haynesaj

Does anyone know what the MY01 Sports Suspension option (as per the brochure/website) actually provides? My dealer does not seem to know...but is checking?

BugEyed

Hi
The sports suspension apears to be a well kept secret. The parts are all STi, but I have yet to find anybody who has had it fitted. It is 20 mm lower than standard, and will keep the sages happy by having uprated dampers as well.
Did I get it fitted? No. I chickened out;
- you can get it fitted after you've had the car for a while.
- Prodrive / WRSport may offer something, but nobody will provide details.
- Pete Croney at Scoobysport offers Ledas, but do you have the skill to set them up? I don't!
- Opions such as DMS / Whiteline / CUSCO exist, but who will service them?

So, no answers, but lots more questions.

If you intend getting the suspension changed, don't forget to get the alignment improved and consider getting the bumpsteer mod (Powerstation) and the ALK (when Whiteline sort it out for the MY01) sorted at the same time.

Perhaps Mike Wood would like to explain why the UK300 has standard suspension apart from the 18" wheels.

Cheers

A confused MY01 awaiting the PPP in August

Fizz

iTrader: (1)

Talking to someone at powerstation. They are not doing the bumbsteer mod because the car doesn't need it!!!

However I would also like to know what the sports suspension offers as my MY01 arrives soon!

Dave T-S

Bugeyed
The Leda suspension from SS includes fitting and full alignment at Leda.......ours is being built as we speak

BugEyed

Dave

I'm sure that your Leda's will get set up nicely when you go to SS. What I meant was that once you have had them put on the car, you can only change the damping easily, not the ride height. Setting the ride height requires more kit than is in the average garage, unless you are happy with what it gets set at at first.

As for the detail on the WRX 4 door option, the report on the struts are that they are 40mm mono-tube, compression (pull/press @ 0.3m/sec) Front: 2396/791N Rear: 1668/690N.
Spring rates are 38.0 N/m (Front) and 33.4 N/m (Rear).

This is from

Pete Croney

BugEyed

Changing the ride height is far simpler than people have told you.

You need a set of C spanners, which can be supplied with your Leda suspension.

The ride height is set at the factory and each wheel is at a slightly different height, to equalise corner weight distribution.

To change the ride height, you mark the threaded spring platform and then increase or decrease by the chosen amount of turns. The other wheel on the same axle *must* be moved the same distance. Provided you change both wheels on the front and/or both wheels on the rear by the same amount, you will not disturb the corner weight distribution as the ratios will stay the same.

The job takes approx 15 minutes on a ramp, allow an hour if doing it on your driveway.

Adjusting the damping on the whole car takes approx 30 seconds.

The system differs from others in that they just don't allow you to change the ride height. Most people never change it on their Leda's (we've spent a lot of time finding the optimum settings), but if you do, you can dramatically change the understeer/oversteer/turn in characteristics of the car.

MikeWood

BugEyed

UK300 has std suspension because it works very nicely. Don't remember everyone criticising the RB5 because that had std suspension, in fact quite the opposite.

We did try some simple mods to visually improve the new WRX, not because we wanted it to handle better, mainly because we felt that some people would immediately suggest that they wanted it lower. We changed the springs on their own and the car was awful as it rides on the front bumpstops all the time.

We are now evaluating other options.

Dave T-S

Bugeyed
I should also add that I have been out in Pete's car in downtown Basildon, plus chauffered round Bedford Autodrome by him for a couple of laps, and the Leda suspension is awesome. Corners flat yet retains compliance.

I was pressing on a bit at Bedford, my MY00 was wobbling its way into a chicane and Pete came past me like I was standing still. I suspect it will eat P1's in corners and probably most other roadgoing Scoobs - MY words, not Pete's.

This was enough that in the space of four days after I px'd our two MY00's for two MY01's with all the mods.......

Pete, have I told you lately I hate you for sucking all my money out of me hehehe?? - see you Saturday for another operation on my wallet

Tiggs

mike, any experience of the subaru "sports suspension" upgrade?

tiggs

MikeWood

BugEyed

One of the objectives our any suspension that we do will be to make the car lower. By how much we don't yet know.

Mike

BugEyed

Pete

Thanks for the reply. I'm interested in your comments that it is easy to change the ride height on the Ledas. Have I missed something (as usual )? If you change the ride height, do you not need to reset the camber and toe-in? Or do they change by such a small amount that you don't need to reset it?

