SekretSkwirl02

looking to purchase a front set of 40/n springs to match up with my 30/n rears. Currently have the 50/n...a bit bouncy for my daily grind of potholes, chain trenches and prehistoric back roads. I guess there is no distributor in the US so any link would be much appreciated. If and when I find these I'll be parting with the 50's for a song to any club member. Springs have appx. 6000 miles on them

richiewong

Could try PowerStation, the big banner above you

Powerstation - AST

SekretSkwirl02

Thanks richiewang'...it's a done deal as they have emailed back upon my querie, danielle

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Or I could sell you a set of 40's cheaper!

F

SekretSkwirl02

That's a shame...Curtis at AST just shipped them out today.

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Very few ££'s They are hardly used...

F

SekretSkwirl02

I see...well we need them here. The UK has it's B and C roads and we have X & Z roads (one step up from from river beds )

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Its best to hang on to the 50's, then if you decide to sell them (or the car) then the next person will have a choice of settings (you can put the 40's on the rear to balance the 50's on the front)

SekretSkwirl02

good idea and maybe a set of 40n for the rear> so I'll have 2 seperate set'ups: one for DD and the other for go fast days down at the local circuit.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Yep, I have 3 sets of springs, 50, 40 and 30. Currently at 40 F 30 R but have had them at 50F 40R - you don't need 2 sets of 40s for this, the springs can be fitted to either front or back

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

It's a pity that PS don't do some sort of exchange programme for AST springs. It seems there's a growing collection of AST owners that have spare sets in their garages

F

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

But when its about £90 for the pair is it really worth saving £50 over some new ones?

but then again if they're a free swap..

Powerstation

unfortunately, the sportline 2s use a 64mm id spring whereas the sportline uses a 60mm id spring so they are not interchangeable,

regards
Curtis
AST suspension uk

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Jay, you wouldn't want to save £50

F

SekretSkwirl02

Just waking up boys and I see that good news> interchangeable springs'. Looks like I'm set..maybe then a 60 to complete the line...Cant' imagine using the 60/50 on the street here though...that will have to be track for sure. Maybe if I load up the trunk with illegal aliens plenty of those downtown-I weigh all of 108 lbs. So me + 5 or 6 of them will smooth that' combo out, dani'

911

Not on your roads!

60/50 are pretty hard imho on B roads in the UK.
Fab on A roads though, and great on race track.

I hope to pop back to 50/40 as overall they keep some of the Impreza suppleness; we will see what Curtis thinks in the Spring.

If you can get the damping spot-on with 40/30 and also the roll bars right, i should think that would be very good on the road, even in Tahoe...

Does it still get real misty in the lake area this time of the year? Remember how it fills the valley!

Great part of California, though the Napa was just the tops.
Nearly emigrated there; hard luck to all in UK!
Graham

SekretSkwirl02

of course I was kidding about filling the car with Latin people so I could run the 60/50...Mist? on a REAL COLD morn' the inversion set in so it's clear up high and foggy on the low. Usually lasts 'till 10 or 11 am then breaks. This might happen 10 times a year so they don't sell a lot of foglites up these parts. My step brother and I live at 7200 ft. elevation so usually it's the other way> cloudy up high and sun in the valley. So graham a quick querie: Can I adjust my CUSCO camber plates for more of that precious TOE?. I have seen some plates 'rotated' not sure about the Cuscos. Have them at all 4 corners though for now. Napa is nice...green and of course the wine is to die for, My memories there include NASCAR road course every year for the past 7...really like the road course there...stadium like' as you can see almost every turn from all vantage spots. Some think me CRAZY for my nascar fetish...truth is I wish they ran more road course'. The ovals bore me as of late. NASCAR is so big in the states. Rallye is catching on though thanks to TRAVIS PASTRANA and the X GAMES. We witnessed that also in Southern California dani'

911

It certainly was foggy when I drove it at about 8 in the morning!

You can on the fronts 'rotate' the cusco's.
See my pics of the Noltec/AST top mounts and get the bearing as tight to the corner as possible.
This will max the castor and the negative too, maybe too much!

Fit camber bolts to the front and rear, but use the fronts to dial the camber back to reality, about 2 deg negative on radials.
You can max the CAMBER on the rear and use the bolts to set the rear camber to about 2 deg neg so giving extra wheel clearance to the springs. Extra Castor on the rear is pointless.

My Sti is up on axle stands at the moment waiting for the trans to come back. Wheels are off so if you need pics at all this is a good time as the car is 800mm off the deck so easy to get at.
Regards, Graham.

ps: I lived in Santa Rosa when in the Sunny State. Spent ages in the USA over the many years.

