Gangle

I have a STI Type UK, Version-8, 53 plate. Hassle free for 20k miles, but now its at 35K and its begun knocking so much now and both sides feel unstable and have got to point where not only are they noisy, they feel like they get stuck and sink at points, Slow driving feels horrible. An unnerving experience all round. My poor car!

So its replacement time, I know very little about suspension and get quite confused by all the terminology. So I’m looking for some easy to understand advice.

Q1) What sort of costs are you looking at for strut/spring set-up vs Coilovers?

Q2) Can I replace just the rears or do I need to do all four corners?

Some options?
I have look at DC coilovers, at £650 for 4, these seem popular at the moment, how much to get them installed and set up?
Is this the best option?

So many questions and I have seen a lot of post, but not very many conclusions. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

davedipster

I looked at the options for my 03sti...
Subaru genuine rears ££££ and will fail again
KYB rears ££ unknown and may fail again
BC coilovers £ great improvement over std, height adjustable, dampening adjustment, extra camber adjustment on front and rear.

I went for BC's as you can guess...well impressed.
Don't expect them to be silent, but you will be amazed at how well your 03 can handle with these on, and the ride is better-yes better!

Any questions with set-up/how to fit please PM me.

dipster

Aaron1978

iTrader: (12)

i would agree with all the above, if like me you don't fancy fitting them yourself i paid £280 including full geometry but that also included fitting an anti lift kit so maybe a tad cheaper without.

Must say that the quality of them is very high.

Aaron

Gangle

Hey,

Thanks for the advise, looks like more glowing references for the BC products. I am looking to get it re-mapped too, taking it beyond the PPP so guess i will appreciate the handling benefits.

I live in an area that has some shocking roads, makes me want to ask for a refund on my road tax, thinks thats whats killed mine so fast. Is this going to pose a problem to the set up?

How easy is it to re-adjust and does it require the geometry being done again after tweaking?

What the advantage of the anti lift?

dunx

iTrader: (3)

ALK and a rear adjustable ARB are the first suspension mods I did, superb. Coilovers fitted tonight, I got Teins, but Apex/BC use the same spring rates, so I'm hoping it's not too stiff.

imf1 has them on his STI and he's very pleased with the BC's.

HTH

dunx

Mocom Racing

iTrader: (2)

Dave, whilst I agree the BC coilovers are good VFM I will reserve judgement until I have seen their long-term performance. That's not to say they are bad, far from it, the spring location and rear extended adjusters are very nice touches however there is a reason for their price and it's not just the location of the manufacturing facility. How long do they expect between rebuilds on a daily driver? How does this compare if used on track?
I'm also not surprised to hear they feel like an improvement over the stock items with mileage on them, this happens so so often. People just do not realise how much suspension will tire over time and it's for this reason I do not suggest replacing just the one failed strut.

I would start with asking yourself what you feel you need from your new set-up and think long and hard about what it was that you like, or disliked about your old set-up and your STi's handling characteristics. This will help either myself, or one of the other Subaru specialists on here to offer good advice for your set-up. Suspension is a large outlay and you need to be sure that what you are spending your money on is right for you

davedipster

I was also worried about quality/life so I did some research on forums.

I found out that Group buys on the current version BC's started in 2007 in the USA (nasioc and iwsti), before buying I contacted people who fitted these in the 2007 groupbuys, with no horror stories from the guys I mailed.

At the moment I am very happy with the BC's, but if they turn out to be rubbish I will be knocking on your door for some KW's

dipster

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Fitted Tein Superstreets last night, and my initial impression is that they are a bit too stiff..... however a bit of "running-in" may loosen them up a bit. Car handles and stops like an 80's Lada as all four wheels are pointing in different directions !

LOL

dunx

Gangle

Life span was an issue of concern. However my 10-12k a year mileage is probably now half that at 5-6k. I would certainly hope they lasted for a few years with that sort of usage.
I have no issues with the daily drive or handling of my STI as it is with the standard pink/red struts.

Both rear sides have now gone and the dilemma is do i pay top money for standard replacement to have those fail again as they seem to be defective in many cases. or replace the whole lot for less?

I was looking for a replacements initially, but for £650+ fitting and set up I dont see a suitable alternative.

What i dont want to end up with is a car that feels like it has the ride quality of a skateboard!

Gangle

I can get a set of Rear KYB replacements struts for just over £200... I know its just the rears but looks quite appealing.

Will these be a straight swap or will i need springs too?

Just weighing up the options..

davedipster

Straight swap. You need to move the springs and top mounts to the new dampers of course.

dipster

Gangle

Will it need the geometry re-done if that's the case?

Also, do you know if the top mounts are usually buggered if the struts are? Just wondering if the extra abuse might case any issues?

davedipster

I would get the geo checked, the top mounts on my knackered struts where ok.
dipster

Gangle

Cheers Dave and the rest of you guys for sharing your advise.

One last thing...

Would these be the right replacements if I was just going for a straight swap in terms of struts?

KAYABA ULTRA SR SERIES : KYB ULTRA SR SHOCK ABSORBER Ultra SR Rear Shock Absorbers - Pair GDB Chassis Code Nov 02 on WRX STi :: £193.50 :: Subaru Impreza Turbo Parts, Tuning, Spares & Accessories :: 2.0i WRX STi GDB 02 To 06 UK - Suspension - Shocker

Thanks again