in my oppinion.

a list of available factory fit options is on the jap web site...
http://202.217.201.209/showroom/wrx/accessory.html
http://202.217.201.209/topics/choice/index.htm

the latter of the two links does show some spring sets but I wouldn't bother until you have tried the car first.

cheers,

Paul W

Darren Soothill

I would agree with Paul on the wheel front changing to 17inch wheels on my STI V made the car quite choppy on country roads. This is more to do with the japanese setup which has very stiff dampers designed for lovely smooth Japanese roads.

The 17 inch wheels with 215 tyres on though certainly gripped the road alot better and let go any where near as soon as the 16 inch wheels did although I am not exactly comparing like with like because I had different tyres on.

Unlike Paul I think that the better handling is worth the harsher ride but that is a personal thing.

I have since switched over to Leda suspension and this has improved the handling by another leap and I believe that this has been well worth doing although I do do quite alot of track days but it also allows me to alter the ride to a softer set of settings for longer road journeys if I want to so now I can get the best of all worlds.

Darren