Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Been running on some BC coilovers on 18" rims for about 3 months now; when they were originally set up the car sat very low, looked good but the ride was too hard and the handling was unpredictable at times... 'bone shaker low' in fact. The front end dipped slightly with a bit of positive rake so I decided I'd had enough.

I've spent the last 2 weeks trying out different ride height and damper settings and levelled off the rake. Today I've finally done it, and ironically the car now sits more or less where it did with my Prodrive springs on. However the 30 point adjustable damping allowed me to set the ride up to provide excellent grip whilst maintaining a firm but comfortable ride, better than the Prodrives.

Visually the car now reminds me where the love affair with these babies began.

Lessons learned... Imprezas aren't meant to be in the weeds.

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Only finished it this evening but I'll get some before and after pics on for the weekend mate. Nice looking motor though mate.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Geometry ?

TinyTim

iTrader: (3)

If that's how it was in your avatar it doesnt look particularly low. As Dunx said, the Geo was probably well out.

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Had the full geometry done, had camber bolts fitted to the rear so that I could have the Prodrive settings applied when it was 1st done.

Maybe it's an age thing? I used to moan about Clarkson always complaining about suspension being too hard but I would have agreed with him on this one. Felt like my @rse was scraping on the floor. Tried adjusting the dampers but couldn't get it right.

Now it's nice and firm but doesn't break my back.

It's weird though... adjusting the height with BCs only adjusts the leg length without touching the spring length or tension so I don't quite get why it makes so much of a difference??

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

Yes, irrespective of ride height, the stiffness would remain the same. Maybe it's a 'placebo' effect?
I have Apex (BC with different colour collars) and am thinking of raising the height a little closer to the original Prodrive setting. Have you an actual meaurement to quote? eg wheelarch to wheel rim, wheelarch to wheel centre etc. What damper stiffness did you settle on - clicks from full soft.

JohnD

Cocker

iTrader: (3)

I have the BCs set to almost standard ride height and have no complaints regarding handling. Stick a front splitter on to make it seem lower than what it actually is!

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Impreza's just don't like to be lowered.

It causes all kinds of problems. Your unpredictable characteristic could well have been bump steer. I bought a new age scooby a while back which had been excessively lowered and show it a road with undulations at it was all over the place.

Other big thing is reduced damper travel and riding into the bump stops

The Type R I recently bought had green Tein s.tech lowering springs which put the car almost permanently on the bump stops. Any kind of spirited driving was just horrible

I have changed to P1 struts and springs. The Prodrive springs do in fact lower the car, but not by much. The set-up does a very good job

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

I think it's a case of getting the right balance... when the car was lower I lost some grip because I'd virtually taken out all the body roll thus creating a bit of slide when cornering. Now I get a slight bit of roll but the grip is increased.

In terms of measurements if you're measuring the length of the threaded shaft between the collar at the bottom of the shaft to the small locking collar at the spring end, I have set them up as follows:

Ride Height
Fronts 90 mm
Rears 158 mm

Dampers
Fronts: 17
Rears: 16

Tyre pressures
Fronts: 33 PSI
Rears: 32 PSI

I'm actually undecided about the rear damper settings, can't decide between 16, or 17...

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Defo agree with you mate

stef_2010

iTrader: (3)

I had this aswell

Asked the mechanic that fitted my BCs to have it low, but not stupid low. Well he put it to low anyway !

Before





This is the best pic I have of it raised



Made the world of difference imo

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Looks much better at the sensible height; it makes sense... they were conceived as rally cars, and not touring cars.

CREWJ

It looks so much better at the proper height.

suBruce

iTrader: (1)

Thread makes for interesting but predictable reading. Subaru R&d will have spent lots the way it is. So best not lower mine then, but do you think putting P1 shock and springs on will improve the handling and looks on a sport? will it be slightly lower, thats what I'm after.

CREWJ

Yes, yes and yes.

It'll handle a lot better and it will be lowered by around an inch (25.4mm).

Also if you want handling mods you should get a rear anti roll bar.

stef_2010

iTrader: (3)

I only had standard STI suspension on mine before upgrading but if you can stretch to it the BCs are very good imo

With these fitted and an aggressive geo setting the difference really is almost unbelievable

Bye bye understeer

stef_2010

iTrader: (3)

I could go on for ages about it

The car feels incredibly stable going through fast sweeping bends, just inspires confidence

I love my car

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

I agree, BCs are a bloody good mod, the beauty is that you can tweak them to get them just how you want. You get 'a lotta bang 4 ya buck!'

eggy790

iTrader: (20)

my car is on bc's and as low as my bugeye will go without scraping / rubbing on hard bends/full lock etc. full geometry done and braces and arbs etc. and cant fault the handling one bit.. spot on and deos exactly what i want.

only hit the bump stops once when hammering it down a road and then noticed the surface change and drop due to the road being redone, was as if i was airbourne for a while lol

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Just discovered that these damper settings are too stiff for the wet

Going to have to find a happy medium that works well on both the wet and the dry

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

At the moment I have 12 front, 8 rear - clicks from full soft.
Are your spring rates 6/5?

JohnD

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Yours does look very low indeed. Here's a pic of mine which was giving all manner of problems



And here's the handling development thread which may be of some help

-shane-

iTrader: (40)

Mine sits like this what problems have you experienced

I want to raise mine a bit but won't it mess up my geo settings

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

It's all in the development thread bud.

If you change the height, the geo will need resetting

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

[QUOTEI want to raise mine a bit but won't it mess up my geo settings[/QUOTE]

I did a quick calculation as to the difference raising the ride height would have on the camber. Lengthening the strut to raise the car will reduce the amount of negative camber. Using simple trigonometry (back to school!) a nominal strut length of say 550mm raised to 556mm (6mm ride height increase) would reduce a 1.5deg neg. camber to 1.48deg a change of 1.2 min of arc. Can the alignment machines (or the operator) handle that level of tolerance? Flexing of the system could well exceed that, surely!
It's probably not as simplistic as that, but the changes are miniscule!

JohnD

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Camber isn't the only variable, there are the steering geometry and roll centre changes to consider...
Toe-in/out is guaranteed to vary with ride height ( bump steer may be increased or if lucky decreased ), whilst I agree there is little you can do directly to control the roll centre variation.

IMHO.

dunx

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Lifting my new age by 20mm made a big difference all around, but especially to the camber angles

Scoober-Dubs

iTrader: (5)

Not sure what the spring rates are... I've left them as they were when fitted at Scooby Clinic. How would I find this out?

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

There are numbers on the springs that relate to the free (uncompressed) length and the rate (Kg per mm compression)

JohnD