Mike

I agree that the standard MY01 suspension is well suited to the low standard of the UK roads. However, I am one of the people that thinks the car looks far better when it is lowered. Any idea at this stage as to whether your revised suspension will be lower than standard?

Pete Croney

As I'm sure Mike will confirm, the WRX cannot go as low as the body shape would indicate. This is because the car is designed to accept snow chains, over its 215/45x17 tyres.

When we first started suspension development, the car looked the "danglies", but was terrible to drive. It took a lot of very mixed driving, over a long period to find the optimum. What worked on paper, just didn't work on the car and we revised ride heights, bump rates, rebound rates and spring rates quite considerably from what we started with.

The end result is the best handling car I have ever driven.

One thing that is very different about the new car is that there is so little body flex, the suspension does a lot more work. A certain amount of the springing in the 92-00 car was from flex. This is almost zero in the 01. Something else that had to be taken into account when we developed the latest set up.

Jza

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>and we revised ride heights, bump rates, rebound rates and spring rates quite considerably from what we started with.

The end result is the best handling car I have ever driven.
[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pete,

Sorry for this sounding like asking you for a sales pitch Pete, but does the above mean that if i get the Leda's off you, they will be set up to the same "perfection" thats present on your car, or will i have to dable myself to find out what works and doesnt.

What im really asking is - am i getting the suspension + your settings (i.e. your skill at then setting the car up to what youve found best).

One thing i think a lot of people here will not want to admit is that, like me, they have little or no understanding of setting up suspension. I dont know my rebound from my camber to my toe-in!!!!!!! I imagine left to my own devices i could tranform my car into a death trap!!!

Do you take the work out for us punters??

And to be fair to Mike Wood, whos also posted, i assume Prodrive set the car up before it leaves Banbury in the same way.

Thanks!

Jza

BugEyed

JZA

Hi mate - as a fellow MY01 we need to stick together.

Our choice for suspension appears to be;

- standard
- sports suspension @ £800 (I've yet to get a drive in this)
- Ledas @ £1,500 with a set up to suit us
- Prodrive, cost ?, at some time in the future.
- DMS etc.

Personally, I'm confused!

The standard car looks high, so I'd like it lower.

The standard suspension seems soft on 17" wheels, but what will it be like on 18"?
Will I still want stiffer suspension then?

Should I just change the rear anti-roll bar to give me less understeer? Or will upping the damper rate on the Ledas at the rear sort this?

Still awaiting the PPP in August!
Should I just change

Tiggs

If the ledas come with the setup that pete has on his car then its welll worth- got driven round the block in it today and was very impressed. what little roll there is as standard is gone, it just gos round the corner! doesnt feel much harder either.

also the lights are loads better, i wasnt sure from the pics but in the flesh they are a must have.

also sounds superb.

pete, my wife wanted to know if it is a subara requirement that you allways speed of from a standstill making as much noise as possible! i told her it was a crude (but effective) sales pitch for your back box!!


tiggs

Dave T-S

Pete, I hope you don't mind me replying on your behalf.....

Fitting the Ledas includes a full alignment setup and they are set to the same settings as Pete's car. It is actually fitted at Leda's factory in Braintree, by them.

Ours are being done this week.

Re 18" wheels, these went on Carolyn's 01 yesterday, it firms up the ride a bit and generally sharpens things up a bit (225/40 as opposed to 215/45 tyres) but IMHO it DOES still need the suspension. But, it's a personal thing...

I would NOT recommend changing the settings that Pete and Leda have agreed on!

If you are within reach of Scoobysport, you should really go and have him take you for a spin in his car.

I'm not on Pete's payroll BTW....more the other way round

PSI3

Ref, 18" wheels, i have these fitted to my MY01 and the suspension still as DAVE T-S says feels a bit soft, waiting to see Prodrives answer to suspension before deciding.

simon.

Dave T-S

Following on from the 18" wheels thang, Saturday when they were fitted was all in a bit of a rush (as usual)!!

I drove it briefly at the time and yesterday morning and thought it was a bit tippy toes and tramlining a bit (Pzero rossos). Put it down to needing bedding in.

