spesh_SCOOBY

i have a 02 wrx and the o/s/r shock seems to be fooked. its knocking bad. where is the best place to get a replacement??

also is it a easy job. ie. bottem 2 bolts and top mount?

thankyou

spesh_SCOOBY

WRBlu

Hi There

Chevron in Stafford are close to you - I also had the o/s/r shock start leaking and knocking on my WRX 03 blob, it seems to be a common problem, not bad after 7 years and 70K miles though.
I did a lot of research on replacements, based on replacing all 4 I would reccomend this as the other 3 shocks will be pretty worn out as well, at the very least you must replace the rear as a pair.

I looked at coilovers but theres a mixed bag of reports not just on here but by talking to mechanics. Also these are an insurance notifiable upgrade and I personally dont like to mod and keep the car original. I also dont want to be fiddling with adjustments as I know I will never get it right. So I just went for a set of 4 KYB Excel G gas shocks which are the OEM standard shock although I think they are 15-20% firmer. I kept the original springs but was thinking about an eibach upgrade which i think would complement them well. There is also a KYB SR shock upgrade which is STI + level. I did have the car 4 wheel alligned and set up for normal / fast road use (a little bit of camber added) - this has to be done when shocks are changed as geometry is affected.

The result was:

Firmer feel but ride quality the same
Improved turn in
Better high speed stability car very planted
Better stability when cornering
Flatter cornering - less lurch
More grip, no tyre squeal when cornering on smooth tarmac
Effortless cornering and less speed scrub off
Much better grip in the wet
The only minor negative is a slightly vaguer dead ahead - now not really noticeable.

Slightly off topic but the other big difference I made to the car was to fit Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric all round - these are a superb tyre, I have had Eagle F1 GSD3 and the original Bridgestone REO 70, the Assymetric combine the best traits of both including great wet weather performance. These are the perfect tyre for a WRX 03 - like the shocks always keep all 4 tyres the same.

So I would recommend replacing all 4 shocks, avoid coilovers and do the allignment and setup. I had it all done by Chevron Motorsport in Doxey Rd Stafford (01785 223 336) and I can certainly recommend them - see Simon, he did a very good job at a good price.