SekretSkwirl02

right...that's good news. Maybe I'll keep the Cuscos up front however I believe the Group N tops will go in the rear to quiet this beast. I'd say 75% of the NVH noise originates from the back end. I did notice that NOLTEC uses a poly 'ring' to bring the NVH down...I guess we could engineer such a bushing for the Cusco's. We do have all 4 Group N tops but would be a shame not to have all that wonderful Caster . Sir G' when doing a spring swap is there a tool for these smaller springs? I don't think our spring compressor is up to it. I have seen these levered' press things at shops...basically it looks like you 'crank' it and the whole shock compresses in order to lift the TOP NUT...sound right? AND about fog here...rare but since your Brit' it automatically follows you around no matter where..I guess..hehehe. Pics of the Noltec rotated tops would help too. Santa Rosa is not a bad place..went through there a while back and now I've heard it's 'grown up' and is a bit crowded. The real beauty starts north in MENDOCINO and then HUMBOLDT. Lots of hippies up yonder' and it smells like dead SKUNKS..lol... thanks d'

911

To compress the srings is easy, and a 'standard' set of compression bars will do the job, but by far the easiest way on the AST's is to slacken the clamp grub screw in the lower spring ring that runs on the large thread on the strut body and wind-down the ring till the springs go slack. The top nut can then be freed and the springs slid off the body.

Might be a good thing if you smear some silicon grease on the bottom of all the springs and the ring/top mount faces to allow them to moves easy when in the car. Can stop any noisy spring movement at low speeds over acute bumps.

Keep going!

Graham

It is generally true that Bad Weather follows an Englishman, but it sure was hot in Reno in November when I was there many years ago.

SekretSkwirl02

uhh...that's going to be a snap! AND I do get creaks on driveways + low speed aggresive turns at all 4 corners. I was thinking it was the PERRIN endlinks or the new bars. I'll address all 3>links, bars and springs w/lube and better locking washers. The noise are quite disconcerting and needs to be gone. SO I just test drove the car w /5 and 3 dampening clicks...still bumpy even at 160 kph the car was unsettled. Could it be that these springs are just too stiff? Low speed bumps the springs don't even move and the car follows the contour of the road> up and down and up and down...d'

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Is it value though? Brand new vs 2nd hand unknown quantity?

Probably is in the case of a spring but there you go!

911

Doesn't sound right in my (UK) experience.
Assuming the AST's are in good condition, 50/40 springs, on rough roads I would think 5F.3R to be ok.
Doing 160K's means the road is ok, (ie smooth, no pot-holes) so things should be great.

Try the damping at 7f.6r. The rear rates are 80% of the fronts.
Try keeping the damping in the same way, 7 click from soft front x 80% = 5.6 click, say 6 from soft.

If all this comes to nothing then I am thinking the dampers are not right, ie done for.
What is their history?

Graham

SekretSkwirl02

Yes the road was not bad> rough surface but level none the less...I do have 30's on the rear by the way Graham not 40's. Today I'll climb under the car and 'click' them up. I need to do this soon as the DRINKING and consuming of semi-illegal SUBSTANCES commences early and shortly during this american holiday. As far as the history of this set is concerned supposedly they have 6000 miles on them according to the ex owner who swore by them. He firmly stated they were the BEST street coilovers he'd ever experienced and was selling them in order to help purchase a house.

911

Thanksgiving is not about Booze and stuff (is it )?

I am worried now that you say you have to get under the car to 'click' the damping as AST's are adjusted from the TOP, unless they are 3 way adjustables?
Tell me more when you have single vision back!
Graham

SekretSkwirl02

Thanksgiving is an American holiday..which technically I'm not so I really don't get that worked up I'ts fun to see freinds and such and that's about it. My family except for my mother is still in Norway so it's me and my mom + some of the locals characters. I wish my AST's were adjustable from the top....the adjusment thing is a bronze colored dial at the bottom of the strut and it does click 12 times(some are not clicking so much so we just estimate those). These were bought in the spriing from RCE so I don't think they are old model. Don't WORRY Im not at the party yet....

911

I need a picture!
My 3 ways have 3 bronze *****, one at the very base of the strut and the other 2 on a remote cyclinder.
My one-ways had the sole adjuster on the top of each strut.
A pic when youv'e finished having fun!
Graham

SekretSkwirl02

A picture...If I knew how I would post a pic. How do you post pics? If you give me your email I'll send one over pronto', dani'

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Mine are almost brand new...

F

Big Sky WRX

Danielle has the II's which are inverted like the triple adjustables- hence her damping adjustment on the bottom (vs top for the twintube non-inverted I's)

Insure if your going to swapping springs front/rear they are the correct length- often springs differ in free length front and rear, you may have the correct spring rate you want, but not the correct length.

If the AST's happen to run the same length springs front/rear your good to go

Mike