I only got around to checking the pressures in the afternoon - 41psi all round!! - I wouldn't even pump them up that much on a track day LOL - no wonder it was a bit nervy!!!

I stress this was not Scoobysport - the tyres and wheels came as a unit from Subaru UK and were pre-inflated.

I suspect they did this as there was a possibility they could be in store for a time and better to put too much wind in than too little. Not criticising Subaru UK - I can understand the thinking.

Chins

If the Leda is going to always be left at the same ride height by 95% of us, isnt there a cheaper option out there. I too would like a lower stance, and maybe the option to firm it up for track days ?

No knocking the Leda, but I'd like something in between. If the optimum damper setting is known, why dont Leda produce a std damper ?

JOnathan

BugEyed

Jonathan

I agree! What I would like is a fixed (but lower than standard) ride height with the option of adjusting the dampers for track days etc. Questions are;

- would this be any less expensive than the Leda B's?
- would we lose the set up accuracy achieved by setting the car up correctly with individually adjustable spring platforms on the Leda B's?

Duncan

Dave T-S

There appears to be some confusion here about the Ledas:

Bump/rebound - they are 24 point adjustable whilst on the car.

Ride height - they come 40mm lower than standard at the front/27mm lower at the rear (IIRC, Pete correct me if wrong); IF you want to change the ride height it is adjustable, again on the car, +/- 50mm, with a couple of "C" spanners.

See:

Chins

Dave

I know all the features of Leda, what I am saying is that I wouldnt use the adjustability features. What I want is a better suspension set up for about £6-700 fitted.

Jonathan

Tiggs

£600-700 for better suspension without adjusters sounds fine to me too.

tiggs

DavidLewis

Since the height adjustment is simply a pair of plastic rings that move up and down on a thread. (I'm sure someone could describe them better than that ) I cant see much cost saving by fixing the ride height. The best bit (sorry, the expensive bit ) is the adjustable damper.

Chins

David

The Leda is adjustable for bump and rebound, where a lot of other dampers are just one of the two.

If you go to other makes like Koni that have adjustable damping, then with springs you end up paying about £700 fitted.

All I want is a simple non adjustable damper, matched to lowering springs for the car. Similar to the prodrive suspension offered for the classic shape. But at a competitive price !!.

I cant justify the Leda, even though it is superior.

Jonathan

Tiggs

ditto- if eibachs worked like they seem to on the old car that would be what id go for.

but they dont...!!


tiggs

BugEyed

Tiggs

The debate continues. You say that Eibachs don't work. I assume that you mean that the springs alone don't work with standard dampers. Hence, we need to change the dampers as well.

Since this thread started, nobody has talked about trying the "sports" suspension. Can IM arrange to lend us a car to test ? Don't forget that the P1 was based upon STi suspension, and not Eibachs / Bilsteins. It may be good, but I do not know anybody that has tried it.

The Ledas seem the ultimate option, but I for one will not use the ability to change the ride height after the initial set up. Is their the option for a fixed height set up? Not yet, but perhaps it is possible?

How often do people change their damper settings on the Ledas? If you are a trackday feind, maybe often. For me, rairly. (I have them on other cars, but only change them once a race season to keep it simple as I'm not a serious racer.)

So, my ideal set up. Leda / SS ride height, "averaged" damper set-up for the Ledas, but fixed. Cost? Between the Subaru cost (£700 + fitting) and the Ledas (£1200 + VAT + fitting).

Will prodrive offer this, or do I have to save up for the Ledas and only use part of their capabilities?

Duncan

RB5SCOTT

I think what Tiggs and Chins want is a uprated MacPherson strut and matched spring(Prodrive/STI/Bilstein option) as oposed to a coilover damper and 2.25 spring with all the adjustments.

BugEyed

Scott

You are right. But is the "sports" suspension that option?

Or should they wait for the Prodrive option?

And if I want the option of adjustable dampers, will a more cost effective option than the Ledas be forthcoming?

Duncan

PS What do the 18" wheels on the UK300 add?

RB5SCOTT

Duncan

I would think that the sports suspension is a MacPherson strut setup and i would think that the Prodrive setup would be too(perfectly matched of course), because in a manufacturers eyes coilovers are for racecars not roadcars. Coilovers are the ultimate for suspension setup but maybe a little bit too much for some people on a roadcar.

Scott

18's on a UK300, add what?