Plenty of people seem to suggest going for Eibachs spring kit, others Prodrive.
At the risk of exposing my utter lack of understanding of most things technical (i'm a right pedal go quick, middle go slow, left stop screaming noise kind of guy) i'd like to know why Eibachs cost so much more than say a set of G-max or Apex, which boast better drops. Surely a spring is a spring(okay i do at least get that you can wind them differently). At £60 cheaper and -40mm drop, i'm thinking of the Apex set.
Help.......

 

I fitted Eibachs at the weekend and I have seen a improvement in the handling, but the ride height reduction is next to nothing So little infact I started to a post and it seems that other people have found the same!

 

I'm considering eibachs myself as a future upgrade but mainly for ride quality / handling reasons (I understand Prodrive springs are a lot firmer) the drop is a bit of a bonus to be honest - would you say that the ride quality has improved much? I ask as I live in "back-road central" and with a baby due soon I might as well leave the poor sod in the hands of Louise Woodward for a while than strap it in the scoob...

 

eibach's all the way

 

Paul - give them a week. All springs will take a little while to settle down. I thought exactly the same after fitting my Eibachs, but after a week, they had reduced considerably.

Look at the picture below and you can see a significant drop (especially at the back) - the 'stilt' look has been totally eliminated.

Chris

 

Eibachs are excellent spring but as it has been said it doesnt lower the car much.

I wanted the extra stiffness and height drop so i went for HnR's. It give the car a 55mm drop and the car sits very nice.

http://forums.sidc.co.uk/include/upl...=ACF1E46%2Ejpg

 

I think it's because the Eibach's are "progressive" in that it takes proportionally more weight to compress them each sucessive centimetre .....
I'll let you know - my 03 WRX is having some fitted at Powerstation tomorrow morning!

 

Now that looks vastly lower than my WRX - but I agree with other comments on this thread - on other cars (most have had eibach springs) it took about 2 weeks / 1000 miles before they settled fully!

 

Dodgy, What your opinion of the handling with the H&R set compared to the Eibachs. Cheers Rich

 

im getting prodrives fitted in the morning and a geometry setup so i hope they are ok! (03 sti)

 

Picked the car up this afternoon and if you had put me in it without me seeing the outside i would have sworn it wasnt my car. drove completely different no tramlining under acceleration.no nodding over bumps, sat noticeably lower on the road, didnt tramline anywhere near as bad at high speed, no knocking from the rear end at low speed(had 2 new struts put on under warranty aswell), cornered better and more planted in the corners didnt rattle over "in corner" potholes and didnt feel like it was tip toeing round them on stilts just a total improvement in every department and is now how i expected it to be when i bought it.
you could say im reasonably happy with them
Andy

 

I was lead to believe that the Prodrive springs are just rebadged Eibachs - is this true? Also, what's the price difference between them?

Cheers
Andy

 

They are made by Eibach but to Prodrive's spec so are different to the model that Eibach themselves supply for the Impreza. I believe that they also come with an additional part (bump stops??) which may explain the price difference.

Darren

 

What exhaust is that Chris?

 

Has anyone fitted anything other than Eibach or Prodrive springs to an STi8 and if so what's the opinion?

 

Mine has a set of Ohlins, each set they make is specifically desinged for the individual car. Look at www.ohlins.com for info. Mine are not there as they do new ranges now, but they are amazing as I can adjust them by turning a **** under the spring. When I got the car I felt it was very uncomfortable around town, far to spine breaking for me. I turned the ***** 2 clicks on the front and 3 on the back and immediately felt the difference. Now the shocks take the shocks (if you see what I mean) not my back. Best of all, no loss in handling.

Mine are 35 point adjustable, so you can fiddle with comfort/handling combinations to your hearts content. The only golden rule is to make sure the 2 front or 2 rear have the same number of clicks each. I have the front slightly softer than the back at present, but am changing it every couple of days, till I get the perfect set up for me.

Not many people seem to have got or used them, but I would thouroughly recommend them.

 

Daz - that is an original (Hayward & Scott) Scoobysport exhaust. Lovely sound

Chris

 

So, do i buy Prodrive or Eibachs? LOL.
I am lost
I still want nice everyday drivability though, without having my **** bounced all over the car seat everytime it goes over a twig or someat.

 

Don't think you would go far wrong with the Prodrive springs to be honest.

Chris

 

yes the prodrive kit does include the bumbstop

 

I got the Eibachs, but if you want to keep your warranty - go Prodrive, but pay the price! My dealer quoted £600 fitted - I got my Eibachs for £320 fitted!

They drop the car by around 3/4 to an inch, and in day to day driving they feel a lot firmer without adding much (if any harshness). You just get a slight increase in "knobbliness" but I find this quite reassuring as you can feel more of what the car is doing!

There is much less pitching under acceleration or braking (a little disconcerting until you get used to it) - as well as less body roll, and a faster recovery from big undulations.

They're definitely an improvement over the standard set-up, which was wallowy, soft, vague and would hit the bumpstops when pushed.

I concur with others in that for perfection there are times when they still need stiffer shocks to match them - but you have to be pushing much, much harder!

A huge improvement and IMHO the way the car should have been from the factory ..... basically go get some!!

Like others - I run higher tyre pressures with my standard 17"s with 215/45 F1 GSD3's - 35 front and 33psi rear!

 

my prodrives were just over £300 fitted(didnt get charged for the rear fitting as i was having the struts replaced under warranty)so you could add another say £70 labour, at my main dealer. inc geometry set up so i would try a different dealer

 

I take it then that you can only buy them through a main dealer if you want them brand new....from reading the thread, i reckon i'll save a bit more and go for the Prodrives...sounds like people prefer the performance and drops a little bit lower....thanks for everyone's input!!!

 

i thought prodrive springs were the eibach springs and prodrive used bilstein dampers.

well thats wot the dealer told me when i enquired yesterday about the prodrive suspension pack, £975 + VAT

 

Eibach make the Prodrive springs yes, but like had been said by someone else on here, the Eibach spring is a slightly different spec to the Prodrive one. The info i was given by someone who has driven on both, was that they are so similar apart from price there will be no difference to the normal driver.

 

so who can recommend where can i get the shocks and eibach springs from for a decent price, my dealer quoted me £975 for the prodrive set and he said that didnt include fitting or setup

 

I take it from your username that you are the proud owner of an RB5? If so, then there isn't a Prodrive spring kit for your car, only the far more expensive full suspension kit that your dealer told you about. The spring kit is for MY2001 onwards.
Eibach do a spring kit for your car though. Suggest you give TSL, Powerstation etc a call

Darren

 

My dealer did my prodrive springs for £320 all in.

Best mod i've ever had and i'm on my 4th scoob now.

 

just fitted Eibachs pro springs £145.00 3 hours to fit MY01 WRX

 

What are they like out on the road Fuz